Hu Sanniang
| Hu Sanniang | |
|---|---|
| Water Margin character | |
| First appearance | Chapter 47 |
| Nickname | "Ten Feet of Blue" 一丈青 |
| Rank | 59th, Bright Star (地慧星) of the 72 Earthly Fiends |
| Cavalry leader of Liangshan | |
| Ancestral home / Place of origin | Yunzhou, Zhongshan Prefecture (around present-day Dongping County, Tai'an, Shandong) |
| Weapon | Pair of sabers, lasso |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 扈三娘 |
| Traditional Chinese | 扈三娘 |
| Pinyin | Hù Sānniáng |
| Wade–Giles | Hu San-niang |
Hu Sanniang (lit. "Third Sister Hu") is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. She ranks 59th among the 108 Liangshan heroes and 23rd among the 72 Earthly Fiends. She is nicknamed "Ten Feet of Blue". The nickname might be a praise for her height and looks.
Background
Hu Sanniang is the daughter of Squire Hu, the master of the Hu Family Village (扈家莊) on Lone Dragon Ridge (獨龍崗), where two other villages also stand – Li Family Village (headed by Li Ying) and Zhu Family Village. The ridge is in Yunzhou (鄆州), Zhongshan Prefecture (中山府), which is around present-day Dongping County, Tai'an, Shandong. Hu Sanniang goes into battles wearing a suit of armour over a red robe, a golden helmet, and a silk belt. A martial arts expert who could battle with several men at the same time, she uses a pair of sabers in combat and carries a lasso, which she uses to catch and pull opponents off their steeds.
Joining Liangshan
Hu Sanniang is originally engaged to Zhu Biao, the third son of Zhu Chaofeng, the master of the neighbouring Zhu Family Village (祝家莊). The Zhus have been vilifying the outlaws of Liangshan Marsh, who finally come to attack them to avenge the insults. Coming to the Zhus' aid, Hu takes on several of the outlaw chieftains. The lecherous Wang Ying is excited when he sees a female warrior and takes up her challenge. Wang Ying underestimates Hu Sanniang, who in one sudden extension of her arm drags him off his horse and dumps him onto the ground to be bound by her men. She continues to fight with Liangshan's Ou Peng and Ma Lin without showing any sign of weariness. Finally she turns to Liangshan's leader Song Jiang and pursues him as he flees. The pursuit takes her to Lin Chong, a formidable fighter who takes little time to unhorse her. Song Jiang instructs that she be escorted back to Liangshan and placed under the watch and care of Elderly Song, his father.
Hu Sanniang's elder brother, Hu Cheng, comes to plead with Song Jiang to release his sister. Song Jiang agrees on the condition that Hu Cheng seizes any Zhu who flees to him. The outlaws defeat the Zhus eventually and overrun the village. Zhu Biao runs to Hu Cheng and is taken captive. Hu Cheng and his men are intercepted by Li Kui while on their way to Song Jiang's camp. Li Kui hacks off Zhu Biao's head and comes next for Hu Cheng, who quickly flees. Hu is said to become a noted military officer years later in the southern Song court - a truncated Song empire based in southern China after the Jurchens seized the north. Although the Hu family have earlier made peace with Liangshan, Li Kui charges into the Hu Family Village and kills everyone inside. He is later reprimanded by Song Jiang for disobeying orders.
Back in Liangshan, Hu Sanniang has consented to becoming a ward of Song Jiang's father. With Song Jiang and the other outlaw chiefs as matchmakers, Hu Sanniang is given in marriage to Wang Ying to fulfil Song Jiang's earlier promise to find Wang a bride. The bride-to-be remains silent throughout the wedding preparations as she sees no point in dousing Song Jiang's enthusiasm.
Campaigns and death
Hu Sanniang becomes one of the leaders of the Liangshan cavalry after the 108 Stars came together in what is called the Grand Assembly. She follows the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces in Song territory after they received amnesty from Emperor Huizong. During the campaign against the rebel leader Fang La, Hu Sanniang and Wang Ying are assigned to attack the enemy-controlled city of Muzhou (睦州; in present-day Hangzhou, Zhejiang), where they face Fang La's general Zheng Biao in battle. Zheng Biao uses his sorcery skills to confuse Wang Ying and kill him. Hu Sanniang attempts to avenge her husband, but she is killed by Zheng Biao's magical gold bricks.
References
- Buck, Pearl S. (2006). All Men are Brothers. Moyer Bell. ISBN 9781559213035.
- Ichisada, Miyazaki (1993). Suikoden: Kyoko no naka no Shijitsu (in Japanese). Chuo Koronsha. ISBN 978-4122020559.
- Keffer, David. "Outlaws of the Marsh: A Somewhat Less Than Critical Commentary". Poison Pie Publishing House. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- Li, Mengxia (1992). 108 Heroes from the Water Margin (in Chinese). EPB Publishers. p. 119. ISBN 9971-0-0252-3.
- Miyamoto, Yoko (2011). "Water Margin: Chinese Robin Hood and His Bandits". Demystifying Confucianism. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- Shibusawa, Kou (1989), Bandit Kings of Ancient China, Koei, pp. 91, 93, 98
- Zhang, Lin Ching (2009). Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House. ISBN 978-7506344784.