Portrayal of Sima Yi in Romance of the Three Kingdoms

• Main Authors: MA, KA-HONG, 馬家鴻
• Other Authors: Lin, Deng-Shun
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2018
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/2edp33

碩士 === 國立臺南大學 === 國語文學系碩士班 === 106 === Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the earliest long Zhanghui (chapter-couplet) historical novel in China, is representative of ancient historical novels. Its charm far exceeds Records of the Three Kingdoms. Luo Guanzhong portrayed numerous characters in the book and profoundly depicted their personalities, traits, and thoughts. Mao Zonggang stated that “three absolutes” existed in the three kingdoms—absolute treachery, absolute wisdom, and absolute righteousness. Representative figures are as follows: Absolute treachery refers to Cao, a crafty hero of his generation, who was specialized in military strategy and tactics. Absolute wisdom refers to the outstanding contemporary military master, Zhuge Liang, who is praised through the ages for exercising the utmost care and sparing no effort in performing his duties. Absolute righteousness refers to Guan Yu, who is respected as the embodiment of righteousness and loyalty, and attributed the everlasting title of Saint of War. Sima Yi, who does not appear until the 39th chapter, plays a crucial role that influences Cao Cao and Zhuge Liang as well as the entire situation of the novel. The portrayal of Sima Yi differs greatly from other top strategists such as Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu, who may live in seclusion or be portrayed as young and prosperous. However, literal terms often obscure the true history; in studies of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Sima Yi has been neglected. He was not only a militarist who exhibited strategies and thoroughly understood military tactics, but also a politician of lofty ambitions. This study focused on how Sima Yi is portrayed in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, integrating information from his military strategies, as well as his personality traits, thoughts on endurance, and personality combinations in his life. The author of this study did not emphasize criticism against Sima Yi’s loyalty and rebellion in history, but instead explored his image. This study carefully analyzed the legendary life of Sima Yi, the Emperor Xuan of Jin, and summarized views on artistic value of Sima Yi in Romance of the Three Kingdoms; finally, the key historical position of his portrayal in the novel was proposed.