Lady Huang 黃氏 (personal name unknown) was the daughter of the prominent Later Han scholar Huang Chengyan 黃承彥 and the wife of the Shu-Han chancellor Zhuge Liang 諸葛亮.
Biography[]
Huang's father was Huang Chengyan,[1] a prominent Later Han scholar. Huang Chengyan had a wife, who was the sister of Liu Biao's wife Lady Cai 蔡氏 and his naval commander Cai Mao 蔡瑁. Possibly she was Huang's mother.
At one point during her life her father persuaded Zhuge Liang to take her by saying that although she was very ugly she had a wit to match his. About this event the Sanguo zhi says the following:[1]
- 黃承彥... ...謂諸葛孔明曰：
- Huang Chengyan... ...once told Zhuge Kongming:
- 「聞君擇婦；
- “I heard you're looking to select a wife;
- 身有醜女，
- I possess an ugly looking daughter,
- 黃頭黑色，
- she has a yellow face with a dark complexion,
- 而才堪相配。」
- but she possesses talent adequately capable of matching yours.”
- 孔明許，
- Kongming agreed,
- 即載送之。
- and so [Huang Chengyan] sent her over at once.
- 時人以為笑樂，
- The people of that time considered this [event] to be an amusing story,
- 鄉里為之諺曰：
- and in the village a proverb arose out of this:
- 「莫作孔明擇婦，
- “Do not choose a wife as Kongming did,
- 正得阿承醜女。」
- and end up with Ah Cheng's ugly daughter.”
Family[]
- Parents
- Huang Chengyan
- mother's name unknown (possibly sister of Cai Mao and Lady Cai).
- Spouse
Notes[]
- A memorial for Lady Huang exists in her supposed hometown of Huangjiawan 黄家湾, in Yao'an village 姚庵村, which lay outside Xiangyang in Hubei province.
Fact vs. Fiction[]
Historically...
- ... the name of Huang Chengyan's daughter is not known. In fiction she is often called Yue Ying 月英, or Huang Yueying 黃月英, but these names have no historical basis.
- ...it is not known who gave birth to Zhuge Liang's son Zhuge Zhan.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chen Shou, Sanguo zhi, Book of Shu 05.
Sources[]
- Chen Shou 陳壽 (233–297). Sanguo zhi 三國志 “Records of the Three Kingdoms”, with official commentary compiled by Pei Songzhi 裴松之 (372-451).
- Xi Zuochi 習鑿齒 (4th century). Xiangyang jijiu ji 襄陽耆舊記 “Accounts of the Elders of Xiangyang”.