Du Yu
One of the chief commanders in the conquest of Wu, he coined the phrase "like splitting bamboo"; he was also a commentator on the Zuo Zhuan.
Life
Du the Arsenal
Du Yu came from the Du clan of Jingzhao. Learned and versatile, he was well versed in law, astronomy and hydraulics, and was called "Du the Arsenal," meaning his learning, like an arsenal, contained everything.
Campaign for the Conquest of Wu
In 278 he succeeded Yang Hu in guarding Xiangyang and strongly advocated a campaign against Wu. In 279, when the Western Jin launched a large-scale multi-pronged attack on Wu, he led his troops to take Jiangling. When some subordinates proposed waiting until the following year to advance, he said, "Our army's might is now roused; it is like splitting bamboo: after the first few joints, the rest part as soon as the blade touches them."
Annotated the Zuo Zhuan
In 280 Sun Hao, ruler of Wu, surrendered, and the Three Kingdoms were reunified. Du Yu then devoted himself to scholarship; his Collected Explanations of the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Zuo Commentary is the earliest surviving annotated edition of the Zuo Zhuan. He died in 285.
Legacy
Du Yu was one of the rare figures who could both lead armies to conquer a state and write scholarly works; his commentary on the Zuo Zhuan remains the foundation for reading the Zuo Zhuan today.
Major works & achievements
- Took Jiangling, bringing about the conquest of Wu
- Wrote the "Collected Explanations of the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Zuo Commentary"
Did you know? The idiom "like splitting bamboo," meaning an unstoppable advance, comes from him.
Key dates
- 278Succeeded Yang Hu in guarding Xiangyang
- 279Led the campaign against Wu
- 280Took Jiangling; Wu fell
- 285Died