Lady Zhao (Three Kingdoms)
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Lady Zhao 趙姫 | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Unknown Yuyang County, Yuzhou (modern-day Yuyang County, Henan Province) |
| Died | 243 CE |
| Spouse | Yu Wei |
| Children | One daughter |
| Profession | Historian, scholar |
Lady Zhao (pinyin: Zhào Jī; died 243 CE) was a female historian and scholar during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Hailing from Yuyang County in Yuzhou, she served as a palace maid in the Eastern Wu kingdom and was known for her intelligence and literary talents. She was the wife of Yu Wei (虞韙), a county magistrate from Tongxiang County in Yu Province. Lady Zhao is also referred to as Yu the Chaste (虞貞節) and Mother Zhao (趙母).
Her literary contributions and intellectual achievements have left an enduring legacy, shedding light on the remarkable intellectual capabilities of women during the turbulent Three Kingdoms era, being compared with the famous female scholar Ban Zhao. As a result, her case was recorded in Huangfu Mi's Biographies of Exemplary Women which was supposed to be an instructional text for Confucian women.
Lady Zhao's exact birth date remains shrouded in mystery. She was born into the Zhao family of Yuyang County in Yuzhou (modern-day Yuyang County, Henan Province). She was renowned for her exceptional intellect and extensive knowledge from a young age. Zhao Hui's marriage to Yu Wei, a county magistrate, resulted in the birth of their daughter.
As her daughter prepared to embark on married life, Lady Zhao shared a poignant piece of advice: "My dear daughter, when you join your husband's household, be careful not to do too many good deeds." Her daughter, puzzled, asked, "Mother, if not good deeds, should I then do bad deeds?" Lady Zhao responded, "Even good deeds can sometimes lead to unexpected consequences, let alone bad ones."[1]