Gongsun Sheng
Encyclopedia
Gongsun Sheng is a fictional character in the Water Margin
, one of the Four Great Classical Novels
of Chinese literature
. He ranks 4th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Dragon in the Clouds".
tall, with eyebrows resembling the Chinese character for "eight" (八), almond-like eyes and a noble appearance. He is a Taoist
priest and possesses the abilities to perform Taoist magic, summon the wind and rain, ride the mist and drive the clouds. Such is his sheer magical powers and mystique that earns him the nickname "Dragon in the Clouds". His weapon is an ancient sword made of copper.
, Wu Yong
, Liu Tang
and the three Ruan brothers to form the "Righteous Seven". They disguise themselves as date traders and succeed in robbing the convoy of birthday gifts intended for the Imperial Tutor Cai Jing
. The seven men are wanted by the authorities for the robbery and have no choice but to flee to Liangshan Marsh
for refuge. Chao Gai replaces the incompetent and selfish Wang Lun as chief of Liangshan after the latter is killed by Lin Chong
on Wu Yong's instigation. Gongsun Sheng takes his place as the third leader of Liangshan.
) to rescue Chai Jin
, who has been imprisoned by Gaotangzhou's governor Gao Lian. Although Gao Lian's forces are no match for Liangshan, his mastery of sorcery and dark magic is sufficient to hold off the outlaws.
Song Jiang
is worried and he sends Dai Zong and Li Kui to find Gongsun Sheng and bring him back to help them counter Gao Lian. After a sheer amount of determination and an attempt on the sage's life by Li Kui, the two of them succeed in persuading Taoist Luo to allow Gongsun Sheng to leave with them. Gongsun Sheng defeats Gao Lian with his superior magic and the outlaws break into Gaotangzhou and rescue Chai Jin. During the battle of Mount Mangdang against Fan Rui and his bandit gang, Gongsun Sheng makes yet another great contribution by breaking Fan's charms with his own more powerful magic. Fan Rui is defeated and he decides to join Liangshan and becomes Gongsun Sheng's apprentice.
invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. During the Tian Hu
campaign, Gongsun Sheng scores a major victory by defeating the magician Qiao Daoqing again, thus clearing all obstacles for the heroes to eliminate Tian Hu. After the Wang Qing
campaign, Gongsun Sheng retires to study Taoism and does not participate in the final campaign against Fang La
. Gongsun Sheng refuses to accept an official post from the emperor in recognition of his achievements. Instead, he returns to his hometown in Jizhou (present-day Ji County, Tianjin
), where he devotes the rest of his life to the practice of Taoism.
Water Margin
Water Margin , also known as Outlaws of the Marsh, All Men Are Brothers, Men of the Marshes, or The Marshes of Mount Liang, is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.Attributed to Shi Nai'an and written in vernacular Chinese, the story, set in the Song Dynasty,...
, one of the Four Great Classical Novels
Four Great Classical Novels
The Four Great Classical Novels, or the Four Major Classical Novels of Chinese literature, are the four novels commonly regarded by scholars to be the greatest and most influential of pre-modern Chinese fiction. Dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties, they are well known to most Chinese readers...
of Chinese literature
Chinese literature
Chinese literature extends thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature fictional novels that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese...
. He ranks 4th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Dragon in the Clouds".
Background
The Water Margin describes Gongsun Sheng as eight chiChi (unit)
The chi is a traditional Chinese unit of length, approximately equal to one foot. Its length is derived from the length of human forearm and has first appeared during the Shang Dynasty approximately 3000 years ago. Since then it has spread to and adopted by other East Asian cultures, such as...
tall, with eyebrows resembling the Chinese character for "eight" (八), almond-like eyes and a noble appearance. He is a Taoist
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
priest and possesses the abilities to perform Taoist magic, summon the wind and rain, ride the mist and drive the clouds. Such is his sheer magical powers and mystique that earns him the nickname "Dragon in the Clouds". His weapon is an ancient sword made of copper.
Robbing the convoy of birthday gifts
Gongsun Sheng joins Chao GaiChao Gai
Chao Gai is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He is widely considered as the founding father of the Liangshan outlaws' cause to serve the nation and deliver justice on behalf of Heaven...
, Wu Yong
Wu Yong
Wu Yong is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 3rd of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Resourceful Star".-Background:...
, Liu Tang
Liu Tang
Liu Tang is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 21st of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Red Haired Devil".-Background:...
and the three Ruan brothers to form the "Righteous Seven". They disguise themselves as date traders and succeed in robbing the convoy of birthday gifts intended for the Imperial Tutor Cai Jing
Cai Jing
Cai Jing , style name Yuanchang , was a government official and calligrapher who lived during the Northern Song Dynasty. Cai Jing is also featured as one of the antagonists and nemesis of the 108 Liangshan heroes in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese...
. The seven men are wanted by the authorities for the robbery and have no choice but to flee to Liangshan Marsh
Mount Liang
Mount Liang is a mountain in Liangshan County, Shandong province, China which rises to 197.9 m above sea level. It is well known as the stronghold of the 108 legendary Song Dynasty heroes of the classic Chinese novel Water Margin...
for refuge. Chao Gai replaces the incompetent and selfish Wang Lun as chief of Liangshan after the latter is killed by Lin Chong
Lin Chong
Lin Chong is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 6th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Panther Head"...
on Wu Yong's instigation. Gongsun Sheng takes his place as the third leader of Liangshan.
At Liangshan
Gongsun Sheng makes numerous contributions to Liangshan in the subsequent battles against the enemies of Liangshan, but he misses his mother and decides to return home to visit her. He also seeks to retire from the Liangshan cause to study Taoism with Taoist Luo, a self-proclaimed immortal. Not long after Gongsun Sheng's departure, the outlaws attack Gaotangzhou (present-day Gaotang CountyGaotang County
Gaotang County is a county of northwestern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It is administered by Liaocheng City.The population was in 1999.- External links :*...
) to rescue Chai Jin
Chai Jin
Chai Jin is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 10th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Little Whirlwind"...
, who has been imprisoned by Gaotangzhou's governor Gao Lian. Although Gao Lian's forces are no match for Liangshan, his mastery of sorcery and dark magic is sufficient to hold off the outlaws.
Song Jiang
Song Jiang
Song Jiang was the leader of a group of outlaws who lived during the Song Dynasty. The outlaws were active in the present-day provinces of Shandong and Henan before their eventual surrender to the government. Song Jiang is also featured as a character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great...
is worried and he sends Dai Zong and Li Kui to find Gongsun Sheng and bring him back to help them counter Gao Lian. After a sheer amount of determination and an attempt on the sage's life by Li Kui, the two of them succeed in persuading Taoist Luo to allow Gongsun Sheng to leave with them. Gongsun Sheng defeats Gao Lian with his superior magic and the outlaws break into Gaotangzhou and rescue Chai Jin. During the battle of Mount Mangdang against Fan Rui and his bandit gang, Gongsun Sheng makes yet another great contribution by breaking Fan's charms with his own more powerful magic. Fan Rui is defeated and he decides to join Liangshan and becomes Gongsun Sheng's apprentice.
Campaigns
Gongsun Sheng becomes one of the two chief strategists of Liangshan alongside Wu Yong. He follows the heroes on their campaigns against the LiaoLiao Dynasty
The Liao Dynasty , also known as the Khitan Empire was an empire in East Asia that ruled over the regions of Manchuria, Mongolia, and parts of northern China proper between 9071125...
invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. During the Tian Hu
Tian Hu
Tian Hu is one of the antagonists in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Tian Hu is one of the three rebel leaders in China, together with Fang La and Wang Qing, that the Liangshan heroes have to defeat in the final chapters of the novel.-Biography:Tian...
campaign, Gongsun Sheng scores a major victory by defeating the magician Qiao Daoqing again, thus clearing all obstacles for the heroes to eliminate Tian Hu. After the Wang Qing
Wang Qing
Wang Qing is one of the antagonists in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Wang Qing is one of the three rebel leaders in China, together with Fang La and Tian Hu, that the Liangshan heroes have to defeat in the final chapters of the novel.-Early life:The...
campaign, Gongsun Sheng retires to study Taoism and does not participate in the final campaign against Fang La
Fang La
Fang La was a rebel leader who lived during the Song Dynasty. He is also featured as one of the antagonists and nemesis of the 108 Liangshan heroes in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.-Biography:...
. Gongsun Sheng refuses to accept an official post from the emperor in recognition of his achievements. Instead, he returns to his hometown in Jizhou (present-day Ji County, Tianjin
Ji County, Tianjin
Ji County is a county in the far north of Tianjin municipality, China of cultural and historical significance . The administration of the county was transferred from Hebei province to Tianjin in 1973...
), where he devotes the rest of his life to the practice of Taoism.