Lei Heng
Encyclopedia
Lei Heng is a fictional character in the Water Margin
, one of the Four Great Classical Novels
of Chinese literature
. He ranks 25th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Winged Tiger".
, Shandong
. He serves as a constable in the county office together with Zhu Tong
. He was formerly a blacksmith and butcher before becoming a constable. The Water Margin describes him as standing at about seven chi
, with a purplish face and a string of whiskers on his face. Lei Heng possesses immense strength and excels in martial arts. His most outstanding ability is his skill in leaping across a body of water several meters wide and jumping over high walls with ease. This ability, when combined with his prowess in martial arts, earns him the nickname of "Winged Tiger". Lei Heng stands up to injustice and often uses his abilities to help the weak.
Once, Lei Heng is patrolling the neighborhood with his men when he sees Liu Tang
, who has fallen asleep in a temple after getting drunk. Lei Heng mistakes Liu Tang for a wanted criminal and has Liu arrested. Lei Heng and his men arrive at Chao Gai
's village after that and decide to take a break there. Chao Gai recognises Liu Tang and lies to Lei Heng that Liu is his nephew. Lei Heng obliges to Chao Gai's request and releases Liu Tang. However, Liu Tang is still angry with Lei Heng for arresting him for no reason earlier and he attempts to sneak up on Lei later. Lei Heng and Liu Tang fight for several rounds but neither emerges the victor. Chao Gai arrives on the scene and stops the fight.
After Chao Gai and his six friends robbed the convoy of birthday gifts for the Imperial Tutor Cai Jing
, the authorities send Lei Heng and Zhu Tong to arrest the seven men. However, Lei Heng and Zhu Tong value their friendship with Chao Gai and they allow Chao to escape. Zhu Tong asks Lei Heng to enter through the front door and Lei makes loud noises on purpose to attract Chao's Gai attention so Chao is alerted to their presence and escapes easily.
Lei Heng's mother comes to deliver Lei's meals to him. She has a quarrel with Bai Xiuying and Bai slaps her. Lei Heng is a filial son and he is unable to tolerate Bai Xiuying's attitude and actions towards his mother. He rises up and kills Bai Xiuying by smashing his chains on her. The magistrate sentences Lei Heng to exile in Jizhou and assigns Zhu Tong to escort Lei to the prison. Zhu Tong releases Lei Heng on account of their friendship and helps Lei escape. Lei Heng brings his mother along with him to seek refuge on Liangshan
and becomes an outlaw.
Lei Heng becomes one of the leaders of the Liangshan infantry after the Grand Assembly. He follows the Liangshan heroes on their campaign against the Liao
invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. During the Fang La
campaign, Lei Heng is assigned to attack the enemy territory of Deqing County. He is slain by the enemy general Si Xingfang
in battle. Lei Heng is posthumously granted the title of "Martial Gentleman of Loyalty" (忠武郎) by the emperor in recognition of his contributions.
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 25th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Winged Tiger".
Background
Lei Heng is from Yuncheng CountyYuncheng County
Yuncheng County is a county in southwest of Shandong province, China. It borders Liangshan County and Jiaxiang County to the east, Juancheng to the west and Juye and Heze to the south.-Notes and references:...
, Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
. He serves as a constable in the county office together with Zhu Tong
Zhu Tong
Zhu Tong is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 12th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Lord of the Beautiful Beard".-Background:...
. He was formerly a blacksmith and butcher before becoming a constable. The Water Margin describes him as standing at about seven chi
Chi (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...
, with a purplish face and a string of whiskers on his face. Lei Heng possesses immense strength and excels in martial arts. His most outstanding ability is his skill in leaping across a body of water several meters wide and jumping over high walls with ease. This ability, when combined with his prowess in martial arts, earns him the nickname of "Winged Tiger". Lei Heng stands up to injustice and often uses his abilities to help the weak.
Once, Lei Heng is patrolling the neighborhood with his men when he sees 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:...
, who has fallen asleep in a temple after getting drunk. Lei Heng mistakes Liu Tang for a wanted criminal and has Liu arrested. Lei Heng and his men arrive at Chao Gai
Chao 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...
's village after that and decide to take a break there. Chao Gai recognises Liu Tang and lies to Lei Heng that Liu is his nephew. Lei Heng obliges to Chao Gai's request and releases Liu Tang. However, Liu Tang is still angry with Lei Heng for arresting him for no reason earlier and he attempts to sneak up on Lei later. Lei Heng and Liu Tang fight for several rounds but neither emerges the victor. Chao Gai arrives on the scene and stops the fight.
After Chao Gai and his six friends robbed the convoy of birthday gifts 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 authorities send Lei Heng and Zhu Tong to arrest the seven men. However, Lei Heng and Zhu Tong value their friendship with Chao Gai and they allow Chao to escape. Zhu Tong asks Lei Heng to enter through the front door and Lei makes loud noises on purpose to attract Chao's Gai attention so Chao is alerted to their presence and escapes easily.
Becoming an outlaw
One day, Lei Heng goes to watch a performance but forgets to bring his moneybag with him. The singer Bai Xiuying keeps pestering Lei Heng to pay for watching the show and Lei argues that he does not have any money with him. Bai Xiuying and her father Bai Yuqiao insult Lei Heng, and Lei hits Bai Yuqiao in fury and he is arrested later when Bai Xiuying reports him to the magistrate, who is a close family friend of hers. Lei Heng is shackled in chains and forced to stand outside the county office to be publicly humiliated.Lei Heng's mother comes to deliver Lei's meals to him. She has a quarrel with Bai Xiuying and Bai slaps her. Lei Heng is a filial son and he is unable to tolerate Bai Xiuying's attitude and actions towards his mother. He rises up and kills Bai Xiuying by smashing his chains on her. The magistrate sentences Lei Heng to exile in Jizhou and assigns Zhu Tong to escort Lei to the prison. Zhu Tong releases Lei Heng on account of their friendship and helps Lei escape. Lei Heng brings his mother along with him to seek refuge on Liangshan
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...
and becomes an outlaw.
Lei Heng becomes one of the leaders of the Liangshan infantry after the Grand Assembly. He follows the Liangshan heroes on their campaign against the Liao
Liao 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 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:...
campaign, Lei Heng is assigned to attack the enemy territory of Deqing County. He is slain by the enemy general Si Xingfang
Si Xingfang
Si Xingfang is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Si Xingfang is the Kingdom Protecting Great General serving under the rebel leader, Fang La, one of the antagonists and enemy of the 108 Liangshan outlaws...
in battle. Lei Heng is posthumously granted the title of "Martial Gentleman of Loyalty" (忠武郎) by the emperor in recognition of his contributions.
See also
- List of Water Margin minor characters#Lei Heng's story for a list of supporting minor characters from Lei Heng's story.