Verified Cases #
01 / YangrenDeath of Hua XiongThe novel names Guan Yu; the history records Sun Jian's army killing Hua Xiong without identifying the individual killer.02 / Peach GardenSworn Brotherhood and ClosenessThe novel has a Peach Garden ceremony; the cited history records only affection like brothers.03 / InspectorWho Beat the Inspector?Read the Biography of the Former Lord's main text separately from material quoted in the annotations.04 / Reading Sources TogetherBorrowing Arrows with Straw BoatsThe novel has Kongming borrow arrows. Wei Lüe, quoted in annotations to the Biography of the Lord of Wu, separately records Sun Quan turning his boat after receiving arrows. These concern different people and circumstances.05 / Reading Sources TogetherBorrowing the East WindRomance of the Three Kingdoms adds drama through Kongming's wind ritual. Zhou Yu's biography records a fierce wind during the fire attack, while Jiangbiao Zhuan in the annotations explicitly names a southeast wind.06 / Reading Sources TogetherMeeting with a Single BladeThe novel highlights Guan Yu's courage in attending the banquet. Lu Su's biography records Lu Su inviting him to talks, generals from both sides meeting with single blades, and troops stationed separately.
Correspondences in This Book #
Shiji Sanguo's specific chapters and excerpts must be checked after final-manuscript QA. Until verified, discussion concerns historical materials and novel scenes only, not a pretense of completed comparison.
Cite This Page
Shiji Sanguo website, “Romance and Historical Records: Distinguish the Stories First,” data version 2026-09-29.13, updated 2026-09-29.
https://shijisanguo.com/history-vs-romance/
When citing a specific claim, also identify its original source, whether it comes from the main text or a quoted annotation, and your access date. The # beside each section heading links to that passage. This site's synthesis is not the original text of an ancient work.