| NAME | |
|---|---|
| Chinese Name | 丁咸, 丁鹹, Dīng Xián |
| Nickname | Center Army Left General (中军左将军) |
| Other name | Đinh Tiên |
| INFORMATION | |
| Death Reason | Unknown |
| CAREER | |
| Allegiance | Shu Han |
| Battles |
|
Biography & Historical Record
Ding Xian (丁咸, Đinh Tiên) was a Shu Han general of the Three Kingdoms period, recorded in officer catalogs and named in the novel when Zhuge Liang organizes the great army for the northern expedition after pacifying Nanzhong. He holds no independent biography in Sanguozhi and performs no dialogue or battle scene; his value in the literary record is as one of the commanders Kongming trusts in the post-Nanman roster — a named link between the southern pacification arc and the Qishan campaigns against Wei. Kongming’s Archives notes him as an officer of the commissariat in Zhuge Liang’s later campaigns, suggesting a logistics or center-army role rather than a frontier champion like Wei Yan or Zhang Yi.
Role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Chapter 91 (Sacrificing at River Lu, the Prime Minister Marches Homeward; Attacking Wei, the Lord of Wuxiang Presents a Memorial): The chapter closes the seven captures of Meng Huo — Meng Huo and Nanman chieftains escort the Shu army homeward, Kongming sacrifices to the souls drowned at River Lu, and releases Meng Huo to govern the south in peace. After receiving the emperor’s command to march north, Zhuge Liang summons all officers and assigns the expedition structure. Ding Xian is appointed Center Army Left General (中军左将军) alongside Wu Yi, under Center Army Director Liu Yan, in the same roster that names Ma Dai as Left Army Commander and Chief of the Commissariat, Wei Yan as Front Army Commander, Li Hui as Rear Army Commander, advisers Ma Su, Yang Yi, and Cuan Xi, and guards Guan Xing and Zhang Bao. Ding Xian is not named in the earlier Nanzhong battles (Chapters 87–90); his sole novel appearance is this mobilization list bridging south and north.
Ding Xian (丁咸) — Historical & Literary Timeline
Chapters 87–90
Southern campaign context
Zhuge Liang pacifies Nanzhong and captures Meng Huo seven times; Ding Xian is not named in combat but belongs to the Shu army that returns through Yongchang and Yuexi in Chapter 91.
Chapter 91
River Lu sacrifice
Kongming sacrifices to drowned soldiers and southern allies at River Lu; Meng Huo and chieftains weep as angry shades disperse — the emotional close of the southern expedition before northern planning.
Chapter 91
Northern expedition roster
Appointed Center Army Left General with Wu Yi under Liu Yan; listed alongside Ma Dai, Wei Yan, Li Hui, Cuan Xi, Guan Xing, and Zhang Bao in Kongming’s grand army organization.
Historical record
Commissariat officer
Three Kingdoms catalogs and Kongming.net list Ding Xian as a Shu officer associated with Zhuge Liang’s commissariat in later campaigns against Wei — beyond the novel’s single roster line.
For detailed historical records, archives, and official chronicles, explore Ding Xian on Wikipedia.
Key Relationships
Family
- No spouse, children, or kin recorded.
Friends
- Zhuge Liang (诸葛亮, Gia Cát Lượng), styled Kongming: Chancellor who appoints Ding Xian Center Army Left General when organizing the northern expedition in Chapter 91.
- Wu Yi (吴懿, Ngô Nghễ): Appointed fellow Center Army Left General in the same roster line — immediate peer in the center command.
- Ma Dai (马岱, Mã Đại): Left Army Commander and Chief of the Commissariat in the same Chapter 91 assignment list — senior named figure in the parallel left wing.
- Liu Yan (刘琰, Lưu Nghiễm): Center Army Director to whom Ding Xian’s center-left post reports in the novel roster.
Enemies
- No personal enemies recorded — a staff general in the northern expedition organization, not a named duelist.
Other
- Wei Yan (魏延, Ngụy Diên), Li Hui (李恢, Lý Hồi), Ma Zhong (马忠, Mã Trung), and Deng Zhi (邓芝, Đằng Chi): Front, rear, and right army commanders in the same Chapter 91 roster.
- Cuan Xi (爨习, Toán Tập), Ma Su (马谡, Mã Mật), and Yang Yi (杨仪, Dương Nghi): Advisers named in the same mobilization.
- Guan Xing (关兴, Quan Hưng) and Zhang Bao (张苞, Trương Bao): Left and Right Guards in the expedition structure.
- Meng Huo (孟获, Mạnh Hoạch): Nanman king who escorts the army homeward in the first half of Chapter 91 before Ding Xian’s appointment in the northern roster.
- Liao Hua (廖化, Liêu Hóa), Hu Ji (胡济, Hồ Tế), and Yan Yan (严颜, Nghiêm Nhan): Other officers named in the same grand assignment scene.
In Novel
Chapter 91
- Ding Xian (丁咸, Đinh Tiên): After Meng Huo is released and the River Lu sacrifice ends the southern campaign, Zhuge Liang receives orders to march north and assigns commands. Ding Xian is named Center Army Left General (中军左将军) with Wu Yi, under Center Army Director Liu Yan — in the same roster listing Ma Dai as Left Army Commander and Chief of the Commissariat, Wei Yan as Front Army Commander, and advisers Ma Su, Yang Yi, and Cuan Xi.
- Same chapter — related arc: Meng Huo and Nanman chieftains escort Shu homeward; Kongming sacrifices to drowned souls at River Lu; Wang Kang and Lü Kai are left to govern Yongchang before the northern roster is read.
In History
Summary
- Ding Xian (丁咸, Đinh Tiên) was a Shu Han general listed in Three Kingdoms period officer catalogs. No dedicated biography survives in Sanguozhi; he is known from roster traditions and the novel's Chapter 91 appointment list for Zhuge Liang's northern expedition.
Year: 225–227 AD (campaign era)
- Served in the military organization of Zhuge Liang's era — after the Nanzhong pacification and during preparation for the northern expeditions against Wei. Kongming.net describes him as an officer of the commissariat in Zhuge Liang's second campaign against Wei.
Honesty on sources
- Like many Shu staff generals, Ding Xian is a roster name without recorded battles or speeches in primary histories. The novel gives him a specific post (Center Army Left General) but no further scenes.
Historical Record
- Three Kingdoms officer lists (enwiki List of people of the Three Kingdoms (D)); Kongming.net encyclopedia. Novel: Chapter 91 northern expedition roster only.
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