The Ten Eunuchs

The Ten Eunuchs: The Corrupt Clique That Shattered the Eastern Han Dynasty

An Exhaustive Historical and Literary Analysis of the Twelve Court Eunuchs

In both Chen Shou’s (陈寿, Trần Thọ) historical Records of the Three Kingdoms (三国志, Sān Guó Zhì, Tam Quốc Chí) and Luo Guanzhong’s (罗贯中, La Quán Trung) 14th-century epic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三国演义, Sān Guó Yǎn Yì, Tam Quốc Diễn Nghĩa), few factions carry a legacy as destructive as The Ten Eunuchs or Ten Attendants (十常侍, Shí Cháng Shì, Thập Thường Thị).

Dominating the inner palace during the reign of Emperor Ling of Han (汉灵帝, Hán Linh Đế), this corrupt political clique seized absolute imperial authority, drove noble scholars into exile, and engineered the treacherous assassination of Grand General He Jin (何进, Hà Tiến). This single act triggered a violent military purge in Luoyang (洛阳, Lạc Dương) and opened the gates for the tyrant Dong Zhuo (董卓, Đổng Trác), pitching China into the chaos of the Three Kingdoms period.

1. Nomenclature and the “Twelve” Members

While traditionally referred to in idioms, classical texts, and chapter titles as the “Ten Eunuchs” (十常侍), historical records from the Book of the Later Han (后汉书, Hòu Hàn Shū) and the narrative structure of Romance of the Three Kingdoms confirm that the core group actually consisted of twelve high-ranking court eunuchs.

All twelve held the prestigious imperial office of Attendant-in-Ordinary (中常侍, Zhōng Cháng Shì, Trung Thường Thị) and were granted noble fiefs as marquises (Liè Hóu, Li列侯).

Emperor Ling’s Total Subjugation

Emperor Ling was so thoroughly manipulated by their flatteries and financial extortion that he famously declared to his court:

“Attendant Zhang is my father, and Attendant Zhao is my mother!”

(张常侍是我父，赵常侍是我母, Zhāng chángshì shì wǒ fù, Zhào chángshì shì wǒ mǔ, Trương thường thị thị ngã phụ, Triệu thường thị thị ngã mẫu)

2. Complete Roster of the Twelve Eunuchs

Below is the complete list of the twelve eunuchs who comprised the Ten Eunuchs clique, matching historical Pinyin, Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese annotations:

3. The Rise to Power: Corruption and the Disasters of the Partisan Prohibitions

The dominance of the Ten Eunuchs was built upon two structural crises during the late Eastern Han Dynasty:

1. Monopolization of the Inner Court (Hòu Gōng, Hậu Cung):

   Because Eastern Han emperors often ascended the throne as young children, power alternated violently between the Emperor’s maternal relatives (Consort Kin / Wài Qī, Ngoại thích) and the court eunuchs who managed the inner palace. The Ten Eunuchs positioned themselves as the sole physical link between the young Emperor Ling and the outside world.

2. The Disasters of the Partisan Prohibitions (Dǎng Cóng Zhī Hùo, Đảng Cố Chi Họa):

   When upright scholar-officials and Confucian academy students protested against eunuch corruption, Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong convinced Emperor Ling that the scholars were plotting treason. Hundreds of elite scholars were executed, imprisoned, or banned from holding public office, completely stripping the Eastern Han government of honest administrators.

Sale of Public Offices (Mǎi Guān Sè Jiáo)

Under the influence of the Ten Eunuchs, court offices were publicly auctioned for set prices. Candidates paid millions of copper coins to buy governorships and commanderies, which they then squeezed back from the peasantry through oppressive taxes. This widespread misery directly triggered the outbreak of the Yellow Turban Rebellion (黄巾之乱, Huáng Jīn Zhī Luàn, Khởi nghĩa Khăn Vàng) in 184 AD.

4. The Climax: The Assassination of He Jin

Following the death of Emperor Ling in April 189 AD, his young son Liu Bian (刘辩, Lưu Biện / Emperor Shao) ascended the throne. A lethal clash erupted between the Consort Kin faction led by Grand General He Jin (何进) and the Ten Eunuchs.

He Jin’s Fatal Mistake

He Jin wanted to exterminate the eunuchs, but his sister, Empress Dowager He, protected them due to heavy bribes. Rejecting the warnings of Cao Cao (曹操) and Chen Lin (陈琳), He Jin adopted Yuan Shao’s (袁绍) reckless plan: summoning Western warlords, including Dong Zhuo (董卓), to march their armies on Luoyang to intimidate the Empress Dowager.

The Trap at Changle Palace

Realizing their lives were at stake, Zhang Rang and Duan Cui struck first:

1. The Fake Edict: They wept before Empress Dowager He and tricked her into issuing an urgent summons ordering He Jin into Changle Palace (长乐宫, Cung Trường Lạc).

2. The Arrogant Entry: Despite warnings from Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, He Jin laughed: “I am the Grand General holding all military power! What can a few petty eunuchs do to me?” He Jin entered the palace alone while Yuan Shu (袁术) guarded the gates outside with 500 troops.

3. The Execution: Inside the Hall of Jiade, armed assassins surrounded He Jin. Zhang Rang denounced him for ingratitude before the executioners chopped He Jin into pieces. Zhang Rang then severed He Jin’s head and tossed it over the palace wall.

5. The Aftermath: Fire, Massacre, and the Fall of Luoyang

The sight of He Jin’s severed head sparked an unprecedented crisis that wiped out the court and dissolved imperial authority:

• The Palace Massacre: Enraged by He Jin’s death, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu broke down the palace gates, set the imperial complex on fire, and slaughtered every beardless man inside. Over 2,000 people were killed, including young court officials who lacked facial hair.

• The Kidnapping of the Emperor: Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, and Duan Cui seized Emperor Shao and his younger brother, Prince Liu Xie (刘协, Lưu Hiệp / future Emperor Xian), fleeing in the middle of the night toward the Yellow River.

• The End of Zhang Rang: Pursued to the banks of the Yellow River at Minxi by imperial officers Min Gong (闵贡) and Lu Zhi (卢植), Zhang Rang realized all was lost. He turned toward the young Emperor, bowed tearfully, saying: “We are dying; may Your Majesty take care of yourself!” before jumping into the roaring Yellow River and drowning.

• Inviting the Wolf into the House: Finding the capital burning and leaderless, Dong Zhuo arrived with his battle-hardened Xiliang army. He seized the young Emperor, deposed Emperor Shao, installed Emperor Xian, and launched a tyrannical reign that officially split China into warlord factions.

6. Summary of Historical and Literary Significance

Historical Reality vs. Literary Narrative

1. In Official History (Book of the Later Han / Records of the Three Kingdoms):

   The eunuchs were not merely cartoonish villains; they operated within a deeply fractured imperial system where the Han bureaucracy was structurally flawed. Emperor Ling actively used the eunuchs to bypass the conservative nobility and raise funds for the imperial treasury through office sales.

2. In Literature (Romance of the Three Kingdoms):

   Luo Guanzhong uses the Ten Eunuchs as the ultimate moral opening motif. By placing their corruption at the very beginning of Chapter 1, the novel establishes that the loss of the “Mandate of Heaven” (Tiān Mìng, Thiên

Role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Chapters 1–3: The Ten Eunuchs (十常侍, Thập Thường Thị) monopolize Emperor Ling‘s court under Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong, sell offices, purge scholar-officials, and assassinate He Jin in Chapter 3 — triggering the palace massacre that ends the eunuch regime and invites Dong Zhuo into Luoyang.

The Ten Eunuchs — Historical & Literary Timeline

Key Relationships

Enemies

• He Jin (何进, Hà Tiến): General-in-Chief whose attempted purge triggered the fatal palace coup of 189 AD.
• Yuan Shao (袁绍, Viên Thiệu): Led the slaughter of the eunuchs after He Jin’s assassination.

Other

• Emperor Ling: Sovereign whose trust enabled the Ten Attendants’ dominance.
• Empress He: Regent caught between He Jin and the eunuch faction in 189 AD.