| NAME | |
|---|---|
| Chinese Name | 张平, 張平, Zhāng Píng |
| Other name | Trương Bình |
| INFORMATION | |
| Birth Place | Fangcheng, Zhuo Commandery |
| Died | 232 |
| FAMILY | |
| Children | |
| CAREER | |
| Allegiance | Cao Wei |
Biography & Historical Record
Zhang Ping (张平, Trương Bình) was a scholar-official and magistrate of the late Eastern Han and early Cao Wei dynasties. Hailing from Fangcheng in Zhuo Commandery, he served as the Administrator of Yuyang Commandery, overseeing civil defence, border taxation, and judicial arbitration.
He was the father of Zhang Hua (张华), the legendary Western Jin polymath, Chancellor, and compiler of the Bowuzhi (Treatise on Curiosities). Although Zhang Ping passed away when Zhang Hua was an infant, his legacy of classical erudition and civil service inspired his son to study day and night, ultimately rising from an impoverished orphan to the pinnacle of imperial power.
Role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Chapter 120 (The strategists of the north): In the cold northern borders of Yuyang, honest magistrates enforced the law with wisdom, laying the foundations of scholarship that would one day counsel emperors.
Zhang Ping — Historical & Literary Timeline
c. 195 AD
Origins in Zhuo Commandery
Born into the scholarly Zhang family of Fangcheng, Zhuo Commandery.
c. 225 AD
Administrator of Yuyang
Appointed Governor/Administrator of Yuyang Commandery under the Cao Wei state.
232 AD
Birth of Zhang Hua & Passing
Welcomes the birth of his son Zhang Hua shortly before his early passing in office.
Key Relationships
Family
- Zhang Hua (张华, Trương Hoa) — Son; supreme Chancellor of Western Jin, visionary statesman behind the conquest of Wu, and famed polymath.
Friends / Allies
- Northern Border Officials — Magistrates and garrison commanders maintaining peace in You Province.
Enemies / Rivals
- Nomadic Border Raiders — Northern nomadic factions attempting incursions into Yuyang Commandery.
Other
- Cao Wei Court — Imperial administration governing the northeastern commanderies.
In Novel
Chapter 120 (The architect of conquest)
- Zhang Ping (张平, Trương Bình): In the frontier lands of Yuyang, Magistrate Zhang Ping left behind a name of upright honor, echoed in the unmatched genius of his son Zhang Hua.
Chapter 120 (Wisdom that shaped an empire)
- Zhang Ping (张平, Trương Bình): From humble origins in Zhuo Commandery, the seed planted by Zhang Ping grew into the towering statesman who guided Sima Yan's armies across the great river.
In History
Summary
- Zhang Ping (张平) was Administrator of Yuyang under Cao Wei and father of the famous Jin Chancellor Zhang Hua.
Year: c. 220–232 AD
- Governed Yuyang Commandery; died young, leaving his young son Zhang Hua to be raised amidst poverty before attaining imperial fame.
Historical Record
- Jin Shu, Vol. 36 (Biography of Zhang Hua): Opens by noting that Zhang Hua's father Zhang Ping served Cao Wei as Administrator of Yuyang.
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