| NAME | |
|---|---|
| Chinese Name | 诸葛玄, 諸葛玄, Zhūgě Xuán |
| Nickname | Zhuge Liang's uncle; guardian of the Langye orphans |
| Other name | Gia Cát Huyền |
| INFORMATION | |
| Death Reason | Died in office as Administrator of Yuzhang under Liu Biao (Pei Songzhi / Xiangyang ji tradition) |
| FAMILY | |
| Relatives | |
| CAREER | |
| Allegiance | Eastern Han; Liu Biao (Jing Province) |
| Battles | Not a combatant. Chapter 38 names only his guardianship in the Kongming pedigree. |
Biography & Historical Record
Zhuge Xuan (诸葛玄, Gia Cát Huyền) was a late Eastern Han official of the Langye Zhuge clan and the uncle who raised Zhuge Liang (诸葛亮, Gia Cát Lượng), Zhuge Jun (诸葛均, Gia Cát Quân), and their sisters after the death of his elder brother Zhuge Gui (诸葛珪, Gia Cát Khuê). Chen Shou’s Sanguozhi Shu 5 (诸葛亮传) does not name Xuan in the core biography, but Pei Songzhi’s commentary and the Xiangyang ji (襄阳记) tradition preserved by Xi Zuochi record how the orphans fled the wars of Xu Province and entered Jing under his care. Liu Biao (刘表, Lưu Biểu) later appointed him Administrator of Yuzhang (豫章太守); he died in that post around 197 AD, after which the younger brothers settled at Longzhong to farm and study while the eldest, Zhuge Jin (诸葛瑾, Gia Cát Cẩn), had already made his career in Jiangdong.
As guardian rather than father, Xuan stands at the hinge of Kongming’s origin story: the boy who lost both parents before ten, who was not yet the Sleeping Dragon but a refugee nephew dependent on clan duty and Jing patronage. His flight south in the early 190s placed the Zhuge orphans inside Liu Biao’s gentry world — the same Xiangyang–Longzhong orbit that would later connect Zhuge Liang to Pang Degong’s circle, Xu Shu, and the Three Visits. He is not a battlefield figure in history or in Luo Guanzhong’s novel; his importance is entirely domestic and genealogical.
Homonyms — do not merge. This 诸葛玄 is not Qiao Xuan (乔玄, Kiều Huyền), the Eastern Han elder statesman. He is not Liu Xuan (刘玄, Lưu Huyền), the Gengshi emperor. He is not Jin Xuan (金旋, Kim Huyền), the Wu frontier officer. The Langye Zhuge pedigree, guardianship of Gui’s children, and Yuzhang appointment under Liu Biao identify this page.
Role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Chapter 38 (The Sleeping Dragon Emerges from the Mountain): When Liu Bei completes the Third Visit, the narrator introduces Zhuge Liang’s pedigree — descendant of Western Han Colonel Director Zhuge Feng, son of the late Taishan Deputy Administrator Zhuge Gui, orphaned in childhood and raised under uncle Zhuge Xuan in Jing Province. Xuan has no spoken line and no battlefield scene; his novel role is a single genealogical anchor explaining why the Sleeping Dragon grew up in Longzhong rather than in war-torn Xu.
Zhuge Xuan (诸葛玄) — Historical & Literary Timeline
Brother of Zhuge Gui
Member of the Yangdu Zhuge house in Langye commandery; younger brother of Taishan Deputy Administrator Zhuge Gui.
Guardian of the orphans
After Zhuge Gui dies, assumes care of Zhuge Jin, Zhuge Liang, Zhuge Jun, and their sisters; Zhuge Liang is about eight.
Flight to Jing Province
Escapes Xu Province devastation with the nephews; seeks refuge under Governor Liu Biao while Zhuge Jin separately reaches Jiangdong.
Administrator of Yuzhang
Liu Biao appoints him Administrator of Yuzhang (豫章); dies in office, leaving the younger brothers to farm at Longzhong.
Uncle in Kongming’s pedigree
Novel names only his guardianship in Jing; no dialogue or combat.
See Pei Songzhi on Sanguozhi Shu 5 and Zhuge Liang.
Key Relationships
Family
- Brother Zhuge Gui (诸葛珪, Gia Cát Khuê): Elder brother; Taishan Deputy Administrator who died c. 189 AD.
- Sister-in-law Madam Zhang (章氏, Chương Thị): Wife of Zhuge Gui; widowed when Xuan became guardian.
- Nephew Zhuge Jin (诸葛瑾, Gia Cát Cẩn): Eldest nephew; fled to Jiangdong and became Wu chancellor.
- Nephew Zhuge Liang (诸葛亮, Gia Cát Lượng): Second nephew; later Sleeping Dragon chancellor of Shu Han.
- Nephew Zhuge Jun (诸葛均, Gia Cát Quân): Youngest nephew; Longzhong companion then Shu official.
- Niece Pang Shanmin (庞山民, Bàng Sơn Dân) (by marriage): Married Zhuge Gui’s elder daughter.
Friends
- Liu Biao (刘表, Lưu Biểu): Jing Governor who sheltered the refugee clan and appointed Xuan to Yuzhang.
Enemies
- No personal enemy named. The Xu Province wars and Cao Cao’s campaigns destroyed the Zhuge homeland and forced the flight south — political catastrophe, not a named duelist.
Other
In Novel
Chapter 38
- Zhuge Xuan (诸葛玄, Gia Cát Huyền): Named only in the Third Visit pedigree as the uncle who raised Zhuge Liang (诸葛亮, Gia Cát Lượng) in Jing Province after the death of Zhuge Gui (诸葛珪, Gia Cát Khuê). No spoken line and no battle scene — his novel role is genealogical, explaining Kongming's Longzhong upbringing.
In History
Summary
- Pei Songzhi's commentary on Sanguozhi Shu 5 (诸葛亮传), drawing on the Xiangyang ji tradition, records Zhuge Xuan (诸葛玄, Gia Cát Huyền) as guardian of his brother Zhuge Gui's orphans after Gui died around 189 AD.
Year: c. 189 AD
- Assumes care of Zhuge Jin, Zhuge Liang, Zhuge Jun, and their sisters when Zhuge Gui dies; Zhuge Liang is about eight.
Year: c. 193 AD
- Leads the family south into Jing Province as Xu Province is devastated; Liu Biao (刘表, Lưu Biểu) grants refuge while Zhuge Jin reaches Jiangdong separately.
Year: c. 197 AD
- Serves as Administrator of Yuzhang (豫章太守) under Liu Biao; dies in office. Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Jun thereafter farm and study at Longzhong.
Historical Record
- Core Sanguozhi biography of Zhuge Liang names father Zhuge Gui and brothers Jin and Jun but not Xuan by name; Pei Songzhi supplies the uncle-guardian tradition.
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