Meng Tian (c. 250 BC – 210 BC) was a Chinese inventor and military general of the
Qin dynasty
The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first Dynasties in Chinese history, dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin (state), ...
who distinguished himself in
campaigns against the Xiongnu and in the construction of the
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand ''li'' wall") is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against various nomadic grou ...
.
He was the elder brother of
Meng Yi
Meng Yi (died 210 BCE) was a Chinese military general and politician. As an official of the Qin dynasty, he served in the court of Qin Shi Huang. He was a younger brother of the general Meng Tian. After Qin Shi Huang's death, Meng Yi and his br ...
. He descended from a great line of military generals and architects. His grandfather, , was a general from the era of
King Zhao; and his father,
Meng Wu
Meng Wu (, 3rd century BCE) was a general in the state of Qin during the Warring States period, who played a major role in the conquest of Chu.
He was a son of and the father of Meng Tian and Meng Yi, all Qin generals.
Biography
The son ...
, was also a general who served as a deputy to
Wang Jian.
Life
In 224 BC, having recently conquered
Wei, the
Qin Qin may refer to:
Dynasties and states
* Qin (state) (秦), a major state during the Zhou Dynasty of ancient China
* Qin dynasty (秦), founded by the Qin state in 221 BC and ended in 206 BC
* Daqin (大秦), ancient Chinese name for the Roman Emp ...
king
Ying Zheng
Qin Shi Huang (, ; 259–210 BC) was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of a unified China. Rather than maintain the title of "king" ( ''wáng'') borne by the previous Shang and Zhou rulers, he ruled as the First Emperor ( ...
appointed
Li Xin as commander-in-chief and Meng Tian as his vice-general to lead a 200,000 strong army in an assault against
Chu. The invasion was successful at first, Meng Tian's army took Qigui but then, both Li Xin and Meng Tiang armies were effectively annihilated by Chu troops under
Xiang Yan Xiang or Hsiang may refer to:
*Xiang (place), the site of Hong Xiuquan's destruction of a Chinese idol early in the Taiping Rebellion
*Xiang (surname), three unrelated surnames: Chinese: 項 and Chinese: 向 (both ''Xiàng'') and Chinese: 相 (''X ...
and
Lord Changping
Lord Changping (昌平君; died 223 BC) was an important military commander and lord of Qin, who later departed from the state of Qin and went to the state of Chu where he became the last king of Chu (223 BC) in the last days of the Chinese War ...
. Following this defeat,
Ying Zheng
Qin Shi Huang (, ; 259–210 BC) was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of a unified China. Rather than maintain the title of "king" ( ''wáng'') borne by the previous Shang and Zhou rulers, he ruled as the First Emperor ( ...
appointed Qin generals
Wang Jian and
Meng Wu
Meng Wu (, 3rd century BCE) was a general in the state of Qin during the Warring States period, who played a major role in the conquest of Chu.
He was a son of and the father of Meng Tian and Meng Yi, all Qin generals.
Biography
The son ...
as commanders of a 600,000 Qin army in order to finally achieve the conquest of Chu.
By the time the
Qin state
Qin () was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Traditionally dated to 897 BC, it took its origin in a reconquest of western lands previously lost to the Rong; its position at the western edge of Chinese civilization permitted ex ...
conquered the other six states and began its reign over a unified China in 221 BC, the nomadic Xiongnu had grown into a powerful invading force in the north and started expanding both east and west.
Qin Shi Huang
Qin Shi Huang (, ; 259–210 BC) was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of a unified China. Rather than maintain the title of "king" ( ''wáng'') borne by the previous Shang and Zhou rulers, he ruled as the First Emperor ( ...
, the first emperor of the Qin dynasty, sent a 300,000-strong army headed by Meng Tian to drive the Xiongnu northward for 1,000 ''
li'' (about 416 km) and began work on what has become known as the Great Wall to guard against invasion. The defensive works he began were said to extend over 10,000 ''li'' (4,158 km) "from
Lintao
Lintao County ) is administratively under the control of Dingxi, Gansu province.
History
Until the 20th century, Lintao was known as Didao ().
The Battle of Didao was fought in the area in 255 CE, during the Three Kingdoms era.
In the 8th ...
to
Liaodong
The Liaodong Peninsula (also Liaotung Peninsula, ) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located between the mouths of the Daliao River (the ...
and even extended across the Yellow River and through
Yangshan Yangshan could refer to the following places in China:
*Yangshan Port (洋山港), part of Port of Shanghai
* Yangshan Park Station (羊山公园站), a station on the Line No. 2 of the Nanjing Metro, opened on 28 May 2010
*Yangshan County
Yangs ...
and Beijia.", that is, from the southwest corner of the
Ordos Loop
The Ordos Plateau, also known as the Ordos Basin or simply the Ordos, is a highland sedimentary basin in northwest China with an elevation of , and consisting mostly of land enclosed by the Ordos Loop, a large northerly rectangular bend of the Y ...
to the Yellow Sea. Yangshan and Beijia are hard to locate, but the wall ran along the Yellow River and included all of the Ordos Loop.
Meng Tian's ingenuity can be seen in the efficient (though inhumane) building policy, the consideration of topography, and the utilisation of natural barriers. Meng Tian supervised the construction of a road system linking the former
Yan
Yan may refer to:
Chinese states
* Yan (state) (11th century – 222 BC), a major state in northern China during the Zhou dynasty
* Yan (Han dynasty kingdom), first appearing in 206 BC
* Yan (Three Kingdoms kingdom), officially claimed indepe ...
,
Qi,
Wu and
Chu areas, as well as a number of roads especially for imperial use. The system eventually formed played an extremely important role in ancient transportation and economic exchanges. He is also traditionally, if erroneously, credited with having invented the "
Ink brush
Ink is a gel, sol, or solution that contains at least one colorant, such as a dye or pigment, and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, reed pen, or quill. Thicke ...
" (毛筆) and is specially remembered at the "
Huzhou Pen Festival", which developed from festivities at his ancestor temple. Meng Tian is also credited with inventing the ''
guzheng
The zheng () or gu zheng (), is a Chinese plucked zither. The modern guzheng commonly has 21, 25, or 26 strings, is long, and is tuned in a major pentatonic scale. It has a large, resonant soundboard made from ''Paulownia'' wood. Other co ...
'' (
筝), a bridge
zither
Zithers (; , from the Greek word ''cithara'') are a class of stringed instruments. Historically, the name has been applied to any instrument of the psaltery family, or to an instrument consisting of many strings stretched across a thin, flat bo ...
with twelve or thirteen strings.
When
Fusu
Fusu (died 210BC) was the eldest son and heir apparent of Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of the Qin dynasty.
Life
After being deceived by two alchemists while seeking prolonged life, the First Emperor supposedly ordered more than 460 scholars ...
, Qin Shi Huang's eldest son and the
crown prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...
, was exiled to work at the northern border for disputing his father's policies, Meng Tian was ordered to assist the prince — a task he had accomplished loyally. When Qin Shi Huang died, Meng Tian's death was caused by
Zhao Gao
Zhao Gao (died 207 BC) was a Chinese politician and calligrapher. He was an official of the Qin dynasty of China. Allegedly a eunuch, he served as a close aide to all three rulers of the Qin dynasty – Qin Shi Huang, Qin Er Shi and Ziying ...
who forged a letter from Qin Shi Huang.
[Tung, Douglas S. Tung, Kenneth. (2003). ''More Than 36 Stratagems: A Systematic Classification Based On Basic Behaviours''. Trafford Publishing. .] He was forced to commit suicide in prison, and his family was killed. Three years after his death, the Qin dynasty collapsed.
In popular culture and legacy
Meng Tian sometimes appears as a
door god
Menshen or door gods are divine guardians of doors and gates in Chinese folk religions, used to protect against evil influences or to encourage the entrance of positive ones. They began as the divine pair Shenshu ( ) and Yulü () under the H ...
in
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
and
Taoist temple
A Taoist temple (, also called ''dàoguàn'' and , is a place where the Tao is observed and cultivated it is a place of worship in Taoism.
Structure and function can vary according to the Taoist school the temple belongs to. For example, ''guàn ...
s, usually paired with
Fusu
Fusu (died 210BC) was the eldest son and heir apparent of Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of the Qin dynasty.
Life
After being deceived by two alchemists while seeking prolonged life, the First Emperor supposedly ordered more than 460 scholars ...
.
He is one of the 32 historical figures who appear as special characters in the video game ''
Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI
''Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI'', also known as ''Sangokushi 11'' (三國志11), is the 11th installment in the ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' (''Sangokushi'') grand strategy game series by Koei. The game was released for the PC on March ...
'' by
Koei
Koei Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game publisher, developer, and distributor founded in 1978. The company is known for its ''Dynasty Warriors'' games based on the novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', as well as simulation games based on p ...
. He also appears as a non-playable character in ''
Prince of Qin Qin Wang (秦王, King/Prince of Qin or King/Prince Qin) may refer to:
Chinese royalty Zhou dynasty
* King Huiwen of Qin, ruled 338 BC – 311 BC, son of Duke Xiao of Qin
* King Wu of Qin, ruled 310 BC – 307 BC
*King Zhaoxiang of Qin, ruled 306 ...
''.
In the manga series
Kingdom
Kingdom commonly refers to:
* A monarchy ruled by a king or queen
* Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy
Kingdom may also refer to:
Arts and media Television
* ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
, Meng Tian is known as "Mou Ten", a Qin General and the eldest son of Great General Mou Bu (Meng Wu). He looks different from his father and his younger brother Mou Ki. He has a feminine appearance, with shoulder length black orange hair and a pink robe over his armor. He usually leads his forces alongside
Wang Ben/Ou Hon and
Li Xin/Ri Shin, but his tactical expertise is higher and better known due to him being a graduate of the Strategist Academy and the top student under
Lord Changping
Lord Changping (昌平君; died 223 BC) was an important military commander and lord of Qin, who later departed from the state of Qin and went to the state of Chu where he became the last king of Chu (223 BC) in the last days of the Chinese War ...
's school. He acts as a referee or peacekeeper for
Wang Ben
Wang Ben 王賁, was a Chinese general of the state of Qin during the Warring States period. He was a son of the better known general Wang Jian. He played a key role in the Qin's wars of unification.
Life
In 225 BCE, a 600,000 strong Qin army ...
/Ou Hon and
Li Xin/Shin, who are shown to despise each other and argue constantly in the series.
See also
*
Huzhou ink brush The term ''Hubi'' is dedicated to the Huzhou ink brush (Traditional Chinese: 湖筆; Simplified Chinese: 湖笔; Pinyin: Húbǐ; "Hú" stands for ''Huzhou'', "''Bǐ''" meaning "ink brush").
Name
The ink brushes are produced in Huzhou (:zh:湖州, ...
, first developed by Meng Tian.
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
Watson, Burton
Burton Dewitt Watson (June 13, 1925April 1, 2017) was an American sinologist, translator, and writer known for his English translations of Chinese and Japanese literature.Stirling 2006, pg. 92 Watson's translations received many awards, includi ...
. (1993). ''Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian''. Translated by Burton Watson. Revised Edition. Columbia University Press. .
External links
* Beck, S
''China, Korea & Japan to 1875'' World Peace Communications. .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meng, Tian
210 BC deaths
Chinese ink brush
Chinese inventors
Deified Chinese people
Great Wall of China
Identity theft victims
Qin dynasty generals
Year of birth unknown