View source for Yue Fei

{{Short description|Song dynasty Chinese general (1103–1142)}}
{{For|the ship|ROCS Yueh Fei{{!}}ROCS ''Yueh Fei''}}
{{family name hatnote|[[Yue (surname)|Yue]]|lang=Chinese}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Lead too short|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox military person
| name          = Yue Fei
| native_name   = {{nobold|岳飛}}
| native_name_lang = zh-Hant
| image         = File:岳飛.jpg
| image_upright = 
| caption       = Portrait of Yue Fei in [[Liu Songnian|Liu Songnian's]] ''Four Generals of the Restoration''.
| alt           = 
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1103|3|24}}
| death_date    = {{death date and age|1142|1|28|1103|3|24}}
| birth_place   = [[Tangyin County|Tangyin]], Anyang, Henan, [[Song dynasty#Northern Song, 960–1127|Northern Song dynasty]]
| death_place   = [[Hangzhou]], Zhejiang, [[Song dynasty#Southern Song, 1127–1279|Southern Song dynasty]]
| placeofburial = 
| placeofburial_label = 
| placeofburial_coordinates = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}} -->
| allegiance    = [[Song dynasty]]
| serviceyears  = 1122–1142
| battles       = [[Jin campaigns against the Song dynasty|Song–Jin wars]]
| spouse        = <!-- Add spouse if reliably sourced -->
| relations     = <!-- Yue He (father)<br>Lady Yue (mother) -->
| module        = 
{{Infobox Chinese|child=yes
|pic=Yue Fei (Chinese characters).svg
|piccap=Yue's name in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
|picupright=0.425
|t = 岳飛
|s = 岳飞
|p = Yuè Fēi
|w = Yüeh<sup>4</sup> Fei<sup>1</sup>
|mi = {{IPAc-cmn|yue|4|-|f|ei|1}}
|suz = Ngóh Fi
|gan = Ngok5 Fi1
|j = Ngok<sup>6</sup> Fei<sup>1</sup>
|y = Ngohk Fēi
|ci = {{IPAc-yue|ng|ok|6|-|f|ei|1}}
|tl = Ga̍k Hui
|mc = /ŋˠʌk̚ pʉi/
}}}}
'''Yue Fei'''  ({{zh|t=岳飛}}; March 24, 1103 – January 28, 1142),<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/chineselivespeop0000mair |url-access=registration |title=Chinese Lives: The People Who Made a Civilization |last1=Mair |first1=Victor H. |last2=Chen |first2=Sanping |last3=Wood |first3=Frances |date=May 1, 2013 |publisher=[[Thames & Hudson]] |isbn=9780500771471 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/chineselivespeop0000mair/page/120 120]–121 }}</ref> [[courtesy name]] '''Pengju''' ({{lang|zh-Hant|鵬舉}}), was a Chinese military general of the [[Song dynasty]] and is remembered as a patriotic [[folk hero|national hero]], known for leading its forces in [[Jin–Song Wars|the wars in the 12th century]] between Southern Song and the [[Jurchen people|Jurchen]]-led [[Jin dynasty (1115–1234)|Jin dynasty]] in northern China. Because of his warlike stance, he was put to death by the [[Song dynasty#Southern Song, 1127–1279|Southern Song]] government in 1142 under a [[frameup]], after a negotiated peace was achieved with the Jin dynasty. He was posthumously pardoned.<ref name="people20030312">{{cite web |url = http://english.people.com.cn/200303/12/eng20030312_113156.shtml |title = China to Commemorate Ancient Patriot Yue Fei }}</ref> Yue Fei is depicted in the ''[[Wu Shuang Pu]]'' by Jin Guliang.

Yue Fei's [[Ancestral home (China)|ancestral home]] was in Xiaoti, Yonghe Village, Tangyin, Xiangzhou, Henan (in present-day [[Tangyin County]], Anyang, Henan).  He was granted the [[posthumous name]] '''Wumu''' ({{lang|zh-Hant|武穆}}) by [[Emperor Xiaozong of Song|Emperor Xiaozong]] in 1169, and later granted the noble title '''King of E''' ({{lang|zh-Hant|鄂王}}) posthumously by the [[Emperor Ningzong of Song|Emperor Ningzong]] in 1211. Since his death and after the fall of the Song dynasty in 1279, Yue Fei is widely seen as a [[culture hero]] in China; he has evolved into a paragon of loyalty in Chinese culture.

== Biographies ==
=== Biography of Yue Fei ===
A biography of Yue Fei, the ''[[Eguo Jintuo Zubian]]'' ({{lang|zh-Hant|鄂國金佗稡編}}), was written 60 years after his death by his grandson, the poet and historian [[Yue Ke]] ({{lang|zh|岳柯}}) (1183{{endash}}post 1240).<ref>(in Chinese) Yue Ke, ''E Guo Jintuo Zhuibian'' ({{lang|zh-Hant|鄂國金佗稡編}})</ref><ref>Yue Ke, ''E Guo Jintuo Xubian'' ({{lang|zh-Hant|鄂國金佗續編}})</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://website.leidenuniv.nl/~haarbjter/169_004.pdf#search=%22Yue%20Ke's%22|title=Newly Recovered Anecdotes from Hong Mai you's (1123–1202) Yijian zhi|format=[[PDF]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926085735/http://website.leidenuniv.nl/~haarbjter/169_004.pdf|archive-date=September 26, 2007|access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref> In 1346 it was incorporated into the ''[[History of Song (Yuan dynasty)|History of Song]]'', a 496-chapter record of historical events and biographies of noted [[Song dynasty]] individuals, compiled by [[Yuan dynasty]] prime minister [[Toqto'a (Yuan dynasty)|Toqto'a]] and others.<ref name="Wright" /> Yue Fei's biography is found in the 365th chapter of the book and is numbered biography 124 in volume 365.<ref name="history" /> Some later historians including [[Deng Guangming]] (1907–1998) now doubt the veracity of many of Yue Ke's claims about his grandfather.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Deng (邓) |first=Guangming (广铭) |title = Biography of Yue Fei |script-title=zh:岳飞传/岳飛傳 |language=zh |year=2009 |publisher=陕西师范大学出版社 |isbn = 978-7-5613-4675-4}}</ref>

According to the ''History of Song'', Yue Fei was named "Fei", meaning to fly, because at the time he was born, "a large bird like a swan landed on the roof of his house".<ref>''History of Song'' Chapter 365 "飞生时，有大禽若鹄，飞鸣室上，因以为名."</ref>

=== General Yue Fei ===
{{see|General Yue Fei}}

=== Chronicle of Yue, Prince of E of Song ===
The ''Chronicle of Yue, Prince of E of Song'' ({{zh|t=宋岳鄂王年譜|s=宋岳鄂王年谱|p=Sòng Yuè È Wáng Niánpǔ|first=t|labels=no}}) was written by [[Qian Ruwen]] ({{lang|zh-Hant|錢汝雯}}) in 1924.<ref name="stan">Henning, Stanley E., M.A. ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20190404000813/http://www.journalofasianmartialarts.com/product/china/history-culture/chinese-general-yue-fei-martial-arts-facts,-tales,-and-mysteries-detail-361 Chinese General Yue Fei: Martial Arts Facts, Tales and Mysteries]''. [[Journal of Asian Martial Arts]]. Vol. 15 #4, 2006: 30–35</ref>

== Birth and early life ==
[[File:明人《岳飞像》轴.jpg|thumb|[[Qing dynasty]] illustration of Yue Fei]]
Several sources state that Yue was born into a poor tenant farmer's family in [[Tangyin County]], [[Anyang]] prefecture, [[Henan]] province.<ref name=history/><ref name="Qian">Qian, Cai. ''General Yue Fei''. Trans. Honorable Sir T.L. Yang. Joint Publishing (H.K.) Co., Ltd. (1995) {{ISBN|978-962-04-1279-0}}</ref><ref name=Lian/><ref name=giles>Giles, Herbert Allen. ''A Chinese biographical dictionary = Gu jin xing shi zu pu''. Kelly & Walsh, 1939 (ISBN ?) (See [https://books.google.com/books?id=BxH0PqdGTVUC&dq=yo+fei&pg=RA4-PA949 here] also)</ref> The ''[[Yue Fei#Biography of Yue Fei|Biography of Yue Fei]]'' mentions a flood which displaced Yue Fei's family during his childhood, but his father survived. It reads,

<blockquote>After {{bracket|the death of his teacher [[Zhou Tong (archer)|Zhou Tong]]}}, {{bracket|Yue Fei}} would offer sacrifices at his tomb. His father praised him for his faithfulness and asked him, "When you are employed to cope with the affairs of the time, will you then not have to sacrifice yourself for the empire and die for your duty?" ({{lang|zh-Hant|侗死，溯望設祭于其冢。父義之，曰："汝為時用，其徇國死義乎。}})<ref name=Wright/><ref name=history/></blockquote>

Yue Fei's father used his family's plot of land for humanitarian efforts, but after it was destroyed in the flood, the young Yue Fei was forced to help his father toil in the fields to survive. Yue received most of his primary education from his father. In 1122 Yue joined the army, but had to return home later that year after the death of his father.<ref name=Wright>Wright, Arthur F., and Denis Crispin Twitchett. ''Confucian Personalities''. Stanford studies in the civilizations of eastern Asia. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press, 1962 ({{ISBN|0-8047-0044-3}})</ref> In ancient China, a person was required by law to temporarily resign from their job when their parents died so they could observe the customary period of mourning.<ref>[[Song Ci]]. ''[[Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified|The Washing Away of Wrongs]]''. Trans. Brian E. McKnight. Center for Chinese Studies, The University of Michigan, 1981 ({{ISBN|0-89264-800-7}})</ref> For instance, Yue would have had to mourn his father's death for three years, but in all actually only 27 months. During this time, he would wear coarse mourning robes, caps, and slippers, while abstaining from silken garments.<ref>Waters, T. ''Essays on the Chinese Language''. Shanghai: Presbyterian Mission Press, 1889 (ISBN ?)</ref> When his mother died in 1136, he retired from a decisive battle against the Jin dynasty for the mourning period, but he was forced to cut the bereavement short because his generals begged him to come back.<ref name="Wright"/>

''Shuo Yue Quanzhuan'' gives a very detailed fictional account of Yue's early life. The novel states after being swept from [[Henan]] to [[Hubei]], Yue and his mother are saved by the country squire Wang Ming ({{lang|zh|王明}}) and are permitted to stay in Wang's manor as domestic helpers. The young Yue Fei later becomes the adopted son and student of the Wang family's teacher, [[Zhou Tong (archer)|Zhou Tong]], a famous master of military skills. (Zhou Tong is not to be confused with the similarly named "[[Zhou Tong (Water Margin)|Little Tyrant]]" in ''[[Water Margin]]''.) Zhou teaches Yue and his three sworn brothers – Wang Gui ({{lang|zh-Hant|王貴}}), Tang Huai ({{lang|zh-Hant|湯懷}}) and Zhang Xian ({{lang|zh-Hant|張顯}}) – literary lessons on odd days and military lessons, involving archery and the [[Eighteen Arms of Wushu|eighteen weapons of war]], on even days.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

After years of practice, Zhou Tong enters his students into the [[Tangyin County]] military examination, in which Yue Fei wins first place by shooting a succession of nine arrows through the bullseye of a target 240 paces away. After this display of archery, Yue is asked to marry the daughter of Li Chun ({{lang|zh|李春}}), an old friend of Zhou and the county magistrate who presided over the military examination. However, Zhou soon dies of an illness and Yue lives by his grave through the winter until the second month of the new year when his sworn brothers come and tear it down, forcing him to return home and take care of his mother.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

Yue eventually marries and later participates in the imperial military examination in the Song capital of [[Kaifeng]]. There, he defeats all competitors and even turns down an offer from Cai Gui ({{lang|zh-Hant|蔡桂}}), the Prince of Liang, to be richly rewarded if he forfeits his chance for the military degree. This angers the prince and both agree to fight a private duel in which Yue kills the prince and is forced to flee the city for fear of being executed. Shortly thereafter, he joins the Song army to fight the invading armies of the [[Jurchen people|Jurchen]]-ruled [[Jin dynasty (1115–1234)|Jin dynasty]].<ref name="Qian" />

The ''Yue Fei Biography'' states,

<blockquote>When {{bracket|Yue}} was born, a [[Peng (mythology)|Peng]] flew crowing over the house, so his father named the child Fei {{bracket|({{lang|zh|飛}} – "flight")}}. Before {{bracket|Yue}} was even a month old, the [[Yellow River]] flooded, so his mother got inside of the center of a clay jar and held on to baby Yue. The violent waves pushed the jar down river, where they landed ashore ... Despite his family's poverty, {{bracket|Yue Fei}} was studious, and particularly favored the ''[[Zuo Zhuan]]'' edition of the ''[[Spring and Autumn Annals]]'' and the strategies of [[Sun Tzu]] and [[Wu Qi]]. ({{lang|zh-Hant|飛生時，有大禽若鵠，飛鳴室上，因以為名。未彌月，河決內黃，水暴至，母姚抱飛坐瓮中，衝濤及岸得免，人異之。-- 家貧力學，尤好【左氏春秋】、孫吳兵法。}})<ref name="history">History of Song – Biography of Yue Fei (《宋史·岳飛傳》) (ISBN ?) (See also, [https://web.archive.org/web/20020312162028/http://www.yifan.net/yihe/novels/history/songshiytt/sshi365.html 岳飛子雲] (Chinese only))</ref></blockquote>

According to a book by martial arts master Liang Shouyu, "{{bracket|A}} [[Peng (mythology)|Dapeng]] is a great bird that lived in ancient China. Legend has it, that [[Golden Winged Great Peng|Dapeng Jinchi Mingwang]] was the guardian that stayed above the head of [[Gautama Buddha]]. Dapeng could get rid of all evil in any area. Even the [[Sun Wukong|Monkey King]] was no match for it. During the Song dynasty the government was corrupt and foreigners were constantly invading China. Sakyamuni sent Dapeng down to earth to protect China. Dapeng descended to Earth and was born as Yue Fei."<ref name="tao">Liang, Shou-Yu, Wen-Ching Wu, and Denise Breiter-Wu. ''Qigong Empowerment: A Guide to Medical, Taoist, Buddhist, Wushu Energy Cultivation''. The Way of the Dragon, Limited, 1996 ({{ISBN|1-889659-02-9}})</ref>

=== Martial training ===
[[File:Jowtongbook.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Illustration of Zhou Tong, Yue Fei's teacher]]

The ''[[Yue Fei#Biography of Yue Fei|Biography of Yue Fei]]'' states, "Yue Fei possessed supernatural power and before his adulthood, he was able to draw a bow of 300 [[Catty|catties]] ({{convert|400|lb|kg}}) and a crossbow of eight [[Stone (imperial mass)|stone]] (960 catties, {{convert|1280|lb|kg}}). Yue Fei learned archery from [[Zhou Tong (archer)|Zhou Tong]]. He learned everything and could shoot with his left and right hands."<ref name="history" /><ref>"生有神力，未冠，挽弓三百斤，弩八石。學射与周侗，盡其術，能左右射。"</ref><ref name=stan/><ref name=tao/><ref name=hebei>Jin, Yunting.''The Xingyi Boxing Manual: Hebei Style's Five Principles and Seven Words''. Trans. John Groschwitz. North Atlantic Books; New edition, 2004 ({{ISBN|1-55643-473-1}})</ref> ''Shuo Yue Quanzhuan'' states Zhou teaches Yue and his [[Zhou Tong (archer)#Yue Fei|sworn brothers]] archery and all of the [[Eighteen Arms of Wushu|eighteen weapons of war]]. This novel also says Yue was Zhou's third student after [[Lin Chong]] and [[Lu Junyi]] of the 108 outlaws in ''[[Water Margin]]''. The ''E Wang Shi'' records, "When Yue Fei reached adulthood, his maternal grandfather, Yao Daweng ({{lang|zh-Hant|姚大翁}}), hired a spear expert, Chen Guang, to teach Yue Fei spear fighting."<ref>"岳飛及冠時，外祖父姚大翁聘請當時的槍手陳廣教授岳飛槍法。"</ref><ref name=kaplan>Kaplan, Edward Harold. Yueh Fei and the founding of the Southern Sung. Thesis (PhD) – University of Iowa, 1970. Ann Arbor: University Microfilms International, 1970.</ref>

Both the ''[[Yue Fei#Biography of Yue Fei|Biography of Yue Fei]]'' and ''E Wang Shi'' mention Yue learning from Zhou and Chen at or before his adulthood. The Chinese character representing "adulthood" in these sources is ''ji guan'' ({{zh|c=及冠|p=jí guàn|l=conferring headdress}}), an ancient Chinese term that means "20 years old" where a young man was able to wear a formal headdress as a social status of adulthood.<ref>[http://www.chinese-tools.com/tools/dictionary/dico_formerly.html 及冠 jíguàn] This leads to an English-Chinese dictionary. Type the characters "及冠" in for a definition.</ref><ref>[http://ccs.ncl.edu.tw/Chinese_studies_19_1/167-185.pdf A Study of the Gender and Religious Implications of Nü Guan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813071233/http://ccs.ncl.edu.tw/Chinese_studies_19_1/167-185.pdf |date=August 13, 2011 }} (See page 18) ([[PDF]])</ref> So he gained all of his martial arts knowledge by the time he joined the army at the age of 19.<ref name=history/><ref name=hebei/>

These chronicles do not mention Yue's masters teaching him martial arts style; just archery, spearplay and military tactics. However non-historical or scholarly sources state, in addition to those already mentioned, [[Zhou Tong (archer)|Zhou Tong]] taught Yue other skills such as hand-to-hand combat and horseback riding. Yet again, these do not mention any specific martial arts style. One legend says Zhou took young Yue to an unspecified place to meet a Buddhist hermit who taught him the [[Emei]] [[Peng (mythology)|Dapeng]] [[qigong]] ({{lang|zh-Hant|峨嵋大鵬氣功}}) style. This is supposedly the source of his legendary strength and martial arts abilities.<ref name=Lian>Lian, Shou Yu and Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming. ''Xingyiquan: Theory, Applications, Fighting Tactics and Spirit''. Boston: YMAA Publication Center, 2002. ({{ISBN|978-0-940871-41-0}})</ref><ref name=tao/> According to thirteenth generation lineage ''Tai He'' ("Great Harmony") [[Wudangquan]] master ''Fan Keping'' ({{lang|zh-Hant|范克平}}), Zhou Tong was a master of various "hard qigong" exercises.<ref>[http://www.cn-wushuschool.com/page13.htm Wu Tang Golden Bell] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070527081539/http://www.cn-wushuschool.com/page13.htm |date=May 27, 2007 }} (Chinese only)</ref><ref>[http://www.cn-wushuschool.com/page15.htm Wu Tang pail builds up the Dan Tian] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080819184401/http://www.cn-wushuschool.com/page15.htm |date=August 19, 2008 }} (Chinese only)</ref>

[[File:Yuefeitattoo.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Yue Fei's mother writes ''jin zhong bao guo'' on his back, as depicted in a "Suzhou style" beam decoration at the [[Summer Palace]], [[Beijing]].]]

=== Yue Fei's tattoo ===
According to historical records and legend, Yue had the four Chinese characters {{lang|zh|{{linktext|盡忠|報國}}}} ({{translit|zh|jìn zhōng bào guó}}, "serve the country with the utmost loyalty") tattooed across his back. The ''Biography of Yue Fei'' says after [[Qin Hui]] sent agents to arrest Yue and his son, he was taken before the court and charged with treason, but

<blockquote>{{lang|zh-Hant|飛裂裳以背示鑄，有盡忠報國四大字，深入膚理。既而閱實無左驗，鑄明其無辜。}}<br />
Yue ripped his jacket to reveal the four tattooed characters of "serve the country with the utmost loyalty" on his back. This proved that he was clearly innocent of the charges.<ref name=history/></blockquote>

Later fictionalizations of Yue's biography would build upon the tattoo. For instance, one of his earliest [[Ming dynasty|Ming era]] novels titled ''The Story of King Yue Who Restored the Song dynasty'' ({{lang|zh-Hant|大宋中興岳王傳}}) states that after the Jurchen armies invaded China, young heroes in Yue's village suggest that they join the bandits in the mountains. However, Yue objects and has one of them tattoo the aforementioned characters on his back. Whenever others want to join the bandits, he flashes them the tattoo to change their minds.<ref>Chang, Shelley Hsueh-lun. ''History and Legend: Ideas and Images in the Ming Historical Novels.'' University of Michigan Press, 1990 ({{ISBN|0-472-10117-X}}), p. 104</ref>

[[File:Yue Fei tatoo on Jewish stele (highlighted).jpg|right|thumb|Portion of the stele mentioning the tattoo]]

The common legend of Yue receiving the tattoo from his mother first appeared in ''Shuo Yue Quanzhuan,'' a historical novel. In chapter 21 titled "By a pretext Wang Zuo swore brotherhood, by tattoos Lady Yue instructed her son", Yue denounces the pirate chief Yang Yao ({{lang|zh-Hant|楊幺}}) and passes on a chance to become a general in his army. Yue Fei's mother then tells her son, "I, your mother, saw that you did not accept recruitment of the rebellious traitor, and that you willingly endure poverty and are not tempted by wealth and status ... But I fear that after my death, there may be some unworthy creature who will entice you ... For these reason ... I want to tattoo on your back the four characters 'Utmost', 'Loyalty', 'Serve' and 'Nation' ... The Lady picked up the brush and wrote out on his spine the four characters for 'serving the nation with the utmost loyalty' ... {{bracket|So}} she bit her teeth, and started pricking. Having finished, she painted the characters with ink mixed with vinegar so that the colour would never fade."<ref name=Qian/>

However, the truthfulness of this legend is disputed by modern historians.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 17, 2022 |title=East and West {{!}} Overmighty but Underrated Generals: Belisarius and Yue Fei |url=https://hypedforhistory.com/2022/04/18/east-and-west-overmighty-but-underrated-generals-belisarius-and-yue-fei/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220417184116/https://hypedforhistory.com/2022/04/18/east-and-west-overmighty-but-underrated-generals-belisarius-and-yue-fei/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=April 17, 2022 |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=Hyped For History |language=en}}</ref> Documentation before the Qing dynasty record that Yue Fei had hired a tattoo artist to tattoo the four characters on his back. Such documentations appeared in Wumu Jingzhong Zhuan, a novel published in the Ming dynasty, while Shuo Yue Quanzhuan (General Yue Fei) was published in the Qing dynasty.  

The [[Kaifeng Jews]], one of many pockets of Chinese Jews living in ancient China, refer to this tattoo in two of their three [[stele]] monuments created in 1489, 1512, and 1663. The first mention appeared in a section of the 1489 stele referring to the Jews' "Boundless loyalty to the country and Prince".<ref name=stone>Weisz, Tiberiu. ''The Kaifeng Stone Inscriptions: The Legacy of the Jewish Community in Ancient China''. New York: iUniverse, 2006 ({{ISBN|0-595-37340-2}}), p. 18</ref> The second appeared in a section of the 1512 stele about how Jewish soldiers and officers in the Chinese armies were "boundlessly loyal to the country".<ref>Weisz, ''The Kaifeng Stone Inscriptions,'' p. 26</ref>

== Adult life ==
=== Portrait ===
[[File:Four Generals of Song.jpg|thumb|right|The ''Four Generals of the Restoration'' painted by Liu Songnian during the [[Southern Song dynasty]]. Yue Fei is the second person from the left. [[Han Shizhong]] is fifth from the left and [[Zhang Jun (general)|Zhang Jun]] is fourth from the left.]]

Southern Song era artist Liu Songnian ({{lang|zh-Hant|劉松年}}) (1174–1224), who was best known for his realistic works, painted a picture, "Four Generals of the Restoration" ({{lang|zh-Hant|中興四將}}).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_artqa/2003-09/24/content_39584.htm|title=Portrait Painting in Five Dynasties and Song Dynasty|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061211225110/http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_artqa/2003-09/24/content_39584.htm|archive-date=December 11, 2006}}</ref> The group portrait shows eight people – four generals and four attendants. Starting from the left: attendant, Yue Fei, attendant, Zhang Jun ({{lang|zh-Hant|張浚}}), [[Han Shizhong]] ({{lang|zh-Hant|韓世忠}}), attendant, Liu Guangshi ({{lang|zh-Hant|劉光世}}), and attendant.<ref>Zhang Jun, Han Shizhong, and Liu Guangshi were three of the four generals who stopped the state officials Miao Fu ({{lang|zh-Hant|苗傅}}) and Liu Zhengyan ({{lang|zh-Hant|劉正彥}}) from usurping the throne from [[Emperor Gaozong of Song]]. ([http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Song/song-event.html See here also])</ref>

According to history professor He Zongli of [[Zhejiang University]], the painting shows Yue was more of a scholarly-looking general with a shorter stature and chubbier build than the statue of him currently displayed in [[Tomb of Yue Fei|his tomb]] in Hangzhou, which portrays him as being tall and skinny. Shen Lixin, an official with the Yue Fei Temple Administration, holds the portrait of Yue Fei from the "Four Generals of the Restoration" to be the most accurate likeness of the general in existence.<ref>[http://zjxz.gov.cn/gb/node2/node138665/node139012/node139015/userobject15ai2978830.html Yue Fei's facelift sparks debate] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929194758/http://zjxz.gov.cn/gb/node2/node138665/node139012/node139015/userobject15ai2978830.html |date=September 29, 2007 }}</ref>

=== Character ===
[[File:Yuefei calligraphy 岳飛信札.jpg|upright|thumb|Calligraphy written by Yue Fei]]

In his ''From Myth to Myth: The Case of Yüeh Fei's Biography'', noted [[Sinology|Sinologist]] [[Hellmut Wilhelm]]<ref>[http://www.umass.edu/wsp/sinology/persons/wilhelmh.html Prof. Hellmut Wilhelm's biography and accomplishments] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218115253/http://www.umass.edu/wsp/sinology/persons/wilhelmh.html |date=February 18, 2007 }}</ref> concluded that Yue Fei purposely patterned his life after famous Chinese heroes from dynasties past and that this ultimately led to his martyrdom.<ref name=Wright/> Apart from studying literature under his father Yue He ({{lang|zh|岳和}}), Yue Fei loved to read military classics. He favored the ''[[Zuo Zhuan]]'' commentary on the ''[[Spring and Autumn Annals]]'' and the strategies of [[Sun Tzu]] and [[Wu Qi]]. Although his literacy afforded him the chance to become a scholar, which was a position held in much higher regard than the common soldiery during the Song dynasty, Yue chose the military path because there had never been any tradition of civil service in his family. Therefore he had no reason to study [[Confucianism|Confucian]] classics in order to surpass the accomplishments of his ancestors or to raise his family's social status to the next level. His fourth generation ancestor, Yue Huan ({{lang|zh-Hant|岳渙}}), had served as a ''lingshi'' ({{lang|zh|令使}}) (essentially a low-level functionary),<ref name="kap5">Kaplan: pg. 5</ref> but he was never a full-fledged member of the civil service rank.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hammond |first=Kenneth James |title=The Human Tradition in Premodern China, Human tradition around the world, No. 4. |publisher=Scholarly Resources Inc. |year=2002 |isbn = 0-8420-2959-1}}</ref> A second theory is that he joined the military in the hopes of emulating his favorite heroes.<ref name="Wright" />

Scholars were always welcome in Yue Fei's camp. He allowed them to come and tell stories and deeds of past heroes to bolster the resolve of his men. This way he was able to teach them about the warriors that he had constructed his own life after. He also hoped that one of these scholars would record his own deeds so he would become a peer amongst his idols. He is recorded in saying that he wished to be considered the equal of [[Guan Yu]] and other such famous men from the [[Three Kingdoms]] period. Yue succeeded in this endeavor since later "official mythology" placed him on the same level as Guan Yu.<ref name=Wright/>

Yue was careful to conduct himself as the ideal [[Confucianism#The gentleman|Confucian gentleman]] at all times for fear that any misconduct would be recorded and criticized by people of later dynasties. However he had his faults. He had a problem with alcohol during the early part of his military career. Yue drank in great excess because he believed it fitted the image of heroes of old. However once he nearly killed a colleague in a drunken rage, the emperor made him promise not to drink any more until the Jurchen invaders had been driven away.<ref name=Wright/>

=== Family ===
[[File:Yue Yun 岳雲.jpg|upright|thumb|Yue Yun ({{lang|zh-Hant|岳雲}}), Yue Fei's eldest son]]

According to ''Shuo Yue Quanzhuan'', Yue had five sons and one daughter. The ''History of Song'' records that [[Yue Yun]] ({{lang|zh-Hant|岳雲}}; 1119–1142) was adopted by Yue Fei at the age of 12<ref>[[Toqto'a (Yuan dynasty)|Toqto'a]] et al, ''History of Song'', Chapter 365</ref> whilst others claim he was his biological son;<ref name=kaplan/> Yue Lei ({{lang|zh-Hant|岳雷}}), the second, succeeded to his father's post; Yue Ting ({{lang|zh-Hant|岳霆}}) was the third; Yue Lin ({{lang|zh-Hant|岳霖}}) was the fourth; and Yue Zhen ({{lang|zh-Hant|岳震}}), the fifth, was still young at the time of his father's death. Yue Yinping was Yue Fei's daughter. The novel states she committed suicide after her father's death and became a fairy in heaven. However, history books do not mention her name and therefore she should be considered a fictional character.<ref name=kaplan/> Yue Fei married the daughter of Magistrate Li in 1119 when he was 16 years old.<ref name=Qian/> However, the account of his marriage is fictional.<ref name=kaplan/>

The ''[[Yue Fei#Biography of Yue Fei|Biography of Yue Fei]]'' states that Yue left his ailing mother with his first wife while he went to fight the Jin armies. However she "left him (and his mother) and remarried".<ref name=Wright/> He later took a second wife and even discussed "affairs" pertaining to his military career with her. He truly loved her, but his affection for her was second to his desire to rid China of the Jurchen invaders. Her faithfulness to him and his mother was strengthened by the fear that any infidelity or lacking in her care of Lady Yue would result in reprisal.<ref name=Wright/>

Yue forbade his sons from having concubines, although he almost took one himself. Even though she was presented by a friend, he did not accept her because she laughed when he asked her if she could "share the hardships of camp life" with him.<ref name=Wright/> He knew she was liberal and would have sex with the other soldiers.<ref name=Wright/>

Though not mentioned in the memoir written by Yue Fei's grandson, some scholarly sources claim Yue had a younger brother named Yue Fan ({{lang|zh-Hant|岳翻}}). He later served in the army under his brother and died in battle in 1132.<ref name=kaplan/>

=== Military record ===
{{See also|Jin–Song Wars|Battle of Yancheng}}
[[File:Song Jin Wars.jpg|300px|thumb|Map showing the Song-Jurchen Jin wars with Yue Fei's northern expedition routes]]
[[File:Battle_of_Yingchang.png|300px|thumb|Battles of Yancheng, Yingchang and Zhuxianzhen, which occurred during the last northern expedition led by Yue Fei]]
The son of an impoverished farmer from northern China, Yue Fei joined the Song military in 1122.{{sfn|Mote|1999|pp=299–300}}  Yue briefly left the army when his father died in 1123, but returned in 1126.{{sfn|Mote|1999|p=300}} After reenlisting, he fought to suppress rebellions by local Chinese warlords responsible for looting in northern China. Local uprisings had diverted needed resources away from the Song's war against the Jin.{{sfn|Mote|1999|pp=300–301}} Yue participated in defending Kaifeng during the second siege of the city by the Jin in 1127. After Kaifeng fell, he joined an army in [[Jiankang]] tasked with defending the Yangtze. This army prevented the Jurchens from advancing to the river in 1129.{{sfn|Lorge|2005|p=56}} His rising reputation as a military leader attracted the attention of the Song court. In 1133, he was made the general of the largest army near the Central Yangtze.{{sfn|Mote|1999|p=301}} Between 1134 and 1135, he led a counteroffensive against Qi, a puppet state supported by the Jin, and secured territories that had been conquered by the Jurchens.{{sfn|Franke|1994|p=232}} He continued to advance in rank, and to increase the size of his army as he repeatedly led successful offensives into northern China. Several other generals were also successful against the Jin dynasty, and their combined efforts secured the survival of the Song dynasty. Yue, like most of them, was committed to recapturing northern China.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

''Stone Lake: The Poetry of Fan Chengda 1126–1193'' states, "...Yue Fei ({{bracket|1103}}-1141)...repelled the enemy assaults in 1133 and 1134, until in 1135 the now confident Song army was in a position to recover all of north China from the Jin dynasty ... {{bracket|In 1140,}} Yue Fei initiated a general counterattack against the Jin armies, defeating one enemy after another until he set up camp within range of the Northern Song dynasty's old capital city, Kaifeng, in preparation for the final assault against the enemy. Yet in the same year Qin {{bracket|Hui}} ordered Yue Fei to abandon his campaign, and in 1141 Yue Fei was summoned back to the Southern Song capital. It is believed that the emperor then ordered Yue Fei to be hanged."<ref>Fan, Chengda. ''Stone Lake: The Poetry of Fan Chengda 1126–1193''. Trans. J. D. Schmidt and Patrick Hannan. Ed. Denis Twitchett. Cambridge University Press, 1992 ({{ISBN|0-521-41782-1}})</ref>
[[File:Battleofzhuxiancounty.jpg|thumb|center|800px|Battle of Zhuxianzhen near [[Kaifeng]] in [[Henan]] where Yue Fei defeated the Jin army in 1140.  Painting on the Long Corridor of the [[Summer Palace]] in Beijing.]]

==== Six methods for deploying an army ====
[[File:YF statue.jpg|upright|thumb|Yue Fei's statue outside the [[Yue Fei Temple]] in [[Hangzhou]]]]

Yue Ke ({{lang|zh|岳珂}}) states his grandfather had six special methods for deploying an army effectively:

; Careful selection: He relied more on small numbers of well-trained soldiers than he did large masses of the poorly trained variety. In this way, one superior soldier counted for as much as one hundred inferior soldiers. One example used to illustrate this was when the armies of Han Ching and Wu Xu were transferred into Yue's camp. Most of them had never seen battle and were generally too old or unhealthy for sustaining prolonged troop movement and engagement of the enemy. Once Yue had filtered out the weak soldiers and sent them home, he was only left with a meager thousand able-bodied soldiers. However, after some months of intense training, they were ready to perform almost as well as the soldiers who had served under Yue for years.<ref name=Wright/>

; Careful training: When his troops were not on military campaigns to win back lost Chinese territory in the north, Yue put his men through intense training. Apart from troop movement and weapons drills, this training also involved them leaping over walls and crawling through moats in full battle garb. The intensity of the training was such that the men would not even try to visit their families if they passed by their homes while on movement and even trained on their days off.<ref name=Wright/>

; Justice in rewards and punishments: He rewarded his men for their merits and punished them for their boasting or lack of training. Yue once gave a foot soldier his own personal belt, silver dinner ware, and a promotion for his meritorious deeds in battle. While on the reverse, he once ordered his son Yue Yun to be decapitated for falling off his horse after failing to jump a moat. His son was only saved after Yue's officers begged his mercy. There were a number of soldiers that were either dismissed or executed because they boasted of their skills or failed to follow orders.<ref name=Wright/>

; Clear orders: He always delivered his orders in a simple manner that was easy for all of his soldiers to understand. Whoever failed to follow them were severely punished.<ref name=Wright/>

; Strict discipline: While marching about the countryside, he never let his troops destroy fields or to pillage towns or villages. He made them pay a fair price for goods and made sure crops remained intact. A soldier once stole a hemp rope from a peasant so he could tie a bale of hay with it. When Yue discovered this, he questioned the soldier and had him executed.<ref name=Wright/>

; Close fellowship with his men: He treated all of his men like equals. He ate the same food as they did and slept out in the open as they did. Even when a temporary shelter was erected for him, he made sure several soldiers could find room to sleep inside before he found a spot of his own. When there was not enough wine to go around, he would dilute it with water so every soldier would receive a portion.<ref name=Wright/>

== Death ==
[[File:Yuefei entry.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Main gate of the [[Yue Fei Temple]] in [[Hangzhou]]]]
[[File:Imperial Order Presented to Yue Fei.jpg|thumb|right|250px|''Imperial Order to General Yue Fei'' (《賜岳飛手勅》), [[Emperor Gaozong of Song]], [[National Palace Museum]], Taipei]]

In 1126, several years before Yue became a general, the [[Jurchen people|Jurchen]]-ruled [[Jin dynasty (1115–1234)|Jin dynasty]] invaded northern China, forcing the Song dynasty out of its capital [[Kaifeng]] and capturing [[Emperor Qinzong of Song]], who was sent into captivity in [[Huining Prefecture]]. This marked the end of the Northern Song dynasty, and the beginning of the Southern Song dynasty under [[Emperor Gaozong of Song|Emperor Gaozong]].

Yue fought a long campaign against the invading Jurchen in an effort to retake northern China. Just as he was threatening to attack and retake Kaifeng, officials advised Emperor Gaozong to recall Yue to the capital and sue for peace with the Jurchen. Fearing that a defeat at Kaifeng might cause the Jurchen to release Emperor Qinzong, threatening his claim to the throne, Emperor Gaozong followed their advice, sending 12 orders in the form of 12 gold plaques to Yue Fei, recalling him back to the capital. Knowing that a success at Kaifeng could lead to internal strife, Yue submitted to the emperor's orders and returned to the capital, where he was imprisoned and where [[Qin Hui]] would eventually arrange for him to be executed on false charges.<ref name=Qian/>

There are conflicting views on how Yue died. According to ''The History of China: (The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations)'' and other sources, Yue [[died in prison]].<ref name=Lian/><ref>Wright, David Curtis. ''The History of China: (The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations)''. Greenwood Press, 2001 ({{ISBN|0-313-30940-X}})</ref> The ''[[Yue Fei#Chronicle of Yue, Prince of E of Song|Chronicle of Yue, Prince of E of Song]]'' says he was killed in prison.<ref name=history/> ''Shuo Yue Quanzhuan'' states he was strangled to death. It reads, "...{{bracket|Yue Fei}} strode in long steps to the Pavilion of Winds and Waves ... The warders on both sides picked up the ropes and strangled the three men {{bracket|Yue Fei, Yue Yun, and Zhang Xian ({{lang|zh-Hant|張憲}}), Yue's subordinate}} without further ado ... At the time Lord Yue was 39 years of age and the young lord Yue Yun 23. When the three men returned to Heaven, suddenly a fierce wind rose up wildly and all the fires and lights were extinguished. Black mists filled the sky and sand and pebbles were blown about."<ref name=Qian/>

The ''Secrets of Eagle Claw Kung Fu: Ying Jow Pai'' comments, "Finally, [Yue Fei] received the 'Twelfth Golden Edict' {{bracket|from the emperor calling him back to the capital}}, which if ignored meant banishment. Patriotism demanded that he obey. On his way back to the capital he stopped to rest at a pavilion. Qin Hui anticipated Yue Fei's route and sent some men to lie in wait. When Yue Fei arrived, Qin's men ambushed and murdered him. Just 39 years old, Yue Fei like many good men in history, had a swift, brilliant career, then died brutally while still young."<ref name=shum/>

According to ''A Chinese Biographical Dictionary'', "{{bracket|Father and son}} had not been two months in confinement when Qin Hui resolved to rid himself of his enemy. He wrote out with his own hand an order for the execution of Yue Fei, which was forthwith carried into effect; whereupon he immediate reported that Yue Fei had died in prison",<ref name=giles/> which meant that Qin Hui had Yue and his son executed but reported they both died in captivity.

Other sources say he was poisoned to death.<ref name=war>Lorge, Peter. War, Politics and Society in Early Modern China, 900–1795 (Warfare and History). Routledge; 1 edition, 2005 ({{ISBN|0-415-31691-X}}-)</ref><ref name="temple">{{cite web|url=http://www.hzwestlake.gov.cn/English/naturalScenery/ns_3hpwif_2ttatoyf.html|title=The Tomb and Temple of Yue Fei|website=hzwestlake.gov.cn|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303184527/http://www.hzwestlake.gov.cn/English/naturalScenery/ns_3hpwif_2ttatoyf.html|archive-date=March 3, 2016|access-date=January 18, 2020}}</ref> Still, a great number simply say he was executed, murdered, or "treacherously assassinated".<ref>Markam, Ian S. and Tinu Ruparell. ''Encountering Religion: An Introduction to the Religions of the World''. Blackwell Publishing Professional, 200 ({{ISBN|0-631-20674-4}})</ref><ref>Olson, James S. ''An Ethnohistorical Dictionary of China''. Greenwood Press, 1998 ({{ISBN|0-313-28853-4}})</ref><ref>Guy, Nancy. Peking Opera and Politics in Taiwan. University of Illinois Press, 2005 ({{ISBN|0-252-02973-9}})</ref>

After Yue's execution, a prison officer, Wei Shun ({{lang|zh-Hant|隗順}}), who admired Yue's character, stole his body and secretly buried it at the Nine Song Cong Temple ({{lang|zh-Hant|九曲叢祠}}) located outside the Song capital.<ref name="Wei Shun">{{cite web |title=隗顺是谁？如果没有了他岳飞可能就尸骨无存了 |url=http://www.qulishi.com/news/201512/51259.html |website=趣歷史 |access-date=July 23, 2018}}</ref>

=== Qin Hui's posthumous punishment ===
''Shuo Yue Quanzhuan'' states after having Yue Fei, Yue Yun, Zhang Xian arrested under false charges, Qin Hui and his wife, Lady Wang ({{lang|zh|王氏}}), were sitting by the "eastern window", warming themselves by the fire, when he received a letter from the people calling for the release of Yue Fei. Qin was worried because after nearly two months of torture, he could not get Yue to admit to treason and would eventually have to let him go. However, after a servant girl brought fresh oranges into the room, Lady Wang devised a plan to execute Yue. She told Qin to slip an execution notice inside the skin of an orange and send it to the judge presiding over Yue's case. This way, Yue and his companions would be put to death before the emperor or Qin himself would have to rescind an open order of execution.<ref name=Qian/> This conspiracy became known as the "East Window Plot".<ref>Tang, Xianzu. ''The Peony Pavilion: Mudan ting, Second Edition''. Trans. [[Cyril Birch]]. Indiana University Press; 2nd edition, 2002 ({{ISBN|0-253-21527-7}})</ref> A novel about this incident, titled ''Dong Chuang Ji'' ({{lang|zh-Hant|東窗記}}; "Tale of the Eastern Window"), was written during the [[Ming dynasty]] by an anonymous writer.<ref name="wall">{{cite web |url = http://www.chinaheritagequarterly.org/articles.php?searchterm=006_ming.inc&issue=006 |title=Trapped Behind Walls: Ming Writing on the Wall – China Heritage Quarterly }}</ref>

When confronted by [[Han Shizhong]] on what crime Yue had committed, Qin Hui replied, "Though it isn't sure whether there is something that he did to betray the dynasty, maybe there is." The phrase "perhaps there is", "no reason needed", "groundless", or "baseless" ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|莫須有}}}}, {{translit|zh|mòxūyǒu}}) has entered the Chinese language as a proverb to refer to fabricated charges,<ref>Li, Y. H. & Lu, D. S., eds (1982), ''Chinese Idiom Dictionary''. Sichuan Publishing, Chengdou.</ref> which also means 'trumped-up charge', 'setup', '[[frameup]]', or 'concocted charge' in English.

Decades later, his grandson, Yue Ke ({{lang|zh|岳珂}}), had retrieved documentary evidence of his grandfather's achievements, and published an adulatory biography of him.  In 1162 [[Emperor Xiaozong of Song]] posthumously dissolved his unjust charges and rehabilitated his honours.  For their part in Yue's death, iron statues of Qin Hui, Lady Wang, and two of Qin's subordinates, [[Moqi Xie (Song dynasty)|Moqi Xie]] ({{lang|zh-Hant|万俟卨}}) and [[Zhang Jun (general)|Zhang Jun]] ({{lang|zh-Hant|張俊}}), were made to kneel before [[Yue Fei's tomb]] near [[West Lake]] in [[Hangzhou]]. For centuries, these statues were cursed, spat on, and urinated upon by people. The original castings in bronze were damaged, but later were replaced by images cast in iron, but these were similarly damaged. However now, in modern times, these statues are protected as historical relics.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.china.org.cn/2006-12/27/content_1194112.htm|title=Archaeologists to Excavation of Possible Tomb of Qin Hui|date=December 27, 2006|website=china.org.cn|publisher=Xinhua News Agency|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301225413/http://www.china.org.cn/english/MATERIAL/194112.htm|archive-date=March 1, 2018|access-date=January 18, 2020}}</ref> There is a poem hanging on the gate surrounding the statues that reads, "The green hill is fortunate to be the burial ground of a loyal general, the white iron was innocent to be cast into the statues of traitors."<ref>[http://www.gotohz.com/inter/en/showarticles.jsp?board=xhfg&id=13&zlmid=25 Yue Fei's Tomb] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061208014613/http://www.gotohz.com/inter/en/showarticles.jsp?board=xhfg&id=13&zlmid=25 |date=December 8, 2006 }}</ref> Emperor Xiaozong's court gave proper burial to his remains after Wei Shun's family revealed its location;<ref name="Wei Shun" /> Wei Shun was then posthumously honored at Yue Fei's hometown at Tangyin County, and a statue of him was made standing at its Yue Fei Temple. A [tomb] was put up in his memory, and he was designated ''Wumu'' ({{lang|zh-Hant|武穆}}; "Martial and Stern"). In 1179 he was canonized as ''Zhongwu'' ({{lang|zh-Hant|忠武}}; "Loyal and Martial").<ref name=giles/><ref>{{cite book|last1=俞|first1=荣根|last2=徐|first2=泉|last3=王|first3=群|script-title=zh:孔子，还受国人崇敬吗|date=2012|publisher=中国民主法制出版社|isbn=9787516202241|page=87|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WF_tCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT87}}</ref>

According to the novel ''[[A Supplement to the Journey to the West|Xi You Bu]]'', a satire of ''[[Journey to the West]]'', written in 1641 by the scholar Dong Ruoyu (also known as Dong Yue, 1620–1686), the [[Sun Wukong|Monkey King]] enthusiastically serves in hell as the trial prosecutor of Qin Hui, while Yue Fei becomes the Monkey King's third master (by teaching the latter [[Neo-Confucianism|Confucian]] methods). At one point, the Monkey King asks the spirit of Yue Fei if he would like to drink Qin's blood, but he politely declined.<ref name=wall/>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
File:Youtiaostory hangzhou statue1.jpg|Statues of Lady Wang ({{lang|zh-Hant|秦王氏}}) and [[Qin Hui]] at the [[Tomb of Yue Fei]], [[Hangzhou]]
File:Youtiaostory hangzhou statue2.jpg|Statues of Moqi Xie ({{lang|zh-Hant|万俟卨}}) and [[Zhang Jun (general)|Zhang Jun]] at the Tomb of Yue Fei, [[Hangzhou]]
File:West Lake Map.png|Map of West Lake with the location of the Yue Fei Temple
</gallery>

== Talents ==
=== Martial arts ===
{{See also|Military and civilian combat arts of Zhou Tong}}

The two styles most associated with Yue are [[Eagle Claw]] and ''xingyiquan''. One book states Yue created Eagle Claw for his enlisted soldiers and ''xingyiquan'' for his officers.<ref>[[Bruce Kumar Frantzis|Frantzis]], Bruce Kumar. ''The Power of Internal Martial Arts: Combat Secrets of Ba Gua, Tai Chi, and Hsing-I''. North Atlantic Books, 1998 ({{ISBN|1-55643-253-4}})</ref> Legend has it that Yue studied in the [[Shaolin Monastery]] with a monk named [[Zhou Tong (archer)|Zhou Tong]] and learned the "elephant" style of boxing, a set of hand techniques with great emphasis on ''[[Chin Na|qinna]]'' (joint-locking).<ref name="shum"/><ref name="Eagle">[http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=15 Eagle Claw Fan Tsi Moon & Lau Fat Mang's History – Part I] [[Kung Fu Tai Chi|Kung Fu Magazine]], {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050906220242/http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=15|date=September 6, 2005}}</ref><ref name=pai>{{cite web|url=http://www.yingjowpai.com/eagleclaw.html|title=Eagle Claw Info|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070502024010/http://www.yingjowpai.com/eagleclaw.html|archive-date=May 2, 2007}}</ref> Other tales say he learned this style elsewhere outside the temple under the same master.<ref name=Lian/> Yue eventually expanded elephant style to create the ''Yibai Lingba Qinna'' ({{lang|zh-Hant|一百零八擒拿}}; "108 Locking Hand Techniques") of the ''Ying Sao'' (Eagle Hands) or ''Ying Kuen'' (Eagle Fist).<ref name=shum>Leung, Shum and Jeanne Chin. ''The Secrets of Eagle Claw Kung Fu: Ying Jow Pai''. Tuttle Publishing; 1st edition, 2001 ({{ISBN|0-8048-3215-3}})</ref> After becoming a general in the imperial army, Yue taught this style to his men and they were very successful in battle against the armies of the [[Jin dynasty (1115–1234)|Jin dynasty]].<ref name=Lian/> Following his wrongful execution and the disbandment of his armies, Yue's men supposedly traveled all over China spreading the style, which eventually ended right back in Shaolin where it began. Later, a monk named Li Quan ({{lang|zh-Hant|麗泉}}) combined this style with ''[[fanziquan]]'', another style attributed to Yue, to create the modern day form of [[Eagle Claw|Northern ''Ying Jow Pai'']] boxing.<ref name=shum/><ref name=leung>Leung, Shum. ''Eagle claw kung-fu: Classical northern chinese fist''. Brendan Lai's Supply Co; 2nd ed edition, 1981 (ISBN B000718VX0)</ref>

According to legend, Yue combined his knowledge of [[Neijia|internal martial arts]] and spearplay learned from Zhou Tong (in Shaolin) to create the linear fist attacks of ''[[xingyiquan]]''.<ref name=Lian/><ref name=form>Lin, Jianhua. ''Form and Will Boxing: One of the Big Three Internal Chinese Body Boxing Styles''. Oxford University Press, 1994 ({{ISBN|0-87040-942-5}})</ref> One book claims he studied and synthesized [[Chinese Buddhism|Buddhism]]'s [[Yijin Jing|Tendon Changing and Marrow Washing]] [[qigong]] systems to create ''xingyiquan''.<ref>Sun, Lutang. ''A Study of Taijiquan''. North Atlantic Books, 2003 ({{ISBN|1-55643-462-6}})</ref> On the contrary, proponents of ''[[wudangquan]]'' believe it is possible that Yue learned the style in the [[Wudang Mountains]] that border his home province of [[Henan]]. The reasons they cite for this conclusion are that he supposedly lived around the same time and place as [[Zhang Sanfeng]], the founder of [[tai chi]]; ''xingyiquan'''s five fist attacks, which are based on the [[Wuxing (Chinese philosophy)|Five Chinese Elements]] theory, are similar to tai chi's "Yin-yang theory"; and both theories are [[Taoism|Taoist]]-based and not Buddhist.<ref>James, Andy. ''The Spiritual Legacy of Shaolin Temple: Buddhism, Daoism, and the Energetic Arts''. Wisdom Publications, 2005 ({{ISBN|0-86171-352-4}})</ref> The book ''Henan Orthodox Xingyiquan'', written by Pei Xirong ({{lang|zh-Hans|裴锡荣}}) and Li Ying'ang ({{lang|zh|李英昂}}), states ''xingyiquan'' master Dai Longbang

<blockquote>... wrote the 'Preface to Six Harmonies Boxing' in the 15th reign year of the [[Qianlong Emperor]] {{bracket|1750}}. Inside it says, '... when {{bracket|Yue Fei}} was a child, he received special instructions from Zhou Tong. He became extremely skilled in the spear method. He used the spear to create methods for the fist. He established a method called Yi Quan. Mysterious and unfathomable, followers of old did not have these skills. Throughout the [[Jin dynasty (1115–1234)|Jin]], [[Yuan dynasty|Yuan]] and [[Ming dynasty|Ming]] dynasties few had his art. Only Ji Gong had it. ({{lang|zh-Hans|於乾隆十五年為"六合拳"作序云："岳飛當童子時，受業於周侗師，精通槍法，以槍为拳，立法以教將佐，名曰意拳，神妙莫測，盖从古未有之技也。}})<ref name=pei>Pei, Xirong and Li, Yang'an. Henan Orthodox Xingyi Quan. Trans. Joseph Candrall. Pinole: Smiling Tiger Press, 1994. See also, [https://archive.today/19991013035647/http://www.plumflower.com/xing_yi.htm Xing Yi Quan (Mind-Form Boxing) Books] Scroll down, 5th book from the top.</ref><ref name=dl>[http://wushu.sport.org.cn/wslp/qt/2004-09-02/38592.html Heart Chinese boxing emphasizing flexibility and confusing the opponent] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191106094411/http://wushu.sport.org.cn/wslp/qt/2004-09-02/38592.html |date=November 6, 2019 }} (Chinese only)</ref></blockquote>

[[File:Hangzhou0401 202.JPG|thumb|Inside the grounds of Yue Fei's tomb and shrine in [[Hangzhou]]; the inscriptions at the far end read "Serve the country with the utmost loyalty".]]

The man "Ji Gong" mentioned above, better known as Ji Jike ({{lang|zh-Hant|姬際可}}) or Ji Longfeng ({{lang|zh-Hant|姬隆丰}}), is said to have trained in Shaolin Monastery for ten years as a young man and was matchless with the spear.<ref name=form/> As the story goes, he later traveled to Xongju Cave on Mount Zhongnan to receive a boxing manual written by Yue Fei, from which he learned ''xingyiquan''. However, some believe Ji actually created the style himself and attributed it to Yue Fei because he was fighting the [[Manchu]]s, descendants of the Jurchens who Yue had struggled against.<ref>Lu, Shengli. ''Combat Techniques of Taiji, Xingyi, and Bagua: Principles and Practices of Internal Martial Arts''. Trans. Zhang Yun. Blue Snake Books/Frog, Ltd., 2006 ({{ISBN|1-58394-145-2}})</ref> Ji supposedly created it after watching a battle between an eagle and a bear during the [[Ming dynasty]].<ref>Wong, Kiew Kit. Art of Shaolin Kung Fu: The Secrets of Kung Fu for Self-Defense Health and Enlightenment. Tuttle Publishing, 2002 ({{ISBN|0-8048-3439-3}})</ref> Other sources say he created it while training in Shaolin. He was reading a book and looked up to see two [[fighting cocks|roosters fighting]], which inspired him to imitate the fighting styles of animals.<ref name=form/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emptyflower.com/xingyiquan/splitting/animals.html#chicken|title=Ji Xing – Chicken Form|website=emptyflower.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221030854/http://www.emptyflower.com/xingyiquan/splitting/animals.html|archive-date=February 21, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emptyflower.com/xingyiquan/crossing/jilongfeng.html|title=Ji Long Feng|website=emptyflower.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213194452/http://www.emptyflower.com/xingyiquan/crossing/jilongfeng.html|archive-date=February 13, 2009|access-date=January 18, 2020}}</ref> Both versions of the story (eagle / bear and [[rooster]]s) state he continued to study the actions of animals and eventually increased the cadre of animal forms.<ref name=form/>

Several other martial arts have been attributed to Yue Fei, including [[Yuejiaquan]] (Yue Family Boxing), [[Fanziquan]] (Tumbling Boxing), and [[Chuōjiǎo]] quan (Feet-Poking Boxing), among others.<ref name=chuo/><ref>[http://www.chinavoc.com/kungfu/schools/cata_fz.asp Fanzi Quan (Tumbling Chuan)] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204095117/http://www.chinavoc.com/kungfu/schools/cata_fz.asp |date=February 4, 2007 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.chinavoc.com/kungfu/schools/cata_yue.asp Yuejia Quan (Yue-family Chuan)] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070203063029/http://www.chinavoc.com/kungfu/schools/cata_yue.asp |date=February 3, 2007 }}</ref> The "Fanzi Boxing Ballad" says: "Wumu has passed down the Fanziquan which has mystery in its straightforward movements." ''Wumu'' ({{lang|zh-Hant|武穆}}) was a [[posthumous name]] given to Yue after his death.<ref name=giles/> One Chuojiao legend states Zhou Tong learned the style from its creator, a wandering Taoist named Deng Liang ({{lang|zh-Hant|鄧良}}), and later passed it onto Yue Fei, who is considered to be the progenitor of the style.<ref name=chuo/><ref>[http://www.satirio.com/ma/chuojiao/history.html HISTORY & DEVELOPMENT OF CHUOJIAO] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927002201/http://www.satirio.com/ma/chuojiao/history.html |date=September 27, 2007 }}</ref>

Besides martial arts, Yue is also said to have studied [[traditional Chinese medicine]]. He understood the essence of [[Hua Tuo]]'s ''Wu Qin Xi'' ({{lang|zh-Hant|五禽戲}}; "Five Animal Frolics") and created his own form of "[[Traditional Chinese medicine#Treatment techniques|medical qigong]]" known as the ''Ba Duan Jin'' ({{lang|zh-Hant|八段錦}}; "Eight Pieces of Brocade"). It is considered a form of ''[[Waidan]]'' ({{lang|zh-Hant|外丹}}; "External Elixir") medical [[qigong]].<ref>Yang, Jwing-Ming. ''Qigong Massage, 2nd Edition: Fundamental Techniques for Health and Relaxation''. YMAA Publication Center; 2nd edition, 2005 ({{ISBN|1-59439-048-7}})</ref>
He taught this qigong to his soldiers to help keep their bodies strong and well-prepared for battle.<ref>Bisio, Tom. ''A Tooth from the Tiger's Mouth: How to Treat Your Injuries with Powerful Healing Secrets of the Great Chinese Warrior''. Fireside, 2004 ({{ISBN|0-7432-4551-2}})</ref><ref>Yang, Jwing-Ming. ''Qigong Meditation: Embryonic Breathing''. YMAA Publication Center, 2003 ({{ISBN|1-886969-73-6}})</ref> One legend states that Zhou Tong took young Yue to meet a Buddhist hermit who taught him ''[[Emei]] [[Peng (mythology)|Dapeng]]'' Qigong ({{lang|zh-Hant|峨嵋大鵬氣功}}). His training in Dapeng Qigong was the source of his great strength and martial arts abilities. Modern practitioners of this style say it was passed down by Yue.<ref name=tao/>

==== Connection to Praying Mantis boxing ====
According to ''Shuo Yue Quanzhuan'', [[Lin Chong]] and [[Lu Junyi]] of the 108 outlaws in ''[[Water Margin]]'' were former students of Yue's teacher [[Zhou Tong (archer)|Zhou Tong]].<ref>Qian, Cai. General Yue Fei. Trans. Honorable Sir T. L. Yang. Joint Publishing (H.K.) Co., Ltd. (1995) {{ISBN|978-962-04-1279-0}}</ref> One legend states Zhou learned [[Chuōjiǎo]] boxing from its originator Deng Liang ({{lang|zh-Hant|鄧良}}) and then passed it onto Yue Fei, who is sometimes considered the progenitor of the style.<ref name=chuo>[http://www.plumpub.com/info/knotebook/boxchuojiao.htm Chuo Jiao Fist] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080221021023/http://www.plumpub.com/info/knotebook/boxchuojiao.htm |date=February 21, 2008 }}</ref> Chuojiao is also known as the "Water Margin Outlaw style" and ''Yuanyang Tui'' ({{lang|zh-Hant|鴛鴦腿}}; "Mandarin Duck Leg").<ref>[http://cclib.nsu.ru/projects/satbi/satbi-e/martart/wushu/chuojiao.html Chuojiao (thrusted-in feet)] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071216000252/http://cclib.nsu.ru/projects/satbi/satbi-e/martart/wushu/chuojiao.html |date=December 16, 2007 }}</ref> In chapter 29 of ''Water Margin'', titled "Wu Song beats Jiang the Door God in a drunken stupor", it mentions [[Wu Song]], another of Zhou's fictional students, using the "Jade Circle-Steps with Duck and Drake feet".<ref>[[Shi Naian|Shi, Nai'an]] and [[Luo Guanzhong]]. ''Outlaws of the Marsh''. Trans. Sidney Shapiro. Beijing: Foreign Language Press, 1993 ({{ISBN|7-119-01662-8}})</ref> A famous folklore Praying Mantis manuscript, which describes the fictional gathering of eighteen martial arts masters in Shaolin, lists [[Lin Chong]] (#13) as a master of "Mandarin ducks kicking technique".<ref name=chuo/> This creates a folklore connection between Yue and Mantis boxing.

Lineage Mantis master Yuen Man Kai openly claims Zhou Tong taught Lin Chong and Lu Junyi the "same school" of martial arts that was later combined with the aforementioned seventeen other schools to create Mantis fist.<ref>Yuen, Man Kai. ''Northern Mantis Black Tiger Intersectional Boxing''. Wanchai, Hong Kong: Yih Mei Book Co. Ltd., 1991 ({{ISBN|962-325-195-5}}), pg. 7</ref> However, he believes Mantis fist was created during the [[Ming dynasty]], and was therefore influenced by these eighteen schools from the Song dynasty. He also says Lu Junyi taught [[Yan Qing]] the same martial arts as he learned from Zhou Tong.<ref name=yuen8>Yuen: pg. 8</ref> Yuen further comments that Zhou Tong later taught Yue Fei the same martial art and that Yue was the originator of the mantis move "Black Tiger Stealing{{sic}} Heart".<ref name=yuen8/>

=== Poetry ===
At the age of 30, Yue supposedly wrote his most celebrated poem, "[[Man Jiang Hong]]" ("Entirely Red River") with a subtitle of "Xie Huai" ("Writing about What I Thought"). This poem reflects the raw hatred he felt towards the [[Jurchen people|Jurchen]]-ruled [[Jin dynasty (1115–1234)|Jin dynasty]], as well as the sorrow he felt when his efforts to recoup northern lands lost to Jin were halted by Southern Song officials of the "Peace Faction". However, several modern historians, including the late Princeton University Prof. James T. C. Liu, believe certain phrasing in the poem dates its creation to the early 16th century, meaning Yue did ''not'' write it.<ref name=james>[[James T. C. Liu]]. "Yueh Fei (1103–41) and China's Heritage of Loyalty". ''The Journal of Asian Studies''. Vol. 31, No. 2 (Feb. 1972), pp. 291–297</ref>

Yue Fei is also the author of at least two other poems, "Xiao Chong Shan" ("Small Hills") and another "Man Jiang Hong" with a subtitle of "Deng Huang He Lou You Gan" ("My Feelings When I Was Climbing the [[Yellow Crane Tower|Yellow Crane Pavilion]]").

== Descendants ==
Among Yue Fei's descendants was Yue Shenglong ({{lang|zh-Hant|岳昇龍}}) and his son the [[Qing dynasty]] official [[Yue Zhongqi]],<ref>{{cite ECCP|title=Yüeh Chung-ch'i}}</ref> who served as [[Three Departments and Six Ministries|Minister of Defence]] and [[Viceroy of Shaan-Gan|Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu provinces]] during the reign of the [[Yongzheng Emperor]]. Yue Zhongqi [[Chinese expedition to Tibet (1720)|conquered Tibet for the Qing]] during the [[Dzungar–Qing War]] and attacked the Dzungars at [[Ürümqi]] in Xinjiang.<ref name="Perdue2009">{{cite book|author=Peter C Perdue|title=China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J4L-_cjmSqoC&pg=PA253|date=June 30, 2009|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-04202-5|pages=253–}}</ref><ref name="Perdue2009 2">{{cite book|author=Peter C Perdue|title=China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J4L-_cjmSqoC&pg=PA331|date=June 30, 2009|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-04202-5|pages=331–332}}</ref> The Oirats were battled against by Yue Zhongqi.<ref>Eugene John Gregory, August 31, 2015, DESERTION AND THE MILITARIZATION OF QING LEGAL CULTURE p. 204. ([[PDF]])</ref> Yue Zhongqi lived at the [[Ji Xiaolan Residence]].

Another notable descendant of Yue Fei was [[Yue Yiqin]], a [[flying ace]] of the [[Republic of China (1912–49)|Republic of China]] during the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]].{{sfnp|Cheung|2015|p=18}}

In 2011, two Yue descendants, Yue Jun and Yue Haijun, with six members of their clan, protested Jiangning Imperial Silk Manufacturing Museum's Qin Hui statue, which indicates that even after centuries, the Yue family still hates Qin Hui and his conspirators for their ancestor's plight. It has been reported that male members of the Yue family were not allowed to marry anyone whose surname was Qin until 1949, and genealogical records attest that this rule was rarely broken prior to its nullification.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nearly 10,000 descendants of Song general Yue Fei in Anhui |url=https://bambooinnovator.com/2014/06/13/nearly-10000-descendants-of-song-general-yue-fei-in-anhui/ |website=WordPress.com. |date=June 13, 2014 |access-date=June 22, 2019}}</ref>  In 2017, it was reported that were 1.81&nbsp;million descendants of Yue Fei in China, and the number of Yue Fei's descendants in Anhui alone has grown to more than 1,003,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2017/6/26/%E5%B2%B3%E9%A3%9E%E5%86%A4%E6%A1%88%E7%9A%84%E8%AF%81%E4%BA%BA%E9%9A%97%E9%A1%BA-350195p.html|title=岳飞冤案的证人隗顺 【明慧网】|website=www.minghui.org|date=26 June 2017|access-date=25 January 2023}}</ref>

== Culture hero ==
[[File:Yue_Fei_statue_(Zhonglieci)_5_2016_January.jpg|thumb|left|Statue of Yue Fei inside the grounds of Yue Fei's tomb and shrine in Hangzhou]]
[[File:岳元帥畫像.jpg|thumb|Taoist painting of Yue Fei as the deity ''"General Yue"'' (岳元帅), from [[White Cloud Temple]].]]

Yue Fei's stature in Chinese history rose to that of a [[national hero]] after his execution.{{sfn|Tao|2009|p=686}} Qin Hui, and in some cases Emperor Gaozong, were blamed by later historians for their supposed role in Yue Fei's execution and conciliatory stance with the Jin dynasty.{{sfn|Tao|2009|pp=686–689}} The allegations that Qin Hui conspired with the Jin to execute Yue Fei are popular in Chinese literature, but have never been proven.{{sfn|Tao|2009|p=687}} The real Yue Fei differed from the later myths that grew from his exploits.{{sfn|Mote|1999|p=299}} The portrayal of Yue as a scholar-general is only partially true. He was a skilled general, and may have been partially literate in [[Classical Chinese]], but he was not an erudite Confucian scholar.{{sfn|Mote|1999|p=300}} Contrary to traditional legends, Yue was not the sole Chinese general engaged in the offensive against the Jurchens. He was one of many generals that fought against the Jin in northern China, and unlike Yue Fei, some of his peers were genuine members of the [[Scholar-official|scholarly elite]].{{sfn|Mote|1999|p=301}} Many of the exaggerations of Yue Fei's life can be traced to a biography written by his grandson, Yue Ke. Yue Fei's status as a culture hero strengthened in the [[Yuan dynasty]] and had a large impact on Chinese culture.{{sfn|Mote|1999|pp=304–305}} Temples and shrines devoted to Yue Fei were constructed in the [[Ming dynasty]]. A Chinese [[World War II]] anthem alludes to lyrics said to have been written by Yue Fei.{{sfn|Mote|1999|p=305}}

He also sometimes appears as a [[door god]] in partnership with the deity [[Wen Taibao]].{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}

At certain points in time, Yue Fei ceased to be a national hero, such as in 2002, when the official guidelines for history teachers said that he could no longer carry the title. This was because Yue Fei had defended China from the [[Jurchen people]], whose descendants, the [[Manchu people]], are presently considered to be a part of the [[Zhonghua minzu|Chinese nation]]. Therefore, concern for the "unity of nationalities" in China prevailed, as Yue Fei was seen as representing only one subgroup within China, and not the "entire Chinese nation as presently defined".<ref>BARANOVITCH, NIMROD. "Others No More: The Changing Representation of Non-Han Peoples in Chinese History Textbooks, 1951–2003." The Journal of Asian Studies 69, no. 1 (2010): 85–122.</ref> However, both the [[Chinese Ministry of Education]] and the [[Minister of Defence]] deny such claims and still clearly address Yue Fei as a national hero of China.<ref>[http://www.mod.gov.cn/hist/2009-07/20/content_4006044.htm 水战杨么----岳飞（南宋）] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302225317/http://www.mod.gov.cn/hist/2009-07/20/content_4006044.htm |date=March 2, 2021 }} July 20, 2009国防部官网</ref><ref>[http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrbhwb/html/2013-03/21/content_1214252.htm 隆重纪念民族英雄岳飞诞辰910周年] 2013年03月21日人民日报海外版</ref> The [[Chinese Communist Party]] also continues to treat Yue Fei as a national hero of China.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.people.com.cn/GB/paper81/9356/867110.html |title=关于古代"民族英雄"的再认识 |access-date=April 1, 2019 |archive-date=June 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614233052/http://www.people.com.cn/GB/paper81/9356/867110.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Modern references ===
The [[ROCS Yueh Fei (FFG-1106)|ROCS ''Yueh Fei'' (FFG-1106)]], a [[Cheng Kung class frigate|''Cheng Kung''-class]] guided-missile frigate of the [[Republic of China Navy]], is named after Yue.

The author [[Guy Gavriel Kay]] cites Yue Fei as having inspired the character Ren Daiyan in his novel ''[[River of Stars]]'' ({{ISBN|978-0-670-06840-1}}), which is set in a fantasy world based on Song Dynasty China.

Yue Fei is one of the 32 historical figures who appear as special characters in the video game ''[[Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI]]'' by [[Koei]].{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

Yue Fei is also mentioned as a "Fixer" of great skills in the game [[Limbus Company]]. {{citation needed|date=December 2025}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|China|History|Poetry|Biography}}
{{columns-start|num=4}}
* [[Cultural depictions of Yue Fei]]
* [[Yue Fei Temple]] and [[Tomb of Yue Fei|Tomb]]
* [[History of the Song dynasty]]
* [[Jin–Song Wars]] ([[Timeline of the Jin–Song wars|Timeline]])
* [[Han chauvinism]]
{{column}}
* [[Gaozong of Song]]
* [[Qin Hui]]
* [[Han Shizhong]]
* [[Zhang Jun (general)|Zhang Jun]]
{{column}}
* [[Wen Tianxiang]]
* [[Lu Xiufu]] 
* [[Zhang Shijie]]
* [[Yuan Chonghuan]]
{{columns-end}}

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |first=Herbert |last=Franke |chapter=The Chin dynasty |editor=Denis Twitchett |editor2=John King Fairbank |title = The Cambridge History of China: Volume 6, Alien Regimes and Border States, 710–1368 |year=1994 |pages=215–320 |publisher = Cambridge University Press |isbn = 978-0-521-24331-5  |author-link = Herbert Franke (sinologist) |editor-first = Denis C. |editor-link = Denis C. Twitchett }} 
* {{cite book |first=Peter |last=Lorge |title = War, Politics and Society in Early Modern China, 900–1795 |year=2005 |publisher=Routledge |isbn = 978-0-203-96929-8 }}
* {{cite book |first=Frederick W.|last=Mote |title = Imperial China: 900–1800 |year=1999 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn = 0-674-44515-5 }}
* {{cite book |first=Jing-Shen |last=Tao |chapter = The Move to the South and the Reign of Kao-tsung |editor=Paul Jakov Smith |editor2=Denis C. Twitchett |title=The Cambridge History of China: Volume 5, The Sung dynasty and Its Precursors, 907–1279 |year=2009 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages = 556–643 |isbn = 978-0-521-81248-1 }}
* {{cite book |last= Cheung |first= Raymond |editor1=Tony Holmes |title=Aces of the Republic of China Air Force |year=2015 |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |location=[[Oxford]], Englang; [[New York City]], NY |isbn=978-1-4728-0561-4 }}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* {{Gutenberg author | id=32538}}
* {{Internet Archive author |search=("岳飛 " OR "Yue Fei" OR "Yue, Fei" OR "Pengju" OR "King of È" OR "鄂王") }}
* {{Librivox author |id=8450}}
* [[:zh:宋史|"History of the Song" Chinese Wikipedia entry]] {{in lang|zh}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071227110508/http://www.yifan.net/yihe/novels/history/songshiytt/sshi.html 470 volume version of the "History of the Song"] {{in lang|zh}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070813031112/http://www.open-lit.com/bookindex.php?gbid=32 ''The Story of Yue Fei''] {{in lang|zh}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20020312162028/http://www.yifan.net/yihe/novels/history/songshiytt/sshi365.html "Yue Fei's Biography" from the History of the Song] {{in lang|zh}}
* [http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/DwrbnswwIRw/ "精忠报国 Utmost Loyalty to the Country", a famous Chinese song related to Yue Fei] {{in lang|zh}}

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