Background

Dian Wei was from Jiwu County, Chenliu Commandery, in present-day Ningling County, Henan. He was described as a stalwart man with great strength and the ambition of becoming a youxia (vigilante).

Assassinating Li Yong

When he was young, Dian Wei once agreed to help a certain Liu family in Xiangyi County (襄邑縣; present-day Sui County, Henan) take revenge against one Li Yong (李永). As Li Yong was a former county chief, he had bodyguards to protect him during his travels.

Dian Wei disguised himself as a marquis and travelled to Li Yong's house in a carriage filled with food and wine. He entered the house without challenge, stabbed Li Yong with a concealed dagger, and killed Li Yong's wife as well. He then left the house and retrieved his weapons (a sword and a ji) from the carriage and walked away. As Li Yong lived near the marketplace, news of his death spread quickly and the whole town was shocked. Hundreds of men went to pursue the murderer but none of them dared to approach Dian Wei. After travelling four or five li on foot, Dian Wei met his companions and they escaped after a brief fight with the pursuers. Dian Wei became recognised as a hero after this incident.

Service under Cao Cao

Around February or March 190, when the regional official Zhang Miao was rallying an army to join the campaign against Dong Zhuo, Dian Wei answered the call and became a subordinate of Zhao Chong, a military officer serving under Zhang Miao. Once, a large banner was swaying in the strong wind and many men could not stop it from swaying despite their combined efforts. Dian Wei used only one hand to grab the banner pole and succeeded in keeping it upright. Zhao Chong was very impressed with Dian Wei's strength.

Dian Wei later became a subordinate of Xiahou Dun, a general under the warlord Cao Cao. He was promoted to the rank of Major for his valour in battle.

Battle of Puyang

Around September 194, when Cao Cao was at war with a rival warlord Lü Bu in Yan Province, he launched a surprise night raid on one of Lü Bu's camps located 40-50 li west of Puyang County and destroyed it before dawn. Just as Cao Cao and his troops were planning to return to their base, Lü Bu personally led reinforcements from Puyang County to attack them and caught them in an onrush.

Dian Wei ordered dozens of men to gather around him, put on two layers of armour, discard their shields and arm themselves only with spears and jis. Another wave of enemy soldiers closing in from the west unleashed a barrage of arrows onto Dian Wei and his men. Dian Wei remained oblivious to the arrows and told his men, "Let me know when the enemy is ten paces away." The men did so. Dian Wei then said again, "Let me know when they are five paces away." The men then suddenly cried out in fear, "The enemy is upon us!" Dian Wei was holding on to a dozen jis, and he flung them at the enemy when they approached him. Each ji knocked down an enemy soldier and not a single one missed its target.

As the sun rose, Lü Bu retreated back to Puyang while Cao Cao withdrew back to his base as well. Cao Cao was so impressed with Dian Wei that he promoted him to the rank of Commandant (都尉) and put him in command of hundreds of his personal bodyguards who patrolled the areas around his tent.

As Cao Caos bodyguard

Dian Wei was a robustly built fighter. He personally selected the soldiers who would serve under him. In battle, Dian Wei and his men were always the first to charge into the enemy formation. Dian Wei was later promoted to the rank of Colonel (校尉).

Dian Wei was known for being a loyal, prudent and responsible man. He often stood guard outside Cao Cao's tent from morning until dusk, and even at night he would sleep beside Cao Cao's tent, and he rarely returned to his own quarters. He was also a heavy eater and drinker, eating in huge mouthfuls and drinking in long gulps. Because of his enormous appetite, several men were required to serve him whenever he sat down for meals. Cao Cao was very impressed with him.

Dian Wei's weapons of choice were a pair of jis or long swords. There was a saying in Cao Cao's army about Dian Wei: "In our camp resides the warrior Dian Wei, who wields a pair of jis weighing 80 jin in total."

Death at the Battle of Wancheng

In February 197, Cao Cao invaded Wancheng (宛城; present-day Wancheng District, Nanyang, Henan) in the north of Jing Province. Wancheng was the territory of the warlord Zhang Xiu, who immediately surrendered upon learning of Cao Cao's invasion. Cao Cao was pleased so he threw a party for Zhang Xiu and his men. During the party, Dian Wei stood guard behind Cao Cao, holding a giant battle axe whose blade was one chi long. Zhang Xiu and his followers did not dare to look up when they toasted to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao had stayed in Wancheng for more than 10 days when Zhang Xiu suddenly rebelled and launched a surprise attack on his camp. Cao Cao was caught unprepared so he retreated with a few horsemen.

Dian Wei stood guard at the entrance to the camp and prevented Zhang Xiu's soldiers from advancing further. The enemy then scattered and broke into Cao Cao's camp from the other entrances. Dian Wei had about a dozen men with him and they were all heavily outnumbered by Zhang Xiu's forces. However, Dian Wei fought bravely with a long ji, and with each swing of his weapon, he broke more than ten enemy spears. As the battle went on, Dian Wei's men were eventually all killed and Dian himself had sustained several wounds all over his body, but he continued fighting the enemy at close quarters with short weapons. Dian Wei grabbed two enemies and killed them, and the others did not dare to approach him. Dian Wei then rushed forward and slew several more enemy soldiers before eventually succumbing to his wounds. Just before his death, he was still glaring and swearing at the enemy. Only after confirming that Dian Wei was dead did the enemies dare to come forward and decapitate him. Dian Wei's head was passed around for Zhang Xiu's men to see. They also came to look at his headless body.

By then, Cao Cao had already retreated safely to Wuyin County (舞陰縣; southeast of present-day Sheqi County, Henan), and he broke down in tears when he heard of Dian Wei's death. He ordered his men to retrieve Dian Wei's body and personally attended the funeral and had Dian Wei buried in Xiangyi County (襄邑縣; present-day Sui County, Henan). Later, whenever Cao Cao passed by Dian Wei's grave, he would stop to pay his respects and mourn Dian Wei.

Family

Cao Cao appointed Dian Wei's son, Dian Man (典滿), as a langzhong (郎中). Cao Cao missed Dian Wei later so he promoted Dian Man to Major and kept Dian Man close to him. After Cao Cao died in 220, his son Cao Pi appointed Dian Man as a Commandant (都尉) and granted him the title of a Secondary Marquis.

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Dian Wei appears as a character in the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which romanticises the historical events before and during the Three Kingdoms period.

Dian Wei first appeared in Chapter 10, and he was first introduced by Xiahou Dun to Cao Cao sometime in 193. According to Xiahou Dun, Dian Wei used to serve Zhang Miao but he could not get along well with Zhang's men, and he once killed tens of men before fleeing into the hills. While Xiahou Dun was out hunting, he saw Dian Wei chasing a deer across a stream and he brought the man back to his lord. Xiahou Dun continued to tell Cao Cao about Dian Wei's background and physical prowess. Cao Cao then asked Dian Wei to demonstrate his skills. At that time, a huge banner was swaying in the wind and was on the verge of collapsing. Many of Cao Cao's men were unable to keep the banner upright even with their combined efforts. Dian Wei shouted at them to move back and he grabbed the banner pole with one hand and kept it steady. Cao Cao exclaimed, "This is Elai of ancient times!" Dian Wei then became a Commandant under Cao Cao.

Dian Wei's death at the Battle of Wancheng is described in greater detail in Chapter 16, but is more exaggerated than his historical biography. In this exaggeration, it was mentioned that Dian Wei was able to pick up the dead bodies of enemies by their feet and swing them as a means of attack, before he was finally killed by raining arrows and piercing spears. At Dian Wei's funeral, Cao Cao wept and told his followers, "I don't feel very sad over the loss of my eldest son (Cao Ang) and my favourite nephew (Cao Anmin). I'm only mourning Dian Wei!"

In popular culture

Dian Wei appears as a character in Koei's Dynasty Warriors, Warriors Orochi, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms video game series. He also appears in Chan Mou's manhua series The Ravages of Time, a retelling of the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Dian Wei appears alongside Xu Chu as a guardian spirit of General Cao Yanbing in the anime and drama series Rakshasa Street.

生平

早年俠義

早年，襄邑的劉氏與睢陽的李永有仇怨，典韋要為劉氏報仇。但李永為富春長，警備森嚴，典韋便用車載著雞和酒扮作商人，當門打開，典韋取出懷著的匕首，闖入屋刺死李永，並殺其妻，之後徐徐步出，取出車上的刀、戟逃離。因李永居近市集，全市皆驚動，李永手下追來者雖有數百人，但都不敢靠近典韋。走了四五里路，遇到其同伴，成功逃離。於是令不少豪傑知其名。後來張邈舉兵，典韋參軍為士，屬於趙寵之下。190年張邈討伐董卓兵敗後獲得曹操大將夏侯惇賞識，轉為其麾下，多從征戰，砍下敵軍首級很多，因功拜為司馬。

濮陽戰敵

194年，呂布趁曹操東征徐州，偷襲兗州，曹操立即還擊呂布。呂布派軍屯兵在濮陽之西四五十里，曹操實行夜襲，殺至明早，呂布率軍解救，三面圍攻曹操。呂布親率大軍從早到午交戰數十次，甚至親自上陣肉搏敵兵，戰況十分激烈。曹操招募壯士衝陣，典韋搶先響應，並募集勇士數十，穿上兩重鎧甲，放棄大楯，手持長撩矛戟出戰。正值西面戰況又急，敵軍弓弩亂發，箭如雨下，典韋不顧險情衝前擋著敵兵，並告訴身邊士卒：「敵人來到我面前十步才叫我。」士卒大叫：「十步了。」之後典韋又喝令：「到五步外再叫我！」眾人皆懼，大叫：「敵人到了！」典韋挾帶十多枝長戟，大吼而起，以戟擲敵、刺敵，所擊者無不血肉橫飛，應手倒地。最後至黎明時分，呂布撤退。而典韋因功被拜為都尉，成為曹操身邊近衛，統領親兵數百人，圍繞主帳棚巡邏。後再遷為校尉。

宛城護主

197年，曹操攻宛，張繡投降。曹操十分高興，設宴歡聚。十多日後，張繡反叛，偷襲曹操之營，曹操不敵， 輕騎逃走。典韋擋在門前，令敵軍不能入，張繡軍惟有分散從別門進入。當時典韋身邊的十餘人皆死戰，以一當十，典韋手執長戟左右劈砍擊刺，可是身邊士卒一個個戰死，典韋也身受數十傷，敵人乘機上前要捉他，反被典韋雙手挾著殺死兩人，其餘敵人嚇得不敢上前。典韋再奮而衝前，連殺多人，因傷勢嚴重無法再戰，乃瞪眼大罵，倒地而死。死了半晌，還無一人敢從前門而入。最後張繡軍才敢再上前，割取其頭，互傳觀看，覆軍就視其軀。

曹操退至舞陰，知道典韋戰死，不禁落淚。對眾將領說：「我失去了長子（曹昂）和我的愛侄（曹安民），都沒感到傷痛，但我只大哭典韋（的死）啊！」後取回其屍體，對著典韋屍體大哭，把他安葬在襄邑，每次經過其葬地，都用牲口拜祭典韋。243年七月，典韋與夏侯淵、曹洪、曹休、曹真、張遼、樂進、張郃、徐晃、朱靈、鍾繇、華歆、王朗、桓階、陳群、李典、臧霸、文聘、許褚、龐德因功而受到曹芳於曹操廟庭祭祀的禮遇。

特徵

典韋勇猛不同凡嚮，形貌魁梧，他身邊士卒都十分勇敢，每場戰鬥，都先登陷陣。如戰呂布、宛城之戰都看出其勇武果敢。又如插在營門前的牙門旗（約95公斤），一個普通人根本舉不起，但典韋用一隻手輕易舉起，其力氣過人，受人推崇。而且愛酒食，會與左右部下分享酒食，一起大吃大喝，所以有許多部下，但典韋仍不停供養他們。

為人忠慎穩重、志節任俠，如曾為劉氏報仇。後為曹操近衛，常站著一天侍衛，晚上也在曹操營帳左右睡而不回家。愛持大雙戟與長刀等，軍中都說：「帳下壯士有典君，提一雙戟八十斤。」而曹操在宛設宴，曹操飲酒時，典韋持大斧站在曹操後面，每次有人上前，典韋都舉斧怒視，張繡及其將帥都不敢仰視。

家庭

子

• 典滿，典韋之子。典韋死後，升為郎中。後曹操思念典韋，再拜典滿為司馬。漢獻帝禪讓，曹丕稱帝，典滿為近侍，封為都尉，賜關內侯。

評價

• 陳壽三國志評曰：「許褚、典韋折衝左右，抑亦漢之樊噲也。」

• 曹軍士卒：「帳下壯士有典君，提一雙戟八十斤。」

• 張牛：「漢高之得樊噲，廓去妖氛；曹公之有典韋，克寧寰宇。」 「昔季布使酒，響振於河東；樊噲飲卮，功高於霸上。典韋長啜，身為時傾，蔡裔雄聲，才堪國用。」

• 褚亮：「肅鉤陳於中禁，排閭闔而上征，羊祜之握兵機，典韋之統軍帳，任寄之重，恩私罕匹。」

• 袁枚：「然而公始則霽雲斷指，繼乃公孫洞胸。小白未殭，大黃猶射。又典韋臨危之戟，橫貫數人。衝張遼已出之圍，再呼殘卒。淺色黃衫，蓋棺之衣早備。玄緌新篋，歸元之面如生。可以謂之勇矣，可以謂之烈矣。」

• 潘眉：「典韋雄武壯烈，不在遼、褚下。」

• 毛宗崗：「死典韋足拒生賊軍。」

• 羅貫中《三國演義》：「鐵戟雙提八十斤，濮陽城外建功勳。典韋救主傳天下，勇猛當先第一人。」「守護中軍帳，英雄獨典韋。聞風皆膽裂，望影總魂飛。 猿臂持雙戟，彪軀挂鐵衣。淯河鏖戰死，千古顯神機。」「鐵戟雙提八十斤，威風凜凜鎮乾坤。欲將英傑從頭數，惟說當年有典韋。」

藝術形象

戲劇

中國傳統戲曲中典韋的角色，面譜以黃色為主，畫成花三塊瓦臉，表示其忠勇、兇猛，眉間勾雙戟，為其所用兵器。出場劇目有《戰宛城》。

影視

• 1994年電視劇《三國演義》：張甲田飾演典韋

• 1999年電視劇《曹操》：馬戈飾演典韋

• 2013年電視劇《曹操》：孫玉城飾演典韋

動漫遊戲

• 真·三國無雙系列 / 無雙OROCHI系列（光榮公司開發，中井和哉配音）

• 三國演義

• 《火鳳燎原》（陳某）、火鳳燎原外傳小說《敗將》（王貽興）：設定為前「敗將」成員（生卒年164～197），於曹操「奉孝殺戮」時登場，接替受傷之許褚出戰燎原火，並單騎闖入萬軍之中殺害陶謙，於濮陽之戰中在重傷下殺害呂布軍中十多員大將及險些殺害呂布，在宛城之戰中和燎原火交手得勝，被燎原火偷襲斬去半身，後被張繡殺害。

• 《蒼天航路》（王欣太）

• 《王者榮耀》

• 《朕的江山》