Biography.guide
Home › People › Politician › Zhang Zhu
Portrait of Zhang Zhu

Zhang Zhu

1287 – 1368

Chinese historian

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Zhang Zhu

Lived 1287 – 1368 (aged 80–81). Zhang Zhu was a Chinese politician, poet and historian.

Zhang Zhu (; 1287–1368), courtesy name Zhongju (仲舉), was a Yuan Dynasty poet.

A native of (?), he brought himself into notice by his poetry, and was subsequently employed upon the histories of the Liao, Later Jin, and Song dynasties, rising to be a Doctor in the Hanlin Academy and holding other high offices. He was the author of a collection of verses (titled 蛻巖詞). His phrase "cataclysm of the red Goat" (红羊劫), is still used in the sense of "great calamity."

"In the hexagenary system of calendrical calculation, the years bingwu and dingwei in the cycle were believed to be years in which national disasters would occur. In the ten heavenly stems (tiangan) bing and ding, the first character in each combination, belong to the element fire, and their color is red; furthermore, of the zodiac animal signs for the twelve earthly branches (dizhi), the Goat stands for wei. Hence, the "calamity of the red Goat.""

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Born
1287, Jining
Birth century
Died
1368
Nationality

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Zhang Zhu's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Zhang Zhu?

Chinese historian

When was Zhang Zhu born?

Zhang Zhu was born in 1287 in Jining.

When did Zhang Zhu die?

Zhang Zhu died in 1368.

What was Zhang Zhu's occupation?

Zhang Zhu was a politician, poet and historian.

What nationality was Zhang Zhu?

Zhang Zhu was Chinese.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Zhang Zhu

· Wikidata: Q8070452

· DBpedia: Zhang Zhu

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Zhang Zhu. https://biography.guide/zhang-zhu/

MLA: "Zhang Zhu." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/zhang-zhu/.

Chicago: "Zhang Zhu." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/zhang-zhu/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:08 UTC