Sun Li

Sun Li is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Superior to Yuchi", he ranks 39th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and third among the 72 Earthly Fiends. Background An eight chi tall skilled warrior, Sun Li has a broad face studded with whiskers and jet black eyes. Expert in the use of a variety of weapons, he usually fights with a steel club in one hand and a spear in the other. He is nicknamed "Superior to Yuchi" as he resembles the Tang Dynasty general Yuchi Gong not only in looks but also his specialisation in steel club as a weapon. The word "病" is viewed by the Chinese literature community as a prefix in Hangzhou dialect, which means "better than" at the time, rather than meaning that it is sick. A native of Qiongzhou (瓊州; present-day Hainan), Sun Li lives in Dengzhou (登州; in present-day eastern Shandong), where he serves as a garrison officer and his younger brother Sun Xin, nicknamed "Little Yuchi" runs a tavern with his spouse Gu Dasao. Prison raid in Dengzhou Gu Dasao is informed by the jailer Yue He of the Dengzhou prison that the hunter brothers Xie Zhen and Xie Bao, who are Gu's cousins, have been jailed and might be sentenced to death. The Xies have smashed up the house of one Squire Mao after failing to find a tiger they shot that had fallen into the old man's garden. In fact, the squire had sent the tiger to the prefecture office for reward. His sister being the wife of Sun Li, Yue He is obligated to protect the Xies.