조조 (曹操, 155-220)

조위 태조 무황제 조조는 중국 후한 말기의 정치가이자, 무장이며 시인이다. 자는 맹덕이다. 후한이 그 힘을 잃어가던 시기에 비상하고 탁월한 재능으로 두각을 드러내, 여러 제후를 연달아 격파하고 중국 대륙의 대부분을 통일하여, 위나라가 세워질 수 있는 기틀을 닦았다. 조조는 삼국지의 영웅들 가운데 패자로 우뚝 솟은 초세지걸이라는 평가와 후한을 멸망시킨 난세의 간웅이자 민간인과 포로를 무자비하게 학살한 폭군이라는 상반된 평가를 받는다.

Cao Cao (155-220)

Cao Cao, courtesy name Mengde, was a Chinese warlord, statesman and poet. He was the penultimate grand chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty who rose to great power in the final years of the dynasty. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and ultimately the Jin dynasty, and was posthumously honoured as "Emperor Wu of Wei" although he never was an emperor during his life time. He remains a controversial historical figure, and is often portrayed as a cruel and merciless tyrant in subsequent literature; however, he has also been praised as a brilliant ruler and military genius with unrivalled charisma who treated his subordinates like his family.