Early life

Xu Chu was from Qiao County (谯县), Pei State (沛国), which is present-day Bozhou, Anhui. He was over eight chi tall (≈1.86 metres) with a broad waist. He had an imposing and sturdy look and was known for his great strength and courage.

Towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, Xu Chu rallied thousands of his clan members and they constructed a fortress to fend off the Yellow Turban rebels. An army of rebels from Runan (汝南; present-day Runan County, Henan), numbering more than 10,000, once attacked Xu Chu's fortress. The defenders were outnumbered and worn out as the battle dragged on. When the arrows were used up, Xu Chu told all the men and women within the fortress to gather stones the size of chess pieces and place them in the four corners of the fortress. He then hurled the stones at the enemies, crushing the bones of all those who were hit. The rebels then kept a distance away and did not dare to come close. When the food supply was exhausted, Xu Chu pretended to negotiate a truce with the rebels and discuss a deal to exchange an ox for food. When the rebels came to collect the ox, the animal would always run back. Xu Chu, holding on to the ox's tail, pulled it along for more than a hundred steps. Seeing this, the startled rebels took off without the ox. The rebels in the surrounding areas heard of this incident and became fearful of Xu Chu.

Service under Cao Cao

In 197, when Cao Cao came to the Runan and Huainan area, Xu Chu led his militia to join the warlord. Upon seeing Xu Chu's strength, Cao Cao exclaimed: "This man is my Fan Kuai!" Xu Chu was appointed as a Commandant (都尉) among Cao Cao's close guards, who were known as the "Tiger Warriors" (虎士). During Cao Cao's campaign against a rival warlord Zhang Xiu, Xu Chu fought on the frontline and slew thousands of enemies. He was promoted to Colonel (校尉) for his achievement.

In 200, Xu Chu followed Cao Cao to the Battle of Guandu against the northern warlord Yuan Shao. During the battle, Xu Ta (徐他) and some conspirators plotted to assassinate Cao Cao. They feared Xu Chu so they waited until he went to rest before they entered Cao Cao's tent with swords hidden under their clothes. Xu Chu felt uneasy earlier on, so he had returned to Cao Cao's tent to protect his lord. When Xu Ta and the others showed up in Cao Cao's tent, they were very surprised to see Xu Chu there and could not contain their astonishment. Xu Chu sensed their intentions and killed them. After this incident, Cao Cao trusted Xu Chu even more and would go nowhere without Xu Chu by his side. Xu Chu participated in the Battle of Ye in 204 and received the title of a Secondary Marquis (关内侯) as a reward for his efforts.

Battle of Tong Pass

In 211, during the Battle of Tong Pass against a coalition of northwestern warlords led by Ma Chao and Han Sui, Cao Cao led his troops north across the Wei River in an attempt to circle to the rear of the enemy. The bulk of Cao Cao's troops had already crossed the river, leaving Cao Cao and his "Tiger Warriors" to bring up the rear. Just then, Ma Chao and his 10,000 horsemen caught up with them. As the enemies were approaching fast, Cao Cao's soldiers rushed to get on board the ferry, which was on the verge of sinking under the weight. Xu Chu held up a saddle with his left hand to shield Cao Cao from arrows and carried a sword in his right hand, using it to slash enemy soldiers trying to clamber onto the vessel. By then, the boatman had been killed by arrows, so Xu Chu, still holding up the saddle with his left hand, used his other hand to grab a bargepole and push the ferry away from the ford to safety.

Cao Cao later agreed to meet Ma Chao and Han Sui for talks, and he brought along only Xu Chu. Ma Chao had confidence in himself and he secretly planned to use the opportunity to charge forward and capture Cao Cao, but he had heard of Xu Chu's might before and he suspected that the man beside Cao Cao was Xu Chu. Ma Chao asked Cao Cao: "Where's your Tiger Marquis?" Cao Cao pointed at Xu Chu, who glared at Ma Chao. Ma Chao was afraid and did not dare to make his move. Both sides then returned to their respective camps. Several days later, a battle was fought, and Cao Cao scored a major victory. Xu Chu killed several enemies and was promoted to Military Guard General of the Household (武衞中郎将) for his achievement. This was the first time the term "Military Guard" (武衞) was used. Cao Cao's soldiers knew that Xu Chu possessed the might of a tiger, but he was also simple minded, so they nicknamed him "Tiger Fool" (虎痴).

Incident with Cao Ren

Xu Chu was known to be a cautious and serious person who did not talk much and was very mindful of rules and regulations. Once, Cao Cao's cousin Cao Ren came from Jing Province to meet Cao Cao, who had recently been enfeoffed as a vassal king. Cao Cao was still in his personal chambers, with Xu Chu standing guard outside, when Cao Ren arrived. Cao Ren asked Xu Chu to join him in the side room for a chat. However, Xu Chu told Cao Ren that Cao Cao was coming out soon, and then turned his back on Cao Ren and entered Cao Cao's chambers. Cao Ren was very unhappy with Xu Chu for treating him coldly. Later, someone told Xu Chu: "The General (Cao Ren) is a close relative and important subject of the King. He lowered himself when he asked to chat with you. How could you reject him?" Xu Chu replied: "He may be a close relative and important subject of the King, but he's in charge of external defences at the borders. I, Xu Chu, am in charge of internal security. If he wanted to chat with me, we could do so in public. Why did he ask to chat with me in private?" Cao Cao was impressed and he favoured Xu Chu even more after he heard about the incident, so he promoted him to Central Resolute General (中坚将军).

Service under Cao Pi

When Cao Cao died in 220, Xu Chu was so overwhelmed with sorrow that he vomited blood. Later that year, Cao Cao's son Cao Pi ended the Eastern Han dynasty and established the state of Wei, marking the start of the Three Kingdoms period. Cao Pi became emperor and he also favoured Xu Chu greatly. He promoted Xu Chu to General of the Military Guards (武衞将军), put him in charge of the palace guards and enfeoffed him as the Marquis of Wansui Village (万岁亭侯). The original "Tiger Warriors" under Xu Chu's command were all commissioned as officers, but only slightly more than 10 of them rose through the ranks to become generals and marquises, while only about a hundred were promoted to commandants and colonels.

Cao Pi died in 226 and was succeeded by his son Cao Rui. Cao Rui enfeoffed Xu Chu as the Marquis of Mou District (牟乡侯) and granted him a marquisate comprising 700 taxable households. He also awarded the peerage of a Secondary Marquis (关内侯) to one of Xu Chu's sons. After his death, Xu Chu was given the posthumous name "Marquis Zhuang" (壮侯), which literally means "robust marquis".

Family and descendants

Sometime during the Taihe era (227-233) in the reign of Cao Rui, the emperor issued an imperial edict praising Xu Chu and conferring the peerage of a Secondary Marquis (关内侯) on one of Xu Chu's sons and one of his grandsons.

Xu Chu's son, Xu Yi (许仪), inherited his father's peerage. In 263, when the Wei state launched a major campaign to conquer its rival state Shu, Xu Yi served as an officer under the Wei general Zhong Hui, who tasked him with overseeing the construction of a road leading into Shu. However, when the road turned out to be poorly built, Zhong Hui disregarded Xu Yi's background and had him executed for failing his mission. The Wei army was shocked at Zhong Hui's audacity. Xu Yi's son, Xu Zong (许综), inherited his father's peerage during the reign of Emperor Wu in the Jin dynasty.

Xu Chu's elder brother, Xu Ding (许定), also served in the Wei military and was promoted to General Who Inspires Might (振威将军) and commanded the huben division of the imperial guards.

Appraisal

Chen Shou, who wrote Xu Chu's biography in the Sanguozhi, commented that Xu Chu and Dian Wei were powerful bodyguards and were comparable to Fan Kuai, a general who served under Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Han dynasty.

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Xu Chu 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. His bravery and strength are emphasised by a fictitious story in Chapter 59, when he duels with Ma Chao during the Battle of Tong Pass.

In popular culture

Xu Chu is featured as a playable character in Koei's Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi video game series. His name is erroneously romanised as "Xu Zhu" in the games.

Xu Chu is featured as a guardian spirit alongside Dian Wei of General Cao Yanbing in the anime "Rakshasa Street".

生平

雄毅力绝

据《三国志》记载，许褚「长八尺余，腰大十围，容貌雄毅，勇力绝人」。年轻时在家乡聚集了数千户人家，共同建立壁垒以抵御贼寇。当时汝南和葛陂两地的贼寇何仪、黄邵、何曼、刘辟、龚都等带领万馀人进攻许褚，许褚一众寡不敌众，力战疲极。连箭矢都用尽，便令壁垒中的男女，收集如杅斗般大的石头放在四角。许褚把石头掷向敌人，所打中的都被击碎。贼寇便不敢接近。曾有一次因缺粮与贼寇用牛交换粮食，牛到了对方手中后又跑了回来，结果许褚单手倒拖牛尾走了百步，贼寇大惊，不敢要牛就走了。从此淮、汝、陈、梁之地，听到许褚之名都感到畏惧。

兴平二年（195年），曹操进占淮汝后，许褚率部众归附。曹操称赞许褚：「此吾樊哙也。」立即拜为都尉，在曹操身边任宿卫都尉，负责曹操的警卫工作。因其力大寡言且忠实被称「虎痴」，统领的卫队成员皆称「虎士」。

建安三年（198年），跟随曹操征讨张绣，许褚为先锋，斩贼首万余，迁作校尉。随后的宛城之战，典韦战殁，自此由许褚担任曹操的护卫工作。

建安四年（199年），曹操又屯兵官渡。当时从士徐他等图谋造反，但由于许褚侍卫曹操，因而害怕而不敢谋变。当许褚离开休息期间，徐他等人怀刀进入。许褚回到家时突然心动，立即往还曹操帐侍卫。徐他等人对此并不知道，所以当入帐时看见许褚时皆大惊，连脸色都变了。许褚看到后立即把徐他等人杀掉。自此以后曹操更加亲近信任他，出入同行，不离左右。

建安九年（204年），从围邺城，力战有功，被赐爵关内侯。

建安十二年（207年），从伐乌桓，在白狼山遭遇而战，曹军发现乌桓军无序，曹操立即命令曹纯、张辽率兵冲锋，张辽兵分三路，徐晃、于禁、许褚各领一路。击败乌桓。

独战马超

建安十六年（211年），从讨韩遂、马超于潼关。此战，曹操命大军渡河，自己只留了数百虎士与许褚在南岸断后，结果马超大军迫近情势危急，士兵争相渡水。许褚保护曹操上船后，斩杀敢攀船的马超军士兵，并用左手举马鞍为盾挡箭，船夫中箭而死后，许褚又以右手驾船，最终曹操平安渡河。当日如果没有许褚，则曹操很可能会落入马超军队手中。之后，曹操与马超、韩遂等单马会语，只带了许褚前往。马超本来想乘此机会袭击曹操本人，但他一向知道许褚的勇猛，怀疑随行的大将就是许褚，所以问曹操：「你的虎侯在哪里？」曹操指著许褚，许褚怒目瞪视马超，于是马超不敢实施行动，双方各自返回。数日后，曹军击败马超军，交战中许褚亲自斩得敌军首级。许褚因此次护卫作战有功，官封武卫中郎将。而因为马超问起虎侯，虎痴之名从此为天下称道，甚至有人以为这就是许褚的姓名。

建安二十年（215年），从征张鲁，到阳平关战事失利退军，派夏侯敦、许褚召回攻山的军队。但是曹操前军在夜间迷了路，误入了张卫的大营，侍中辛毗、刘晔等在后，将此情报知夏侯敦、许褚，二将不信。夏侯敦亲自看到后，才告诉曹操，刘晔建议曹操回攻，于是曹操回击，大败张鲁。

质重少言

许褚个性谨慎奉法，质重少言。有一次曹操宗族大将曹仁从荆州赶来朝谒，曹操在自己寝殿尚未出来，曹仁在殿外遇见许褚，邀他去旁边偏室坐下交谈。许褚只说了一句「魏王快出来了」，便转身返回殿内，招致曹仁记恨。有人问许褚：「征南将军曹仁是宗室重臣，屈尊找你说话，你为什么要推辞？」许褚回答：「他虽然是亲族重臣，但却是镇守外藩之将。而我许褚却是负责内部守备的，我们要说话在公开场所就可以了，何必到私下说。」曹操听说后，更加喜爱许褚，升任中坚将军。曹操逝世，许褚痛哭至吐血。

黄初元年（220年），曹丕称帝，封许褚万岁亭侯，升为武卫将军，总督中军禁兵。许褚深得曹操家族的信任，曹操死后继续负责曹丕的警卫工作。许褚下属的警卫部队中，很多都是剑客，其中有数十人官封将军，封校尉、都尉者有数百人。

太和元年（227年），曹睿即位后，又进封许褚为牟乡侯，邑七百户，同时亦赐其子一人为关内侯。许褚病死后，被追谥为壮侯。此后曹睿思念许褚忠心，又封了他两个子孙关内侯。

历史评价

• 陈寿《三国志·魏书十八》评述许褚：「性谨慎奉法，质重少言。」「许褚、典韦折冲左右，抑亦汉之樊哙也。」

• 曹操：「此吾樊哙也。」

• 马超乃问太祖曰：「公有虎侯者安在？」太祖顾指褚，褚嗔目盼之。自此始也。军中以褚力如虎而痴，故号曰虎痴；是以超问虎侯，至今天下称焉，皆谓其姓名也。

• 李俨：「许仲康之忠勇，乃齐其位。」

• 张说：「思齐忠壮而异材，求之古人，张飞、许褚等也。」

• 马端临：「徐佗谋逆而许褚心动，忠诚之至远同于日，且潼关之危，非褚不济，褚之功烈有过典韦。」

• 朱邦衡：「破张绣之役，斩首万计，皆褚等先登陷阵之功也。」

• 罗贯中：「天下瓜分汉欲亡，四方豪杰尽鹰扬。葛陂许褚投降后，自此何忧吕布强！」「凛凛威风镇九州，当年许褚果如虎。只因孟起军前见，天下从兹播虎侯。」「臂挽鞍轿护主身，手持篙楫在波津。 若非许褚倾心救，孟德应为泉下人。」

家庭

• 兄许定，曾与许褚一起率领一群年轻人及宗族数千家，坚壁击退黄巾军，因军功封为振威将军，为王道巡回的虎贲指挥。

• 子许仪，嗣承牟乡侯，后被钟会所杀。

• 孙许综，许仪之子，晋武帝即位后继承了祖、父的爵位。

艺术形象

三国演义

曹操平冀州时，许攸自以为功高而傲慢自大，常把曹操无我便无法取胜之类的话挂嘴边而惹怒许褚，许褚暴怒之下杀死许攸，因此许褚被曹操责骂一顿但无重罚。

之后在潼关之战接受马超的会战，与之大战两百多个回合，其间以裸衣会战，也夹断马超的枪后乱打一通。曹操担心许褚会有闪失，令夏侯渊和曹洪夹攻，马超麾下庞德和马岱以铁骑冲击，曹军大乱连忙慌退，许褚的手臂因此中了两箭。马超最后对韩遂说：「吾见恶战者莫如许褚，真虎痴也！」

影视

• 1975年电视剧《洛神》：谈泉庆饰演许褚

• 1983年电影《华佗与曹操》：张毅燃饰演许褚

• 1994年电视剧《三国演义》：王建国、卢映、陈之辉、韩东饰演许褚

• 1994年电视剧《杨丽花歌仔戏洛神》：李绍铭饰演许褚

• 1996年电视剧《三国英雄传之关公》：陆舜耕饰演许褚

• 1999年电视剧《曹操》：李少敏饰演许褚

• 2004年电视剧《武圣关公》：谢宁饰演许褚

• 2008年电影《赤壁》：崔玉贵饰演许褚

• 2009年电影《赤壁：决战天下》：崔玉贵饰演许褚

• 2010年电视剧《三国》：郭涛饰演许褚

• 2011年电影《关云长》：桑平饰演许褚

• 2012年电影《铜雀台》：池程饰演许褚

• 2013年电视剧《新洛神》：李泽晓饰演许褚

• 2013年电视剧《曹操》：赵明明饰演许褚

• 2015年电视剧《武神赵子龙》：姜宝成饰演许褚

• 2017年电视剧《军师联盟》：李龙饰演许褚

• 2020年电影《新解释·三国志》：一之濑亘饰演许褚

动漫游戏

• 真三国无双系列 / 无双OROCHI系列（光荣公司开发，吉水孝宏配音）

• 吞食天地II 赤壁之战（卡普空开发）

• 三国演义

• 《横山光辉三国志》（横山光辉）

• 《苍天航路》（王欣太）

• 《火凤燎原》（陈某）、火凤燎原外传小说《残兵》（王贻兴）:设定父亲是董卓军军师许临，身形巨大和不谙言语，父亲死后因触犯军纪而离开董卓军并听从兄长指示投靠曹操军，视曹操为父、视燎原火和司马懿为杀父仇人，于曹操「奉孝杀戮」时登场，并力战燎原火，但要害被刺却败于张飞，兄长许定在父亲死后分别蛰伏于徐州陈家及司马家办事，患有消渴症,在吕布袭徐时登场，杀害曹豹以登上残兵之首，在司马家乘著曹操宛城之战大败密谍起兵反曹时，私下把扣押了原本送往曹操军粮送予曹操，并回到河内与陆霜血洗司马家杀害四叔和郭昂等百多人、废张雷，在燎原火现身下失败告终，赤壁之战时在司马懿出卖诸葛亮下，兄弟联手迎战潜入曹营之燎原火，却因形势不利下撒兵，在曹丕崩殂、曹睿登位初期曹操临终前叮嘱:司马懿乃曹丕所倚重之人，只要曹丕一日在位，仍然对司马懿忍耐，兄弟再次出手对付仇人，以兄长不久于人世在临终前去拜祭父亲之名来吸引燎原火，后失败许褚在父亲墓前和陆霜决战并双双阵亡(后以病故称之),许定亦成了残废。

• 《镇魂街》（许辰）

• 《恋姬†无双》（NEXTON旗下公司BaseSon开发，仓田まりや(游戏)与澄田まりや(动画)配音）