生平

诸葛瑾因避战乱而从徐州琅琊郡迁往江东，孙权大姊夫弘咨向孙权推荐，而诸葛瑾与鲁肃受到孙权器重，二人同为宾客礼待一并起用，后升为长史、中司马。

后来赤壁之战爆发之前，孙权派鲁肃到荆州邀请刘备联盟，鲁肃说到自己与诸葛瑾是朋友，于是与诸葛瑾的弟弟诸葛亮交好。

雍容大度

215年，诸葛瑾奉命出使蜀汉要求刘备归还荆州，最后以分界结束。219年，跟随讨伐关羽，封宣城侯、绥南将军，代吕蒙领南郡太守。黄初二年（221年），刘备东伐吴，孙权请和故意示弱，害怕刘备的大军如果失败了就难以再对抗曹魏，诸葛瑾给刘备做书曰：「陛下远道来至白帝，恐怕是因为吴王侵取荆州而来，危害关羽，怨深祸大。不肯讲和，这是小人之心。试为陛下论说轻重，及其大小。陛下如果压抑愤恨，所以问题都可以立刻解决，不用再次咨询各位将领。陛下与关羽的亲密与历任汉先帝哪个更重要？荆州的大小与海内天下又如何相比？根据这些与仇恨区分，哪些才是先后解决的事呢？如若审视现况，易于反掌。」

由于诸葛亮久事刘备，而且位高权重，诸葛瑾此时的立场便显得尴尬（尤其以记载来看，关于诸葛瑾通蜀汉的谣言不是此时才有），当时谣言四起，或言瑾遣亲人与备相闻，权曰：「孤与子瑜有死生不易之誓，子瑜之不负孤，犹孤之不负子瑜也。」并说自己与诸葛瑾已是神交，关系非外人可以离间，对其信任之深不言可喻。

弘缓不失

222年，孙权受封吴王，封诸葛瑾为左将军、督公安，假节，封宛陵侯。同年曹真、夏侯尚等围朱然于江陵，孙权派诸葛瑾与夏侯尚对江救援，诸葛瑾水陆两进，在陆地上渡江的同时，分水军在江上渡江；夏侯尚在夜里使用布满油的船，把步骑万馀人于下流潜伏渡江，进攻诸葛瑾的大军，在夹江的地方烧毁其船只，同时也进行水陆进攻打败诸葛瑾大军。诸葛瑾性格弘缓，根据道理来定计划，没有应急依存的方案，被围困的大军长时间没有得到缓解，孙权对此失望。当时春水又开始，潘璋见魏兵日渡不绝，说：「魏势始盛，江水又浅，未可与战。」便将所领，到魏上流五十里，伐苇数百万束，缚作大筏，准备顺流放火，烧败浮桥。筏刚做完，伺水长当下，夏侯尚就因得到命令而撤出，诸葛瑾攻浮桥，曹真等军也退去。虽无大功，但全军保护国境有功。

229年，孙权称帝，诸葛瑾升任大将军，兼任左都护豫州牧。

朝政风波

226年，孙权得知魏文帝去世后，于八月出兵攻魏。命吴左将军诸葛瑾部兵分两路进攻襄阳（今湖北襄樊），亲自率军进攻江夏郡（治安陆，今湖北云梦西南）。孙权攻陷高城，而诸葛瑾则被司马懿击败，并斩杀吴将张霸，别将在寻阳被曹休打败。十二月，升任骠骑将军。

赤乌元年（238年），弄政大臣吕壹遭处死。先前，诸葛瑾、吕岱、朱然、步骘以自己为武官，未有干涉吕壹一事，吕壹死后，孙权派遣中书郎袁礼斥责四人，指自己与四人恩犹骨肉，荣福喜戚，相与共之，自己政治上出错，理应上奏劝告，不应置身事外。

进退有度

236年，孙权北征，派右都督陆逊与中司马诸葛瑾攻襄阳。陆逊派亲戚韩扁怀揣奏疏上报朝廷，返回途中，在途中遇到敌人，敌人抓获了韩扁。诸葛瑾听后，十分恐慌，写信给陆逊说：「大驾已还，敌人得到韩扁，将我们的虚实全部打听清楚了。而且河水快乾了，最好是赶快离去。」陆逊接报后并未作答覆，却催促人种葑豆（一种蔬菜），与众将领下棋射箭游戏，一如平常。诸葛瑾知道后说：「陆伯言足智多谋，他这样做一定自有考虑。」于是亲自来见陆逊，陆逊说：「敌人知道大驾已还，再不用为此筹谋，便专心对付我们。如今敌人已经守卫了要害之处，兵将已经出动，我们自己应当首先镇定自如以稳住部队，然后再巧施计谋，退出此地。如果今天就向敌人表明我们要走，敌人会以为我们害怕了，必然会来威逼我们，那就是必败之势了。」于是二人秘密定计，令诸葛瑾坐镇舟船，陆逊率领全部兵马向襄阳进发。敌人素来惧怕陆逊，见陆逊要攻襄阳，立即退回城中。诸葛瑾便引船而出，陆逊慢慢整顿好队伍，大张旗鼓地走上船。敌人不知究竟，反而不敢追击，于是陆逊全军安然退出。

241年四月，吴帝孙权分兵四路攻魏：全琮率军数万出淮南决芍陂（今安徽寿县南）之水，诸葛恪攻六安（今安徽六安东北），朱然、孙伦攻樊城（今湖北襄樊），诸葛瑾、步骘攻祖中（今湖北南漳蛮河流域）。五月，太子孙登逝世，其临终上疏里的辅臣名单有诸葛瑾，同月司马懿出兵救樊。六月，班师回朝。

同年闰六月，诸葛瑾逝世，享年六十八岁，死前命后人简葬不得铺张。

特徵

• 诸葛瑾容貌温文尔雅而且大方，当时的人都敬服他为人弘雅。孙权亦非常敬重他，每有大事都会先与他商量。三国志《诸葛恪传》则记载诸葛瑾为长脸，曾被孙权带著驴对自身的脸开玩笑。

• 诸葛瑾朝中人缘极好，与吴宗室的孙皎、江东豪族的张承、同为徐州出身的步骘和严畯等皆为好友，大都督陆逊亦与诸葛瑾结好，诸葛瑾女儿嫁给张承为继室。周昭称这些人虽地位有所不同，仍各守所志，保其名好，可谓当世君子。虞翻因为狂放直率而被流放，也只有诸葛瑾多次替他说情。

逸闻

• 虞翻性格狂直，所以被迁徙，唯独诸葛瑾屡次帮他求情。虞翻写书给亲友时说道：「诸葛瑾仁厚，如苍天救助生存物，承蒙他的公平，维系我的名分。但我的罪恶累积深重，恐怕加重我的罪。虽有祁奚般的解救，但我没有羊舌氏的德行，解释也是难辞其咎。」

• 诸葛瑾同孙权无论谈话、劝谏，从不急迫直言，只是委婉表示出自己的倾向，大略道出自己的意图，点到为止。如有与孙权心意不合时，他便放弃正在进行的内容而转向其他的话题，渐渐地再借其他事情从头开始，以对同类事情的看法求得孙权的赞同，于是孙权的思想也往往得到开通。故孙权非常敬重喜爱他，称与诸葛瑾有死生不易之誓，为自己的神交。

• 夷陵之战准备开战时，朝廷中有谣言说诸葛瑾派亲人暗通刘备有谋反之意，陆逊则为诸葛瑾辩说要孙权不要相信谗言。孙权亦知道诸葛瑾为人绝对无反意，并对陆逊说：「当初诸葛亮来东吴时，我打算让子瑜劝诸葛亮留下来为江东效力，但子瑜回答大家已经各为其主，君臣归属已经决定，从道义上不能三心两意。弟弟不会留在东吴，正如我不会投靠蜀汉一样这样回应。所以我不相信谣言，我与子瑜有生死不易的誓言，子瑜不会负我，我亦不会负子瑜，之前有任何妄言的文疏，我都封了表章直接交给子瑜，并亲自写信给他，我与子瑜已是神交，不是其他人可以离间的，你的意思我已经知道，会把你的表章交给子瑜，让他知道你的用心。」

• 诸葛瑾才略虽然不及其弟诸葛亮，但德行谨慎谦卑，妻子死后不再娶，爱妾生子而不扶立。

家庭

祖先

• 诸葛丰，汉元帝时任司隶校尉，他以执法严格、性情刚直见称。

父辈

• 诸葛圭，诸葛瑾父亲。东汉末年为泰山郡丞。于诸葛亮幼年已死。

• 诸葛玄，诸葛瑾叔父。本为豫章太守，后投靠刘表，照顾诸葛亮和诸葛均。

堂兄弟

• 诸葛诞，诸葛瑾堂弟，三国时曹魏大臣和重要将领，官至征东大将军，后在寿春发动叛乱反抗司马昭，兵败被杀。

兄弟姊妹

• 诸葛亮，诸葛瑾之弟。蜀汉丞相，兄弟二人于公事上都不带亲属感情。

• 诸葛均，诸葛瑾之弟。在蜀汉官至长水校尉。

• 诸葛瑾有两位妹妹，一位嫁给庞山民，一位嫁给襄阳望族蒯氏的蒯祺。

子女

• 诸葛恪，诸葛瑾长子，三国时孙吴权臣，后被诛。

• 诸葛乔，诸葛瑾次子，后成为诸葛亮养子。官至翊武将军，早逝。

• 诸葛融，诸葛瑾三子，在父兄中特别奢侈，诸葛恪被诛后饮药而死。

• 诸葛氏，诸葛瑾之女，后成为其好友张承续弦妻子，生张震。

孙

• 诸葛绰

• 诸葛竦

• 诸葛建

• 诸葛攀，诸葛乔之子。诸葛恪被杀后东吴诸葛瑾后裔已灭绝，便恢复诸葛瑾之后。

玄孙

• 诸葛显，蜀亡后与诸葛京一同被迁到河东郡定居，成为诸葛瑾一脉唯一传人。

评价

• 三国志作者陈寿评曰：「诸葛瑾、步骘并以德度规检见器当世。」

• 孙权：「子瑜与孤从事积年，恩如骨肉，深相明究，其为人非道不行，非义不言。」「孤与子瑜，可谓神交，非外言所间也。孤与子瑜有死生不易之誓，子瑜之不负孤，犹孤之不负子瑜也。」

• 虞翻：「诸葛敦仁，则天活物，比蒙清论，有以保分。」

• 孙登：「诸葛瑾、步骘、朱然、全琮、朱据、吕岱、吾粲、阚泽、严畯、张承、孙怡忠于为国，通达治体。」《三国志·吴书·孙登传》

• 世说新语中曾记载诸葛瑾与弟诸葛亮、堂弟诸葛诞齐名，时人有言：「蜀得其龙，吴得其虎，魏得其狗。」这里的虎便是指诸葛瑾。

• 傅玄：「孙策为人明果独断，勇盖天下，以父坚战死，少而合其兵将以报雠，转斗千里，尽有江南之地，诛其名豪，威行邻国。及权继其业，有张子布以为腹心，有陆议、诸葛瑾、步骘以为股肱，有吕范、朱然以为爪牙，分任授职，乘间伺隙，兵不妄动，故战少败而江南安。」

• 周昭：「急论议则伤人，争名势则败友，重朋党则蔽主，务欲速则失德，此四者不除，未有能全也。当世君子能不然者，亦比有之，岂独古人乎！然论其绝异，未若顾豫章、诸葛使君、步丞相、严卫尉、张奋威之为美也。」

• 陆机：「风雅则诸葛瑾、张承、步骘以声名光国。」

• 袁宏：「子瑜都长，体性纯懿。谏而不犯，正而不毅。将命公庭，退忘私位。岂无鶺令，固慎名器。」

• 《吴书》：「初，瑾为大将军，而弟亮为蜀丞相，二子恪、融皆典戎马，督领将帅，族弟诞又显名于魏，一门三方为冠盖，天下荣之。谨才略虽不及弟，而德行尤纯。妻死不改娶，有所爱妾，生子不举，其笃慎皆如此。」

• 郝经：「诸葛瑾才猷蕴借，颛面上将以功名终，亦其次也。」「侃侃相臣，济威以仁。震霆收声，泽国生春。元叹徳度，沉深穆逺。澄渊不波，龙盘蛟转。子山纯懿，子瑜共肃。赞元将命，共安坤轴。」

• 余嘉锡：「诸葛三君，功名鼎盛，彪炳人寰，继以瞻、恪、靓，皆有重名。故渡江之初，犹以王、葛并称。」

• 黎东方于《细说三国》一书指出（146页）：「没有周瑜、鲁肃，便不会有建安十三年（208年）的赤壁之战，没有诸葛瑾，也不会有猇亭之役以后的吴、蜀言归于好。」由此可见，诸葛瑾与周瑜、鲁肃等人，同为孙权所倚重，在吴国有举足轻重地位的人物。

艺术形象

三国演义

• 在鲁肃推荐下加入江东，赤壁之战前夕与弟弟诸葛亮相遇，是投降派的一人。周瑜命诸葛瑾说服诸葛亮加入东吴，但被诸葛亮反说加入刘备。第一次合肥之战，太史慈打算夜袭，诸葛瑾则认为张辽多谋恐怕已经有准备，这个计划不可行。樊城之战，曹操派满宠为使者联络孙权联合夹击关羽。孙权问谋士意见，诸葛瑾献计与关羽联姻，如果关羽答应，我们就一起攻打曹操，如果拒绝的话，我们就帮助曹操并取回荆州。诸葛瑾出使联姻，受到关羽辱骂打算砍诸葛瑾，最终孙权联合曹操攻取荆州。关羽败走麦城，诸葛瑾出使劝降。在彝陵之战爆发前夕，孙权派诸葛瑾向刘备求和，结果遭到企图为关、张之死报仇的刘备回绝。曹丕三路伐吴，诸葛瑾在南郡防御曹真。诸葛瑾伏兵于外、陆逊伏兵于内里应外合大败曹真和夏侯尚。石亭之战后，诸葛瑾与陆逊在江陵防御司马懿。

• 三国志

• 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）

影视作品

• 香港亚洲电视电视剧《诸葛亮》 （1985年）：由熊德诚饰演诸葛瑾。

• 中国中央电视台电视剧《三国演义》（1994年）：分别由种玉杰、汪兆桂饰演诸葛瑾。

• 中国电视剧《东方小故事》（1994年）：由张庆海饰演诸葛瑾。

• 中国中央电视台电视剧《武圣关公》（2004年）：由雷雄饰演诸葛瑾。

• 中国电视剧《三国》（2010年）：由曹毅饰演诸葛瑾。

Family background

Zhuge Jin's ancestral home (and probably birthplace too) was in Yangdu County, Langya Commandery (琅邪郡), which is located in present-day Yinan County or Yishui County, Shandong. There are two other accounts of his ancestral origins in the Wu Shu and Fengsu Tong.

The Wu Shu recorded that his ancestral family name was actually Ge (葛) and his ancestors were originally from Zhu County (诸县; southwest of present-day Zhucheng, Shandong) before they settled in Yangdu County. As there was already another Ge family in Yangdu County before they came, the locals referred to the newcomers as the Zhuge – combining Zhu (County) and Ge – to distinguish them from the other Ge family. Over time, Zhuge Liang's ancestors adopted Zhuge as their family name.

The Fengsu Tong recorded that his ancestor was Ge Ying (葛婴), a general who served under Chen Sheng, the rebel king who led the Dazexiang uprising against the Qin dynasty. Chen Sheng later executed Ge Ying. During the early Western Han dynasty, Emperor Wen considered that Ge Ying was unjustly put to death, so he enfeoffed Ge Ying's grandson as the Marquis of Zhu County to honour Ge Ying. Over time, Ge Ying's descendants adopted Zhuge as their family name by combining Zhu (County) and Ge.

The earliest known ancestor of Zhuge Jin who bore the family name Zhuge was Zhuge Feng (诸葛丰), a Western Han dynasty official who served as Colonel-Director of Retainers (司隷校尉) under Emperor Yuan ( 48–33 BCE). Zhuge Jin's father, Zhuge Gui (诸葛圭), whose courtesy name was Jungong (君贡), served as an assistant official in Taishan Commandery (泰山郡; around present-day Tai'an, Shandong) in the late Eastern Han dynasty under Emperor Ling ( 168–189 CE).

Zhuge Jin had two younger brothers and two sisters. His brothers were Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Jun (诸葛均). One of their two sisters married Kuai Qi (蒯祺) while the other married Pang Shanmin (庞山民), a cousin of Pang Tong.

Early life

In his youth, Zhuge Jin visited Luoyang, the imperial capital, where he studied classical texts such as the Mao Commentary on the Classic of Poetry, Book of Documents, and Zuo Zhuan. When his mother died, he went home and dutifully performed filial mourning. He also treated his stepmother in a courteous and respectful manner, which earned him fame for his filial piety.

When chaos broke out throughout China towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, Zhuge Jin fled from home and headed south to the Jiangdong region for shelter. He travelled around the region with Bu Zhi and Yan Jun, and they earned themselves fine reputations as learned men. At the time ( 200s), Sun Quan had recently succeeded his deceased elder brother, Sun Ce, as the warlord ruling over the territories in Jiangdong. Hong Zi, a brother-in-law of Sun Quan, noticed and recognised Zhuge Jin's talent so he recommended Zhuge Jin to serve under Sun Quan. Sun Quan treated Zhuge Jin, Lu Su and other talents who came to join him like honoured guests. Zhuge Jin then started his career under Sun Quan as a Chief Clerk (长史). Later, he was reassigned to the position of a Central Major.

Sun–Liu territorial dispute

Sometime between June and August 215, Sun Quan sent Zhuge Jin as his representative to visit his ally, Liu Bei, who had recently seized control of Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing). Zhuge Jin's task was to ask Liu Bei to "return" the territories in southern Jing Province (covering present-day Hubei and Hunan) to Sun Quan, according to an earlier agreement that Liu Bei would only use Jing Province as a temporary base and would return them to Sun Quan once he found another base. However, Liu Bei refused and said he would return the territories after he seized Liang Province.

Sun Quan ignored Liu Bei and sent his officials to assume office in the three commanderies of Changsha (长沙), Lingling (零陵) and Guiyang (桂阳) in southern Jing Province. However, Guan Yu, Liu Bei's general in charge of defending those territories, drove Sun Quan's officials away. An enraged Sun Quan then ordered his general Lü Meng to lead 20,000 troops to seize the three commanderies by force. After a standoff between both sides and tense negotiations, Liu Bei agreed to divide southern Jing Province between his and Sun Quan's domains along the Xiang River: Liu Bei would keep Nan, Lingling and Wuling commanderies in the west, while Sun Quan would take Changsha, Jiangxia and Guiyang commanderies in the east.

The territorial dispute was resolved by mid August to early September 215. Sun Quan then sent Zhuge Jin as his representative to visit Liu Bei again. During this trip, Zhuge Jin met his second brother Zhuge Liang, who was serving as an adviser to Liu Bei. They refrained from meeting each other in private to dispel any suspicions that either of them was secretly collaborating with his brother against his lord.

Role in the Wu–Shu conflict

Wu invasion of Jing Province

In 219, Sun Quan broke the Sun–Liu alliance and ordered his general Lü Meng to lead troops to seize Liu Bei's territories in southern Jing Province, which were guarded by Liu Bei's general Guan Yu, who was away at the Battle of Fancheng at the time. Zhuge Jin participated in the invasion, which turned out successful. Guan Yu was eventually captured and executed by Sun Quan's forces. Lü Meng died of illness a few months after the victory. In recognition of Zhuge Jin's contributions during the campaign, Sun Quan enfeoffed him as the Marquis of Xuancheng (宣城侯) and appointed him as General Who Pacifies the South to replace Lü Meng as the Administrator (太守) of Nan Commandery (南郡; around present-day Jingzhou, Hubei), the former headquarters of Liu Bei's territories in Jing Province. Zhuge Jin was stationed at Gong'an County, one of the key counties in Nan Commandery.

In 220, Cao Pi usurped the throne from Emperor Xian, ended the Eastern Han dynasty, and established the state of Cao Wei (or Wei) with himself as the new emperor. This event marked the end of the Eastern Han dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period in China. Sun Quan pledged nominal allegiance to Cao Pi and became a vassal of Wei. In return, Cao Pi awarded Sun Quan the title "King of Wu" and granted him autonomous rule over the Jiangdong (or Wu) territories. A year later, Liu Bei declared himself emperor and established the state of Shu Han (or Shu) to contest Cao Pi's legitimacy.

Battle of Xiaoting

In 221, when Liu Bei started the Battle of Xiaoting against Sun Quan to retake his lost territories in southern Jing Province, Sun Quan sent Zhuge Jin as his representative to meet Liu Bei and begin peace talks. Zhuge Jin told Liu Bei:

In his annotations to Zhuge Jin's biography in the Sanguozhi, the fifth-century historian Pei Songzhi rebutted Zhuge Jin's speech to Liu Bei. From Pei Songzhi's point of view, Liu Bei had good reason(s) to go to war with Sun Quan because Sun Quan thwarted his attempts to revive the Eastern Han dynasty when he broke the Sun–Liu alliance and seized Jing Province. Pei Songzhi also noted that Liu Bei's relationship with Guan Yu was so close that it could not be described in words. He remarked that if Liu Bei and Guan Yu's relationship were to be described in words in the Sanguozhi, it would take up so much space that it becomes a waste of space.

The Battle of Xiaoting ended in late 222 with victory for Sun Quan's forces, which were led by Sun Quan's general Lu Xun. Liu Bei retreated to Baidicheng (in present-day Fengjie County, Chongqing) after his disastrous defeat and died of illness in early 223.

Battles against Wei

In late 222, Sun Quan, who was previously a vassal king under the Cao Wei state, broke ties with the Wei emperor Cao Pi and declared himself the independent ruler of his Eastern Wu state. He promoted Zhuge Jin to General of the Left, granted him acting imperial authority, and ordered him to station at Gong'an County to oversee the Wu defences in southern Jing Province. He also enfeoffed Zhuge Jin as the Marquis of Wanling (宛陵侯).

Battle of Jiangling (223)

Between 222 and 223, the Wei generals Cao Zhen and Xiahou Shang led their troops to attack the Wu-controlled Jiangling County (江陵县; in present-day Jingzhou, Hubei), which was defended by the Wu general Zhu Ran. At the same time, another detachment of Wei troops occupied Zhongzhou (中州), an island in the Yangtze River near Jiangling County. When Zhuge Jin heard about it, he led Wu forces from Gong'an County to reinforce Zhu Ran. However, he turned out to be an incompetent military commander as he showed weak leadership, adopted a slow and reactive approach, and spent too much time on discussion and planning as opposed to actively seizing opportunities to attack the enemy. Due to his incompetence, the siege dragged on, and Sun Quan became rather unhappy with him. The siege on Jiangling County was eventually lifted after the Wu general Pan Zhang came up with a plan to burn down the Wei forces' pontoon bridges and drive them back. Although Zhuge Jin did not make any significant achievements in the battle, he received credit for contributing to the Wu forces' overall success in defending Jiangling County.

Battle of Xiangyang (226)

Between September and early November 226, following Cao Pi's death and Cao Rui's accession to the Wei throne, Sun Quan personally led Wu forces to attack the Wei-controlled Jiangxia Commandery, which was defended by the Wei general Wen Ping. At the same time, he ordered Zhuge Jin and Zhang Ba to lead a separate Wu army to attack the Wei-controlled city of Xiangyang. However, Zhuge Jin lost the battle against Wei forces led by Sima Yi. Zhang Ba was killed in battle and the Wu army lost over 1,000 men. In the meantime, Sun Quan mistakenly believed that Wei reinforcements had arrived at Jiangxia Commandery, so he pulled back his troops and returned to Wu.

Battle of Xiangyang (234)

Between mid June and early September 234, Sun Quan personally led a 100,000 strong Wu army to attack the Wei fortress of Xincheng at Hefei. At the same time, he ordered Lu Xun and Zhuge Jin to lead another 10,000 troops to attack Xiangyang, and Sun Shao and Zhang Cheng to lead their troops to attack Huaiyin County in Guangling Commandery (around present-day Huai'an, Jiangsu). The Wei general Man Chong, who oversaw Xincheng's defences, successfully repelled the Wu invaders and killed Sun Quan's nephew Sun Tai in battle. Sun Quan eventually ordered a retreat when a plague broke out in his army and after he heard that the Wei emperor Cao Rui was personally leading reinforcements to Hefei. Sun Shao and Zhang Cheng also pulled back from Guangling Commandery after learning of Sun Quan's retreat from Hefei.

In the meantime, Lu Xun ordered a close aide, Han Bian, to deliver a report to Sun Quan. On the journey back, Han Bian was captured by a Wei patrol. When Zhuge Jin learnt of Han Bian's capture, he became fearful so he wrote to Lu Xun and urged him to make a hasty retreat from Xiangyang. Lu Xun did not respond, and he instructed his men to plant turnips and peas while he played weiqi and other games with his officers as though nothing had happened. Zhuge Jin believed that Lu Xun knew what he was doing so he did not panic. He came to see Lu Xun, who told him: "The enemy knows that His Majesty (Sun Quan) has withdrawn his forces, so they have no worries and will concentrate their attacks on us. Besides, they have already stationed troops at critical positions and are poised to strike. Hence, we should remain composed and calm our men, after which we will have a change of plans and prepare to withdraw. If we display signs of retreat now, the enemy will think that we are afraid and will definitely attack us, resulting in defeat for us."

Lu Xun then secretly conveyed his plan to Zhuge Jin and ordered him to supervise the fleet of vessels on which they would sail back to Wu, while he gathered his troops and headed towards Xiangyang. The Wei forces had been wary of Lu Xun all this while so they immediately retreated back into the city when they saw Lu Xun's army approaching. Lu Xun organised his men in an orderly manner and instructed them to pretend to prepare for an attack on Xiangyang. By then, Zhuge Jin and the fleet had shown up, so Lu Xun and his forces progressively retreated to the vessels and left. The Wei forces in Xiangyang did not dare to make any move.

Later life and death

In 229, after Sun Quan declared himself emperor of Eastern Wu, he appointed Zhuge Jin as General-in-Chief, Left Protector-General (左都护), and as the nominal Governor (牧) of Yu Province.

After the Lü Yi scandal ended in 238, Sun Quan sent a personal representative to meet all his senior generals and apologise to them, as well as to seek their views on how he could reform the bureaucracy to prevent corrupt officials like Lü Yi from abusing their powers again. However, to his disappointment, Zhuge Jin and other generals such as Bu Zhi, Zhu Ran and Lü Dai gave the excuse that they were not in charge of civil affairs and said that civil affairs were best left to civil officials such as Lu Xun and Pan Jun. Sun Quan then wrote an emotional letter to them, blaming himself for the mistakes and urging them to give him honest advice and point out his mistakes. After receiving the letter, Zhuge Jin was so moved that he wrote a clear, detailed and well-reasoned response to the Lü Yi scandal and Sun Quan's queries.

Zhuge Jin died in July or August 241 at the age of 68 (by East Asian age reckoning). Before his death, he expressed a desire to be dressed in plain clothes and to have a simple funeral.

Relationship with Sun Quan

Throughout his life, Zhuge Jin was known for conducting himself with grace and decorum, and for being thoughtful and magnanimous. These traits earned him much admiration and respect from his contemporaries. Sun Quan also regarded him highly and often consulted him on important issues.

Zhuge Jin was known for being tactful whenever he spoke to Sun Quan, be it giving advice or small talk. He spoke in a toned-down and indirect manner, gave only a brief outline of what he wanted to say, and stopped immediately once he sensed that Sun Quan got his point. When he realised that Sun Quan's views were at odds with his, he would subtly change the topic of the conversation and use other topics as analogies to persuade Sun Quan to see things from his point of view. He was successful as Sun Quan understood his views better and became more receptive of them.

After the Battle of Xiaoting of 221–222, someone secretly reported to Sun Quan that Zhuge Jin had sent a close aide to speak with Liu Bei. Sun Quan did not suspect Zhuge Jin's loyalty towards him and instead remarked, "I have made an oath with Ziyu. As long as Ziyu doesn't let me down, I won't let him down."

The Jiang Biao Zhuan (江表传) recorded that when Zhuge Jin was serving as the Administrator of Nan Commandery, someone secretly reported to Sun Quan that Zhuge Jin had covert dealings with Liu Bei. When Lu Xun heard of such rumours, he wrote a memorial to Sun Quan to speak up for Zhuge Jin and reassure his lord that Zhuge Jin was loyal towards him. Sun Quan wrote a reply to Lu Xun as follows:

Mediating conflicts between Sun Quan and his subjects

Apart from being one of Sun Quan's most trusted subjects, Zhuge Jin was also known for helping to mediate conflicts between his lord and his subjects on a number of occasions as follows.

Zhu Zhi

Zhu Zhi was the official who recommended Sun Quan as a xiaolian (civil service candidate) to serve in the government when Sun Quan was still in his youth. After Sun Quan became the warlord ruling over the Jiangdong territories, Zhu Zhi served under Sun Quan and was held in high regard. Later, for some reason, Sun Quan became unhappy with Zhu Zhi but he could not bring himself to scold the latter, out of respect for him. Zhuge Jin noticed Sun Quan's frustration and figured out why. However, he kept quiet and decided to use an indirect method to help Sun Quan resolve the problem. He set up a hypothetical scenario similar to the conundrum Sun Quan faced, asked Sun Quan questions and guided his thoughts, and wrote them down as Sun Quan spoke. Once they were done, he presented his writing to Sun Quan, who was so pleased after reading it that he remarked: "You have helped me resolve my frustration. Yan Hui spoke of promoting harmony among people as a virtue. Isn't this an example of that?"

Yin Mo

On one occasion, Sun Quan got angry at Yin Mo (殷模), a colonel serving under him, and accused him of committing an offence so severe that Sun Quan's other subjects were shocked. When his subjects pleaded with him to spare Yin Mo, Sun Quan became even more furious and he started quarrelling with them. Only Zhuge Jin remained silent. Sun Quan noticed it and asked him: "Ziyu, why are you the only person who hasn't spoken?" Zhuge Jin then left his seat, stood up and said: Sun Quan felt deeply saddened after hearing Zhuge Jin's words. He then said: "I'll let him off because of you."

Yu Fan

When Yu Fan, one of Sun Quan's advisers, was banished to the remote Jiao Province for his disrespectful and offensive behaviour, Zhuge Jin not only repeatedly tried to persuade Sun Quan to pardon Yu Fan, but was also the only one among Sun Quan's subjects who spoke up for Yu Fan.

Later, Yu Fan wrote a letter to a relative as follows:

Zhou Yin

Sometime between 229 and 239, Zhou Yin (周胤), a son of Zhou Yu, committed an offence and was exiled to Luling Commandery (庐陵郡; around present-day Ji'an, Jiangxi) as punishment. In 239, Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi wrote a memorial to Sun Quan, requesting for Zhou Yin to be pardoned and restored of his titles on account of his father's contributions. Sun Quan was reluctant to do so, as he noted the severity of Zhou Yin's offence and said that Zhou Yin had not shown any sign of remorse. However, after much urging from Zhuge Jin, Bu Zhi, Zhu Ran and Quan Cong, Sun Quan eventually agreed, but Zhou Yin had already died of illness in exile by then.

Family and descendants

During Zhuge Jin's lifetime, his family was one of the most illustrious families in China. While he was serving as General-in-Chief in Wu, his second brother Zhuge Liang served as the Imperial Chancellor of Wu's ally state, Shu, and their cousin Zhuge Dan served as a general in Wu and Shu's rival state, Wei. Two of Zhuge Jin's sons, Zhuge Ke and Zhuge Rong, also served as generals in Wu.

Although Zhuge Jin was not as talented and brilliant as his better known brother Zhuge Liang, he was noted for his exemplary conduct and virtuous character. After his wife died, he did not promote his favourite concubine to the status of his formal spouse to replace his deceased wife. He also did not show any favouritism towards his son(s) born to his concubine.

Zhuge Jin's eldest son, Zhuge Ke, was not only famous in Wu, but also highly regarded by Sun Quan. However, Zhuge Jin disapproved of Zhuge Ke's behaviour, treated him coldly, and constantly worried that his eldest son would bring doom to their family. After Zhuge Jin died, his third son Zhuge Rong inherited his peerage as the Marquis of Wanling (宛陵侯); Zhuge Ke did not inherit his father's peerage because he had already received a peerage of his own. Zhuge Rong also took control of the troops previously under his father's command at Gong'an County.

In 253, Zhuge Ke, who briefly served as a regent for Sun Quan's successor Sun Liang, was overthrown and assassinated in a coup d'état by Sun Jun, a distant relative of Sun Liang. Zhuge Ke's two surviving sons, along with Zhuge Rong and Zhuge Rong's three sons, as well as other members of Zhuge Ke's extended family, were rounded up and executed.

Zhuge Jin's second son, Zhuge Qiao, was adopted by his uncle Zhuge Liang because Zhuge Liang initially had no son and needed a male heir. Zhuge Qiao came to serve in Shu and died in 228. His son, Zhuge Pan (诸葛攀), also served as an official in Shu. However, after Zhuge Jin's descendants were purged in 253, Zhuge Pan reverted to his original lineage and moved to Wu to continue Zhuge Jin's bloodline there.

Zhang Cheng, a general serving under Sun Quan, was a friend of Zhuge Jin. When his wife died, his father Zhang Zhao suggested that he marry Zhuge Jin's daughter. Zhang Cheng initially felt awkward about becoming his friend's son-in-law, but eventually agreed after Sun Quan persuaded him to do so. Zhang Cheng and Zhuge Jin's daughter had a daughter, Consort Zhang, who married Sun Quan's third son Sun He.