Chinsse Traditional Story: Zhuge Liang Met His Master

Zhuge Liang, courtesy name Kong Ming, was born in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Later, he was the prime minister of Shu State in the Three Kingdoms Period, and was regarded as a model of wisdom and loyalty by later generations. Zhuge Liang did not speak until he was eight years old. He was born into a poor family, and his father asked him to look after the sheep at a nearby mountain. There was a Taoist temple on the mountain, and in it lived a Taoist with white hair. The Taoist played with Zhuge Liang when he saw him, using gestures to ask all kinds of questions. Zhuge Liang happily answered the questions with his own hand gestures. Seeing that Zhuge Liang was very lonely yet intelligent, the Taoist began treating his inability to speak.