Biographies

Biography of Yue Fei

A biography of Yue Fei, the Eguo Jintuo Zubian (鄂國金佗稡编), was written 60 years after his death by his grandson, the poet and historian Yue Ke (岳柯) (1183post 1240). In 1346 it was incorporated into the History of Song, a 496-chapter record of historical events and biographies of noted Song dynasty individuals, compiled by Yuan dynasty prime minister Toqto'a and others. Yue Fei's biography is found in the 365th chapter of the book and is numbered biography 124. Some later historians including Deng Guangming (1907–1998) now doubt the veracity of many of Yue Ke's claims about his grandfather.

According to the History of Song, Yue Fei was named "Fei", meaning to fly, because at the time he was born, "a large bird like a swan landed on the roof of his house".

General Yue Fei

Chronicle of Yue, Prince of E of Song

The Song Yue E Wang Nianpu (宋岳鄂王年譜 Sòng Yuè È Wáng Niánpǔ, literally Chronicle of Yue, Prince of E of Song) was written by Qian Ruwen (钱汝雯) in 1924.

Birth and early life

Several sources state that Yue was born into a poor tenant farmer's family in Tangyin County, Anyang prefecture, Henan province. According to the Shuo Yue Quanzhuan, the immortal Chen Tuan, disguised as a wandering priest, warned Yue Fei's father, Yue He (岳和), to put his wife and child inside a clay jar if the infant Yue Fei began to cry. A few days later, a young child squeezed Yue Fei's hand too hard and he began to cry. Soon, it began to rain and the Yellow River flooded, wiping out the village. Yue Fei's father held onto the clay jar as it was swept down the river, but eventually drowned. Although the much older Biography of Yue Fei also mentions the flood, it states Yue Huo survived. It reads,

After death of his teacher Zhou Tong, Fei would offer sacrifices at his tomb. His father praised him for his faithfulness and asked him, "When you are employed to cope with the affairs of the time, will you then not have to sacrifice yourself for the empire and die for your duty?" (侗死，溯望設祭于其冢。父義之，曰："汝為時用，其徇國死義乎。)

Yue Fei's father used his family's plot of land for humanitarian efforts, but after it was destroyed in the flood, the young Yue Fei was forced to help his father toil in the fields to survive. Yue received most of his primary education from his father. In 1122 Yue joined the army, but had to return home later that year after the death of his father. In ancient China, a person was required by law to temporarily resign from their job when their parents died so they could observe the customary period of mourning. For instance, Yue would have had to mourn his father's death for three years, but in all actually only 27 months. During this time, he would wear coarse mourning robes, caps, and slippers, while abstaining from silken garments. When his mother died in 1136, he retired from a decisive battle against the Jin dynasty for the mourning period, but he was forced to cut the bereavement short because his generals begged him to come back.

Shuo Yue Quanzhuan gives a very detailed fictional account of Yue's early life. The novel states after being swept from Henan to Hubei, Yue and his mother are saved by the country squire Wang Ming (王明) and are permitted to stay in Wang's manor as domestic helpers. The young Yue Fei later becomes the adopted son and student of the Wang family's teacher, Zhou Tong, a famous master of military skills. (Zhou Tong is not to be confused with the similarly named "Little Tyrant" in Water Margin.) Zhou teaches Yue and his three sworn brothers – Wang Gui (王贵), Tang Huai (湯懷) and Zhang Xian (張顯) – literary lessons on odd days and military lessons, involving archery and the eighteen weapons of war, on even days.

After years of practice, Zhou Tong enters his students into the Tangyin County military examination, in which Yue Fei wins first place by shooting a succession of nine arrows through the bullseye of a target 240 paces away. After this display of archery, Yue is asked to marry the daughter of Li Chun (李春), an old friend of Zhou and the county magistrate who presided over the military examination. However, Zhou soon dies of an illness and Yue lives by his grave through the winter until the second month of the new year when his sworn brothers come and tear it down, forcing him to return home and take care of his mother.

Yue eventually marries and later participates in the imperial military examination in the Song capital of Kaifeng. There, he defeats all competitors and even turns down an offer from Cai Gui (蔡桂), the Prince of Liang, to be richly rewarded if he forfeits his chance for the military degree. This angers the prince and both agree to fight a private duel in which Yue kills the prince and is forced to flee the city for fear of being executed. Shortly thereafter, he joins the Song army to fight the invading armies of the Jurchen-ruled Jin dynasty.

The Yue Fei Biography states,

When Yue was born, a Peng flew crowing over the house, so his father named the child Fei – "flight"). Before Yue was even a month old, the Yellow River flooded, so his mother got inside of the center of a clay jar and held on to baby Yue. The violent waves pushed the jar down river, where they landed ashore ... Despite his family's poverty, Fei was studious, and particularly favored the Zuo Zhuan edition of the Spring and Autumn Annals and the strategies of Sun Tzu and Wu Qi. (飛生時，有大禽若鵠，飛鳴室上，因以為名。未彌月，河決內黃，水暴至，母姚抱飛坐瓮中，衝濤及岸得免，人異之。-- 家貧力學，尤好【左氏春秋】、孫吳兵法。)

According to a book by martial arts master Liang Shouyu, "A Dapeng is a great bird that lived in ancient China. Legend has it, that Dapeng Jinchi Mingwang was the guardian that stayed above the head of Gautama Buddha. Dapeng could get rid of all evil in any area. Even the Monkey King was no match for it. During the Song dynasty the government was corrupt and foreigners were constantly invading China. Sakyamuni sent Dapeng down to earth to protect China. Dapeng descended to Earth and was born as Yue Fei."

Martial training

The Biography of Yue Fei states, "Yue Fei possessed supernatural power and before his adulthood, he was able to draw a bow of 300 catties and a crossbow of eight stone (960 catties, ). Yue Fei learned archery from Zhou Tong. He learned everything and could shoot with his left and right hands." Shuo Yue Quanzhuan states Zhou teaches Yue and his sworn brothers archery and all of the eighteen weapons of war. This novel also says Yue was Zhou's third student after Lin Chong and Lu Junyi of the 108 outlaws in Water Margin. The E Wang Shi records, "When Yue Fei reached adulthood, his maternal grandfather, Yao Daweng (姚大翁), hired a spear expert, Chen Guang, to teach Yue Fei spear fighting."

Both the Biography of Yue Fei and E Wang Shi mention Yue learning from Zhou and Chen at or before his adulthood. The Chinese character representing "adulthood" in these sources is ji guan (及冠 jí guàn|l=conferring headdress), an ancient Chinese term that means "20 years old" where a young man was able to wear a formal headdress as a social status of adulthood. So he gained all of his martial arts knowledge by the time he joined the army at the age of 19.

These chronicles do not mention Yue's masters teaching him martial arts style; just archery, spearplay and military tactics. However non-historical or scholarly sources state, in addition to those already mentioned, Zhou Tong taught Yue other skills such as hand-to-hand combat and horseback riding. Yet again, these do not mention any specific martial arts style. One legend says Zhou took young Yue to an unspecified place to meet a Buddhist hermit who taught him the Emei Dapeng qigong (峨嵋大鵬氣功) style. This is supposedly the source of his legendary strength and martial arts abilities. According to thirteenth generation lineage Tai He ("Great Harmony") Wudangquan master Fan Keping (范克平), a collector of rare martial arts manuals, Zhou Tong was a master of various "hard qigong" exercises.

Yue Feis tattoo

According to historical records and legend, Yue had the four Chinese characters jin zhong bao guo (盡忠報國 jìn zhōng bào guó, literally serve the country with the utmost loyalty) tattooed across his back. The Biography of Yue Fei says after Qin Hui sent agents to arrest Yue and his son, he was taken before the court and charged with treason, but

飛裂裳以背示鑄，有盡忠報國四大字，深入膚理。既而閱實無左驗，鑄明其無辜。

Yue ripped his jacket to reveal the four tattooed characters of "serve the country with the utmost loyalty" on his back. This proved that he was clearly innocent of the charges.

Later fictionalizations of Yue's biography would build upon the tattoo. For instance, one of his earliest Ming era novels titled The Story of King Yue Who Restored the Song dynasty (大宋中興岳王傳) states that after the Jurchen armies invaded China, young heroes in Yue's village suggest that they join the bandits in the mountains. However, Yue objects and has one of them tattoo the aforementioned characters on his back. Whenever others want to join the bandits, he flashes them the tattoo to change their minds.

The common legend of Yue receiving the tattoo from his mother first appeared in Shuo Yue Quanzhuan. In chapter 21 titled "By a pretext Wang Zuo swore brotherhood, by tattoos Lady Yue instructed her son", Yue denounces the pirate chief Yang Yao (杨幺) and passes on a chance to become a general in his army. Yue Fei's mother then tells her son, "I, your mother, saw that you did not accept recruitment of the rebellious traitor, and that you willingly endure poverty and are not tempted by wealth and status ... But I fear that after my death, there may be some unworthy creature who will entice you ... For these reason ... I want to tattoo on your back the four characters 'Utmost', 'Loyalty', 'Serve' and 'Nation' ... The Lady picked up the brush and wrote out on his spine the four characters for 'serving the nation with the utmost loyalty' ... So she bit her teeth, and started pricking. Having finished, she painted the characters with ink mixed with vinegar so that the colour would never fade."

The Kaifeng Jews, one of many pockets of Chinese Jews living in ancient China, refer to this tattoo in two of their three stele monuments created in 1489, 1512, and 1663. The first mention appeared in a section of the 1489 stele referring to the Jews' "Boundless loyalty to the country and Prince". The second appeared in a section of the 1512 stele about how Jewish soldiers and officers in the Chinese armies were "boundlessly loyal to the country".

Adult life

Portrait

Southern Song era artist Liu Songnian (劉松年) (1174–1224), who was best known for his realistic works, painted a picture, "Four Generals of Zhongxing" (中興四將). The group portrait shows eight people – four generals and four attendants. Starting from the left: attendant, Yue Fei, attendant, Zhang Jun (張浚), Han Shizhong (韓世忠), attendant, Liu Guangshi (劉光世), and attendant.

According to history professor He Zongli of Zhejiang University, the painting shows Yue was more of a scholarly-looking general with a shorter stature and chubbier build than the statue of him currently displayed in his tomb in Hangzhou, which portrays him as being tall and skinny. Shen Lixin, an official with the Yue Fei Temple Administration, holds the portrait of Yue Fei from the "Four Generals of Zhongxing" to be the most accurate likeness of the general in existence.

Character

In his From Myth to Myth: The Case of Yüeh Fei's Biography, noted Sinologist Hellmut Wilhelm concluded that Yue Fei purposely patterned his life after famous Chinese heroes from dynasties past and that this ultimately led to his martyrdom. Apart from studying literature under his father Yue He (岳和), Yue Fei loved to read military classics. He favored the Zuo Zhuan commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals and the strategies of Sun Tzu and Wu Qi. Although his literacy afforded him the chance to become a scholar, which was a position held in much higher regard than the common soldiery during the Song dynasty, Yue chose the military path because there had never been any tradition of civil service in his family. Therefore he had no reason to study Confucian classics in order to surpass the accomplishments of his ancestors or to raise his family's social status to the next level. His fourth generation ancestor, Yue Huan (岳渙), had served as a lingshi (令使) (essentially a low-level functionary), but he was never a full-fledged member of the civil service rank. A second theory is that he joined the military in the hopes of emulating his favorite heroes.

Scholars were always welcome in Yue Fei's camp. He allowed them to come and tell stories and deeds of past heroes to bolster the resolve of his men. This way he was able to teach them about the warriors that he had constructed his own life after. He also hoped that one of these scholars would record his own deeds so he would become a peer amongst his idols. He is recorded in saying that he wished to be considered the equal of Guan Yu and other such famous men from the Three Kingdoms period. Yue succeeded in this endeavor since later "official mythology" placed him on the same level as Guan Yu.

Yue was careful to conduct himself as the ideal Confucian gentleman at all times for fear that any misconduct would be recorded and criticized by people of later dynasties. However he had his faults. He had a problem with alcohol during the early part of his military career. Yue drank in great excess because he believed it fitted the image of heroes of old. However once he nearly killed a colleague in a drunken rage, the emperor made him promise not to drink any more until the Jurchen invaders had been driven away.

Family

According to Shuo Yue Quanzhuan, Yue had five sons and one daughter. The History of Song records that Yue Yun (岳雲) (1119–1142) was adopted by Yue Fei at the age of 12 whilst others claim he was his biological son; Yue Lei (岳雷), the second, succeeded to his father's post; Yue Ting (岳霆) was the third; Yue Lin (岳霖) was the fourth; and Yue Zhen (岳震), the fifth, was still young at the time of his father's death. Yue Yinping was Yue Fei's daughter. The novel states she committed suicide after her father's death and became a fairy in heaven. However, history books do not mention her name and therefore she should be considered a fictional character. Yue Fei married the daughter of Magistrate Li when he was 16 years old (1119). However, the account of his marriage is fictional.

The Biography of Yue Fei states that Yue left his ailing mother with his first wife while he went to fight the Jin armies. However she "left him (and his mother) and remarried". He later took a second wife and even discussed "affairs" pertaining to his military career with her. He truly loved her, but his affection for her was second to his desire to rid China of the Jurchen invaders. Her faithfulness to him and his mother was strengthened by the fear that any infidelity or lacking in her care of Lady Yue would result in reprisal.

Yue forbade his sons from having concubines, although he almost took one himself. Even though she was presented by a friend, he did not accept her because she laughed when he asked her if she could "share the hardships of camp life" with him. He knew she was liberal and would have sex with the other soldiers.

Though not mentioned in the memoir written by Yue Fei's grandson, some scholarly sources claim Yue had a younger brother named Yue Fan (岳翻). He later served in the army under his brother and died in battle in 1132.

Military record

The son of an impoverished farmer from northern China, Yue Fei joined the Song military in 1122. Yue briefly left the army when his father died in 1123, but returned in 1126. After reenlisting, he fought to suppress rebellions by local Chinese warlords responsible for looting in northern China. Local uprisings had diverted needed resources away from the Song's war against the Jin. Yue participated in defending Kaifeng during the second siege of the city by the Jin in 1127. After Kaifeng fell, he joined an army in Jiankang tasked with defending the Yangtze. This army prevented the Jurchens from advancing to the river in 1129. His rising reputation as a military leader attracted the attention of the Song court. In 1133, he was made the general of the largest army near the Central Yangtze. Between 1134 and 1135, he led a counteroffensive against Qi, a puppet state supported by the Jin, and secured territories that had been conquered by the Jurchens. He continued to advance in rank, and to increase the size of his army as he repeatedly led successful offensives into northern China. Several other generals were also successful against the Jin dynasty, and their combined efforts secured the survival of the Song dynasty. Yue, like most of them, was committed to recapturing northern China.

Stone Lake: The Poetry of Fan Chengda 1126–1193 states, "...Yue Fei (1103-1141)...repelled the enemy assaults in 1133 and 1134, until in 1135 the now confident Song army was in a position to recover all of north China from the Jin dynasty ... 1140, Yue Fei initiated a general counterattack against the Jin armies, defeating one enemy after another until he set up camp within range of the Northern Song dynasty's old capital city, Kaifeng, in preparation for the final assault against the enemy. Yet in the same year Qin Hui ordered Yue Fei to abandon his campaign, and in 1141 Yue Fei was summoned back to the Southern Song capital. It is believed that the emperor then ordered Yue Fei to be hanged."

Six methods for deploying an army

Yue Ke (岳珂) states his grandfather had six special methods for deploying an army effectively:

Careful selection: He relied more on small numbers of well-trained soldiers than he did large masses of the poorly trained variety. In this way, one superior soldier counted for as much as one hundred inferior soldiers. One example used to illustrate this was when the armies of Han Ching and Wu Xu were transferred into Yue's camp. Most of them had never seen battle and were generally too old or unhealthy for sustaining prolonged troop movement and engagement of the enemy. Once Yue had filtered out the weak soldiers and sent them home, he was only left with a meager thousand able-bodied soldiers. However, after some months of intense training, they were ready to perform almost as well as the soldiers who had served under Yue for years.

Careful training: When his troops were not on military campaigns to win back lost Chinese territory in the north, Yue put his men through intense training. Apart from troop movement and weapons drills, this training also involved them leaping over walls and crawling through moats in full battle garb. The intensity of the training was such that the men would not even try to visit their families if they passed by their homes while on movement and even trained on their days off.

Justice in rewards and punishments: He rewarded his men for their merits and punished them for their boasting or lack of training. Yue once gave a foot soldier his own personal belt, silver dinner ware, and a promotion for his meritorious deeds in battle. While on the reverse, he once ordered his son Yue Yun to be decapitated for falling off his horse after failing to jump a moat. His son was only saved after Yue's officers begged his mercy. There were a number of soldiers that were either dismissed or executed because they boasted of their skills or failed to follow orders.

Clear orders: He always delivered his orders in a simple manner that was easy for all of his soldiers to understand. Whoever failed to follow them were severely punished.

Strict discipline: While marching about the countryside, he never let his troops destroy fields or to pillage towns or villages. He made them pay a fair price for goods and made sure crops remained intact. A soldier once stole a hemp rope from a peasant so he could tie a bale of hay with it. When Yue discovered this, he questioned the soldier and had him executed.

Close fellowship with his men: He treated all of his men like equals. He ate the same food as they did and slept out in the open as they did. Even when a temporary shelter was erected for him, he made sure several soldiers could find room to sleep inside before he found a spot of his own. When there was not enough wine to go around, he would dilute it with water so every soldier would receive a portion.

Death

In 1126, several years before Yue became a general, the Jurchen-ruled Jin dynasty invaded northern China, forcing the Song dynasty out of its capital Kaifeng and capturing Emperor Qinzong of Song, who was sent into captivity in Huining Prefecture. This marked the end of the Northern Song dynasty, and the beginning of the Southern Song dynasty under Emperor Gaozong.

Yue fought a long campaign against the invading Jurchen in an effort to retake northern China. Just as he was threatening to attack and retake Kaifeng, officials advised Emperor Gaozong to recall Yue to the capital and sue for peace with the Jurchen. Fearing that a defeat at Kaifeng might cause the Jurchen to release Emperor Qinzong, threatening his claim to the throne, Emperor Gaozong followed their advice, sending 12 orders in the form of 12 gold plaques to Yue Fei, recalling him back to the capital. Knowing that a success at Kaifeng could lead to internal strife, Yue submitted to the emperor's orders and returned to the capital, where he was imprisoned and where Qin Hui would eventually arrange for him to be executed on false charges.

There are conflicting views on how Yue died. According to The History of China: (The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations) and other sources, Yue died in prison. The Chronicle of Yue, Prince of E of Song says he was killed in prison. Shuo Yue Quanzhuan states he was strangled to death. It reads, "...Fei strode in long steps to the Pavilion of Winds and Waves ... The warders on both sides picked up the ropes and strangled the three men Fei, Yue Yun, and Zhang Xian (張憲), Yue's subordinate without further ado ... At the time Lord Yue was 39 years of age and the young lord Yue Yun 23. When the three men returned to Heaven, suddenly a fierce wind rose up wildly and all the fires and lights were extinguished. Black mists filled the sky and sand and pebbles were blown about."

The Secrets of Eagle Claw Kung Fu: Ying Jow Pai comments, "Finally, Fei received the 'Twelfth Golden Edict' the emperor calling him back to the capital, which if ignored meant banishment. Patriotism demanded that he obey. On his way back to the capital he stopped to rest at a pavilion. Qin Hui anticipated Yue Fei's route and sent some men to lie in wait. When Yue Fei arrived, Qin's men ambushed and murdered him. Just 39 years old, Yue Fei like many good men in history, had a swift, brilliant career, then died brutally while still young."

According to A Chinese Biographical Dictionary, "and son had not been two months in confinement when Qin Hui resolved to rid himself of his enemy. He wrote out with his own hand an order for the execution of Yue Fei, which was forthwith carried into effect; whereupon he immediate reported that Yue Fei had died in prison", which meant that Qin Hui had Yue and his son executed but reported they both died in captivity.

Other sources say he was poisoned to death. Still, a great number simply say he was executed, murdered, or "treacherously assassinated".

After Yue's execution, a prison officer, Wei Shun (隗順), who admired Yue's character, stole his body and secretly buried it at the Nine Song Cong Temple (九曲叢祠) located outside the Song capital.

Qin Huis posthumous punishment

Shuo Yue Quanzhuan states after having Yue Fei, Yue Yun, Zhang Xian arrested under false charges, Qin Hui and his wife, Lady Wang (王氏), were sitting by the "eastern window", warming themselves by the fire, when he received a letter from the people calling for the release of Yue Fei. Qin was worried because after nearly two months of torture, he could not get Yue to admit to treason and would eventually have to let him go. However, after a servant girl brought fresh oranges into the room, Lady Wang devised a plan to execute Yue. She told Qin to slip an execution notice inside the skin of an orange and send it to the judge presiding over Yue's case. This way, Yue and his companions would be put to death before the emperor or Qin himself would have to rescind an open order of execution. This conspiracy became known as the "East Window Plot". A novel about this incident, titled Dong Chuang Ji (東窗記; "Tale of the Eastern Window"), was written during the Ming dynasty by an anonymous writer.

When confronted by Han Shizhong on what crime Yue had committed, Qin Hui replied, "Though it isn't sure whether there is something that he did to betray the dynasty, maybe there is." The phrase "perhaps there is", "no reason needed", "groundless", or "baseless" (莫須有 mò xū yǒu) has entered Chinese language as a proverb to refer to fabricated charges, which also means 'trumped-up charge', 'setup', 'frameup', or 'concocted charge', in English language. There is a poem hanging on the gate surrounding the statues that reads, "The green hill is fortunate to be the burial ground of a loyal general, the white iron was innocent to be cast into the statues of traitors."

Decades later, his grandson, Yue Ke (岳珂), had retrieved documentary evidence of his grandfather's achievements, and published an adulatory biography of him. In 1162 Emperor Xiaozong of Song posthumously pardoned and rehabilitated his honours. For their part in Yue's death, iron statues of Qin Hui, Lady Wang, and two of Qin's subordinates, Moqi Xie (万俟卨) and Zhang Jun (張俊), were made to kneel before Yue Fei's tomb (located by the West Lake, Hangzhou). For centuries, these statues have been cursed, spat and urinated upon by people. The original castings in bronze were damaged, but later were replaced by images cast in iron, but these were similarly damaged. However now, in modern times, these statues are protected as historical relics. Emperor Xiaozong's court gave proper burial to his remains after Wei Shun's family revealed its location; Wei Shun was then posthumously honored at Yue Fei's hometown at Tangyin County, and a statue of him was made standing at its Yue Fei Temple. A tomb was put up in his memory, and he was designated Wumu (武穆; "Martial and Stern"). In 1179 he was canonized as Zhongwu (忠武; "Loyal and Martial").

According to the novel Xi You Bu, a satire of Journey to the West, written in 1641 by the scholar Dong Ruoyu (also known as Dong Yue, 1620–1686), the Monkey King enthusiastically serves in hell as the trial prosecutor of Qin Hui, while Yue Fei becomes the Monkey King's third master (by teaching the latter Confucian methods). At one point, the Monkey King asks the spirit of Yue Fei if he would like to drink Qin's blood, but he politely declined.

File:Youtiaostory hangzhou statue1.jpg|Statues of Lady Wang (秦王氏) and Qin Hui (秦檜) at the Yue Fei Temple, Hangzhou

File:Youtiaostory hangzhou statue2.jpg|Statues of Moqi Xie (万俟卨) and Zhang Jun (張俊) at the Yue Fei Temple, Hangzhou

File:West Lake Map.png|Map of the West Lake with the location of the Temple of Yue Fei

Talents

Martial arts

The two styles most associated with Yue are Eagle Claw and Xingyi boxing. One book states Yue created Eagle Claw for his enlisted soldiers and Xingyi for his officers. Legend has it that Yue studied in the Shaolin Monastery with a monk named Zhou Tong and learned the "elephant" style of boxing, a set of hand techniques with great emphasis on qinna (joint-locking). Other tales say he learned this style elsewhere outside the temple under the same master. Yue eventually expanded elephant style to create the Yibai Lingba Qinna (一百零八擒拿 – "108 Locking Hand Techniques") of the Ying Sao (Eagle Hands) or Ying Kuen (Eagle Fist). After becoming a general in the imperial army, Yue taught this style to his men and they were very successful in battle against the armies of the Jin dynasty. Following his wrongful execution and the disbandment of his armies, Yue's men supposedly traveled all over China spreading the style, which eventually ended right back in Shaolin where it began. Later, a monk named Li Quan (麗泉) combined this style with Fanziquan, another style attributed to Yue, to create the modern day form of Northern Ying Jow Pai boxing.

According to legend, Yue combined his knowledge of internal martial arts and spearplay learned from Zhou Tong (in Shaolin) to create the linear fist attacks of Xingyi boxing. One book claims he studied and synthesized Buddhism's Tendon Changing and Marrow Washing qigong systems to create Xingyi. On the contrary, proponents of Wudangquan believe it is possible that Yue learned the style in the Wudang Mountains that border his home province of Henan. The reasons they cite for this conclusion are that he supposedly lived around the same time and place as Zhang Sanfeng, the founder of t'ai chi; Xingyi's five fist attacks, which are based on the Five Chinese Elements theory, are similar to tai-chi's "Yin-yang theory"; and both theories are Taoist-based and not Buddhist. The book Henan Orthodox Xingyi Quan, written by Pei Xirong (裴锡荣) and Li Ying'ang (李英昂), states Xingyi master Dai Longbang

... wrote the 'Preface to Six Harmonies Boxing' in the 15th reign year of the Qianlong Emperor 1750. Inside it says, '... when Fei was a child, he received special instructions from Zhou Tong. He became extremely skilled in the spear method. He used the spear to create methods for the fist. He established a method called Yi Quan 意拳. Mysterious and unfathomable, followers of old did not have these skills. Throughout the Jin, Yuan and Ming dynasties few had his art. Only Ji Gong had it. (於乾隆十五年為"六合拳"作序云："岳飛當童子時，受業於周侗師，精通槍法，以槍为拳，立法以教將佐，名曰意拳，神妙莫測，盖从古未有之技也。)

The Ji Gong mentioned above, better known as Ji Jike (姬際可) or Ji Longfeng (姬隆丰), is said to have trained in Shaolin Monastery for ten years as a young man and was matchless with the spear. As the story goes, he later traveled to Xongju Cave on Mount Zhongnan to receive a boxing manual written by Yue Fei, from which he learned Xingyi. However, some believe Ji actually created the style himself and attributed it to Yue Fei because he was fighting the Manchus, descendants of the Jurchens who Yue had struggled against. Ji supposedly created it after watching a battle between an eagle and a bear during the Ming dynasty. Other sources say he created it while training in Shaolin. He was reading a book and looked up to see two roosters fighting, which inspired him to imitate the fighting styles of animals. Both versions of the story (eagle / bear and roosters) state he continued to study the actions of animals and eventually increased the cadre of animal forms.

Several other martial arts have been attributed to Yue Fei, including Yuejiaquan (Yue Family Boxing), Fanziquan (Tumbling Boxing), and Chuōjiǎo quan (Feet-Poking Boxing), among others. The "Fanzi Boxing Ballad" says: "Wumu has passed down the Fanziquan which has mystery in its straightforward movements." Wumu (武穆) was a posthumous name given to Yue after his death. One Chuojiao legend states Zhou Tong learned the style from its creator, a wandering Taoist named Deng Liang (鄧良), and later passed it onto Yue Fei, who is considered to be the progenitor of the style.

Besides martial arts, Yue is also said to have studied traditional Chinese medicine. He understood the essence of Hua Tuo's Wu Qin Xi (五禽戲 – "Five Animal Frolics") and created his own form of "medical qigong" known as the Ba Duan Jin (八段錦 – "Eight Pieces of Brocade"). It is considered a form of Waidan (外丹 – "External Elixir") medical qigong.

He taught this qigong to his soldiers to help keep their bodies strong and well-prepared for battle. One legend states that Zhou Tong took young Yue to meet a Buddhist hermit who taught him Emei Dapeng Qigong (峨嵋大鵬氣功). His training in Dapeng Qigong was the source of his great strength and martial arts abilities. Modern practitioners of this style say it was passed down by Yue.

Connection to Praying Mantis boxing

According to Shuo Yue Quanzhuan, Lin Chong and Lu Junyi of the 108 outlaws in Water Margin were former students of Yue's teacher Zhou Tong. One legend states Zhou learned Chuōjiǎo boxing from its originator Deng Liang (鄧良) and then passed it onto Yue Fei, who is sometimes considered the progenitor of the style. Chuojiao is also known as the "Water Margin Outlaw style" and Yuanyang Tui (鴛鴦腿 – "Mandarin Duck Leg"). In chapter 29 of Water Margin, titled "Wu Song beats Jiang the Door God in a drunken stupor", it mentions Wu Song, another of Zhou's fictional students, using the "Jade Circle-Steps with Duck and Drake feet". A famous folklore Praying Mantis manuscript, which describes the fictional gathering of eighteen martial arts masters in Shaolin, lists Lin Chong (#13) as a master of "Mandarin ducks kicking technique". This creates a folklore connection between Yue and Mantis boxing.

Lineage Mantis master Yuen Man Kai openly claims Zhou Tong taught Lin Chong and Lu Junyi the "same school" of martial arts that was later combined with the aforementioned seventeen other schools to create Mantis fist. However, he believes Mantis fist was created during the Ming dynasty, and was therefore influenced by these eighteen schools from the Song dynasty. He also says Lu Junyi taught Yan Qing the same martial arts as he learned from Zhou Tong. Yuen further comments that Zhou Tong later taught Yue Fei the same martial art and that Yue was the originator of the mantis move "Black Tiger Stealing Heart".

Poetry

At the age of 30, Yue supposedly wrote his most celebrated poem, "Man Jiang Hong" ("Entirely Red River") with a subtitle of "Xie Huai" ("Writing about What I Thought"). This poem reflects the raw hatred he felt towards the Jurchen-ruled Jin dynasty, as well as the sorrow he felt when his efforts to recoup northern lands lost to Jin were halted by Southern Song officials of the "Peace Faction". However, several modern historians, including the late Princeton University Prof. James T. C. Liu, believe certain phrasing in the poem dates its creation to the early 16th century, meaning Yue did not write it.

Yue Fei is also the author of at least two other poems, "Xiao Chong Shan" ("Small Hills") and another "Man Jiang Hong" with a subtitle of "Deng Huang He Lou You Gan" ("My Feelings When I Was Climbing the Yellow Crane Pavilion").

Descendants

Among Yue Fei's descendants was Yue Shenglong (岳昇龍) and his son the Qing dynasty official Yue Zhongqi, who served as Minister of Defence and Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu provinces during the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor. Yue Zhongqi conquered Tibet for the Qing during the Dzungar–Qing War and attacked the Dzungars at Ürümqi in Xinjiang. The Oirats were battled against by Yue Zhongqi. Yue Zhongqi lived at the Ji Xiaolan Residence.

Another notable descendant of Yue Fei was Yue Yiqin, a flying ace of the Republic of China during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

In 2011, two Yue descendants, Yue Jun and Yue Haijun, with six members of their clan, protested Jiangning Imperial Silk Manufacturing Museum's Qin Hui statue, which indicates that even after centuries, the Yue family still hates Qin Hui and his conspirators for their ancestors' plights. It is also reportedly that the Yue family members were not allowed to marry anyone whose surname was also Qin until 1949, and hardly anyone break this rule prior to it being nulled. By 2017, it is reported that Yue Fei's descendants are 1.81 million people in China, and only Yue Fei's descendants in Anhui Province have grown to more than 1.003 million.

Folk hero

Yue Fei's stature in Chinese history rose to that of a national folk hero after his execution. Qin Hui, and in some cases Emperor Gaozong, were blamed by later historians for their supposed role in Yue Fei's execution and conciliatory stance with the Jin dynasty. The allegations that Qin Hui conspired with the Jin to execute Yue Fei are popular in Chinese literature, but have never been proven. The real Yue Fei differed from the later myths that grew from his exploits. The portrayal of Yue as a scholar-general is only partially true. He was a skilled general, and may have been partially literate in Classical Chinese, but he was not an erudite Confucian scholar. Contrary to traditional legends, Yue was not the sole Chinese general engaged in the offensive against the Jurchens. He was one of many generals that fought against the Jin in northern China, and unlike Yue Fei, some of his peers were genuine members of the scholarly elite. Many of the exaggerations of Yue Fei's life can be traced to a biography written by his grandson, Yue Ke. Yue Fei's status as a folk hero strengthened in the Yuan dynasty and had a large impact on Chinese culture. Temples and shrines devoted to Yue Fei were constructed in the Ming dynasty. A Chinese World War II anthem alludes to lyrics said to have been written by Yue Fei.

He also sometimes appears as a door god in partnership with the deity Wen Taibao.

At certain points in time, Yue Fei ceased to be a national hero, such as in 2002, when the official guidelines for history teachers said that he could no longer carry the title. This was because Yue Fei had defended China from the Jurchen people, who are presently considered to be a part of the Chinese nation. Therefore, concern for the "unity of nationalities" in China prevailed, as Yue Fei was seen as representing only one subgroup within China, and not the "entire Chinese nation as presently defined". However, both the Chinese Ministry of Education and the Minister of Defence deny such claims and still clearly address Yue Fei as a national hero of China. The Chinese Communist Party also continues to treat Yue Fei as a national hero of China.

Modern references

The ROCS Yueh Fei (FFG-1106), a Cheng Kung-class guided-missile frigate of the Republic of China Navy, is named after Yue.

The author Guy Gavriel Kay cites Yue Fei as having inspired the character Ren Daiyan in his novel River of Stars, which is set in a fantasy world based on Song Dynasty China.

Yue Fei is one of the 32 historical figures who appear as special characters in the video game Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI by Koei.

生平

少年經歷

宋徽宗崇寧二年二月十五日（1103年3月24日），岳飛生于相州湯陰永和鄉孝悌里，家中世代務農，是北宋政治家韓琦家的佃農。誕生時生母夢見一大鵬鳥降于家屋頂，故命名「飛」、字「鵬舉」。史載岳飛力量驚人，能開三百斤弓、八石之弩，且拜師于弓術名家周同，能左右開弓。宣和四年（1122年）冬，岳飛從軍，旋因其父岳和病故，回到家鄉守孝三年。宣和六年（1124年）冬，再次投軍；翌年，駐地淪陷于金軍之手，戰敗還鄉。宋欽宗靖康元年（1126年），第三次投軍。宋高宗建炎元年（1127年）年，以越職上書言事，被奪官。對于這三次從軍經歷，各種史書眾說紛紜。

成書于元代的《宋史》記載，岳飛冤獄時，法官大理寺寺丞何鑄命岳飛脫衣受審，「飛袒而示之背，背有舊涅『盡忠報國』四大字」。何鑄為岳飛申訴冤情不得，秦檜改派万俟卨審理。

清代錢彩的歷史評書《說岳全傳》演繹成岳飛在第四度投軍時，岳飛的母親用針在岳飛的背後刺上「盡忠報國」，後以醋墨敷彩，精通盡字，于是留下了「岳母刺字」這個故事。

早期抗金

宋高宗建炎元年（1127年）八月，岳飛投奔借通直郎、直龍圖閣、河北西路招撫使張所軍中，受到賞識，借補修武郎、閣門宣贊捨人，充中軍統領；不久，又借補武經郎，充中軍統制。九月，張所命都統制王彥率岳飛等七千人北渡黃河抗金。張所不久被撤職流放，河北西路招撫司隨之撤銷。在進軍途中，岳飛與王彥意見不合，後遂脫離王彥單獨行動，但眾寡不敵，重歸王彥被拒，於是南下投奔延康殿學士、京城留守、兼開封尹宗澤。岳飛以不服主將號令當斬，被宗澤赦免，僅免官待罪。

建炎二年（1128年七月），宗澤病逝，杜充接任東京留守。八月，岳飛再次在汜水關擊敗金軍，升轉武功郎。杜充命令岳飛去消滅張用、曹成、王善等被原宗澤招安但在其死後不受約束的部隊，岳飛以所部八百人死戰，升轉武經大夫。接著，岳飛奉命解救盜匪杜叔五、孫海圍困的東明縣，升轉武略大夫，借補英州刺史。岳飛再救援被王善圍困的淮寧府，升轉武德大夫，實授英州刺史。

建炎三年（1129年）六月，杜充撤往建康府，岳飛苦諫不從，開封失守。不久完顏宗弼率金軍南下建康，杜充所部戰敗，率親兵三千投降。岳飛退屯建康東北的紫金山，後四戰收複常州。宋高宗從海上逃走，金軍從海道追出三百多里，仍然沒能抓住他，隨即在大肆擄掠後北還。

建炎四年（1130年）三月，宋高宗從海上返回越州，任命張俊為浙西路江東路制置使，「諸將並受節度」，命其收複建康。四月，岳飛在清水亭首戰告捷；五月，進屯牛頭山，率三百騎兵、兩千步兵在建康城西北十五里擊敗完顏宗弼，收複建康。六月，岳飛隨張俊討伐淪為盜匪的原統制戚方，以三千人在廣德軍東南約七十里的苦嶺擊敗戚方，戚方投降張俊。

岳飛回到張渚鎮，因為即將離開，在房東張大年的屏風上題詞：

張俊回朝後「盛稱岳飛可用」，于是岳飛升轉任武功大夫、昌州防禦使，通州鎮撫使兼知泰州。

完顏宗弼北上後，與完顏昌會師攻打楚州。宋高宗命張俊援救楚州。張俊命並非嫡系的岳飛出戰，又命劉光世為岳飛後援。岳飛于九月趕到承州，但未能解楚州之圍，楚州失陷。岳飛無險可恃，撤軍而還。同年六月，御前五軍改為神武軍，韓世忠所部為神武左軍，張俊所部為神武右軍都統制，兩人均為都統制；辛永宗所部六千人為神武中軍，王燮所部一萬五千人為神武前軍，陳思恭所部萬人為神武后軍，三人均為統制。御營司五軍改為神武副軍，辛企宗所部為神武副軍，辛企宗為都統制；李橫所部為神武左副軍，顏孝恭所部為神武右副軍，兩人均為統制。後神武右副軍統制顏孝恭改任江南東路安撫大使司統制，空缺由岳飛填補。。十月，岳飛升轉親衛大夫、建州觀察使。十二月，神武副軍都統制辛企宗因鎮壓福建范汝為之亂不力而被削職，岳飛的「神武右副軍」改名為「神武副軍」，並升遷為都統制。

紹興二年（1132年）正月末，岳飛被任命為知州、兼荊湖東路安撫使、都總管，統率軍馬前往潭州。二月，主戰派頭號人物李綱被起用為荊湖、廣南路宣撫使，岳飛等將領劃入李綱部下，討伐湖東路的盜匪曹成。當時岳家軍的兵力為一萬二千餘人，岳飛以二千人駐守吉州（今江西吉安市），以其餘的一萬多人進攻曹成的部隊。戰鬥中嶽家軍佔盡優勢，但曹成部下悍將楊再興驍勇異常，先是攻入岳家軍第五正將韓順夫的營地，將韓砍折一臂而死，後又殺死了岳飛的胞弟岳飜。但楊再興最終被岳家軍俘虜，被岳飛收服而成為日後岳家軍的著名悍將之一。李綱稱讚岳飛「年齒方壯，治軍嚴肅，能立奇功，近來之所少得」，斷言他「異時決為中興名將」。閏六月，岳飛升三官為中衛大夫、武安軍承宣使，仍屬從五品。討伐曹成後，岳家軍兵力增一倍，達二萬三千到四千人左右，與韓世忠、劉光世、張俊等軍相差不多。

紹興三年（1133年）九月，岳飛第二次朝見宋高宗。宋高宗親筆書寫「精忠岳飛」四字，繡成一面戰旗，命岳飛在用兵行師時作為大纛。又任命岳飛任江南西路舒蘄州制置使，將駐守蘄州的統制李山，屯紮江州的統制傅選兩支部隊併入岳家軍，將淮南西路舒州和蘄州的防務併入岳飛的防區。岳家軍的軍號也由「神武副軍」升格為「神武後軍」，但岳飛的官銜卻由都統制改回統制，這是因為他的資歷尚淺，還不能和「神武左軍」都統制韓世忠、「神武右軍」都統制張俊相比。

鎮守襄漢

紹興四年（1134年）五月至七月，岳飛第一次北伐。岳飛率岳家軍三萬五千人左右打敗劉齊劉豫的部將李成等人，成功地收復了前一年南宋失去的襄陽府鎮撫使李橫的轄地，以及唐州和信陽軍。

克復襄漢後，岳飛面臨新復中原地區的後勤防務問題，這問題直到滅金後端平入洛時都一直困擾宋軍。這些地方因為「久罹兵火」，原來的居民「或被驅虜，或遭殺戮，甚為荒殘」，以至於「百里絕人，荊榛塞路，虎狼交跡」，「野無耕農，市無販商，城郭隳廢，邑屋盪盡，而糧餉難於運漕」。凡是克復失地的宋軍，都有一個兩難的防務問題：「若少留將兵，恐復為賊有」；「若多留將兵，唯俟朝廷千里饋糧，徒成自困，終莫能守」。

因為後勤問題，岳飛只能將主力撤回，留少量兵力戍守。張旦被任命為唐州鄧州郢州襄陽府安撫使、兼襄陽知府，牛皋為安撫副使，李道任唐州鄧州郢州襄陽府四州都統制，配置軍士2000人，守衛襄陽府；周識和李旦率150名軍士守郢州；孫翬和蔣廷俊率200名軍士守隨州；舒繼明和訾諧守信陽軍；戍守襄陽府的2000人中分撥出來一部分，由高青和單藻帶領守唐州，由張應、黨尚友和邵俅帶領守鄧州，以整治防務，恢復生產。劉齊李成軍雖然不時騷擾，卻始終不能奪回襄漢六郡的控制權。襄漢六郡原來分屬京西南路和京西北路，此次收復之後，宋廷為統一管理，單設襄陽府路。除在襄陽府設安撫使司外，不按制度設置「差監司」、即轉運使司等文人監軍系統，「止委制置使岳飛措置」。這是戰時放寬宋朝歷來固有的文人控制武將政策，對提高軍隊的戰鬥力有一定幫助。

此時岳飛作為武將不敢居功，上奏說自己「人微望輕，難任斯職」，要辭去制置使並請求宋廷另「委任重臣，經畫荊、襄」。宰相趙鼎認為：「湖北鄂、岳，最為沿江上流控扼要害之所，乞令（岳）飛鄂、岳州屯駐。不惟淮西藉其聲援，可保無虞，而湖南、二廣、江、浙亦獲安妥。」宋高宗同意趙鼎的主張，確定岳飛改駐荊湖北路的首府鄂縣（今湖北鄂州），自此岳家軍的大本營就定在了鄂州。

救援淮西

紹興四年（1134年）九月，偽齊劉豫發動秋季攻勢伐宋，揚言要「直搗僭壘，務使六合混一」。金軍由左副元帥完顏宗輔、剛升任的右副元帥完顏昌和元帥左都監完顏宗弼（兀朮）的統率下，配合由劉豫之子劉麟指揮之偽齊軍，在九月下旬分路渡過淮河攻南宋。劉光世不戰退兵江南，將整個淮南西路相讓。張俊主張劃長江而守，「當聚天下兵守平江，俟賊退，徐為之計」，以「墜馬傷臂」為藉口，拒不出兵渡長江攻擊金軍和偽齊軍。宋丞相趙鼎派人監督張俊發兵，並奏請嚴懲張俊，但不了了之。結果，幾路宋軍全部防守於江南，張俊軍守常州，韓世忠軍守鎮江府，劉光世軍守建康府。長江北面的廬州（治合肥）知州、兼淮南西路安撫使仇悆拒絕執行其上級劉光世的撤退命令，劉光世派統制張琦來問罪，仇悆說：「若輩無守土責，吾當以死殉國！寇未至而逃，人何賴焉！」張琦只好作罷。仇悆以召募來的廬州和壽州（治下蔡，今安徽鳳台縣）守軍幾百人和二千鄉兵幾次打退偽齊攻勢。十二月，劉麟又增兵攻打，完顏宗弼親自為後繼，所幸岳家軍由鄂州趕到，統制徐慶和牛皋先勝一仗，岳飛後親自趕到擊敗偽齊軍，解了廬州之圍。此時，金太宗病危將死，完顏宗輔、完顏昌和完顏宗弼撤兵。偽齊攻勢瓦解。

剿滅楊么及擴編

紹興五年（1135年），岳飛剿滅楊么後，楊么軍壯丁六萬人大都編入岳家軍，岳家軍規模從三萬多人增加到十萬人左右，岳家軍以後直到岳飛被宋高宗所害，也大體維持十萬左右之數量。麾下主要將領包括中軍統制王貴、前軍統制張憲、徐慶、牛皋和董先。

岳飛北伐

紹興七年（1137年）二月，岳飛因在商虢的戰功，被加太尉。

遇害及平反

岳飛在收到十二道金牌班師回朝之時自稱「十年之力，廢於一旦」。岳飛回到京城。之後，向高宗請辭。高宗當時沒有答應他的辭呈。次年（紹興11年）四月，拜樞密副使（從一品）。但是這次，岳飛請求拿回兵權，未得允許。

完顏兀朮遺秦檜書曰：「汝朝夕以和請，而岳飛方為河北圖，必殺飛，始可和。」紹興十一年七月右諫議大夫万俟卨上書指控岳飛「爵高祿厚，志滿意得，平昔功名之念，日以頹情。……而乃稽違詔旨，不以時發……伏望免飛副樞職事，出之于外，以伸邦憲」，接著御史中丞何鑄和殿中侍御使羅汝楫等亦相繼彈劾。八月甲戌，罷岳飛之職務。此後岳飛閑居廬山。九月八日，岳家軍鄂州前軍副統制王俊向王貴告發岳飛在廬山曾致信鄂州張憲、岳雲，要求張憲起兵造反，以迫朝廷恢復岳飛軍職。十月，岳飛、岳雲父子被逮捕，命御史中丞何鑄、大理寺卿周三畏審訊，但岳飛下獄兩個月都沒有查出罪証，不僅齊安郡王趙士㒟以闔門百口保岳飛沒有二心，連原本曾彈劾岳飛的何鑄都反而為岳飛求情，秦檜遂將主審官由何鑄換成万俟卨。紹興十一年十二月二十九日刑部大理寺發布《刑部大理寺狀》，認定岳飛「坐觀勝負，逗留不進」、「指斥乘輿」（對皇帝不恭）、「致張憲意待謀反」等罪名成立，「飛獄成，寺官聚斷，咸謂死有餘罪」。大理寺按律：「臨軍征討，稽期三日者，斬。」一般史家皆同意岳飛的死從頭到尾都是件冤案。

岳飛的罪名還有「坐擁重兵……逗留不進」，宋朝皇帝的「祖宗家法」就是猜忌武將，紹興七年（1137年），高宗已經警告他「犯吾法者，唯有劍耳」，只是當時議和還沒成功，高宗仍需要岳飛來抵抗金人南侵；岳飛自從改任樞密副使，已經沒有兵權，因為不贊成議和，也已辭職去廬山為母守墓。但紹興十一年高宗以「示逗留之罰與跋扈之誅」為由，默許或指示秦檜殺岳飛以示議和誠意及換取其母韋賢妃南歸。紹興十一年農曆十二月廿九（1142年1月27日）除夕之夜，高宗下詔「特賜死」，在杭州大理寺風波亭命自鴆，並把岳飛梟首。目前史界以鴆死為通說，其餘說法，尚有「拉脅而殂」（打斷肋骨）或者賜自縊而死。或傍晚被獄卒持白布勒斃于杭州郊外涼亭名風波亭，其尸體後被獄卒隗順冒死盜取，葬在臨安外九曲叢祠旁供隗順家人悼念。

岳雲及張憲則在賜死岳飛的一個月前，即紹興十一年冬十一月二十七日遭到斬首。韓世忠認為岳雲、張憲二人罪不致死，當面質問秦檜，但秦檜表示「飛子雲與張憲書，雖不明，其事體，莫須有（難道沒有嗎）？」另有一說為「或許有」。至於「莫須有」一詞是韓世忠質詢岳雲與張憲的重罪事，後轉嫁至岳飛身上。

岳飛前幕僚左朝散郎姚岳獻言于秦檜：「亂臣賊子侵叛，州郡不幸污染其間，則當與之惟新。以叛臣故地，又與姓同，顧莫之或改」，遂于二十五（1155年）年六月，岳州和岳陽軍各改為純州、華容軍。

三十一年（1161年）五月，太學生程宏圖上書，要求「正秦檜之罪，追奪其官爵，而籍其家財，雪岳飛之冤」，太學生宋芑上書知樞密院事葉義問，要求「斷秦檜之棺，而戮其尸，貶竄其子孫，而籍其資產以助軍，以正其首倡議和欺君之罪，複岳飛之爵邑，錄用其子孫，以謝三軍之士，以激忠義之氣」。十月，詔：「蔡京、童貫、岳飛、張憲子孫家屬見拘管州軍，並放令逐便。」。三十二年（1162年）六月，皇太子趙眘（宋孝宗）即位，準備北伐，七月下詔平反，追複少保、武勝定國軍兩鎮節度使、武昌郡開國公，詔曰「飛起自行伍，不踰數年，位至將相，而能事上以忠，御眾有法，屢立功效，不自矜誇，餘烈遺風，至今不泯。去冬出戍鄂渚之眾師行不擾，動有紀律，道路之人歸功于飛。雖坐事已歿，而太上皇帝念之不忘，今可仰承聖意，追複元官，以禮改葬，訪求其後，特與錄用」。隗順後人助朝廷安葬岳飛。 乾道六年（1170年）七月，立廟祀於鄂州，額名「忠烈」。淳熙五年（1178年）九月，諡「武穆」（折衝禦侮曰武 布德執義曰穆）。宋寧宗嘉泰四年（1204年）五月，追封鄂王。宋理宗寶慶元年（1225年）二月，改謚「忠武」。在西湖棲霞嶺，即杭州西湖畔「宋岳鄂王墓」，元人修宋史列誌傳記。

評價

;自己評價

岳飛曾自勉要跟東漢末三國時期名將關羽、張飛二人看齊：「一死何足道，要使後世書策知有岳飛之名，與關張輩功烈相仿佛耳。」（《金駝續編.卷二十八》）

;宋人評價

岳飛在南宋士大夫界評價甚高。朱熹與門生論岳飛，門生問：「岳侯若做事，何如張韓？」朱熹說：「張韓所不及，都是他識道理了。」門生又問：「岳侯以上者，當時有誰？」朱熹答道：「次第無人。」陸游有詩「劇盜曾從宗父命，遺民猶望岳家軍。」宋孝宗對岳飛之子岳霖說：「卿家紀律、用兵之法，張韓遠不及。卿家冤枉，朕悉知之，天下共知其冤。」

;《宋史》評價

善以少擊衆。欲有所舉，盡召諸統制與謀，謀定而後戰，故有勝無敗。猝遇敵不動，故敵為之語曰：「撼山易，撼岳家軍難。」張俊嘗問用兵之術，曰：「仁、智、信、勇、嚴，闕一不可。」調軍食，必蹙額曰：「東南民力，耗敝極矣。」荊湖平，募民營田，又為屯田，歲省漕運之半。帝手書曹操、諸葛亮、羊祜三事賜之。飛跋其後，獨指操為姦賊而鄙之，尤檜所惡也。……高宗忍自棄其中原，故忍殺飛，嗚呼寃哉！嗚呼寃哉！

;金人評價

岳飛于紹興十一年十二月二十九日（儒略歷1142年1月27日）被殺，南宋使節馬上于紹興十二年（1142年）正月帶著正式照函從岳飛被殺的臨安（今杭州）去金國囚禁宋欽宗和高宗生母韋太后的五國城（今黑龍江哈爾濱市依蘭縣依蘭鎮五國城村）接人。紹興十二年（1142年）夏四月丁卯（5月1日），韋太后啟程回宋。「皇太后偕梓宮發五國城，金遣完顏宗賢、劉祹護送梓宮，高居安護送皇太后。」同年八月，韋太后和劉祹到達臨安。劉祹問南宋官員：「岳飛以何罪而死？」南宋接伴官回答：「意欲謀叛，為部將所告，以此抵誅。」劉祹嘲諷道：「江南忠臣善用兵者，止有岳飛，所至紀律甚嚴，秋毫無所犯。（劉邦）所謂『項籍有一范增而不能用，所以為我擒』。如（岳）飛者，無亦江南之范增乎？！」

宋寧宗開禧二年（金泰和六年，儒略歷1206年），金章宗寫詔書招降吳曦時說：「且卿自視翼贊之功孰與岳飛？飛之威名戰功，暴于南北，一旦見忌，遂被參夷之誅，可不畏哉！」（且你自己評價一下自身能否比得上岳飛？岳飛這樣的威名戰功，南宋北金之人全都知曉；結果有朝一日被宋廷猜忌，就被殺且連累親族，難道這還不可怕麼！）金國皇帝于此直接承認岳飛的戰力和威名。

金女真將領最畏服岳飛，平日往往不直呼其名，而稱其為「岳爺爺」。聞知岳飛死訊，喝酒相慶。被扣押在金的宋使洪皓目睹此情此景，給南宋朝廷的密信中寫道：「金人所畏服者惟飛，至以父呼之，諸酋聞其死，酌酒相賀。」

;明代評價

明太祖認為聖賢英烈的神靈至上、不能加封，明初至景泰年間均承祖制並未加封過任何一位聖賢英烈的神祇，故將岳飛入祀歷代帝王廟配享宋太祖。明神宗加封三界靖魔大帝忠孝廟法天尊岳聖帝君。

;清人評價

王夫之評價：「岳飛之能取中原與否，非所敢知也；其獲譽于士大夫之口，感動于流俗之心，正恐其不能勝任之在此也。受命秉鉞，以軀命與勁敵爭死生，樞機之制，豈談笑慰藉、苞苴牘竿之小智，以得悠悠之歡慕者所可任哉。」

康熙帝也曾欽賜給岳飛23世裔孫、刑部掌印岳鎮九伴朝鑾駕和蟒服。

乾隆帝多次造訪杭州岳飛墓，並且親自撰寫《岳武穆論》，還題對聯一副：「兩言臣則師千古，百戰兵威震一時」。

;現代評價

中華人民共和國官方認定岳飛為民族英雄。2002年，中華人民共和國教育部也對網絡上流傳岳飛不再是民族英雄的說法進行了澄清，稱岳飛在中國曆史上歷來被認為是民族英雄，從20世紀50年代後期以來，在中小學的歷史教學大綱和教材中，對岳飛的評價都是一貫的，不存在重新定義岳飛是否是「民族英雄」的問題。

爭議

殺岳飛者為宋高宗

錢穆的《國史大綱》認為「高宗決心對內加強統治，而無意于對外恢復」，所以「岳飛不得不殺，韓世忠不得不廢」。岳飛統帥全國五分之三兵力後，金人慾立欽宗之子為傀儡，岳飛莽撞請求高宗早日解決皇位繼承人問題，乞請正皇子（後來之宋孝宗）之名，以定民心，沮金人之謀。高宗當時不悅：「握重兵于外，此事非卿所當預也」。《帝國政界往事》提出觀點，認為下令殺岳飛者其實是高宗，岳飛觸犯了皇家最大的忌諱：手握重兵的武將對皇位繼承感興趣，令皇帝相信他野心太大，遂起殺心。此外，《中國人的歷史誤讀》認為岳飛主張「迎請二帝還朝」，威脅到高宗的地位，才是他被殺的原因。脫脫等於《宋史·岳飛傳》論曰：「高宗忍自棄其中原，故忍殺飛。」

但是，宋徽宗早已去世，岳飛也早已改稱欽宗父子為「天眷」「丙午元子」，及其請求立太子的行為都表達了他只忠于高宗及其繼承人，高宗也曾讓岳飛與建國公即後來的孝宗相見。此外，文官婁寅亮、趙鼎乃至比岳飛職權更高的武臣張浚等也都曾倡議立太子，但都被視為忠臣得到嘉獎，婁寅亮更因此得到升遷。

滿江紅作詞者

岳飛之孫岳珂所編《金佗粹編·家集》中沒有收錄滿江紅一詞，被現代部分學者懷疑是偽作或託名之作，引發正反辯證。宋遼金史專家鄧廣銘與王曾瑜、李安等則考據岳飛確有作《滿江紅》。王克等人認為詞中賀蘭山指河北西路磁州賀蘭山，正於對金戰場。

民族英雄爭議

對於岳飛是否屬於民族英雄，各界有不同說法：

有學者認為古代中國發展出的「華夷之辨」自成體系，與西方民族主義不同。區別「華夷」的標準在於是否遵循「禮治」以及是否接受「先進文明」的教化，與其居住地和部落族群無關，華夏和四夷的界線是以生活習慣與政治形態而不是以血統劃分。遼朝遼道宗亦以契丹之出身而自視為「中華」，以「禮法」、「文物」作為區分「中華與夷」的標準，遼道宗說：「上世獯鬻、獫狁，盪無禮法，故謂之夷。吾修文物彬彬，不異中華，何嫌之有！」，可見「中華」在當時並非現代的民族或種族概念，而是文化概念。南宋學者葉適在給皇帝的奏摺中說：「中原者我之地，中華者我之名，報復仇恥者我之義」，葉適以「中華」為南宋人命名，但其涵義同樣無關「民族」。亦有學者說，一個人是否「民族英雄」，最基本的前提是此人對民族必須要有主觀認同，然而包括岳飛在內的南宋人的「中華」是一種「文明共同體」，而非「民族（種族）共同體」；既無「民族認同」，岳飛自然不屬於民族英雄。

亦有說法指出「民族概念」的第一種釋義是「基于『共同祖先語言或歷史』而組成的領土國家」，按此釋義岳飛自然是「民族英雄」；而「民族」的第二種釋義是來源自德文「Volk」和「Nation」的翻譯，德國哲學家約翰·戈特弗里德·赫爾德主張的「Volk」概念，其核心是將「民族」視為一個擁有共同語言、歷史、文化的民族共同體，他將民族定義為「民族是一個具有獨特語言和文化的共同體」。強調文化的一體性，較之于他者（異人種、異民族、異國民）而言，自然易用文化或文明概念來區別和劃分自我與他者的優劣，「語言、歷史、文化的共同體」本身就是「用文化或文明概念來區別和劃分自我與他者」，換言之，所謂「文明共同體」本身就是德國源流的「民族」，說只有「文明共同體」而無「民族共同體」等于說「民族」不是「民族」是自我否認，是將同一內涵的概念冠上不同名字試圖用其中一個否定另一個的做法，有如「白馬非馬」，指出當時南宋人的「中華」、「華夏」文明共同體即是「民族」共同體。

共青團中央有評論文章指，自宋代以來，岳飛的英雄地位從未被少數民族所質疑過，對他的英雄敘事也不存在民族矛盾。宋後由少數民族建立的元清兩朝也對岳飛表示了最高敬意，把他當作中國各族共同的精神偶像。文章又指出，「民族英雄」是一個近現代概念，「岳飛的民族英雄地位在民族英雄這個概念誕生之初，就受到全國人民的廣泛認同。反過來將他否定，既不符合歷史的客觀實際，也一定不會為絕大多數中國人民的情感所接受，認為用近現代中國的標準去套用古代中國的人物，無疑是機械式的，荒唐程度堪比責備古人為什麼不能建立社會主義中國……對於各民族的成就貢獻，一概予以肯定，而對各民族統治者的倒行逆施，也一概予以否定，一視同仁……既不要大漢族主義，也不要地方民族主義。」又認為無論從哪個角度來說，對岳飛的否定都是沒有道理。「中華民族的形成是一個長期的過程，在這個過程中，縱然是一個家庭都能形成彼此的諒解默契，何況是一個國家，一個文化和命運上的共同體。」岳飛對中國人和中國文化的影響力沒有隨著時間的流逝而淡去，反而歷久彌新，認為他是中國最偉大的古代英雄人物之一，認為岳飛是中華民族的民族英雄。

軼事典故

• 岳飛在宗澤軍中時顯示出對野戰的不同一般的愛好，宗澤擔心他將來要吃虧：「爾勇智才藝，古良將不能過，然好野戰，非萬全計。」因而授岳飛以陣法。岳飛由此說出一句軍事名言：「陣而後戰，兵法之常，運用之妙，存乎一心。」

• 岳飛在宗澤軍中保持對金兵不敗的記錄。在上書宋高宗而被黃潛善和汪伯彥開除軍籍後，岳飛投奔河北西路招撫司張所，張所曾問起：「聞汝從宗留守，勇冠軍，汝自料能敵人幾何？」岳飛以「上兵伐謀，次兵伐交」的道理答：「勇不足恃也，用兵在先定謀。謀者，勝負之機也，故為將之道，不患其無勇，而患其無謀。」張所的評論是：「公殆非行伍中人也！」

• 宋高宗曾感嘆：「天下未太平。」岳飛由此說出一句廣為流傳的話「文臣不愛錢，武臣不惜命，天下當太平」。

• 岳飛家鄉湯陰淪陷，對金人有家仇國恨，心中所思以軍務為主總想收複黃河以北的故土（湯陰雖屬于今河南省，但歷史上一直在黃河以北），因此對女色不太感興趣。湯陰淪陷後，原配劉氏在戰亂中「兩經更嫁」，成為韓世忠前護軍中「一擁押之妻」。岳飛後又娶李娃為妻，維持一夫一妻，一直到被害。1134年夏，岳飛率軍攻取襄陽時，宋廷命令吳玠牽制陝西一帶的金軍，以免金軍增援襄陽。吳玠派一位屬官去鄂州的岳飛大營商洽軍務。岳飛宴請這位來使。這位使臣發現岳飛設宴別無姬妾、歌童、舞女之類作陪和勸酒，頗感驚訝，回蜀後便告訴了吳玠。吳玠大為吃驚，馬上以兩千貫錢的高價，在四川買了一位仕宦之家出身的美貌女子，派兩名使臣的妻子把她送到鄂州，獻給岳飛。岳飛為避嫌，把這個女子安置在一間空屋，隔著屏風問：「某家上下所衣䌷布耳，所食齏面耳。女娘子若能如此同甘苦，乃可留，不然，不敢留。」結果此女被退回四川。

• 岳飛部將畢進，是宋孝宗時的名將畢再遇的父親。

• 岳飛軍中有孟安和其子孟林，是南宋末年名將孟珙的曾祖父和祖父。

• 岳飛在《良馬對》中以高宗賜馬兩匹為對照，建錚高宗應以良馬（忠臣）之言為上，駑馬（奸臣）之言為下，令高宗大為稱讚。

後世紀念

下列各地建有紀念建築：

• 宜興岳飛生祠，在宜興東廟巷周將軍廟內，建於1130年8月，為最早之岳廟。1939年被日本軍機炸毀。

• 靖江岳王廟——江蘇省靖江市生祠鎮，為岳飛生祠，第二座岳廟。

• 杭州岳王廟——浙江杭州西湖棲霞嶺南麓，也是岳飛墓地。

• 安陽湯陰岳飛廟——安陽湯陰城東15公里，是岳飛故里所在地，規模宏大，為三大岳廟之一。

• 朱仙鎮岳飛廟——河南開封南20公里。

• 武漢武昌黃鶴樓後有岳飛塑像、石碑，紀念岳飛鎮守武昌。

• 湖南衡東縣沈陂村的岳氏後裔自發籌集資金興建「岳飛紀念館」。

• 中華民國海軍成功級巡防艦4號艦岳飛號PFG-1106是一艘以岳飛來命名的軍艦

• 台灣臺南市後壁區嘉苳里，於清初建立旌忠廟，主祀「岳府元帥」與岳家軍十位元帥。岳飛思想研究會會長，岳飛第28代嫡孫岳朝軍，於2001年蒞臨訪問，認定為臺灣岳王首廟。

• 台灣嘉義縣新港鄉大潭村精忠廟，主祀岳飛

• 台灣台北市林森公園內設有岳飛銅像，其基座題字為「岳武穆王銅像」與「還我河山」。

• 台灣雲林縣虎尾鎮的持法媽祖宮內的「石雕園」中設有岳飛雕像。

• 台灣台南縣仁德鄉岳王廟

• 台灣屏東縣林邊鄉岳王廟

• 台灣澎湖縣精忠廟

• 台灣台中縣大里市武聖岳王廟

• 台灣嘉義市林森東、西路與忠孝路口，設有岳飛銅像。

• 台灣宜蘭縣宜蘭市城隍街，建有岳廟碧霞宮。

• 台灣新竹市新竹關帝廟，旁有岳武穆王廟，主祀岳武穆王。

• 香港銅鑼灣岳王古廟，香港唯一以奉祀岳飛的廟宇。

家庭

;曾祖輩父母兄弟

• 曾祖：岳成

• 曾祖母：楊氏

• 祖：岳立

• 祖母：許氏

• 叔：岳睦

• 父：岳和

• 母：姚氏

• 弟：岳翻

;婚姻

岳飛一生結婚兩次，第一次在15歲結婚，妻子劉氏，婚後1年，生了岳雲；婚後8年，生了岳雷。後來因為岳飛在外當兵，家庭貧困，家鄉湯陰縣被金國占據，劉氏最終撇下了兩名兒子改嫁。岳飛第二次結婚是在26至27歲時，妻子李娃，為岳飛生了岳霖、岳震和岳霆。1175年，75歲的李娃在江州病逝。

;子

• 岳雲 ，岳飛長子。年十二，從張憲戰，多得其力，軍中呼曰「贏官人」。飛征伐，未嘗不與。終左武大夫，提舉醴泉觀。後與岳飛論罪，棄市。死年二十三。孝宗時與岳飛復元官，以禮袝葬。

• 岳雷，岳飛次子。

• 岳霖，岳飛三子，終官敖文閣侍制、朝散大夫、廣南東路經略安撫使兼知廣州事、充馬步軍都總管、以敖文閣侍制致仕、贈中散大夫。

• 岳震，岳飛四子。

• 岳霆，岳飛五子。

;女

• 岳安娘，嫁高祚

• 岳銀瓶，一說其本名為岳孝娥，是否有次女存有疑義，可能為後世杜撰。南宋皆無此女記載，至元朝才開始形成岳銀瓶故事。另查岳珂《岳忠武行實》：「先臣妻李氏，歷授楚國夫人。臣雲，先臣長子也；臣雷，臣霖，臣震、臣霆……先臣女安娘適高祚。隆興元年，詔補祚承信郎。」中記載，並無此姑母。另傳婚配岳飛愛將張憲，《昭雪廟諡》中提及張憲有四子，「子張敵萬訟冤，詔復張憲原觀察使，四子各與補官。」顯然早已成家生子，和傳說13歲投井死亡的岳銀瓶更無關係。

;孫

• 岳甫，岳雲之子。

• 岳申，岳雲之子。

• 岳珂，岳霖之子。

• 岳大娘，岳雲之女。

後世

• 李之蘭，岳霆五世孫之子。

• 岳鍾琪，岳飛二十一世孫，清代將領。

文藝形象

;忠孝

在所有故事中，岳飛被同時描繪為一個文武雙全的完美軍人與恪守儒家道德之模範。這些故事有的強調他與生俱來的民族主義精神，如虛構「岳母刺字」，其母通過在他的背上刺「盡忠報國」四個字，讓他銘記國仇家恨。這個民間杜撰的故事也體現了他的「孝道」，在「家國同構」的中國古代社會有特殊寓意。《s:三朝北盟㑹編 (四庫全書本)/卷144》記載岳飛殺舅挖心的故事：岳飛以通泰州鎮撫使方退屯於江陰軍。戊申被命，已本進發。癸丑到宜興，取老小到徽州。有百姓訴其舅姚某搔擾。飛白其母。責之曰：「舅所為如此。有累於飛。飛能容。恐軍情與軍法不能容。」母亦苦勸而止。他日，飛與兵官押馬，舅亦同徒。舅出飛馬前而馳約數十步，引弓滿，回身射飛，中共鞍轎。飛鄧馬，逐舅擒下馬，令王貴張憲捉其手，自取佩刀破其心，然後碎割之歸。白其母。母曰：「我鍾愛此弟，何遽如此。」飛曰：「若一箭或上或下，則飛死矣。為舅所殺，母雖欲一日安，不可得也。所以中鞍轎者，乃天相飛也。今日不殺舅，他日必為舅所害，故不如殺之。」母意亦解。

;軍事

有的故事強調他的軍事天才，在《岳家軍》等民間文學作品中，岳家軍餓死不搶糧，凍死不拆屋，令行禁止，甚至讓敵人也有「撼山易，撼岳家軍難」之感嘆。他出師百戰百勝，朱仙鎮大捷，將金兵打得一敗塗地。幾乎所有作品都著重描繪了他的個人悲劇，並把它和民族命運相聯繫。

;政治

這些描寫的共同範式如下：在戰局順利，本可直搗金國黃龍府之情況下，岳飛被南宋皇帝趙構十二道金字牌招回，又被以「莫須有」之罪名處死。這些描寫體現了中國社會不自覺的「泛道德化」傾向，即用道德標準評價政治事件，將政治矛盾描繪為政治人物「忠」、「奸」的道德衝突。

值得一提的是，岳飛被誣陷至死而寧死不反，體現了儒家的忠君之道，也同時為這些作品所肯定。明代架空歷史小說話本《黃龍府》將歷史改寫為岳飛打敗金朝軍隊，「直搗黃龍」。《水滸傳》也有類似冤屈與忠誠的命題。

戲曲

• 元雜劇：一為孔文卿所作《地藏王證東窗事犯》（簡名《東窗事犯》）；二為無名氏所作《宋大將岳飛精忠》（簡名《岳飛精忠》）。

• 明 姚茂良所作傳奇《岳武穆精忠記》，此劇由明初無名氏《岳飛破虜東窗記》改編而成。

• 明 李梅實原作、馮夢龍改定的傳奇《精忠旗》。

• 清康熙年間 《如是觀》傳奇（一名《翻精忠》、《倒精忠》）。

小說

• 熊大木著《大宋中興通俗演義岳王傳》

• 錢彩著《說岳全傳》

評書

• 劉蘭芳《岳飛傳》

• 杭州評話《岳飛傳》

• 杭州評話《眾安橋》

• 揚州評話王麗堂《水滸》

影視

• 1940年《岳飛》香港新中國影片公司（吳楚帆飾）

• 1962年《岳飛出世》香港寶寶影業公司（洪金寶飾童年岳飛，羽佳飾成年岳飛）

• 1976年《民間傳奇之岳飛》香港無線電視單元劇（江文聲飾）

• 1984年《十二金牌》香港亞洲電視30集電視劇（岳華飾）

• 1986年《盜日英雄傳》新加坡30集電視劇（夏川飾）

• 1988年《八千里路雲和月》台灣中華電視公司40集電視劇（何家勁飾）

• 1992年《滿江紅》浙江電視台6集電視劇（樊志起飾）

• 1994年《岳飛傳》香港亞洲電視20集電視劇（徐少強飾）

• 1997年《孝感動天》香港無線電視翡翠台單元劇（黎漢持飾）

• 2013年《精忠岳飛》中國電影集團公司69集電視劇（黃曉明飾）

• 2016年《驚天岳雷》山東影視傳媒集團有限公司48集電視劇（于榮光飾）

動畫

• 2011年《少年岳飛傳奇》上海美術電影製片廠動畫電影

• 2012年《中華德育故事·岳飛報國》內蒙古東聯動漫公司動畫短劇

• 2013年《少年岳飛》濟南海水科技有限公司動畫電影

歌曲

• 《精忠報國》屠洪剛及歌詞滿江紅

樂曲

• 《臨安遺恨》，1990年由中阮演奏家林吉良創作，原為中阮獨奏曲，後被著名作曲家何占豪先後改編成中阮、琵琶和古箏協奏曲，其中以古箏曲最為出名