# Before service and the recorded character: summary

The biography records origins, early life, associates’ judgments and the meeting with Liu Bei.

https://sakimyto.com/en/classics/zhuge-liang/chapter-01-before-service-and-the-recorded-character

## Source and summary

[Zhuge Liang · Before service and the recorded character](https://zh.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=%E4%B8%89%E5%9C%8B%E5%BF%97/%E5%8D%B735&oldid=2115776)

> 諸葛亮字孔明，琅邪陽都人也。漢司隸校尉諸葛豐後也。父圭，字君貢，漢末為太山郡丞。亮早孤，從父玄為袁術所署豫章太守，玄將亮及亮弟均之官。會漢朝更選朱皓代玄。玄素與荊州牧劉表有舊，往依…

The biography records origins, early life, associates’ judgments and the meeting with Liu Bei.

## Editorial interpretation

The example below adapts this chapter’s questions to modern work. Evaluate it against the actual purpose and conditions; ancient politics, warfare or ethics do not establish business results.

## Business application

Separate reputation, decisions and conduct when assessing someone for a defined role.

1. Choose one relevant case and record its objective, available resources, verified facts and unknowns.
2. Compare options using this chapter’s perspective; choose a limited trial, owner, deadline and a measure to assess the result.

Deliverable: A comparison using before service and the recorded character, with conditions for acting or declining.

## Limits

The summary selects main points rather than translating every sentence. The example is not a demonstrated business method; check it against stakeholders’ conditions and actual evidence.

## Validation question

How does this chapter’s perspective change the selected option or priority, and what further evidence could change the decision?

[Zhuge Liang: strategy and fair standards](https://sakimyto.com/en/classics/zhuge-liang)

[This material](https://sakimyto.com/classics-data/entries/zhuge-liang/chapter-01-before-service-and-the-recorded-character.en.md)

Updated: 2026-10-13 · v1.0.0