The Three Kingdoms (AD 220–280), a tripartite division between the states of Wei (魏), Shu (蜀), and Wu (吳), To further distinguish the three states from other historical Chinese states of the same name, historians have added a relevant character: Wei is also known as Cao Wei (曹魏), Shu is also known as Shu Han (蜀漢), and Wu is also known as Dong (or Eastern) Wu (東吳).