Conflicts & Resolutions · Revolt

Red Eyebrows

18–27 · 1st century

The Red Eyebrows were a peasant rebel movement that rose in Shandong around 18 CE against Wang Mang's Xin dynasty, its fighters painting their eyebrows red to tell friend from foe. In 25 they enthroned a Han descendant, Liu Penzi, and took and sacked Chang'an. Starving and exhausted, they surrendered in 27 to Emperor Guangwu, founder of the Eastern Han.

Red Eyebrows
Image: drs2biz · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Xin dynasty

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Red Eyebrows. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/red-eyebrows
MLA
“Red Eyebrows.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/red-eyebrows. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Red Eyebrows.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/red-eyebrows.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Red Eyebrows’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/red-eyebrows (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻