An important polarity in the Chinese mind and world is that of wen文and wu武. Wen suggests pattern, culture, the literary, the civil; wu suggests vigor, action, the martial. Although in principle there is a recognition of the need for the balance and harmony of these qualities, in actuality the Chinese tradition is one in which wen has dominated, with a distinct tension between the two forces. This paper will review various attitudes and approaches towards wen and wu as depicted in T’ang fiction. The genre of T’ang fiction is a particularly revealing and fascinating forum because of its personal and informal nature. While at the political level the opposition of wen and wu may involve foreign policy decisions, in fiction it may express concern with the question of who wins the girl, a man of wen or a man of wu. In fiction one will find a number of attitudes towards wu expressed by the wen-jen文人, the authors of these tales. In addition to the expected dominance of wen over wu, there is also a defense and celebration of, retreat to and even a longing for wu, as well as attempts to work out a sort of order and balance. This study focuses particularly upon stories in which there occurs a triangle: a wen-jen, a wu-figure and a heroine. The pattern can be employed in several ways, but in general the appearance of the wu-figure acts as a counter-balance to the wen-figure. These T’ang stories express fundamental insights into the nature and place of wen and wu in society, as well as an awareness of their relative strengths and weaknesses.