Zhou Chu was born in 242 and died in 297, both his grandfather and father being the official of the Wu State during the Three Kingdoms Period.

Zhou Chu became an orphan at an early age. As a teenager he was stronger than most people and fond of hunting. He indulged in doing whatever he preferred, riding roughshod over local villagers, who then called him one of the "three harms" together with the fierce tiger in the Nanshan Mountain and the ferocious dragon in Changqiao. When heard about this, Zhou Chu learnt that he had been abhorred by the villagers. Hence he went into the deep mountain to shot the tiger and jumped into the river to fight against the dragon. For three days and nights, he finally managed to kill the dragon, after chasing after it for dozens of miles.

Thereafter, Zhou Chu mended his ways and started anew. He studied hard and learnt from the great scholars Lu Ji and Lu Yun. Finally he became well versed in both polite letters and martial arts.