Zhou Yafu (simplified Chinese: 周亚夫; traditional Chinese: 周亞夫; pinyin: Zhōu Yàfū) (died c.143 BC) was a Chinese military general and politician of the Western Han dynasty who put down the Rebellion of the Seven States, but later he was arrested and imprisoned by Emperor Jing for treason. Zhou Yafu committed suicide by starving himself in prison.

Zhou's father, Zhou Bo, was one of Liu Bang's generals during the Chu-Han Contention and participated in the ascension to the throne by Emperor Jing's father Emperor Wen. Zhou Bo was created the Marquess of Jiang. After Zhou Bo died in 169 BC, his son and Zhou Yafu's older brother Zhou Shengzhi (周勝之) inherited the march, but after one year he was accused of murder and executed. In his stead, Zhou Yafu was created a marquess, but of a different march (Tiao). Later Zhou was made the governor of the Commandery of Taiyuan (around modern Taiyuan, Shanxi).

In 158 BC, when Xiongnu made a major incursion into the Commanderies of Shang (modern northern Shaanxi) and Yunzhong (modern western Inner Mongolia), Emperor Wen made a visit to the camps of armies preparing to defend the capital Chang'an against a potential Xiongnu attack. It was on this occasion that he became impressed with Zhou as a military commander—compared to the other generals, who, upon the emperor's arrival, stopped what they were doing and did what they could to make the emperor feel welcome. In contrast, Zhou remained on military alert and required the imperial guards to submit to proper military order before he would allow the imperial train to enter. Later, Emperor Wen would leave instructions for Crown Prince Liu Qi that if military emergencies arose, he should make Zhou his commander of armed forces.

After Crown Prince Qi became emperor (as Emperor Jing) in 157 BC, a military emergency did arise. Concerned that the princes of collateral lines of the imperial clan were becoming overly powerful, Emperor Jing, based on the advice of Chao Cuo, attempted to reduce the size of the principalities. Seven principalities, led by the powerful principalities of Wu (modern southern Jiangsu, northern Zhejiang, southern Anhui, and northern Jiangxi) and Chu (modern northern Jiangsu and northern Anhui) rebelled in a war later known as the Rebellion of the Seven States.

In accordance with Emperor Wen's instructions, Emperor Jing made Zhou the commander of the armed forces. At that time, the Wu and Chu forces were fiercely attacking the Principality of Liang (modern eastern Henan), whose prince Liu Wu was Emperor Jing's younger brother.

Emperor Jing ordered Zhou to immediately head to Liang to save the principality. Zhou refused to specifically follow that instruction, reasoning that the proper strategy would involve first cutting off the Wu and Chu supply lines, thus starving them. So he headed to the north-east of Liang and around the Wu and Chu forces to cut off their supplies.

The strategy was effective. Wu and Chu, unable to capture Liang quickly and realizing that their supplies were dwindling, headed north-east to attack Zhou. After being unable to get a decisive victory against Zhou, the Wu and Chu forces collapsed from starvation. Liu Pi fled to Donghai, but the citizens killed him and sought peace with Han. Liu Wu, the prince of Chu, committed suicide. The other principalities involved were all eventually defeated.

Zhou's effective strategy was praised and admired by the other generals, but not by the wealthy Prince Wu or his powerful mother, the empress dowager Dou, who would bear a grudge against Zhou for the rest of their lives because of Zhou's refusal to save him first.