 Zhang Te was from Zhuo Commandery (), which is around present-day Zhuozhou, Hebei.He started his career as an Officer of the Standard () under the Wei general Zhuge Dan, who held the appointment of General Who Guards the East () from 251 to 252.After Guanqiu Jian took over the position of General Who Guards the East from Zhuge Dan, he put Zhang Te in charge of guarding Xincheng (新城; literally "new city"), a fortress at Hefei.