#Zheng Bei be like no no not that one

[movielosophy]

The First Shot | Who wants to team up with Yao Yao?

[lunarriviera]

hi hey hello i have started watching a new crime drama and I AM OBSESSED. it's called 雪迷宫 or, for some reason, The First Shot, although it should be more properly Snow Maze. it's a period piece set in 1997 and it's produced by ZHANG YIMOU which must be why the production values are actually good??? anyway i am here to tell you all about it and why you should be watching it okay here we go

first of all there's a big hot dumb cop, zheng bei. yes that's huang jingyu and you might not like him because of his apparently quite sketchy personal life but all i care about in this case is that he's tall, and thoughtful, and a police captain who's protective of his people and a little bit of an idiot. my catnip tbh. (i guess he was in addicted too? somehow breaking the you-can-only-be-in-one-BL rule?)

(ETA that by "dumb" of course he's not dumb at all, only by comparison; cf. my own stupid meta on this fascinating topic)

then there's an effete genius consultant, gu yiran (wang ziqi), who knows everything there is to know about drugs. he comes from the south to help these ignorant northerners form an anti-narcotics unit. he's such a massive nerd, the team doesn't like him until they realize that he runs 10k every morning and can outrun motorcycles and is actually quite useful. then suddenly it's no longer "gu-laoshi" but is all "ran-ge" this and "ran-ge" that. he can't dance for shit. i adore him.

there's a superb seven-samurai style Assembling The Team sequence in which this cop is brought in as the muscle. Her nickname is mad dog yao and she kicks the ass of an entire club at one point. we love her. her only problem is that, not unlike zhang haixing in tibetan sea flower, she will in fact fight a wall. here's gu yiran's face after a drug dealer mistakenly underestimates her and she stomps on him.

one of my favorite things about this drama so far is how poor the police are. it's 1997 in a dinky northern precinct and these cops ain't got shit. no computers. rudimentary cellphones. barely any forenic analysis, and most of that is on pieces of paper. no bullpen. no interrogation rooms. they have to interview suspects at their desks.

captain zheng is so underpaid he can't even afford a real pointer for his situation board, he has to go outside and get a literal stick.

drives his dad's chicken delivery van. has to slam himself against the front door to open it. everything about this is absolutely perfect.

i'm only on episode 7 but this shit is already brotastic. please behold:

yes that is an actual line from the show. yes gu yiran has to live with captain zheng, they can't afford fancy accommodations for him. turns out there's a trundle bed made out of paper clips but that's okay, they still get plenty of cosy domestic time together.

and that's also what i already love about this drama—in spite of being about anti-narcotics, it's also very slice of life, very daily city life, with meals and neighbors and friends and family and did i mention food, there is so much eating in this drama. it's gorgeous. also i'm improving my colloquial chinese by leaps and bounds.

of course you are you stupid service top, now take care of the baby.

and those are just some of the reasons why you should be watching the first shot, which is funny and suspenseful and unexpectedly brainy and well-cast and has beautiful opening credits. there are 19 episodes on youku's youtube channel right now and the subs are shockingly high quality. i'm hooked, and also so mad at my day job because i can't just binge it, pls join me in this handbasket

[hidey-writes]

wip wednesday

There’s a quiet murmur of sound in the room, movement and conversation. Gu Yiran waits, lets it wash over him until he can make sense of it. Two people speaking in low voices, the occasional lilt into a question before the sound dips back down into [murmuring]. Ding Guozhu, and Zhang Xiaoguang. The quiet metal sound of a thermos opening, and Ding Guozhu’s voice cuts out for a moment.  Zheng Bei’s voice isn’t there.  Neither is Yaoyao’s, Gu Yiran reminds himself.   It’s only that — The last thing Gu Yiran remembers, concretely, with any certainty, is Zheng Bei. The look on Zheng Bei’s face, bursting in through the door, the way his expression changed when he saw Gu Yiran, something almost frantic in his eyes. The very last thing Gu Yiran remembers is the shape of Gu Yiran’s name in Zheng Bei’s mouth — not Gu-laoshi, for once, but Gu Yiran. To Gu Yiran’s right, the door to the hospital room unlatches.  Ding Guozhu and Zhang Xiaoguang’s conversation quiets as the door swings open. First, Yaoyao’s voice, “I bet you’re all starving! Lao Jiu—” and then footsteps coming toward Gu Yiran’s hospital bed, too light and quick to be Zheng Bei’s. There’s a hurried shushing from the corner. The door closes too fast to admit a second person.  Gu Yiran’s eyes are already open. He’s already disappointed.

from the third draft! hopefully the penultimate draft - at least the one scene i have drafted feels like it's only about a draft worth of revision from being done, so i'm optimistic. i'm trying a new thing where i am simultaneously constructing the "outline" / very chaotic list of events by scene for the third draft while also starting to write it. i think i'm liking it so far.

[thelaithlyworm]

So I started watching The First Shot | Snow Maze because some tumblr moots were screaming about it (this is the way) and it's been interesting so far. Aaaaah, it's a cop show -- there's a city in Northeast China facing an influx of meth dealing, they have no expertise in this and so recruit an expert from warmer climes, a bespectacled young professor.

I found the first two eps okay but not particularly gripping, and then I got to ep 3 which is almost entirely our new team getting to know each other and I think I'm in for the long haul now.

It's just so very... so very Not Glossy in its cinematography. Desaturated colours, if someone wears a uniform it ain't flattering, the furniture fits awkwardly in its spaces, there's, there's background noise from other rooms during conversational scenes. Got a strong 'there is a documentary team quietly filming this in real-time' vibe to a lot of it.

And. And it's set in the fucking 90s. The clothes, the equipment, the little sister in High Fashion with her big earrings and blow-dried hair. This is a cop show set in a country I do not live in which I must read subtitles to understand and I Am Drowning In Nostalgia Right Now. Kind of a dizzying experience.

I can see why Zheng Bei (one of the male leads) is the team leader, too. He's bluff, solid, reliable, down-to-earth -- but we also see him soothing feelings when there's a culture clash with their Southern Expert and being quietly kind to the Expert in turn. He's got interpersonal skills without making a show of it, you feel me? Quietly kind. Seems like the kind of CO who'll turn up to underlings' five-year-old daughters' dance recitals for decades to come.

Early Verdict: would recommend.

[superwholockian93]

Still thinking about how the show is well aware and purposefully allows so many shipping moments while fully skirting censorship. Zheng Bei slept on the adjacent bed in the hospital for 2 days waiting for Gu Yiran to wake up but it actually shows from when Zheng Bei gets up and leaves so we don't SEE him do it but we know he DID. The flowers were actually *not* from Nan but Zheng Bei who himself says "cuz he wanted Gu Yiran to have more light in room?"

Or that 'might as well call Teacher Gu Zheng Yiran instead' like??? They were using it to tease Nan but you know WHY they are saying it

Or the classic trope used with romantic couple where one seemingly falls into danger (Zheng Bei "falling" off the terrace) and the romantic interest waking up from sleep/nightmare/shouting as a premonition (Gu Yiran waking up on the hospital bed)

[hideyseek]

the STAGING of this oh my god???? gu yiran is the one uninjured, the one still armed. li wenlong's just been shot in like, the stomach, he threw his handgun at zheng bei earlier in a last-ditch attempt to get him to stop chasing him.

and yet: the one we see physically backed into a corner is gu yiran, not li wenlong. because!! with li wenlong's next line, "don't you want to know where your dad is?" gu yiran is metaphorically backed into a corner as well, and the staging is just there to reinforce that for the viewer!

[creativeafterdark]

Chapter 9 and 10

Heyo folks taking a @journeythroughjourneytothewest

Had to take a break from book club last week, burn out was very bad. But I've had a week to relax, celebrated my birthday and slept most of the day lol. Let's get back into Journey to the West

First: Chapter 9.

We finally meet our Monk and learn the story of his family!

We don't spend a lot of time learning about them (minus his Dad, gets a thumbs up from me. Kind to all and easy going enough to be like "I got hit by a ball-- oh I'm married now? Okay cool". Like talk about a shotgun wedding), but we do see little bits that remind me of our Monk. He does share his kindness with his Dad, and I genuinely think his anxiety is from his mom. I'll talk about her in a minute because she is a whole other thing.

My one question is... wouldn't other officials notice that Liu Hong, essentially becoming Chen E, had no idea what he was doing??? He went on business trips, did no one recognize he wasn't who he said he was????? I mean you would think anyone who took the exams with him who got positions would be like "uh... that's not him tf??". Or they just did not care. Who knows at this point. Apparently he had Six Eared Macaque level disguise skill, rolled a nat 20 in bullshitery.

Now. Lady Yin. The poor lady went through hell for over 18 years. She had to watch her husband get murdered, had to abandon her baby, and had to play wife to a murderer. Even when her husband came back... I'm not surprised she still ended up passing. That's a lot of guilt (and I'm sure Liu Hong was not kind to her) on her mind for a LONG period of time, nearly two decades. I wish there was a happy ending for the family but I get why it ended how it did, knowing what depression and anxiety can do to people.

Now our baby Monk. Our Xuanzang. I am so proud of him for being as brave as he was. This recently turned 18 year old did everything he could to help his family. Licking his grandma's eyeballs was...a choice. But it was for a good cause so good on him. I can see why he was a good choice as the Scroll Pilgrim.

And as promised, a sketch of Xuanzang

And as a bonus baby Monk with a doggo

But now we move to Chapter 10.

...I legit got annoyed going thru the debate between the fisherman and woodman. Like it went on far longer than it should have. I'm sure there was a profound moment that we're supposed to glean from it but I just wasn't receptive to it. Maybe I'll read it again.

Anyway.

I have been doing some looking into of Chinese historical heroes (I desperately want to read Romance of the three kingdoms, and I need more reading material about folk heroes and heroines) so seeing some references to the stuff I learned made me happy. There was mention of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang and the painting of The Emporer's Generals on the doors (supposedly the Tang dynasty is where this practice was first used. A few three kingdom folks also get this treatment as door gods, or menshen, along with other important heroes and deities. Makes me wonder if the Emperor essentially deified his Generals and Wei Zheng. How does Heaven handle that?)

Fun fact! In my jttw x mythology story Wukong will work with Asena, mythical wolf mother of the Ashina Clan of Gokturks. Guess which dynasty of China had to deal with them a lot? :)

Anyway.

I've also come to the conclusion that Dragons just like to fuck around and find out. Like, the Dragon King just goes against heaven's orders to spite a very accurate fortune teller, does not even THINK of the consequences, and is surprised Pikachu face when he gets in trouble. Also not sure why he thought appealing to an earthly emporer would save him from THE SUPREME DAOIST DEITY'S JUDGMENT. Like, y'all, I'm beginning to think dragons just don't give a crap or just don't think. Got what he deserved for being dumb. Did the emporer make promises he shouldn't have? No doubt, you don't promise supernatural beings anything because it will make you want to die if they catch wind of you breaking promises, regardless of nationality. Did he deserve what he got? .... I mean historically probably but in the sense of this story, no.

I find the Tang dynasty interesting (because it gave us a certain Empress and had some fun female warriors, like Taizong's sister, who helped her father found the dynasty) and I can definitely thank jttw for getting my attention about it.

I think that's all I have as far as thoughts. And I apologize if my rambles just jumped around too much lol.

Over and out ✌️

[the-archlich]

In the Romance, virtually everyone tells Xuande that the Yiling invasion is a bad idea -- not just guys like Qiao Zhou (whose role in the Romance is just to be the cowardly guy in Xuande's court that always objects to any fighting) but even Kongming. Is that just more fluffing of Kongming from the novel, or did he really register objections?

It does seem like Zhuge Liang was against it. I couldn't track down a direct statement from him in his biography (didn't feel like doing all the work) but this passage from Fa Zheng's makes it pretty clear.

When Xiānzhǔ had just taken Imperial Title, and was about to campaign east against Sūn Quán to avenge the disgrace of Guān Yǔ, most of the officials remonstrated, but he would not listen to a single one. Zhāngwǔ second year [222], the main army was heavily defeated, and returned to station at Báidì. [Zhūgě] Liàng sighed and said: “if Fǎ Xiàozhí were still here, then he would have been able to hold back our ruler, and have him not go east, but even if we had gone east, then it certainly would not have been this much of a disaster.”

The statement here indicates that Zhuge Liang did not want Liu Bei to go on the campaign ("he would have been able to hold back our ruler, and have him not go east") and was among the many officials who objected.

The campaign wasn't inherently a bad idea, though. If Liu Bei could seize Yidu, he'd have a foothold in Jing once again and could possibly negotiate for more of the territory. For example, much of Wuling was occupied by hostile locals who allied with Liu Bei and he may have been able to persuade Sun Quan it wasn't worth the effort to maintain the region. Everyone knew the alliance between Sun Quan and Cao Pi couldn't last for very long, and under pressure from both Sun Quan was much more likely to capitulate to Liu Bei's demands.

Obviously it didn't go well, but it was worth a shot. And it's hard to overstate how weak it would have made Liu Bei look if he simply shrugged off the loss of Jing without a fight.

[7r0773r]

Sidetracks by Bei Dao, translated by Jeffrey Yang

V.

the eyes of the daughters and sons of the river are shining wilderness dazzling sunlight polishes the surface of the lake remembrances and bullets share this century mail trucks tumble along into the hour of lamplight prisoners dance in concentric circles of moonlight anxious stones pile up into mountains assault troops storm through the gates of the city's memories

tightening the toy's rusted mechanism licking the wounds of first love sprinkle a little salt let the two crickets fight in the innermost heart fruit pit spit out the secret of birth erase the comet tail on the blackboard the eyes of a cat chase after the festival of flowing water I ride the wooden horse of a carousel lost in thought

windmills churn thick clouds in the sky more people join the refugees' routes their languages create countless colors arise from the masks in the museum of humankind cooking smoke blends the hues of the blue twilight a priest prays in the shadow of a candle flame God lashes the city with lightning

O wanderer of the worn world folded within time along the horizon forest trees breathe thoughts dropped into a mailbox in an unfamiliar town the shadow of death takes flight on the road a perfect plate handcrafted artistry breaks free at last from the essence of things

waking up in the garret of the small hotel curtains flutter clear skies turn to clouds in the oil painting of the harbor no sails below the castle the din of the world surrounded by light and flags on the back of a picture postcard Chinese characters are the first informant

northward leads to a solitary pass how long is the tape reel of the deep night measuring the variable weather maps lovers climb through the balcony window on the table the fruit is ripening joining the ranks of insomniacs— winter flashes a smile

let the hand crutch of logic bloom no detour around the season of wheat don't bring along the baggage of a disquiet heart more deranged than a paperweight riding the waves history like the confessions of a suffering patient paces of light cross through the forest to a place more distant than thought

in a dream berries are screaming bidding farewell to the end of homesickness is morning finding the truth of the keyhole

***

VIII.

From 497 BCE to 484 BCE Confucius led his disciples on a fourteen-year journey through various states. In 493 BCE, separated from his disciples, he seated himself alone outside the east city gate of Zheng and stared into space.

your years near sixty setting sun white hair makes a brush tip shadow crooked as a flawed brushstroke points to the homeland east those children running against the backlight turn into pictographs and one by one practice the intonations dawn sets flight a flock of pigeons maps aren't for commemorating wars you turn to gaze at the cooking smoke and the well

days of wind chasing clouds the road tows awake the open sky on the mountains-and-rivers chessboard you play with the king inside the heart carefully trace the fortune in a palm step by step explore the path defeat always at your own hands disciples have dispersed dyeing twilight atop a flag post you are an audience of one

at fifteen devote myself to learning follow the transmission of the rites up the stone steps you rap the drums strike the chimes drink farewell wine at thirty steadfast at forty free of doubts sit and discuss the dao survey the stars at fifty perceive the will of heaven through the Changes of Zhou set foot in court shuttle forth in brocade clothes to the imperial baldachin in the vast palace hall emptiness you raise cups to summon the wind from eight directions

at sixty ears open and willing during the twilight of your life you hear dawn light whispering conspiracy accompanying the aristocracy of the age the palace sinks with the golden lamps you look back at the rolling mountains wholly absorbed with the tuning of the tones for three months not knowing the taste of meat history books send assassins on your trail to replace you with multiple shadows

at seventy do as my heart desires without exceeding the pattern begin with a single step and still change course the temple tolls the bell for you push back the four bare walls Apricot Altar is the nominal heart emperors bypass the Yellow River while supreme Mount Tai is humorless just as someone once described that stray dog mourning his lost home you speak well stop for a rest before rushing on the road outside the city through how many dynasties

***

XXIII.

peel the onions pepper crushed with reality place the turkey in the oven time set temperature November 24, 1994 Thanksgiving Day depart from San Francisco cross the prime meridian Bejing Capital Airport I line up behind the years little window of immigration the moon dons a military cap homesickness—electric plug connects to a power source and the internet locks my name my secret garden confiscated seeds of poetry

the covert guests finally arrive force me to utter my other name it is I a chain of enraged ancestors and the mountains refuse to answer any questions video recorder and tape recorder aimed at me written confession a starving blank sheet of paper the curtain of night opens my one-act play I wash chopsticks dishes behind the wood plank wall is the lawn the sun like a prisoner awaiting a death sentence

Colonel Zhang border control rusted smile gears grind for him to climb through a lifetime and from the corner of his mouth a flash of humanity I'm the lead in the play barebulb circling round and round in the whirlpool of night I sleepwalk— may the hour of existence spit out silk a self-spun cocoon more reliable than the universe my name leads to another name stage revolves I chase after me

soliloguy: a jailbreak in Chinese characters figures cast onto the heavenly canopy layer after layer I am silently reading my heartbeat at the boundary of semantic hostility local accent pursues an outsider prostrate on the table turbine engine bearing my half-asleep half-awake flight cockroaches underground intelligence agents follow the corners of the wall to pass on information from their superiors

dawn roar take off from the runway in accord with the standard breakfast of the armed police— congee steamed buns pickled vegetables boiled eggs two invisible men take turns watching me one is a lover of poetry a line of verse and the path of an official leading to the same destination 9:05 in the morning Beijing time the king and the horse formally declaim— I will be immediately deported from China

a large bus speeds onto the tarmac armed police step out of the vehicle clear the way for me in a black leather jacket to fight for the defeated accompanied by Colonel Zhang toward the airplane door photographed from a high angle in the waiting area tomorrow a blank space shadow retreats horizon rehearses the winter overture take a seat in the cabin Colonel Zhang gives me a firm handshake liquid mercury streams down the porthole window

***

XXVI.

at the morgue Laughlin identifies Dylan Thomas's corpse a semiliterate young girl confirms it— "he wrote poems" mad Dylan a flock of pigeons sets the church spinning

by the sea's side hear the dark-vowelled birds

gold sand fills the hourglass— a time of terror constantly shifting waves of stocks and shares catch up with the shipwrecked sliver of moon no one signs graffiti or petroglyphs keep climbing from the artist's life to freefall Manhattan honking band funeral march for the Hudson River

l open an umbrella to survive the backward descent

someone with a hangover blows open a morning glory silent film in slow-motion walking in the opposite direction of history runs aground on the precipice of death books rise into towers crossing through the tunnel of language there's no exit

Eliot my birthyear brother different cradles unfamiliar ocean we meet by chance on Turtle Island the wild winds in his books let me drift and moor in the four directions shadows slant chasing after the noonday of myths

catch the last stop before the final parting

riding the noon train out to Long Island open the New York Times upside down the world obscured by another type of language I dream about the lions at the Beijing Zoo the first day of class English the executioner's ax so bitingly cold Chinese somehow still in the brain

at Stony Brook meet C. N. Yang one-on-one tutorials the blind man leading the bright-eyed poetry manufacturing at the end of the assembly line— bedroom mirror crack open the language vault walk the dog but don't forget to bring yourself along

days flap away symposium for Chinese writers in exile Eliot moderates Octavio and Marie-José Paz in the audience we eat dinner together candle flames three-language carousel Tiananmen Cold War American politics and literature concerning Neruda's odes to Stalin Paz shakes his head— "transgressed political and ethical principles"

I pursue someone, he tumbles, gets back up again, sees me and says, No one

China Independent Film Festival opening ceremony saxophone dives into the night uncovers a stream using words to fish reel in the comet beyond imagination the audience enters a space larger than light heavy snowfall weight of nothingness skip stones on the reflecting pool at Lincoln Center and dignity more important than a failed cause

a clenched fist suddenly sets metaphor free

after the explosion two women survivors stagger out of the movie screen naked toward an actress neighbor they borrow clothes go into hiding the times and the undercurrent—Weathermen forever young they are the wind describe the shape of the wind

you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows

[dhappyorangec]

Airport 1001 leaves: Zheng YeCheng tells fans to speed up, counting 1-2, 1-2! Fan's clip says he should cosplay Li Xinyun's steps/pace and gift us a Lu FengPing cosplay too since his hair is getting longer.

"Don't always rush the fans to move faster.

A real man's words are hard to take back.

Move your own footsteps faster when cosplaying Li Xingyun.

By the way, while you're at it, why not gift us a Lu Fengping hairstyle? [Blushing]"

别总是催粉丝脚步快一点

大丈夫一言既出驷马难追

自己COS李星云的脚步也快一点

顺便趁着发型再赠送我们一个陆风平呗[羞嗒嗒]

---

https://video.weibo.com/show?fid=1034:5017347040411672

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Learn Chinese:

1. 别 (bié) - Don't

2. 总是 (zǒng shì) - Always

3. 催 (cuī) - Urge, rush

4. 粉丝 (fěn sī) - Fans

5. 脚步 (jiǎo bù) - Footsteps

6. 快一点 (kuài yī diǎn) - Faster

7. 大丈夫 (dà zhàng fu) - A real man, man of character

8. 一言既出 (yī yán jì chū) - Once the words are spoken (idiom)

9. 驷马难追 (sì mǎ nán zhuī) - Like trying to chase after a galloping horse (idiom)

10. 自己 (zì jǐ) - Oneself

11. COS (cōs) - Cosplay

12. 李星云 (Lǐ Xīngyún) - Li Xingyun (a character or a person's name)

13. 顺便 (shùn biàn) - By the way

14. 趁着 (chèn zhe) - While

15. 发型 (fà xíng) - Hairstyle

16. 再 (zài) - Again

17. 赠送 (zèng sòng) - Gift, present

18. 我们 (wǒ men) - Us, we

19. 一个 (yī gè) - One

20. 陆风平 (Lù Fēngpíng) - Lu Fengping (a character or a person's name)

21. 呗 (bei) - Used to suggest something or request confirmation (informal)

22. 羞嗒嗒 (xiū dā dā) - Blushing (onomatopoeia)

[lunarriviera]

PRU I FINISHED IT TONIGHT (so i was finally able to read your post which is blisteringly accurate and also funny af). THE SHEER NUMBER OF TIMES I JUST STOPPED BREATHING DURING THE LAST HALF DOZEN EPISODES. HOW DESTROYED I AM.

first of all 1) zhang yimou we're fighting, even though you threw your whole snatch into producing this drama and it shows, i haven't seen this kind of attention to period detail maybe ever. i feel like i just spent 30 hours in 1997 dongbei. then also next 2) i desperately need fic where zhang bei and gu yiran cuddle for a entire week. no one gets out of the [slightly] larger bed except to pee or retrieve more chicken ribs. and/or they leave fake harbin and go on vacation with uncle and his granddaughter. finally 3) fuck me that was ABSOLUTELY HARROWING. why did i think this drama was like under the skin??? it was NOTHING LIKE under the skin, at no point during under the skin do you actually believe the entire team is about to be BLOWN THE FUCK UP. i will be more articulate about all this later but it's after 1 am so for now i will remark only that zhang yu absolutely CRUSHED it, one of the best television performances i've ever witnessed. how is he 41??? why isn't he james bond already???

[period-typical MALE CHINESE POLICE OFFICERS, BEING MALE]

in conclusion i want them to get married and always live in the dreary black-painted apartment and have babies and name at least one after [redacted]. and through the power of transformative works i can have this. eventually. even though it's too late for yuletide this year. (PS that goddamn toothbrush mug i swear to god i nearly cried)

(PPS still bewildered by meth hotel towels. like, how. just...HOW)

(PPPS zheng bei's little purse? his purse is in every scene?? his purse where he keeps HIS GUN, I LOVE THAT PURSE)

I really doubt anybody on Tumblr is watching but The First Shot or 雪迷宫 is making me LOSE MY MIND. I’m on episode like 10 and just yelled WHAT IN THE LANYU IS HAPPENING HERE IN 1997 DONGBEI. The first and second male leads are the dude from Addicted and the guy who plays all the mean cold CEOs and also was in Imperial Coroner. They live together and somewhere in the next four eps someone is getting kidnapped by drug dealers and tortured and handsome rough northern drug cop from Addicted is going to princess carry his six foot tall delicate southern nerd wife. This show is produced by Zhang Yimou and is ruining my life.

[drwcn]

How To Name Your Chinese Characters: 

1) LAST NAMES: 

I’ve pasted the Top 100 common last names in alphabetical order, and bolded the ones that appear in CQL:   

B: 白 Bai C: 蔡 Cai ; 曹 Cao ;  常 Chang ; 曾 Ceng ;  陈 Chen ;  程 Cheng ;  崔 Cui ; D: 戴 Dai ; 邓 Deng ; 丁 Ding ; 董 Dong ; 杜 Du ; F: 范 Fan ; 方 Fang ; 冯 Feng ; 付 Fu ; G: 高 Gao ;  葛 Ge  ; 龚 Gong ; 顾 Gu ; 郭 Guo ; H: 韩 Han ; 何 He ; 贺 He 洪 Hong ; 侯 Hou ; 黄 Hua ; 胡 Hu ; J: 贾 Jia ; 蒋 Jiang ; 姜 Jiang ; 江 Jiang ; 金 Jin ; K: 康 Kang ; L:  赖 Lai ; 李 Li ;  黎 Li ; 廖 Liao ; 梁 Liang ; 林 Lin ; 刘 Liu ; 陆 Lu ; 卢 Lu ; 路 Lu ; 吕 Lü ; 罗 Luo ; M: 马 Ma ; 麦 Mai ; 毛 Mao ; 孟 Meng ; N:  倪 Ni  ;  牛 Niu ; P: 潘 Pan ; 彭 Peng ; Q: 钱 Qian ; 秦 Qin ; 邱 Qiu ; R:任 Ren ; S: 邵 Shao ; 沈 Sheng ; 史 Shi ; 石 Shi ; 施 Shi ; 宋 Song ; 苏 Su ; 孙 Sun ; T: 陶 Tao ; 谭 Tan ; 唐 Tang ; 田 Tian ; W: 万 Wan ; 王 Wang ;  汪 Wang ; 魏 Wei ; 吴 Wu ; X: 邢 Xing ; 夏 Xia ;  蕭 Xiao ; 谢 Xie ; 徐 Xu ; 许 Xu ; 薛 Xue ; Y: 阎 Yan ; 严 Yan ; 杨 Yang ; 姚 Yao ; 叶 Ye ;  余 Yu ; 于 Yu ; 袁 Yuan ; Z: 张 Zhang ;  赵 Zhao ; 郑 Zheng ; 钟 Zhong ; 周 Zhou ;  朱 Zhu ;  庄 Zhuang ;  邹 Zou ;

Above are all single character last names, but there are some double character Chinese last names, seen below (list not exhaustive): 

独孤 Du’Gu ;  公孙 Gong’Sun ; 南宫 Nan’Gong    欧阳 Ou’Yang ;  司马 Si’Ma ; 上官 Shang’Guan ; 宇文 Yu’Wen ; 长孙 Zhang’Sun ; 诸葛 Zhu’GE ; 

2) GIVEN NAMES/COURTESY NAMES

《Elements》: 

Light*： 光 (guāng) - light，  亮 liàng - bright / shine， 明 (míng) - bright， 曦 (xī) - early dawn， 昀 (yún) - daylight， 昭 (zhāo) - light, clear，照 (zhào) - to shine upon，

Fire: 焰 (yàn) - flames， 烟 (yān) - smoke，炎 (yán) - heat/burn， 烨 (yè) - dazzling light，  

Water: also see “weather” OR “bodies of water” under nature; note the words below while are related to water have meanings that mean some kind of virtue: 清 (qīng) - clarity / purity， 澄 (chéng) - clarity/quiet， 澈 (chè) - clear/penetrating， 涟 (lián) - ripple， 漪 (yī) - ripple， 泓 (hóng) - vast water， 湛 (zhàn) - clear/crystal， 露 (lù) - dew， 泠 (líng) - cool, cold, 涛 (tāo) - big wave，泽 (zé)，浩 hào - grand/vast (water)，涵 (han) - deep submergence / tolerance / educated

Weather: 雨 (yǔ) - rain， 霖 (lín) - downpouring rain， 冰 (bīng) - ice， 雪 (xuě) - snow，  霜 (shuāng) - frost 

Wind: 风 (fēng) - wind

* some “Light” words overlap in meaning with words that mean “sun/day”

《Nature》:

Season: 春 (chūn) - spring， 夏 (xià) - summer， 秋 (qíu) - aumtum， 冬 (dōng) - winter

Time of Day: 朝 (zhāo) - early morning / toward， 晨 (chén) - morning / dawn， 晓 (xiǎo) - morning， 旭 (xù) - dawn/rising sun，昼 (zhòu) - day，皖 (wǎn) - late evening，夜 (yè) - night 

Star/Sky/Space: 云 (yún) - cloud，天 (tiān) - sky/ heaven，霞 (xiá) - afterglow of a rising or setting sun，月 (yuè) - moon，日 (ri) - day / sun，阳 (yáng) - sun，宇 (yǔ) - space，星 (xīng) - star

Birds: 燕 (yàn) - sparrow， 雁 (yàn) - loon， 莺 (yīng) - oriole， 鸢 (yuān) - kite bird (family Accipitridae)，羽 (yǔ) - feather

Creatures: 龙 (lóng) - dragon/imperial

Plants/Flowers:* 兰 (lán) - orchids，  竹 (zhú) - bamboo， 筠 (yún) - tough exterior of bamboos， 萱 (xuān) - day-lily， 松 (sōng) - pine， 叶 (yè) - leaf， 枫 (fēng) - maple， 柏 bó/bǎi - cedar/cypress， 梅 (méi) - plum， 丹 (dān) - peony

Mountains: 山 (shān)， 峰 (fēng) - summit， 峥 (zhēng)，

Bodies of water: 江 (jiāng) - large river/straits， 河 (hé) - river， 湖 (hú) - lake， 海 (hǎi) - sea， 溪 (xī) - stream， 池 (chí) - pond， 潭 (tán) - larger pond， 洋 (yáng) - ocean

* I didn’t include a lot of flower names because it’s very easy to name a character with flowers that heavily implies she’s a prostitute. 

《Virtues》: 

Astuteness: 睿 ruì - astute / foresight， 智 (zhi)， 慧 (hui)， 哲 (zhé) - wise/philosophy, 

Educated:  博 (bó) - extensively educated， 墨 (mo) - ink， 诗 (shi) - poetry / literature， 文 (wén) - language / gentle / literary， 学 (xue) - study， 彦 (yàn) - accomplished / knowledgeable, 知 (zhi) - to know， 斌 (bīn) - refined， 赋 (fù) - to be endowed with knowledge

Loyalty: 忠 (zhōng) - loyal， 真 (zhēn) - true 

Bravery: 勇 (yǒng) - brave， 杰 (jié) - outstanding, hero

Determination/Perseverance: 毅 (yì) - resolute / brave， 恒 (héng) - everlasting， 衡 (héng) - across, to judge/evaluate，成 (chéng) - to succeed， 志 (zhì) - aspiration / the will

Goodness/Kindness: 嘉 (jiā) - excellent / auspicious，磊 (lěi) - rock / open & honest， 正 (zhèng) - straight / upright / principle，

Elegance: 雅 (yǎ) - elegant， 庄 (zhuāng) - respectful/formal/solemn， 彬 (bīn) - refined / polite， 

Handsome: 俊 jùn - handsome/talented 

Peace: 宁 (níng) - quietness/to pacify, 安 （ān) - peace, safety

Grandness/Excellence：宏 (hóng) - grand，豪 (háo) - grand, heroic，昊 (hào) - limitless / the vast sky，华 (huá) - magnificent， 赫 (hè) - red/famous/great， 隆 (lóng) - magnificent， 伟 (wěi) - greatness / large，轩 (xuān) - pavilion with a view/high，卓 (zhuó) - outstanding

Female Descriptor/Virtues/Beauty: 婉 (wǎn)，惠 (huì)， 妮 (nī)， 娇 (jiāo)， 娥 (é)， 婵 (chán) (I didn’t include specific translations for these because they’re all adjectives for women meaning beauty or virtue) 

《Descriptors》:

Adverbs: 如 (rú) - as，若 (ruò) - as, alike，宛 (wǎn) - like / as though，

Verbs: 飞 (fēi) - to fly，  顾 （gù) - to think/consider， 怀 (huái) - to miss, to possess， 落(luò) - to fall, to leave behind，梦 (mèng) - to dream， 思 (sī) - to consider / to miss (someone)，忆 (yì) - memory， 希 (xī) - yearn / admire

Colours: 红 (hóng) - red， 赤 (chì) - crimson， 黄 (huàng) - yellow， 碧 (bì) - green，青(qīng) - azure，蓝 (lán) - blue， 紫 (zǐ) - violet ，玄 (xuán) - black， 白 (baí) - white

Number：一 (yī), 二 (er) - two, 三 (san) - three,  四 (si) - four,  五 (wu) - five, 六 (liu) - six, 七(qi) - seven, 八 (ba) - eight,  九 (jiu) - nine, 十 (shi) - ten

Direction: 东 (dōng) - east， 西 (xi) - west， 南 (nan) - south， 北 (bei) - north，

Other: 子 (zǐ) - child, 然 (rán) - correct / thusly

《Jade》: *there are SO MANY words that generally mean some kind of jade, bc when ppl put jade in their children’s name they don’t literally mean the rock, it’s used to symbolize purity, goodness, kindness, beauty, virtue etc*  琛 (chen), 瑶 (yao),  玥 (yue),  琪 (qi),  琳 (lin)

《Spirituality》

凡 (fan) - mortality 

色 (se) - colour, beauty. In buddhism, “se” symbolizes everything secular

了 (liao) - finished, done, letting go 

尘 (chen) - dust, I’m not… versed in buddhism enough to explain “chen”, it’s similar to “se”

悟 (wu) - knowing? Cognition? To understand a higher meaning

无 (wu) - nothing, the void, also part of like “letting go” 

戒 (jie) - to “quit”, but not in a bad way. In buddhism, monks are supposed to “quit” their earthly desires.

极 (ji) - greatness, also related to the state of nirvana (? I think?) 

[lunarriviera]

pins and needles (4.5k, gen) by nanimono_da fandom: 雪迷宫 | The First Shot (TV) warnings: no archive warnings apply relationships: Gu Yiran/Zheng Bei, Zhao Xiaoguang/Zheng Nan characters: Zhao Xiaoguang, Zheng Nan, Gu Yiran, Zheng Bei tags: post-canon

He tried not to be afraid, weaving a path several paces behind in the dark, out of reach of street lights. Near the edge of town, Xiaoguang, nervous as hell by then and about ready to attempt to drag Bei-ge home despite their size difference, fumbled when they stopped at a row of trash bins. He watched silently while Bei-ge pulled a glass bottle from his pocket and balanced it carefully on the metal lip of one of the rusty, filthy boxes, then turning to sit in the dirt. Xiaoguang waited, breathing through his mouth to avoid the smell. Bei-ge noticed him eyeing the soda and shook his head. "I don't want—it would be bad luck." After a few minutes, he picked it up again and poured some out onto the ground, downing the rest with effort as if it was bitter before replacing the bottle in its spot. If it was bad luck, why was he drinking it?

» read it on ao3

okay look y'all i'm going to try to be very cool here but the truth is i have ZERO CHILL about this fic, only our THIRD first shot fic in english; it's by the magnificent @omaenanimonoda and she's such a freaking good writer pls how do i even word. it's like another ending to the drama we somehow didn't get—you will laugh, you will cry, you might throw things, there are gutwrenching moments and lush soft ones, there were two sentences in particular that made me put my face into my hands and scream gently, i can't wait for you to read this.

[hidey-writes]

wip wednesday

Gu Yiran reaches for his glasses out of Zheng Bei's hand, fumbles them onto the hospital blankets, silver against snow-white linen. Zheng Bei's hand catches his wrist, pauses him.

"Here." The cold slide of his glasses onto his face. Zheng Bei's face coming into focus. He's very close, not quite meeting Gu Yiran's eyes. The warm pads of his fingertips brush Gu Yiran’s temples when he draws away.

"The doctors said you might have some," Zheng Bei's voice trips and almost steadies back out, "nerve damage. From the—" His hand plucks at a fold in the blanket.

"Electrocution," Gu Yiran says, quietly. It had crossed his mind already. He turns his hand palm-up in the sheets with a small effort, folds his fingers into his palm one after the other. He can't quite make a fist.

In silence, he and Zheng Bei watch his half-open hand trembling against the blanket.

"I'm sure you're hungry," Zheng Bei says, with an abruptness Gu Yiran recognizes. "The others will want to hear you're awake. I'll — get you some porridge."

me? writing the first shot fanfiction? MORE LIKELY THAN I THOUGHT! anyway ive been playing around with a post-ep 15 fic because ... well ... i wanted more beiran than we got! i was totally expecting a whole conversation after their big argument and it just didnt happen. so now im making it happen >:)

[shijiujun]

Okay I’ve decided to do a single rec after I finish one novel hahaha because if I wait to get around to it all it’ll never happen! Anyway because @sarah-yyy​​ has been reading it and I’ve gotten a lot of asks/replies on this, I’m just going to do one huge list for one of my faves so everyone knows what’s going on and where to find things XD

- Part of Min’s ‘Why You Should Read’ Series -

Summary: 

This is set in a historical setting where men can marry other men, but it’s usually reserved for sons who were not borne by the official main first wife of the patriarch of the family, i.e. a son born by a concubine in a family may be forced to marry a man to keep him from being able to become the next family’s patriarch for example. This is because any family’s next leader needs to be able to have children with a wife who married in as a zheng shi (lawful wife), and not a ce shi (second wife) or any other concubines/mistresses etc. Most of these men who marry other men have to take them as their zheng shi and lawful spouse in a sense, and the same goes for the royal family.

The story starts with third prince Jing Shao, who was forced to marry Mu Han Zhang, a Marquis’ second son, by the Empress and Emperor, thereby officially and effectively cutting him out of the race for the throne. He’s mocked by the public as everyone knows what this means, and for the next 10 years, he neglects Mu Han Zhang, blaming him for his predicament, and deliberately showers his three other concubines with affection in front of him, but 10 years later, when Jing Shao is accused of treason, everyone leaves him except for Mu Han Zhang. They are chased to the edge of the cliff by soldiers, and Mu Han Zhang dies in his arms having taken an arrow meant for him earlier, and Jing Shao jumps off the cliff with his dead body, and promises that if there’s a next life, he will do everything Han Zhang says, and love him.

He wakes up immediately on the night of his marriage with Han Zhang, and realizes that he’s been given a second chance to make everything right. Han Zhang is definitely afraid of him, humiliated and angry when he first wakes up after how rough Jing Shao was with him earlier on their wedding night, and he has no memories of their past life. Jing Shao then sets to SHOWER HAN ZHANG with affection, love and basically everything, because he realized that this is the only person who stayed by his side until the end, and then he falls in love with Han Zhang properly this time, and also deals with every single person who maligned and schemed against him in his previous life, with Han Zhang by his side.

Read: 

Novel (Online) | Novel (Print) - Not Available | Novel Translations | Manhua (You’ll have to download the KuaiKan app, the chapters are currently all free)

Characters:

1. 景韶 Jing Shao - 3rd Prince and is the first out of his three other brothers to be given a title 成王 (cheng wang). He’s referred to as 王爷, and also 小勺 (xiao shao) by Han Zhang. Went out on his first war when he was 14, and was thus given a title before any of his brothers. He’s known for being a merciless, cold and fierce army general/commander, but this was before his second life with Han Zhang, where he puts on like his doting mode and is basically a dumbass XD who listens to Han Zhang with a lot of trust, which is cool and all.

He marries Han Zhang when he’s 19, and in his first life he was very reluctant and resistant, and neglected Han Zhang for 10 years, until he was charged with treason and hunted down. 

In his first life he wanted to snatch the throne, even from his blood-related brother Jing Chen, but more out of spite than anything else because he felt he was dealt an unfair hand by having to marry Han Zhang. Not only that, but Jing Shao is not his father’s favourite son, and he always felt that the emperor was biased against him. Anyway, a huge accumulation of daddy and anger issues, which is fair.

When he realizes that Han Zhang died for him, he decides he will be good to Han Zhang if they are reborn in their next life.

2. 慕含章 Mu Han Zhang - The 2nd son of Marquis Bei Hou’s, born to a concubine. He’s called by his 表字 which is 君清 (jun qing) by Jing Shao. Official First Wife Bei Wei Hou-furen and her son (who is in line to inherit the Marquis title from his father) has bullied him all his life, and wanted to push him into greater desperation by marrying him to Jing Shao, knowing he will suffer at the hands of the supposed merciless/heartless wangye. He has a weak body because of an accident when he was younger, and in his first life he was really sick after being neglected for 10 years, and knowing this in their second life, Jing Shao does everything he can to take care of him.

He is incredibly smart, has a brain for business and sales, and is also very good at handling people, especially scheming ones. He aids Jing Shao in the beginning of their second life, and then Jing Chen later as well, as both brothers begin to fight to put Jing Chen on the throne, against the 1st and 4th Princes. Is an incredibly good tactician in war as well.

3. 景琛 Jing Chen - 2nd Prince, Jing Shao’s blood related older brother who is handsome af too. His title, given later in the novel, is 睿王 (rui wang). He was misunderstood by Jing Shao in the first life as Jing Shao thought it was his brother who led to him marrying Han Zhang, and because he’s not very good at expressing himself and shows his concern to Jing Shao by nagging at him, Jing Shao always thought he hated him. In their second life, Jing Shao already knows that Jing Chen loves him and did a lot for him in his first life, and so trusts his brother and supports him right off the bat, because Jing Chen is indeed the most suited person for the throne.

He has a wife and a concubine, 3 sons and 2 daughters at this point. He ends up helping Jing Shao a lot, and when he realizes that Han Zhang is way more adept at politics and the whole scheming thing than Jing Shao is, he begins trusting Han Zhang a lot more as well! There’s a surprise with Jing Chen hahaha which I loveee and could see, but wasn’t sure until they confirmed it in the last few chapters AHAHAHAHA.

Other Notable Characters:

1. Song Ling Xin (Second Wife) on the left, and two other concubines on the right

They’re pretty much vying for Jing Shao’s attention, but at this point apparently he hasn’t slept with any of them before. Song Ling Xin is the daughter of the Military Department’s Head Song An, and Jing Shao married her initially out of interest. The right most concubine (I forgot her name oops) was a gift given to him by his oldest brother, the 1st Prince. The two of them played a huge role in Jing Shao’s downfall back in his first life, and so in his second life, he especially detests Song Ling Xin. Plus the three of them keep bullying Han Zhang in the beginning, but thankfully Jing Shao is like: “Anything my Jun Qing wants”. They don’t stay around for long either, watch as Jing Shao gets rid of them like he’s swatting flies.

2. Xiao Yuan & Zhou Da-Ge

This is another male couple who’s been married for 7-8 years if I recall. Xiao Yuan is one of Jing Shao’s important allies and friends in the second life, because in Jing Shao’s first life, this was one of the only young officials in court who spoke up for him when the accusations of treason came about. Zhou Da-Ge is his husband, who is a cook running a restaurant in the city. Whenever Zhou Da-Ge bullies Xiao Yuan in bed a little too much, Xiao Yuan punishes him by making him wear colourful clothes out (pink, bright yellow, purple, etc.) and thus he has a reputation for being eccentric and a weirdo, but oh well, all for love.

3. Gu Huai Qing

One of Jing Shao and Jing Chen’s most powerful allies, and he becomes blood-sworn brothers with Jing Shao without realizing who he is. Later he takes a liking to Jing Chen.

(Will update with photos when they come out, but they’re a bit further into the story so we won’t have them for a few months yet ahahaha)

Amazing Scenes:

Jing Shao & Han Zhang first looks in the manhua

Jing Shao being THAT clingy husband and helping Han Zhang to wear his clothes properly so cute!!!!!

Han Zhang and Jing Shao in their first lives (10 years later), about to die, sad and then Jing Shao jumps down the cliff with Han Zhang’s corpse, regretful cuz he a dumb bij

Jing Shao unable to resist kissing Han Zhang’s cheek, realizes what he’s doing, and gets embarrassed LMAOOOO 没出息!!!!!!! (This is different from the novel, because in the novel Jing Shao just kisses and is done with that, the embarrassment part is drawn in only in the manhua hahaha)

Other Things I Like in the Novel:

Jing Shao is like, he does a 180 entirely and he is very cognisant of all his faults and what he did wrong previously, and how badly he treated Han Zhang, so he legit forces his brain to go “I will listen to Jun Qing from now on” and he really sticks to it!

Loves kissing and teasing Han Zhang, but doesn’t force him into bed after their wedding night, and instead goes to Xiao Yuan and asks for tips on how to make his partner feel less scared about sex

The both of them end up with a pet tiger?!! That’s called Xiao Huang (little yellow) LMAO

They nap together a lot which I love <3333

Jing Shao knows he’s bullied at home, so when they go back to the Marquis Bei Hou manor, he holds Han Zhang’s hand in front of everyone to let them know Han Zhang has someone to back him up

Brings Han Zhang to war because he “cannot concentrate if Jun Qing isn’t with me at all times” - and asks for special permission to do so

Han Zhang notes that since he married Jing Shao, as the ‘wife’ he is supposed to serve Jing Shao, but it’s always Jing Shao serving him - Getting water for him, bringing him to baths, putting clothes on for him, putting food in his plate if it tastes nice, massaging his back and waist etc. - and best is he doesn’t have to deal with any in-laws?!! HAHAHA

Jing Shao gets revenge on those who hurt Han Zhang when he was younger for him, and the outcome is pretty hilarious but well-deserved

EPILOGUES are cute af!!!!

[sixteenthshen]

Priest is a marvel (re: names)

Zhou Xu / Zhou Zishu*

ZZS names himself Xu (絮), from the Yuan dynasty song 《蟾宫曲·春情》 -- "身似浮云，心如飞絮". It translates (literally) to -- body like the floating clouds, heart like willow seeds in the wind. but the meaning lies deeper. 

The first part of this line, "body like the floating clouds", kind of sounds like he's super good at qinggong, but really means a person's body is frail and sways while walking (unstable), just like the floating clouds. The second part refers to a person's heart being all over the place, like willow seeds in the wind (fairly direct meaning).

The entire song is about this young lovesick wife who's missing her husband and cannot pull herself out of this weak and delicate state.

Their relationship may look one-sided like WKX is strutting around like a peacock trying to hit on A-Xu, but it isn't. A-Xu's the kind that loves Lao Wen quietly, but no less fiercely. ❤️❤️

A weak and frail body, clearly accurate description of his nailed x7 body

A young wife missing her husband? All I can say is I missed this hint on gong/shou because I first read TYK in its English translation. 

Cannot pull himself out of the situation? Yesss, that's why there's mutual salvation. *heart eyes* (I mean, technically, Wu Xi saves A-Xu) 

A part of the song that I didn't translate talks about the husband going far away, where the wife can't follow, and she prays for his safety at home. Tell me, how is this any different from when A-Xu told Lao Wen that he and Chengling would wait for him at the Four Seasons Manor? ❤️❤️❤️

Wen Kexing

晨起动征铎，客行悲故乡**。(pinyin: chen qi dong zheng duo, ke xing bei gu xiang)

故乡/hometown and 顾湘/character are homophones – both are gu xiang. I'll use A-Xiang as the character's name in this post to minimize confusion. 

This poem is the actual origin of Wen Kexing's (and Gu Xiang's) name. Wen** comes from the poet's name, and Kexing comes from the first line in the poem. The line above translates roughly to – waking up early in the morning and hear the bells ring, and the travellers long to see their hometown (gu xiang). 

To Wen Kexing, the Ghost Valley both is and isn't his hometown because the Ghost Valley isn't home. It's merely a place that let him live on to carry out his revenge; it's his training ground, his proving ground, nothing more than a stepping stone. 

When A-Xiang comes into his life, she becomes his last tether to humanity and, in a way, the last link to his hometown. And right up to the start of the novel, she's the one who brings WKX's "real hometown", Zhou Zishu, to him. 

And if we take a different interpretation of the line with their names, "客行悲顾湘", WKX grieves for GX. How is this not so incredibly beautiful and heartbreaking??  💔

T/N behind cut

*ZZS has two names technically; the one he's born with and the one he gives himself. Honestly, Zishu (子舒) is too common to find the canon source of the name, but it generally gives the feeling of a calm, cultured person. So, I'll skip this.

**From the poem 《商山早行》, by 温庭筠 (Wen Tingyun)

T/N: In the drama, WKX says "身如飞絮" in episode 2 while trying to explain A-Xu’s name, his is a mix of both parts of the above song lyrics from the novel.