#wang gu zhong

[maukiki1]

Go random bullshit go [throws all of these all at the same time directly into your forehead giving you a concussion]

[kdram-chjh]

Cdrama: Love's Deception (2023)

Gifs of Ending of cdrama "Love's Deception"

EP01-04 | Feng Lili was punished and met Shen Yuchuan | [Love's Deception 再见君如故]

Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flKU3vetvDA

[silviakundera]

Joy of Life Season 1 Episode 33 liveblogging

watching for the 1st time, no secrets please ;)

Si Lili is on this trip! 🎉 It's not too late THEY CAN STILL B FRIENDS

Xiao En I am less excited about. But I invite him to prove me wrong. Be interesting!

Lao Fei poisioned his son? Was that on purpose or part of the fuckups?

lol Fan Xian just straight up declaring in front of everyone that Chen Pingping considers him family. I guess the cat's well out of the bag at this point

Taiping Villa..so does his majesty wanna give him advice too?

THEY POISIONED SI LILI MY GIRL?

wait he's proposed to help kill the north qi emperor and xiao en?! that's. alot.

so in the palace he has to be emperor and in the villa he's...... mom's bestie & another uncle? (or bio dad, if we go w the Secret Royal theory)

"come back alive" awwwwwwwwwww all these psychotic men and their attachment issues.

Fan Xian and Jin Ling and their veritable army of uncles

Ok, taking note of our Beiqi antagonists: Shen Zhong (captain of Jinyiwei Guards), Grandmaster Ku He aka Gu He, Haitang Duoduo (Gu He disciple, 9th level master and female saint), General Shang Shanhu (Xiao En's foster son)

we meet Shang Shanhu chewing raw meat. not sure if his eating habits or beard are more disgusting to me

Fan Xian's mission now includes getting Sil Lili and beiqi leader to bang? Lao Fei, this..your assassination tactics are still so sloppy? 😣

the siblings ❤❤❤❤❤

Gao Da the bodyguard appears to be rather adorable. I like his face.

Uncle Wu! !! Investigating mom's villa. The stone in the lake looks both like the key and also a modern dildo. maybe mom just missed the comforts of home.

Uncle Wu is coming !!!!!!!!!!#! nooo he's gonna just fight Gu He off-screen as a plot reason not to intervene when ML is in peril

Xiao En and mom were from the same ice age pod? 🤔🤔🤔 maybe? idk what 'same line' means

I continue to inexplicably like Ga Da. Off to MDL, what residual affection is this? OHHHHHHH from Luoyang!!

Gao Baokun doing his loser shtick. LMAO he hired an assassin trope? oh don't worry he's been reading war books lolololololol

Adorable bodyguard and his fixation on Wang Qinian is gonna get somebody killed. Like I GET IT. I too spent days obsessed with how deeply suspicious this dude is in every way. But let it go my guy. Bigger enemies afoot.

im gonna say it: no matter how badass Xiao En considers himself to be, Wang Qinian is undefeated.

[nemainofthewater]

Completed 'Surname' Polls

This is where I take several characters from different Chinese media (mostly cnovels and cdrama) and run a poll on which one is the 'best'. What does best mean? It's up to you! Whether you love them, are intrigued by their characters, love to hate them, or they're your '2 second blorbos whose personality you made up wholesale', these are all reasons for you to vote for your favs!

NB: the surnames are not exactly the same in all the cases, as often they will be a different character. I am, however, grouping them all together otherwise things got more complicated.

This post is for the polls which have finished running and can no longer be voted in (since I have realised that I'm quickly approaching the limit for hyperlinks in the original masterlist).

If you want to see the currently live polls, they can be found here

Finished polls: Cao/Wei/Guo/Chen/Ye/Qiao/Yu/Xue/Tang/Jiang/Su/Gao/Mei/Lin/Wu/Sun/Liu/Di/Zhang/Ying/Mo/Li/Song/Yan/Xiao/Pei/Hua/Xie/Mu/Qi/Shen/Lan/Fang/Luo /Huo/Xu/Wang/Ming/Fan/Yuan/Feng/Bai/Jin/Meng/Yun/Zhao/Wen/Zhou/Yang/Shang/Yue/Sheng/Ouyang/Lu/Ling/Hu/Gu/Ding

Shi/Hong/Zhu/Yi/Cheng/Zhan/Xia/Cui/Chu/Lei/Ma/Liang/Jing/Zhi/An/Nie/Hao/Qin/Han/Guan/Zhuge/Jia/Ning/Xiang/Huang/Fei/Ruan/Dong/He/Baili/Long/Duan/Zhen/Wan/Qiu/Dongfang/Du/Bi/Jiao/Zhong/

[shookethdev]

a o e i i er ai ei ao ou an en ang eng ong i ia iao ie iu ian in iang ing iong u ua uo uai ui uan un uang ueng ü üe üan ün a o e er ai ao ou an en ang eng yi ya yao ye you yan yin yang ying yong wu wa wo wai wei wan wen wang weng yu yue yuan yun b ba bo bai bei bao ban ben bang beng bi biao bie bian bin bing bu p pa po pai pei pao pou pan pen pang peng pi piao pie pian pin ping pu m ma mo me mai mei mao mou man men mang meng mi miao mie miu mian min ming mu f fa fo fei fou fan fen fang feng fu d da de dai dei dao dou dan den dang deng dong di diao die diu dian ding du duo dui duan dun t ta te tai tei tao tou tan tang teng tong ti tiao tie tian ting tu tuo tui tuan tun n na ne nai nei nao nou nan nen nang neng nong ni niao nie niu nian nin niang ning nu nuo nuan nü nüe l la le lai lei lao lou lan lang leng long li lia liao lie liu lian lin liang ling lu luo luan lun lü lüe g ga ge gai gei gao gou gan gen gang geng gong gu gua guo guai gui guan gun guang k ka ke kai kei kao kou kan ken kang keng kong ku kua kuo kuai kui kuan kun kuang h ha he hai hei hao hou han hen hang heng hong hu hua huo huai hui huan hun huang z za ze zi zai zei zao zou zan zen zang zeng zong zu zuo zui zuan zun c ca ce ci cai cao cou can cen cang ceng cong cu cuo cui cuan cun s sa se si sai sao sou san sen sang seng song su suo sui suan sun zh zha zhe zhi zhai zhei zhao zhou zhan zhen zhang zheng zhong zhu zhua zhuo zhuai zhui zhuan zhun zhuang ch cha che chi chai chao chou chan chen chang cheng chong chu chua chuo chuai chui chuan chun chuang sh sha she shi shai shei shao shou shan shen shang sheng shu shua shuo shuai shui shuan shun shuang r re ri rao rou ran ren rang reng rong ru rua ruo rui ruan run j ji jia jiao jie jiu jian jin jiang jing jiong ju jue juan jun q qi qia qiao qie qiu qian qin qiang qing qiong qu que quan qun x xi xia xiao xie xiu xian xin xiang xing xiong xu xue xuan xun

NAKU 🫵

[jowi8597]

26/04/2024 Sina Movies Weibo update 🔥

The movie "Formed Police Unit" has released the ultimate trailer. In the United Nations mission area, the peacekeeping team encountered many crises while escorting witnesses. Intensive artillery fire continues, and deadly traps are also interspersed. Can the peacekeeping team deliver the witnesses safely?

The film is produced by Liu Weiqiang and directed by Li Dachao. It stars Huang Jingyu, Wang Yibo and Zhong Chuxi, with Ou Hao as a special guest, Zhu Yawen as a special guest, Gu Jiacheng and Zhao Hua as the main actors, and Yin Xiaotian as a friendly star. The pre-sale is now open and will be released nationwide on May 1. 

[eyenaku]

Ji ji fu ji ji

a o e i i er ai ei ao ou an en ang eng ong i ia iao ie iu ian in iang ing iong u ua uo uai ui uan un uang ueng ü üe üan ün a o e er ai ao ou an en ang eng yi ya yao ye you yan yin yang ying yong wu wa wo wai wei wan wen wang weng yu yue yuan yun b ba bo bai bei bao ban ben bang beng bi biao bie bian bin bing bu p pa po pai pei pao pou pan pen pang peng pi piao pie pian pin ping pu m ma mo me mai mei mao mou man men mang meng mi miao mie miu mian min ming mu f fa fo fei fou fan fen fang feng fu d da de dai dei dao dou dan den dang deng dong di diao die diu dian ding du duo dui duan dun t ta te tai tei tao tou tan tang teng tong ti tiao tie tian ting tu tuo tui tuan tun n na ne nai nei nao nou nan nen nang neng nong ni niao nie niu nian nin niang ning nu nuo nuan nü nüe l la le lai lei lao lou lan lang leng long li lia liao lie liu lian lin liang ling lu luo luan lun lü lüe g ga ge gai gei gao gou gan gen gang geng gong gu gua guo guai gui guan gun guang k ka ke kai kei kao kou kan ken kang keng kong ku kua kuo kuai kui kuan kun kuang h ha he hai hei hao hou han hen hang heng hong hu hua huo huai hui huan hun huang z za ze zi zai zei zao zou zan zen zang zeng zong zu zuo zui zuan zun c ca ce ci cai cao cou can cen cang ceng cong cu cuo cui cuan cun s sa se si sai sao sou san sen sang seng song su suo sui suan sun zh zha zhe zhi zhai zhei zhao zhou zhan zhen zhang zheng zhong zhu zhua zhuo zhuai zhui zhuan zhun zhuang ch cha che chi chai chao chou chan chen chang cheng chong chu chua chuo chuai chui chuan chun chuang sh sha she shi shai shei shao shou shan shen shang sheng shu shua shuo shuai shui shuan shun shuang r re ri rao rou ran ren rang reng rong ru rua ruo rui ruan run j ji jia jiao jie jiu jian jin jiang jing jiong ju jue juan jun q qi qia qiao qie qiu qian qin qiang qing qiong qu que quan qun x xi xia xiao xie xiu xian xin xiang xing xiong xu xue xuan xun

[fourseasonsfigs]

Junzhe Extended Universe (JZEU) Fig Index

These figs celebrate the acting and filming history of both Zhang Zhehan and Gong Jun. I've noted the character(s) in italics next to each post for easy searching. I'll also add a character listing for each actor at the bottom of the post since it's easy to get individual characters mixed up (at least by me!)

Part 3

Yuechu with Peach - Dongfang Yuechu

Chulian on Lake - Dongfang Yuechu & Qing Lian

Xu Si is Rising with the Wind (Handcrafted) - Xu Si

Part 2

Pearl of the East China Sea - (young) Lin Shu

Home Country World - Han Ye

Your Highness, Calm Down - Han Ye

No Regrets - Han Ye

Masked Prince - Han Ye

White and Gold Han Ye - Han Ye

Black and Gold Han Ye - Han Ye

Long Feiye Motioning his Guard Forward - Long Feiye

Meet Han Ye in the Rain (Official) - Han Ye

I See You Han Ye (Official) - Han Ye

Niuniu Wants to Fight - Xu Jin

Prince Han Ye (Handcrafted) - Han Ye

Little Sugar Man - Zhong Wumei

Little Daoist Priest - Dongfang Yuechu

Niuniu with Bun - Xu Jin

Little Jade Daoist - Dongfang Yuechu

Moonlight Night - Long Feiye

Yuechu Yin Yang Landscape Figures - Dongfang Yuechu

Small Winecup Qinglian - Xiao-Zhe

Accidental Medical Exam - Lingyue - Ling Rui & Wang Yue

Night Night - Long Feiye

Dongfang Yuechu (Handcrafted) - Dongfang Yuechu

Marilyn Ming Xia - Ming Xia

Battle Damaged Niuniu - Xu Jin

Tianshu Beichen - Dog's Blood Drama - Long Feiye & Han Ye

Daoist Priest with Sugar Gourd - New Year's JZEU Series (13) - Dong Fang Yuechu

Fifth Sister - Zhong Wumei

Prince Rich - Han Ye

Princess Xixi - Xia Yanxi

Incomparably Beautiful Hair - New Year's JZEU Series (12) - Ji Fa

Peerless Little Prince - New Year's JZEU Series (11) - Zhong Wumei

Master Gong Xue - New Year's JZEU Series (10) - Wei Ying

Spicy Police Flower - New Year's JZEU Series (9) - Huang Weiping

Part 1

Early Mid-Autumn Festival: Moon Rabbit Lantern Daoist - Dong Fang Yuechu

Clever Little Daoist - Dong Fang Yuechu

Cool Little Daoist - Dong Fang Yuechu

Zhongpei - Zhong Wumei & Pei Yuntian

The Bravest - For Your Safety - Zheng Zhi

The Flaming Heart - I'm Always Here - Huo Yan

Lingyue Love at First Sight - Ling Rui & Wang Yue

Early Mid-Autumn Festival: Sweet Tangyuan Little Daoist - Dongfang Yuechu

Genius Investor - Xu Si

Xiao Yue is Coming - Wang Yue

Ink and Wash Daoist Priest - Dongfang Yuechu

Niuniu Flying a Kite - Xu Jin

War-Damaged Prince - Han Ye

Bright Boy - (young) Lin Shu

Firefighter Huo Yan - Huo Yan

Graceful Prince - Han Ye

Don't Go to Work, I'll Take Care of You - Zhao Fanzhou & Zhang Min

Minguo Military Husbands - Ming Xia & Fang Yan

Han Ye with Sword - Han Ye

XuXu - Xu Jin & Xu Si

Irregular Daoist - Dongfang Yuechu

A-Han and Xiao-Zhe Drinking Wine - A-Han & Xiao-Zhe

A-Han and Da Shixiong - A-Han & Da Shixiong

Pajama Party - Fang Yan (cross posted from Junzhe fig index)

Tanghulu Niuniu - New Year's JZEU Series (2) - Xu Jin

Xue Shao - New Year's JZEU Series (1) - Xue Shao

Xiaohui Lang - Xu Jin

Jade Waist Slave - Xue Shao

Han Ye and Ji Fa Hidden Knife - Han Ye & Ji Fa

Han Ye and Xu Jin Battle Couple - Han Ye & Xu Jin

Lingyue - Teddy Bear - Ling Rui & Wang Yue

Lingyue - Delivery - Ling Rui & Wang Yue

Hamburger Xu Si - Xu Si

Bedtime Game - Fang Yan (cross posted from Junzhe fig index)

Firefighters - Huo Yan & Zheng Zhi

Fat Head Qinglian - Xiao-Zhe

Sweet Shenping - Lin Shen & Huang Weiping

Prince Han Ye on Horseback - Han Ye

Luminous Club - Fang Yan & Gu Chijun

Here's the listings of the TV series / films for each actor, followed by the character played. Thanks to Wikipedia for basic information as well as general Google and Twitter searching.

Character List - Zhang Zhehan

Why Love You: Xia Yanxi

Ni Shi Hen Mei: Xiao Zhi

Love For Hope: Zou Xiang

Eager to Create: Ah Le

Haunting Love: Li Ming Yan

Crazy for Palace: Xiao Hao

Palace 3: The Lost Daughter: Sun Heli

Incisive Great Teacher: Jin Renbin

Cosmetology High: Pei Yuntian

The Romance of the Condor Heroes: Ye Lu Qi

Crazy for Palace 2: Xiao Hao

Love YunGe from the Desert: Liu Xu

Nirvana in Fire: (young) Lin Shu

Ban Shu Legend: Wei Ying

ACG Hero: Zhang Wei

Decoded: Han Bing

Demon Girl (I and II): Ming Xia

Happy Mitan: (cameo) Dian Xiaoer

Above the Clouds: Ke Luo

Legend of Yunxi: Long Feiye

The Bravest: Zheng Zhi

Brother (short film): Wang Yue

Chang Dao Bing Cha (short film): Xiao Fei

Mi Fang (short film): Xiao Fei

Mian Ju (short film): Xiao Fei / Xue Shao

Everyone Wants to Meet You: Zhang Min

The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion: Xu Jin

Word of Honor: Zhou Zishu

1921: Xiao Zisheng

(TBD) The Second Sight Fall in Love: Yang Jingyi

(TBD) Castle in the Time: Gu Chijun

(TBD) Zhao Ge: Ji Fa

(TBD) Retro Detective: Huang Weiping

Character List - Gong Jun

Sword Chaos: Bi Lu

Lost Love in Times: Yuan Che

Advance Bravely: Xia Yao

Unique Lady (I & II): Zhong Wumei

Flavor It’s Yours: Lu Weixun

The Love Equations: Zhao Fanzhou

Begin Again: Ling Rui

Word of Honor: Wen Kexing

The Player: Ren Yixia

The Flaming Heart: Huo Yan

Shining Like You: Fang Yan

Dream Garden: Lin Shen

Legend of Anle: Han Ye

Rising with the Wind: Xu Si

Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Yue Hong: Dongfang Yuechu

[go back to Master Fig Index]

[minsarasarahair]

I'm actually became fond of Kill Me Love Me characters. I know they are imperfect and flawed. But surprisingly, I don't hate anyone.

Mei Lin is cool. Sure, people hate her naivety but I'm very weak to soft assassins trope. (Word of Honor's Zhou Zishu, The Blood of Youth's Su Muyu, Saiunkoku Monogatari's Kou Shouka) I just like the contradiction that they are not downright evil and seek righteousness in morally gray way.

Murong Jinghe look like a jerk in the beginning but it lasted less than 5 episodes so I'm a little disappointed. I watch him to be a lunatic because that's how viewers promote his character. But he grew on me, his negative feelings for his revenge and leg ailment made me love him. He look like my fave book character and fall to the character stereotype I'm currently into. In addition, he also did what Zuo Yunqi did for Lou Zhu. Using himself as test subject for Mei Lin's poison problem. He's now a combination of my fave ship LouZuo.

Murong Xuanlie might be hard to like but he has the voice actor of Lou Zhu so lol I just imagined my fave character as antagonist every time I hear him speak so I don't really hate him that much. I mean, being an antagonist is his role what can I do. He's just doing his job. I like evil characters too. I just wish he let down his hair more frequently.

Luo Mei is quite pitiful at first having unrequited love with Murong Jinghe. Romance-driven characters are never my thing but at least she gave me the toxic relationship I was promised in this show lol She actually accepted the crown prince's questionable side?? Let's wait and see. Nevertheless, I find her cool too. Her fighting scenes with Mei Lin is awesome!

Princess Zi Gu started as the innocent carefree bright character who was gifted to the palace for peace between two kingdoms and great friend to Mei Lin. Then she implied to be fall in love with the emperor's kindness and will protect him to that extent?? It was surprising because big age gap romance in flesh is not my thing but at least the older guy is actually kind to her and prefer if she leave the palace because emperor now how harsh the life is in the palace. So yeah, Emperor also manage to be likable as well.

Qing Yan the trusted incompetent righthand man of Murong Jinghe. I like him too. As a fan of Sha Po Lang's Shen Yi, I always love characters like him. I just wish his relationship with Jinghe is more deeper and he has other roles in the story aside from joining Jinghe to seek justice for their Weibei army. Maybe they will touch that in the future episodes?

Yue Qin is not my favorite but I appreciate he don't side with two forces. He's just doing his own thing and has his own agenda. He's neutral and only care about people he want to protect. The arc about Shu Mo's death is saddening. I just hope he will not force himself to Mei Lin in the future.

Eunuch Liu Zhong is surprisingly likable!! I didn't expect he has this cute relationship with Jinghe during his childhood and genuinely care about the emperor. The episode when they are eliminating who they can ask for help is fun to watch.

Concubine Yin might be despicable trying to become the matchmaker for Luo Mei but it make sense especially emperor kinda ignore her presence in the harem so its understandable where she's coming from.

I also enjoyed supporting antagonists like Wang Quan, Ling Qi and Zhang Yin. This show really have great cast.

[ultimateshixiongfuckertournament]

Current nominees (updated through to 20 April):

Mo Xi (for Gu Mang), Yuwu / Remnants of Filth

Ah-Cheng (for Ming Lou), The Disguiser

Wang Manchun (for Ming Lou), The Disguiser

Shen Jiu (for Yue Qingyuan), The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System

Quan Yizhen (for Yin Yu), Heaven Official's Blessing

Jiang Cheng (for Wei Wuxian), Mo Dao Zu Shi

Jian Yi (for Wen Xuan), Let's Talk About That Guy Who Transmigrated To Pursue Me

Gu Xuanyan (for Zhong Yan), My Junior Still Hasn't Killed Me

Liu Qingge (for Shen Qingqiu), The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System

Cheng Qian (for Yan Zhengming), Liu Yao: The Revitalization of Fuyao Sect

Gu Feidi (for Su Yang), Where is Our Agreement to Be Arch-Rivals?

Luo Binghe (Bingge) (for Ning Yingying), The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System

Akira Kagiura (for Taiga Hirano), Hirano to Kagiura

Yoshikazu Miyano (for Shuumei Sasaki), Sasaki to Miyano

Ikuyo Kita (for Ryou Yamada), Bocchi the Rock!

Fei Du (for Luo Wenzhou), Mo Du

Wen Kexing (for Zhou Zishu), Word of Honor

Yin Feixing (for Dongfang Xianyun), 我家大师兄脑子有坑 / My Sect's Senior Disciple Has a Hole in His Brain

Lin Zizheng (for Qin Mo), Transmigrated Senior Martial Brother

Xie Xi (for Chu Yu), Every Day The Protagonist Wants To Capture Me

Mo Ran (for Shi Mei), The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Shen Feixiao (for Qin Shi/Qin Kaiyi), A Smile From the Villain

Yuu Koito (for Touko Nanami), Bloom Into You

Fiona Frost/Nightfall (for Loid Forger/Twilight), Spy x Family

Takina Inoue (for Chisato Nishikigi), Lycoris Recoil

Sakura Matou (for Shirou Emiya), Fate/Stay Night

Yuu Kashima (for Masayuki Hori), Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun

Haruhi Fujioka (for Tamaki Suoh), Ouran High School Host Club

Yu Zhijue (for Ling Xia), Transmigrating into a Mob Character to Rehabilitate the Villain Plan

Kino Makoto / Sailor Jupiter (for unnamed senpai), Sailor Moon

Wen Jing (for Jun Yanzhi), Who Dares Slander My Senior Brother

Yan Tianhen (for Lin Xuanzhi), Rebirth of the Supreme Celestial Being

Welcome to the Ultimate Shixiongfucker / Shijiefucker Tournament

Whether the character is hot for their shixiong, shijie, qianbei, xuezhang, xuejie, senpai, sunbae, or another related title, this is the tournament to discover the Ultimate Shixiongfucker (or Shijiefucker).

If there are enough nominations, the tournament will be split into a Canonicals tournament and a Noncanonicals tournament.

Nomination Requirements

On the nomination form, you must include the character's name, their shixiong / shijie's name, the media they're from, whether the relationship is canonical or not, and propaganda for the nomination. There is also an option to include a link to a picture of the nominated character - please do not link fanart unless you can also provide contact details for the fanartist so I can ask their permission.

The shixiong / shijie character must be known in canon as a shixiong, shijie, qianbei, xuexiong, xuejie, senpai, sunbae, senior, or another equivalent role / title.

The shixiongfucker character must canonically be the shidi / shimei / xuedi / xuemei / houbei / kohai / hoobae / junior / etc. of the shixiong / shijie character.

For Canonical nominations, the shixiongfucker character must be in or desire to be in a romantic and / or sexual relationship with the shixiong / shijie character in canon.

For Noncanonical nominations, please do not submit crackships. There must be some kind of subtext or vibes to suggest the relationship or desire for a relationship.

You can nominate as many characters as you like, but each nomination must be a separate submission.

Nominations will only be accepted via the nomination form (link in the first reblog of this post).

Timing

Nominations are open until midnight on April 21, 2024.

Round 1 will begin in early May, after I've sorted through the nominations and generated brackets.

Each round will go for 1 week.

The total number of rounds will depend on the number of nominations.

General

I will aim to answer asks within 24 hours, but I may not always be able to do so. Please be understanding.

No character-bashing allowed. Keep discussions civil.

[kdram-chjh]

Cdrama: Love's Deception (2023)

Gifs of Intro of cdrama "Love's Deception"

EP01-04 | Feng Lili was punished and met Shen Yuchuan | [Love's Deception 再见君如故]

Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flKU3vetvDA

[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 ; �� 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 (z��)，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?) 

[phanique]

Arsenal Military Academy 烈火军校 Review

So after watching Ancient Love Poetry, I wanted to check out more of Xu Kai's work and I came across this drama and as before, I started this drama without looking into anything other than the fact that Xu Kai is in the cast.

I'm not a professional critic, just a casual drama watcher.

I subscribed to iQiYi so I was able to watch it without ads and stuff but I am not sure of the English translation as iQiYi only allows you to show one language subtitle at a time.

Onto the review.

Plot

I would say that the plot is using a classic concept but turning it into its own plot. So Xie Xiang decided to crossdress and become her brother Xie Liang Chen and join the Arsenal Military Academy. She joins the 7th batch of students and become roommates with playboy Gu Yan Zhen, friends with Huang Song, Shen Jun Shan, Zhu Yan Lin and Ji Jin. She endures the challenges of a military school while trying to survive as the Japanese want to take over the territory.

Okay, so the actual plot is more complicated than this but I think it is also because there is a lot of back story of other characters. You could even say that the actual couple do not have so much screen on time which I do feel that they need. (But given that they deleted the kiss scenes for whatever reason, I do think more of them might have been edited out. If you don't know what I am talking about, go search it on YouTube.)

I would say the biggest plot gap for the drama is how Xie Xiang manage to even become her brother. So her brother actually died in a car crash which is not like s super secret thing but the academy did not know about it? I find it extremely weird that they do not know about it honestly. Secondly, how she managed to get past the body checks. I have no idea how she can just scrape pass the first one. Thirdly, does no one suspect her? To me the fact that she did not use the public bath is a big sign since I can tell you that most military guys are like free with their body in a sense and only a few people suspected her.

On the other hand, I also like that there is no big reveal of her identity that just lead her to dismiss and such, the plot took advantage of her reveal which I really think was good.

Also, it was only pretty late in the show where they actually 'finalised' the couple because I would say that any episode before 34, the couple was actually not even there I would say. Like yes Gu Yan Zhen liked her from the beginning but Xie Xiang actually only realised her feelings pretty late which I do think is another good point because most shows like this also show the female falling in love too fast almost. And Gu Yan Zhen has so much of the second male lead syndrome that he might actually be the second male lead.

Commenting on one part where Qu Man Ting receives an invitation for the auction for the golden seal, I do think that they should have portrayed Xie Liang Chen to be more confident as in the scene, Gu Yan Zhen, Huang Song and Shen Jun Shan were like smiling/smirking but he was the only one frowning which made the scene feel disconnected. If they portrayed him to be more confident in a sense I do believe that it would be more thrilling.

Acting

Bai Lu who plays Xie Xiang/Xie Liang Chen is a pretty famous actor. I actually have seen one of her dramas (Love Is Sweet) but I really could not tell that it was her. It might also be because of the fact that I actually am like okay with the drama that I watch that is why I did not have an impression of her. Anyway, she does act like a male pretty well, I would say that she looks most like a male with her hair down but since they had to gel up their hair, she actually looks more feminine. Her voice got dubbed and I can honestly see why because her voice naturally is quite feminine so it is pretty obvious that Xie Xiang is a female if they did not dub her.

Xu Kai plays Gu Yan Zhen in the drama. Firstly, he looks SO GOOD dressed in Min Guo period setting (like Hu Yi Tian so maybe Min Guo period dramas are my weakness). His acting here is also pretty good but also definitely different from the dramas that I have seen him in. He is a playboy here but is actually quite a soft person on the inside and the acting does him justice.

Gao Yu Er who portrays Xian Rong in the drama is also such a good actor. I think it is easier to act as a good person than an evil person but she does it with no guilt in a sense(?) Like most dramas would show that the evil would die regretting what they have done/have some guilt at the end but for this drama no. Like I would say Xian Rong as also given up on Shen Jun Shan at the end where she was willing to kill him too and I really appreciate that. She is like the perfect evil. (This is unrelated to AMS but I just finished There Was Once A Lingjian Mountain and she portrayed the Lady Boss and I really like her acting even more so I do hope to watch more of her dramas in the future.)

I do not really want to talk about the other characters since I do not really have the time but here are some notes on them.

The voice of Qu Man Ting is actually the actress herself.

I really like the way of Shen Ting Bai loves Qu Man Ting, you can see that he is more mature(?) in a way and it really is like the perfect example of selfless love/unreciprocated love/liking your childhood friend.

The scene where Gu Yan Zhen and Shen Jun Shan is competing to drink, they did actually drink real beer since they did not know (but they spat it out immediately so the scene in the drama might have used fake ones).

Spoiler here. I am glad that Huang Song died without knowing that Xie Liang Chen is Xie Xiang because Huang Song would be a character to me that should be kept pure almost.

There is only technically 8 people who knew that Liang Chen was a female before the great reveal but I do suspect that 1 more person knew but did not say it out. They are Tan Xiao Jun, Gu Yan Zhen, Shen Jun Shan, Shen Jun Shan's helper/friend, Guo Shu Ting, Xian Rong, Xian Rong's bodyguard, Li Wen Zhong. I do think Yu Jie actually knows but did not say anything. I also think Qu Man Ting was sort of suspicious but was not a firm I believe that he is a she kind of thing.

Setting/Clothes

I think the budget that went into filming in adequate as the clothes, scenes, gunfire and stuff are well portrayed.

OST

Not bad, the opening song and the song sang by Bai Lu and Xu Kai was the most memorable.

Overall, I would give it a 8.5/10. I can see why some people would avoid it but I do think that they should give it a try. Also it made me notice two more actors Meng En (Zhu Yan Lin) and Ji Jin (Wang Yi Zhe) which I am glad to know more about.

[ruanbaijie]

I got tagged in a bunch of tag games recently but I’ve been putting the off for a loooooonnnnggg time because a certain drama (hint: the abbreviation is three letters long, the last character rhymes with “ring”) has been occupying every single second of my free time (눈_눈)

but now that I have some pockets of time to spare! I’m just gonna club all the tag games together into a monster post ( ` ω ´ )

a big thank you to everyone who tagged me!!!!! (*˘︶˘*).｡.:*♡

tag game #1

tagged by @tiesanjiao @sillyfanturtle

recreate your blog’s aesthetic as a drink 🍸

make one here

this one was so fun! the number of choices omg I was spoiled and I took so long to decide which to go with lol. I don’t really know what this monstrosity is??? I just picked these for the pinks/ muted reds and greens

but my irl aesthetic is more something like this below. and my dumb gothic-loving ass thought that background was a graveyard and it took me a closer scrutiny to realise it’s a bar... (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)

tag game #2

tagged by @linglynz

I don’t know what this one’s called, but I guess it’s something along the lines of recreating a mouse here! 

I’m... boring. hanyi’s motto in life, probably: make it black. there are little devil horns but they’re black too so they’re blending in...

tag game #3

tagged by @yibobibo 

You can usually tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to. Put your favourite playlist on shuffle and list the first ten songs then tag ten people! No skipping!

OHO favourite playlist you say........ okay I’ll have to find one of my favourites that has at least 10 songs ahaaa

SHI-KI (Atsushi Suemitsu) - from Shiki (this remains one of my favourite instrumental anime soundtracks to date it’s just so damn atmospheric and good)

Tian Wen (Liu Yuning) - from Shan He Ling (well...)

Ai Shang (Xiao Shi Gu Niang) - from Goodbye My Princess

Enigma (After Journey) - from My Roommate is a Detective

Chi Qing Zhong Instrumentals with Vocals Version (Deng Lun) - from Qing Ya Ji (*cough cough cough*)

Eau de Vie (Atsushie Suemitsu) - from Shiki

Huo Shui (Shu Linzuo) - from The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty

Chi Qing Zhong (Deng Lun) - from Qing Ya Ji

Be Ok (I’ll) - from Zombie Detective

Warriors (2WEI & Edda Hayes)

yeahhh I listen to a lot of soundtracks

tag game #4

tagged by @livenarrator​

post the top 10 songs you’re currently vibing to

pretty similar to the one above! but here are another 10 anyways ehe

Bridge of Fate (Wang Leehong & Tan Weiwei) - from The Great Wall

Sheng Er Wu Wei (Wang Ziyi) - from S.W.A.T.

Fireworks Cool Easily (Jay Chou)

Diamond (Ha Hyun Woo) - from Itaewon Class

Yong Ye (Tan Weiwei) - from Ever Night

Awaken (Su Shiding) - from My Roommate is a Detective

Wu Bie (Jeff Chang) - from Tian Guan Ci Fu

Wu Ti (Hu Xia) - from Shan He Ling

Tian Ya Ke (Zhang Zhehan & Gong Jun) - from Shan He Ling

Gu Meng (Zhang Zhehan) - from Shan He Ling

and last but not least, tag game #5

tagged by @inessencedevided​

rules: create your own post and tag 9 people to get to know better or catch up with  

last song listened to: Tian Wen from Shan He Ling - because I was answering the tag game above alsdklflksdlkf (ง ื▿ ื)ว

last movie watched: The Yin Yang Master 2021 aka Shi Shen Ling - I got baited by (white) long-haired chen kun let’s just leave it at that

currently reading: just finished Po Yun by Huai Shang - IT’S SO DAMN GOOD PLEASE READ IT HUAI SHANG NEEDS MORE LOVE - next up probably 2ha reread

currently craving: travel - I think I’ve been saying I’ve been craving travel for the longest time now singapore is... damn small

current project: at work??? leisure project??? if it’s the latter, I probably have to get my ass cracking and start doing this week’s march gif challenge but I have Zero Inspiration (⇀‸↼‶)

current mood: pretty chill and relaxed bc finally I’m done with live giffing shl, but also nervous and ambivalent bc hyx is starting soon, and lastly excited bc tomorrow I’m gonna have my first bubble tea in three months (self-imposed diet, not related to any lockdown)

current wish: see “currently craving”

currently learning: nothing much?

something that makes you proud: how far I’ve progressed in giffing ever since january 2020 ฅ(^◕ᴥ◕^)ฅ

[smylealong]

At @terribleteej's behest, I did finish The Rebel Princess.

I have divided the characters like this. (If a character isn't here, I don't care about them one way or the other):

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM:- Xiao Qi, Song Huai'en*, Wang Su, Yu Xiu, Grand Elder Princess, Pang Gui, Hu Yao, Guang Lie, and Gu Cai Wei. (Madam Wei gets a special mention).

MEH: A'Wu, Wen Zhong Shen

DIDN'T PARTICULARLY LIKE BUT DIDN'T HATE EITHER: Xu Gu gu, Zilu, Zilong, Huan Mi, the old emperor.

HATED THEM: Empress Dowager, Xie Wanru, Su Jin'er, Helan Zhen, Wang Qian, Gu Min Wen (I hate this creature who has the personality of a rotten banana and has a spine like one too. Waste of space!).

And then there was the Zitan who should be a category unto his own.

* This asterix had to come. I have seen the tags of the show and I have seen the hate Song Huai'en gets. But I cannot hate him. To me, he is the most complicated, conflicted, confused, and corrupted character. Poor guy was sacrificed at the altar of Wang Lin's greed and ambition. I will write an entire essay about this deeply conflicted and sadly misunderstood character. It's about time someone spoke up for this tragic, broken and absolutely epic character.

That I'm a Liu Duan Duan fangirl has nothing to do with it.

[siumerghe]

Ji Kang, from Alchemists, Mediums, and Magicians: Stories of Taoist Mystics

Alchemists, Mediums, and Magicians: Stories of Taoist Mystics is a collection of biographies of 144 historical figures associated with Daoism, compiled under the title Xuanping lu 玄品錄 by daoist Zhang Tianyu 張天雨 (1279-1350) and translated by Thomas Cleary.

Ji Kang was styled Shuye. He was a man of Zhi prefecture in the state of Qiao.(9) He was orphaned early. He had extraordinary talent, far beyond the crowd. He was more than six feet three inches tall.(10) He was eloquent and handsome, but he made his appearance plain and didn’t dress up. People considered him distinguished and elegant, but it was innate, naturally so.

He studied without instruction from teachers, read widely and comprehended everything. He was married into the ruling family of Wei and was given a prestige title. He used to practice nurturing nature and ingesting elixirs. He played the lute and sang poetry, enough to comfort his heart.

He considered spiritual immortality to be an endowment from nature, not a product of learning. As for reasonable exercise and nutrition, the standards of Anqi(11) and Grandfather Peng(12) could be reached, so he wrote Discourse on Nurturing Life.

Those with whom he always considered spiritual communication genuine were only Ruan Ji of Chenliu and Shan Tao of Henei, while those who joined their set were Xiang Xiu, Liu Ling, Ji’s nephew Han, and Wang Ru, eventually making up the Bamboo Grove association.

Ru said he’d lived with Kang in Shenyang for twenty years and never once saw him either angry or joyful.

Kang used to gather herbs, roaming mountains and wetlands. When he’d get into a good mood, he’d become ecstatic and forget to return. The occasional woodcutter or thatch cutter who encountered him thought he was a spirit man.

He went to the mountains of Ji county,(13) where he saw Sun Deng and then went wandering along with him. Deng was sunk in silence and self-contained; he didn’t talk or say anything. When Kang was about to leave, he asked for a word of advice. Deng said, “Your talent is of a high order, but your way of preserving your body is inadequate.”

He also met Wang Lie, and they went into the mountains together. Lie once found some stone marrow like rock sugar. He ingested half and gave the rest to Kang. In both cases it crystallized.

Wang also once saw a silk text in a cavern and immediately called Kang to go get it, but suddenly it could no longer be seen. Lie lamented, “Shuye’s mentality is extraordinary, and yet even though he looked right away he couldn’t find it. That’s fate.”

When Shan Tao was about to leave, he was selected for office but recommended Kang in his stead. Kang then presented Shan Tao with a letter announcing termination of contact. In sum it said, “I have heard the sayings left by Taoists, that ingesting polygonatum and atractylodes enables people to prolong the life span, and I have a lot of confidence in this. Roaming the mountains and wilds, watching birds and fish, is a pleasure to my heart. Were I to become an official, I’d have to give all of this up. How can I abandon what I enjoy to pursue what I fear! Now I just want to stay in a humble neighborhood, raise my children and grandchildren, from time to time express my feelings about separation and distance from relatives and friends, talking about the old days. A cup of unfiltered wine, a tune on the lute—that’s the extent of my ambition!”

Now that this had been put in writing, it was obvious he couldn’t be compelled or constrained.

The governor of Nanhai, Bao Jing, was one in communion with the miraculous; Xu Ning of Donghai took him for his teacher. One night Ning heard the sound of a lute in Jing’s room; marveling at its refinement, he asked about it. Jing said, “That was Ji Shuye.” Ning said, “Ji was killed—how could he be here?”(14)

Jing said, “Shuye projected the appearance of dying, but in reality he just left the body.”

This appears in Gu Kaizhi’s(15) eulogy of Ji Kang.

Footnotes:

10. Seven chi eight cun: based on these measures as of Jin times, this would be somewhat more than six feet three inches. Presumably this was above average for his time and place.

11. Anqi Sheng is a legendary immortal associated with the island of Penglai. He is supposed to have lived more than a thousand years. The First Emperor of China, who was intensely interested in immortality, is said to have met Anqi on a journey east.

12. Grandfather Peng is supposed to have lived for eight hundred years. A manual on energy-induction exercises attributed to him can be found in the Baopuzi. See Daozang jiyao, vol. 20, p. 8686.

13. In Henan.

14. The Ming dynasty scholar Li Zhi recounts the story of Ji Kang’s murder in his Zangshu:

“Kang was poor and supported himself by working as a smith. In those days Zhong Hui, a friend of Sima Zhao, heard of Kang and went to visit him. Hui was a distinguished gentleman, esteemed for talent and ability, who rode on hefty horses and wore lightweight clothes, with a huge crowd of hangers-on. Kang kept working at his forge and didn’t pay attention. Hui was impressed with him.

“When Shan Tao was chosen to be a courtier, he nominated Kang instead. Kang wrote a letter refusing and cutting off contact, explaining that he personally could not stand current customs, not that he was slighting the example of sagacious kings of old. So when Sima Zhao heard of this, he hated Kang.

“Kang was on good terms with Lu Zhao and his younger brother An. An was smitten with Kang’s loftiness and would go to any lengths for him. Now, Lu Zhao had an illicit affair with An’s wife and then condemned An for disrespect and had him imprisoned. An called on Kang to testify for him. Kang’s sense of justice was not without appreciation, so he explained the matter.

“Like Kang, An was also very zealous in his will to save the world. Zhong Hui urged Lu Zhao to take this opportunity to get rid of him. So he killed An, and Kang too.”

15. Gu Kaizhi (345–406) was a poet, painter, and courtier.