#wei shuyu

[melodious-tear]

Hao Du, can't you see it with your eyes?

长歌行 The Long Ballad ep. 17 + 32

[ladynamie]

The Long Ballad 长歌行 (2021) | Episode 35

[electricsoul-rpg]

FANG YILUN (方逸伦) / ALEN FANG as Wei Shuyu

in The Long Ballad (长歌行), 2021

[liobi]

The Long Ballad is an experience in watching The Nice Guy TM character slowly become more and more irredeemable as the show goes on while everyone else moves on with their lives and improve as human beings

[bitter-rock-sugar]

removing masks

[lyselkatzfandomluvs]

A Journey to Love 一念關山

Liú YûNíng 劉宇寧 and Fang YìLún 方逸倫 singing 奉上 (to make an offering) together! ❤❤❤

The whole livestream is FANTASTIC btw! With a bromantic walk by the lake and a visit to an aquarium.

[cataclysmicamomile]

Wait. Shit.

Shuyu said the same thing to Jin Feng!!!

"As long as it's what I wish, regardless of what I do, where I am, will you continue to support me?"

Jin Feng turned to look at me, smiling, "Probably most of the time. It'll be bad to go against my brother if he hasn't done anything wrong."

[nachotrash]

未定的注定 (Undecided Fate) --LYRICS RETRANSLATION + NOTES

A/N: finally, after all these years, I post something that isn't a shitpost. Was chatting with discord friends while playing ToT episode 9 and that one line by luke made me wanna translate this. Uhh, translation notes at the end. Have fun reading and geeking out with me. This is a personal translation of the lyrics of ToT's official theme song

曾是我 寄身在黑暗中 Ceng shi wo ji shen zai hei’an zhong I used to be stuck in the dark 走尽夜路也盼有灯属于我 zou jin ye lu ye pan you deng shuyu wo Walking the night path with a lamp/light of mine 是否等候我的窗将有微光涌动 shifou denghou wo de chuang jiang you wei guang yong dong Whether a (soft) light shimmers through my windows 绽放成你 温热在我手 zhanfang cheng ni wen re zai wo shou Gently blooms into you in my hands

你是未定的希望 ni shi weiding de xiwang You're the undetermined hope 却是注定的光芒 que shi zhuding de guangmang Yet the fated light 照引我的心 zhao yin wo de xin Light up my heart 到黑夜退去 dao heiye tuiqu Retreat into the night

愿我也能温暖你 yuan wo ye neng wennuan ni Hope that I can also warm you up 走向未定的真相 zouxiang weiding de zhenxiang Walking towards the undetermined truth 解除命运的捆绑 jiechu mingyun de kunbang Untie the restraints of life's path 无所畏惧和你相倚 wu suo weiju he ni xiang yi Fearlessly lean on eachother with you

在余生每个黎明 zai yusheng mei ge liming At dawn, for the rest of our lives 你是谜 封锁住我眼眸 ni shi mi fengsuo zhu wo yan mou You're the riddle that locked my eyes shut 你是意义占据我所思所有 ni shi yiyi zhanju wo suo si suoyou You're the reason occupying all my thoughts 你是未定的美好我开始猜不透 ni shi weiding di meihao wo kaishi cai bu tou You're the indetermined perfection that I can't figure out

现在我才懂 为何萦梦 xianzai wo cai dong weihe ying meng Only now have I realized why we dream 你是未定的希望 ni shi weiding de xiwang You're the undetermined hope 却是注定的光芒 que shi zhuding de guangmang Yet the fated light 照引我的心 zhao yin wo de xin Light up my heart

走向未定的真相 zouxiang weiding de zhenxiang Walking towards the undetermined truth 解除命运的捆绑 jiechu mingyun de kunbang Untie the restraints of life's path 无所畏惧和你相倚 wu suo weiju he ni xiang yi Fearlessly lean on eachother with you 在余生每个黎明 zai yusheng mei ge liming At dawn, for the rest of our lives

已注定 yi zhuding Already fated

你是未定的希望 ni shi weiding de xiwang You're the undetermined hope

却是注定的光芒 que shi zhuding de guangmang Yet the fated light 照引我的心 zhao yin wo de xin Light up my heart 到黑夜退去 dao heiye tuiqu Retreat into the night 愿我也能温暖你 yuan wo ye neng wen nuan ni Hope that I can also warm you up

走向未定的真相 zouxiang weiding de zhenxiang Walking towards the undetermined truth 解除命运的捆绑 jiechu mingyun de kunbang Untie the restraints of life's path 无所畏惧和你相倚 wu suo weiju he ni xiang yi Fearlessly lean on eachother with you 在余生每个黎明 zai yusheng mei ge liming At dawn, for the rest of our lives 已注定 yi zhuding Already fated

NOTES:

绽放 specifically means the opening of the flower petals when a flower blooms Also MC is very flower-coded (rosa) So i thought that was a nice detail

Now the "warming up" specifically means the type of comforting warmth that campfires or torches will give you on a cold dark night

解除 (untie) could possibly be a reference to how the NXX investigation gets more and more complicated, with an overwhelming amount of cases practically "tangled up" in eachother, so you're slowly picking it apart one by one with the team (aka your soulmates)

Also I specifically used "lifes path" for 命运 because that phrase is only used to talk about the course of a persons life, aka the events/path that life has laid down for you (your canon events, if you will)

意义 means like, the significance, meaning or reason/motivation behind someone's actions, but idk how to translate that

黎明 was hard to translate, cause it can mean both dawn and dusk, or any time of day (altho dawn and dusk are the most used, hehe crepusculum and diluculum) but it basically mean that the two relies on eachother every single day for the rest of their lives

A/N: That's it! Hope this was comprehensible to read

[bookofjin]

Commanderies and States of Western Han, Part 2

Taiyuan

Taiyuan commandery太原郡, Qin set it up [in 247 BC]. Has a salt official at Jinyang晉陽. Belongs to Bing province并州. 169 863 households, 680 488 people. Has a House Horse official[a]. 21 counties:

[1]Jinyang晉陽, formerly in the Poetry Tang state唐國. King Cheng of Zhou wiped out Tang唐 and ennobled his younger brother Shuyu. Long Mountain龍山 is to the north-west. Has a salt official. The Jin River晉水 sets out form there, to the east it joins the Fen汾[b].

[2]Suiren葰人[c].

[3]Jiexiu界休, Mang called it Jiemei界美[d].

[4]Yuci榆次. Tushui district涂水鄉, Jin's Grandee Zhi Xuwu's town. Gengyang district梗陽鄉, Wei Wu's town. Mang called it Dayuanting大原亭[e].

[5]Zhongdu中都.

[6]Yuli于離, Mang called it Yuhe于合.

[7]Zishi茲氏, Mang called it Zitong茲同.

[8]Langmeng狼孟, Mang called it Langzhou狼調.

[9]Wu鄔, the Nine Marshes九澤 are to the north. This is Zhaoyuqi昭餘祁, the swamp of Bing province并州. Jin's Grandee Sima Mimou's town[f].

[10]Yu盂, Jin's Grandee Yu Nei's town.

[11]Pingtao平陶, Mang called it Duorang多穰.

[12]Fenyang汾陽, to the north are the mountains from where the Fen River汾水 sets out, to the south-west arriving at Fenyin汾陰 it joins the He河, passing through 2 commanderies, travelling 1 340 li, the irrigator of Ji province.

[13]Jingling京陵, Mang called it Zhicheng致城[g].

[14]Yangqu陽曲[h].

[15]Daling大陵, has an iron official. Mang called it Daning大寧.

[16]Yuanping原平

[17]Qi祁, Jin's Grandee Jia Xin's town. Mang called it Shi示.

[18]Shang'ai上艾. The Mianman River綿曼水 to the east arrives at Puwu蒲吾, and enters the Hutuo River虖池水[i].

[19]Lüsi慮虒[j].

[20]Yangyi陽邑, Mang called it Fanrang繁穰 .

[21]Guangwu廣武. Juzhu句注 and Jiawu Mountains賈屋山 are to the north.The Chief Commandant's seat. Mang called it Xinhuan信桓[k].

[a]Your Subject Zan says: “Han had the House Horse Stable家馬廄, one stable had ten thousand horses. At the time, since the border and outside had affairs, they allotted them to come and be here. The “House Horse” later changed name to Churning [dong挏] [milk] Horse.”

Shigu says: “ 挏 is pronounced dong動.”

[b]Your Subject Zan says: “Where is spoken of as Tang唐 is the present Hedong's河東 Yong'an永安, the distance to Jin is 400 li.”

Shigu says: “Zan's explanation is correct.”

[c]Ru Chun says: “Pronounced suǒ璅.”

Shigu says: “Also pronounced shān山 + guǎ寡.”

[Baxter & Sagart: 葰: not listed, shān山: (sr- + -ean A), guǎ寡: (k- + -wae B), (sr- + -wae B): no examples.]

[d]Shigu says: “休 pronounced xǔ許+ qiú虯.”

[Baxter & Sagart: xiū休: (x- + -juw A), xǔ許: (x- + -jo B), 虯: not listed.]

[e]Shigu says: “ 涂 pronounced tu塗. 梗 pronounced geng鯁.”

[f]Shigu says: “Pronounced yī一 + hù戶. Also pronounced yú於+ jù據.”

[Baxter & Sagart: 鄔: not listed, yī一: ('- + -jit D), hù戶: (h- + -u B). ('- + -u B): not listed.

Yú於: ('- + -jo A), jù據: (k- + -jo C), ('- + -jo C): not listed. 烏: (- + -u A).]

[g]Shigu says: “Precisely Jiujing九京.”

[h]Ying Shao says: “The He河 for 1 000 li is one curve, this must be on its sunny-side, and for that reason it was called Yangqu陽曲.”

Shigu says: “Emperor Wen of Sui, since his family name was Yang楊, hated the title of Yangqu陽曲, and therefore changed its county to be Yangzhi陽直, now then we have restored the old name for it.”

[i]Shigu says: “虖 pronounced hu呼. 池 pronounced tú徒 + hé何.”

[Baxter & Sagart: chí池: (dr- + -je A), tú徒: (d- + -u A), hé何: (h- + -a A). (d- + -a A): tuó (驒鼉紽沱)]

[j]Shigu says: “Pronounced Luyi廬夷.”

[k]Shigu says: “Jiawu Mountain is precisely of where the Historical Records states: “Count Xiang of Zhao went north to climb Xiawu夏屋."”

Shangdang

Shangdang commandery上黨郡, Qin set it up [in 247 BC?]. Belongs to Bing province并州. Has Shangdang Pass上黨關, Hukou Pass壺口關, Shixing Pass石研關, Tianjing Pass天井關[a]. 73 798 households, 337 766 people. 14 counties:

[1]Changzi長子, where was Zhou's Scribe Xin Jia's fief. Lugu Mountain鹿谷山, Zhuozhang River濁漳水 sets out form there, to the east arriving at Ye鄴, it enters the Qingzhang清漳[b].

[2]Zhunliu屯留, Sang Qin tells of of it: “Jiang River絳水 sets out from the south-west. To the east it enters the sea[c].

[3]Yuwu余吾.

[4]Tongdi銅鞮, has Shangsi Precinct上虒亭, Xiasi Settlement下虒聚[d].

[5]Zhan沾. Damin Valley大黽谷, Qingzhang River清漳水 sets out from there, to the north-east arriving at Yicheng邑成, it enters the Great He大河, passing through 5 commanderies, traveling 1 680 li. The stream of Ji province冀州[e].

[6]Nieshi涅氏, Nie River涅水[f].

[7]Xiangyuan襄垣. Mang called it Shangdangting上黨亭.

[8]Huguan壺關, has Yangchang Slope羊腸版. The Zhan River沾水 to the east arriving at Zhaoge朝歌, it enters the Qi淇[g].

[9]Xuanshi泫氏. Yang Valley楊谷, the Jue River絕水 sets out from there, to the south arriving at Yewang野王 it enters the Qin沁[h].

[10]Gaodu高都. Wan Valley莞谷, Dan River丹水 sets out from there, to the south-east it enters the Xuan River. Has Tianjing Pass天井關[i].

[11]Lu潞, formerly the Count of Lu's state潞子國.

[12]Yishi陭氏[j].

[13]Yang'e陽阿.

[14]Guyuan穀遠. Yangtou Mountain羊頭山 and Shimi Valley世靡谷. The Qin River沁水 sets out from there, to the south-east arriving at Xingyang滎陽 it enters the He河, passing through 3 commanderies, and travelling 970 li. Mang called it Gujin穀近[k].

[a]Shigu says: “研 is pronounced Xing形.”

[b]Shigu says: “Chang read as in the chang長 of long and short, in the present custom it has become the zhang長 of old and young. A mistake.”

[c]Shigu says: “ 屯 pronounced zhun純.

[d]Shigu says: “虒 pronounced si斯.”

[e]Ying Shao says: “Zhan River 沾水 sets out from Hu Pass壺關.”

Shigu says: “沾 is pronounced ta他 + jian兼.”

[Baxter & Sagart: zhān沾: (tr- + -jem A), tā他: (th- + -a A), jiān兼: (k- + -em A). (th- + -em A): tiān 添.]

[f]Shigu says: “Nie River涅水 sets out from there, and for that reason used it to name the county. niè涅 pronounced nǎi乃 + jié結.”

[Baxter & Sagart: 涅: not listed, nǎi乃: (n- + -oj B), jié結: (k- + -et D). (n- + -et D): not listed.]

[g]Ying Shao says: “The Marquis of Li's state黎侯國 is the present Li Precinct黎亭.”

[h]Ying Shao says: “The Classics of Mountains and Seas: from where the Xuan River泫水 sets out.”

Shigu says: “泫 pronounced gōng工 + xuán玄)

[Baxter & Sagart: 泫: not listed, gōng工: (k- + -uwng A), xuán玄: (h- + -wen A). (k- + -wen A): not listed.

[i]Shigu says: “ 莞 pronounced wan丸.”

[j]Shigu says: “pronounced yú於 + yì義.”

[Baxter & Sagart: 陭: not listed, yú於: ('- + -jo A), yì義: (ng- + -je C). ('- + -je C) not listed.]

[k]Shigu says: “Presently the Qin River沁水 enters the territory of Huai province's懷州 Wuzhi武陟 county to enter the He河. This states that it arrives at Xingyang滎陽, suspect the transmitted writings is faulty.”

Henei

Henei commandery河內郡. 1st Year of Emperor Gao [206 BC], it became Yin state殷國. 2nd Year [205 BC], changed the name. Mang called it Houdui後隊. Belongs to Sili司隸. 241 246 households, 1 067 097 people. 18 counties:

[1]Huai懷. Has a labour official. Mang called it Henei河內.

[2]Ji汲.

[3]Wude武德[a].

[4]Bo波[b].

[5]Shanyang山陽. Eastern Taihang Mountain東太行山 is to the north-west[c].

[6]Heyang河陽, Mang called it Heting河亭.

[7]Zhou州.

[8]Gong共, formerly a state. Bei Mountain北山, Qi River淇水 sets out from there, to the east arriving at Liyang黎陽 it joins the He河[d].

[9]Pinggao平皋[e].

[10]Zhaoge朝歌, where was Zhou紂's capital. Where was King Wu of Zhou's younger brother Kangshu's fief, changing the name to Wei衛. Mang called it Yage雅歌.

[11]Xiuwu脩武[f].

[12]Wen溫, formerly a state,Yixing己姓, where was Su Fensheng's fief.

[13]Yewang野王, Taihang Mountain太行 is to the north-west. Where Lord Yuan of Wei was abducted by Qin, moving from Puyang濮陽 to there. Mang called int Pingye平野[g].

[14]Huojia獲嘉, formerly Ji's汲 Xinzhong district新中鄉. When Emperor Wu travelled through it he changed the name.

[15]Zhi軹[h].

[16]Qinshui沁水[i].

[17]Longlü隆慮. The Guo River國水 to the north-east arrives at Xincheng信成 and joins the Zhangjia He張甲河, passing through 3 commanderies, travelling 1 840 li. Has an iron official[j].

[18]Tangyin蕩陰. Tang River蕩水 to the east arriving at Neihuang Marsh內黃澤. Xi Mountain西山, You River羑水 sets out from there, likewise arrives at Neihuang內黃 to join the pond. Has Youli City羑里城, where the Earl of the West was imprisoned[k].

[a]Meng Kang says: “When the First August toured the east, he set it up, himself considered the martial virtue [wude] that had settled Under Heaven.”

[b]Meng Kang says: “Presently has Chi City絺城, where Duke Wen of Jin obtained the bestowal.”

[c]Shigu says: “háng行 is pronounced hú胡 + láng郎.”

[Baxter & Sagart: háng行: (h- + -ang A), xíng行: (h- + -aeng A), hú胡: (h- + -u A), láng郎: (l- + -ang A). (h- + -ang A): háng行.]

[d]Meng Kang says: “The Earl of Gong entered to be among the Three Excellencies.”

Shigu says: “共 is pronounced gong 恭.”

[e]Ying Shao says: “The Marquis of Xing邢 moved from Xiangguo襄國 to here. At the time of Duke Huan of Qi, the people of Wei衛 invaded Xing邢. Xing邢 shifted to Yiyi夷儀, its territory belonged to Jin, and they titled it Xingqiu邢丘. Since it was on the high bank [gao皋] of the He河, and the lay of the land was flat [ping平] and even, they called it Pinggao平皋.”

Your Subject Zan says: “In the Transmittals of the Spring and Autumn, the people of the Di狄 invaded Xing邢, and Xing邢 shifted to Yiyi夷儀, they did not arrive here. Presently, west of Xiangguo襄國 there is a Yiyi City夷儀城, the distance to Xiangguo襄國 a hundred li. The xing here is the name of this hill [qiu丘], it is not the state.

Shigu says: “Ying's explanation is mistaken. When the Transmittals of Mister Zuo says: “The Marquis of Jin sent off a woman to Xingqiu邢丘,” it perhaps speaks of this, and that is all.

[f]Ying Shao says: “Where Jin first opened up Nanyang南陽 is the present Nanyang City南陽城. Qin changed it to be called Xiuwu脩武.”

Your Subject Zan says: “Book of Han Fei: “King Zhao of Qin went beyond Zhao's趙 Changping長平, and to the west invaded Xiuwu脩武.” At the time Qin had not yet united Under Heaven, but the name of Xiuwu脩武 had been for a long time.”

Shigu says: “Zan's explanation is correct.”

[g]Meng Kang says: “Formerly Xing state故邘, the present Yuting邘亭.”

Shigu says: “ háng行 is pronounced hú胡 + láng郎.”

[h]Meng Kang says: “Yuan District 原鄉 was besieged by Duke Wen of Jin.”

Shigu says: “Pronounced zhi只.”

[i]Shigu says: “qìn沁 is pronounced qiān千 + jìn浸.”

[Baxter & Sagart: 沁: not listed, qiān千: (tsh - -en A), 浸 not listed.”

[j]Ying Shao says: “Longlü Mountain隆慮山 is to the north. To avoid the Young Emperor's name, it was changed to be called Linlü林慮.”

Shigu says: “慮 is pronounced lu廬.”

[k]Shigu says: “ 蕩 is pronounced tang湯. yǒu羑 is pronounced yáng羊 + jiǔ九.”

[Baxter & Sagart: 羑: not listed, yáng羊: (y- + -jang A), jiǔ九: (k- + -juw B), (y- + -juw B): yǒu酉.]

Henan

Henan commandery河南郡, formerly Qin's Sanchuan commandery三川郡 [established in 249 BC]. Emperor Gao changed the name. Luoyang has 52 839 households. Mang changed it to Xinxiang信鄉 of Baozhong保忠. Belongs to Sili司隸. 276 444 households, 1 740 279 people. Has an iron office, a labour office. Ao granary is in Xingyang. 22 counties:

[1]Luoyang雒陽, the Duke of Zhou moved the people of Yin殷, this was Chengzhou成周. In the Spring and Autumn, 23rd Year of Duke Zhao of Lu [519 BC], Jin gathered the various lords at Diquan狄泉, using its territory as the city of Dachengzhou大成周, the residence of King Jing. Mang called it Yiyang宜陽[a].

[2]Xingyang滎陽, Bian River卞水 and Ping Pool馮池 are both to the south-west. Has Langdang Canal狼湯渠, the head accepts the Ji泲, to the south-east arriving at Chen陳 it enters the Ying潁, passing through 4 commanderies, travelling 780 li[b].

[3]Yanshi偃師. Shi District尸鄉, capital of Tang of Yin. Mang called it Shicheng師成[c].

[4]Jing京[d].

[5]Pingyin平陰[e].

[6]Zhongmou中牟. Putian Marsh圃田澤 is to the west, the swamp of Yu province豫州. Has Guanshu Town筦叔邑. Marquis Xian of Zhao moved from Geng耿 to here[f].

[7]Ping平, Mang called it Zhiping治平.

[8]Yangwu陽武, has the Bolang Sands博狼沙. Mang called it Yanghuan陽桓[g].

[9]Henan河南, formerly the territory of Jiaru郟鄏. King Wu of Zhou moved the Nine Tripods. The Duke of Zhou presented the Grand Peace. Encampment used as capital. This was the Royal City. Arriving at King Ping, he resided there[h].

[10]Goushi緱氏, Liu Settlement劉聚, Zhuo's Grandee Liuzi's town. Has the Transcendent of Yanshou City's Shrine延壽城仙人祠. Mang called it Zhongting中亭[i].

[11]Quan卷[j].

[12]Yuanwu原武, Mang called it Yuanhuan原桓.

[13]Gong鞏, the residence of Eastern Zhou.

[14]Gucheng穀成, in the Tribute of Yu, Chan River瀍水 sets out from the north of Qian Precinct㬱亭, and to the south-east enters the Luo雒[k].

[15]Gushi故市.

[16]Mi密, formerly a state. Has Dakui Mountain大騩山, Yi River潩水 sets out from it, to the south arriving at Linying臨潁 it joins the Ying潁[l].

[17]Xincheng新成, 4th Year of Emperor Hui [191 BC], set it up. Manzhong蠻中, formerly the Rong's Count of Man's State蠻子國.

[18]Kaifeng開封, Feng Pool逢池 is to the north-east. Some call it the Feng Marsh逢澤 of Song[m].

[19]Chenggao成皋, formerly Hulao虎牢. Some call it Zhi制[n].

[20]Yuanling苑陵. Mang called it Zuoting左亭.

[21]Liang梁. Danhu Settlement𢠸狐聚, Qin wiped out Western Zhou and moved its Lord to here. Yangren Sttlement陽人聚, Qin wiped out Eastern Zhou and moved its Lord here[o].

[22]Xinzheng新鄭. In the Poetry, the state of Zheng���國. Where was Duke Huan of Zheng's son Duke Wu's state. Later it was wiped out by Han韓. Han韓 moved from Pingyang平陽 to have it here[p].

[a]Shigu says: “Yu Huan states that Han's fire agent feared water, and for that reason they removed 水 from 洛 and added 隹. Following Mister Yu's explanation, Guangwu and afterwards changed it to be the 雒 character.

[b]Ying Shao says: “The former Guo state虢國 is the present Guo Precinct虢亭.”

Shigu says: “ 狼 is pronounced lang浪. 湯 is pronounced dang宕. Jǐ泲 is pronounced zǐ子 + lǐ禮, it was originally the character for the Ji River濟水.”

[Baxter & Sagart: jǐ泲: (ts- + -ej B), zǐ子: (ts- + -i B), lǐ禮: (l- + -ej B), (ts- + -ej B): 4 x jǐ.]

[c]Your Subject Zan says: “Tang resided at Bo亳, present Jiyin濟陰 county. Now Bo亳 has Tang's Tomb湯冢己氏, Jishi has Yiyin's Tomb伊尹冢, all are nearby each other.

Shigu says: “Zan's explanation is mistaken. Also similarly when Huangfu Mi states that Tang's capital was at Gushu 穀熟, affairs are equally not arranged. Liu Xiang states: “Tang had no burial place”, how would they obtain Tang's tomb!”

[d]Shigu says: “Just where Zheng's Gong Shuduan resided.”

[e]Ying Shao says: “Is south of Ping City平城, for that reason it is called Pingyin平陰.”

[f]Shigu says: “筦 is similar to guan管.”

[g]Shigu says: “狼 is pronounced lang浪.”

[h]Shigu says: “郟 is pronounced jia夾. 鄏 is pronounced ru辱.”

[i]Shigu says: “緱 is pronounced gōng工 + hóu侯.”

[Baxter & Sagart: 緱: not listed, gōng工: (k- + -uwng A), hóu侯: (h- + -uw A), (k- + -uw A): gōu x 4.]

[j]Shigu says: “Pronounced qù去 + quán權.”

[Baxter & Sagart: juàn卷: (k- jwen B), quán卷: (g- jwen A), qù去: (kh- + -jo B), quán權: (g- + -jwen A).]

[l]Ying Shao says: ““The people of Mi密 were disrespectful.” The state of the Mixu密須 clan's Ji姞 family.”

Your Subejct Zan says: “Mi密 was the state of the Ji姬 family, see the Shiben. Mixu密須 is the present Yinmi陰密 in Anding安定.”

Shigu says: “Ying and Zan's explanations are both mistaken. This Mi is precisely the one from the Spring and Autumn, 6th Year of Duke Xi's “Besieged Xinmi新密.” Perhaps it was in Zheng territory. And where of the Poetry states “The people of Mi密,” precisely where the Zuo Transmittals speaks of as “the drumming of Mixu密須, is Yinmi陰密 in Anding安定. 騩 is pronounced kui隗[?]. 潩is pronounced yì翼, and is also pronounced chāng昌 + lì力.”

[Baxter & Sagart: 潩: not listed, yì翼: (y- + -ik D), 昌: not listed, lì力: (l- ik D).]

[m]Your Subject Zan says: “In the Ancient Writings of Ji Commandery, King Hui of Liang issued out the swamps of Feng逢 and Ji忌 so as to bestow on the people. The present Junyi浚儀 has Feng Dam逢陂 and Ji Marsh忌澤.”

[n]Shigu says: “The Transmittals of Mu the Son of Heaven states: “The gentlemen of Qicui七萃 caught a beast, and immediately presented it to the Son of Heaven. The Son of Heaven reared it at Eastern Guo東虢, titling it as the Beast Pen獸牢.”

[Shigu has replaced the taboo character hu虎 [“tiger”] with 獸.]

[o]Ying Shao says: “The Zuo Transmittals says Qin defeated Liang梁. Liang梁 were the descendants of Boyi. They and Qin had similar ancestry.”

Your Subject Zan says: “Qin defeated Liang梁, and afterwards changed it to be called Xiayang夏陽, the present Xiayang夏陽 in Pingyi馮翊. This Liang梁 is Zhou's Xiaoyi小邑, as seen in the Spring and Autumn.”

Shigu says: “Zan's explanation is correct. 𢠸 is pronounced nǎi乃 + dàn旦.”

[Baxter & Sagart: 𢠸: not listed, nǎi乃: (n- + -oj B), dàn旦: (t- + -an C), (n- + -an C): nàn x 1.]

[p]Ying Shao says: “The Speeches of the States says: Duke Huan of Zheng became Zhou's Minister over the Masses. The royal house was about to be in chaos. He convey the treasure to give bribes for between Guo虢 and Hui會. When King You was defeated, Duke Huan died there. His son, Duke Wu, and King Ping moved east to Luoyi洛邑. Thereupon he invaded Gui虢 and Hui會, and annexed their land, and had his town here.”

Dong

Dong commandery東郡, Qin set it up. Mang called it Zhiting治亭. Belongs Yan province兗州. 401 297 households, 1 659 028 people. 22 counties:

[1]Puyang濮陽. Duke Cheng of Wei衛 moved from Chuqiu楚丘 to here. Formerly Diqiu帝丘. Zhuanxu's Hill顓頊虛. Mang called it Zhiting治亭[a].

[2]Panguan畔觀, Mang called it Guanzhi觀治[b].

[3]Liaocheng聊城.

[4]Dunqiu頓丘, Mang called it Shunqiu順丘[c].

[5]Fagan發干, Mang called it Jishun戢楯.

[6]Fan范, Mang called it Jianmu建睦.

[7]Chiping茬平, Mang called it Gongchong功崇[d].

[8]Dongwuyang東武陽, Yu regulated the Ta River漯水, to the north-east it arrives at Qiancheng千乘 to enter the sea, passing through 3 commanderies, travelling 1 020 li. Mang called it Wuchang武昌[e].

[9]Boping博平, Mang called it Jiamu加睦.

[10]Li黎, Mang called it Lizhi黎治[f].

[11]Qing清, Mang called it Qingshi清治[g].

[12]Dong'e東阿, seat of the Chief Commandant[h].

[13]Lihu離狐, Mang called it Ruihu瑞狐.

[14]Linyi臨邑, has Ji's Temple泲廟. Mang called it Guchengting穀城亭[i].

[15]Limiao利苗.

[16]Xuchang須昌, formerly Xuqu state須句國, the descendants of Dahao, the Feng family[j].

[17]Shouliang壽良, Chiyou's Shrine蚩尤祠 is to the north-west by the Ji泲. Has Qu City朐城[k].

[18]Lechang樂昌.

[19]Yangping陽平.

[20]Baima白馬.

[21]Nanyan南燕, Nanyan state南燕國, family name Ji姞, descendants of the Yellow Emperor[l].

[22]Linqiu廩丘.

[a]Ying Shao says: “The Pu River濮水 to the south enter Juye鉅野.”

Shigu says: “虛 is read as xu墟.”

[b]Ying Shao says: “Xia had Guanhu觀扈. Shizu altered the name to Wei state衛國, and used it to ennoble the descendants of Zhou.

Shigu says: “觀 is pronounced gōng工 + huàn喚.”

[Baxter & Sagart: guān觀: (k- wan A), guàn觀: (k- + -wan C), gōng工: (k- + -uwng A), huàn喚: not listed. Guangyun: 喚: 火貫切. Baxter & Sagart: guàn貫: (k- + -wan C)]

[c]Shigu says: “Used the hill [qiu] to name the county. A hill of 1 cheng is a “pause hill” [dunqiu][?], it is said one would pause once and then complete it. Some say that cheng is “layer”, and that it is a hill of a single layer.”

[d]Ying Shao says: “It is the flat land of Chi Mountain茬山.”

Shigu says: “Pronounced shì仕 + yí疑.”

[Baxter & Sagart: 茬: not listed, shì仕: (dzr- + -i B), yí疑: (ng- + -i A), (dzr- + -i A): not listed.]

[e]Ying Shao says: “On the sunny-side of Wu River武水.]

Shigu says: “漯 is pronounced tā它 + hé 合.]

[Baxter & Sagart: 漯: not listed, tā它: (th- + a A), gě合: (k- + op D), hé 合: (h- + -op D), (th- + -op D): not listed.

是。」

[f]Meng Kang says: “The Poetry's Marquis of Li's state黎侯國, the present Liyang黎陽.”

Your Subject Zan says: “Liyang黎陽 is in Wei commandery魏郡, it is not Li county黎縣.

Shigu says: “Zan's explanation is correct.”

[g]]Ying Shao says: “Emperor Zhang altered the name to Leping樂平.

[h]Ying Shao says: “Wei Town衛邑 is to the west. For that reason it is called “eastern” [dong].”

[i]Shigu says: “ 泲 is also a character for the Ji River濟水. Afterwards both were similar.”

[j]Shigu says: “��� is pronounced qu劬.”

[k]Ying Shao says: “Shizu's junior uncle was named Liang. For that reason it is called Shouzhang壽張.”

[l]Shigu says: “姞 is pronounced qí其 + yǐ乙.”]

[Baxter & Sagart: 姞: not listed, qí其: (g- + -i A), yǐ乙: ('- + -it D), (g- + -it D): jí 佶.]

Chenliu

Chenliu commandery陳留郡. Emperor Wu's 1st Year of Yuanshou [122 BC], set it up. Belongs to Yan province兗州. 296 284 households, 1 509 050 people. 17 counties:

[1]Chenliu陳留, The head of the Lu Canal River魯渠水 accepts the Langtang Canal狼湯渠, to the east arriving at Yangxia陽夏, it enters the Guo Canal渦渠[a].

[2]Xiaohuang小黃.

[3]Cheng'an成安.

[4]Ningling寧陵, Mang called it Kangshan康善[b].

[5]Yongqiu雍丘, formerly Qi state杞國. King Cheng of Zhou ennobled the descendant of Yu, Duke Donglou. Previously, in the time of Spring and Autumn, moved north-east of Lu魯. After 21 generations Duke Jian was wiped out by Chu.

[6]Suanzao酸棗.

[7]Donghun東昏, Mang called it Dongming東明.

[8]Xiangyi襄邑, has a clothes official. Mang called it Xiangping襄平[c].

[9]Waihuang外黃, seat of the Chief Commandant[d].

[10]Fengqiu封丘, the head of the Pu Canal River濮渠水 accepts the Ji泲, to the north-east arriving at Duguan都關, it enters the Yangli River羊里水, passing through 3 commanderies, travelling 630 li[e].

[11]Changluo長羅, a marquisate. Mang called it Huize惠澤.

[12]Weishi尉氏[f].

[13]Yan傿, Mang called it Shuntong順通[g].

[14]Changyuan長垣, Mang called it Changgu長固[h].

[15]Pingqiu平丘.

[16]Jiyang濟陽, Mang called it Jiqian濟前.

[17]Junyi浚儀, formerly Daliang大梁. King Hui of Wei moved from Anyi安邑 to here. The head of the Sui River睢水 accepts the Langtang River狼湯水, to the east arriving at Qulü取慮, it enters the Si泗, passing through 4 commanderies, travelling 1 360 li[i].

[a]Meng Kang says: “Liu留 was Zheng's Town鄭邑. Later it was annexed by Chen, and for that reason it is called Chenliu陳留.”

Your Subject Zan says: “Song likewise had a Liu留, the Liu留 in Pengcheng彭城. Liu留 belonged to Chen, and for that reason it was declared Chenliu陳留.”

Shigu says: “Zan's explanation is correct. 渦 is pronounced ge戈.

[b]Meng Kang says: “Formerly the Earl of Ge's State葛伯國, presently Ge District葛鄉.”

[c]Ying Shao says: “The Transmittals of Spring and Autumn says: “The host was at Xiangniu襄牛.” is this.

Shigu says: “Juan Cheng states that Xiangyi襄邑 was in the lands of Song. Originally it was Chengkuang's承匡 Xiangling District襄陵鄉. It is where Duke Xiang of Song was buried, and for that reason it was called Xiangling襄陵 [“Xiang's Mound”]. The First August of Qin considered Chengkuang承匡 low-lying and humid, and for that reason moved the county to Xiangling襄陵, speaking of it as Xiangyi襄邑 [“Xiang Town”]. 30 li west of the county is Chengkuang City承匡城. As such when Ying Shao explains it as being Xiangniu襄牛, he is mistaken.”

[d]Zhang Yan says: “Wei commandery魏郡 has Neihuang內黃 [“Inner Huang”], for that reason they added wai外[“Outer”].

Your Subject Zan says: “The county has Huang Ditch黃溝, for that reason they mister it[?].

Shigu says: “The Transmittals of Mister Zuo states: “Duke Hui defeated the Song host at Huang黃.” Du Yu considers that since east of Waihuang外黃縣 county, there is a Huang City黃城, it is precisely this land.”

[e]Meng Kang says: “The Transmittals of Spring and Autumn's “Defeated the Di at Changqiu長丘 is the present Di Ditch翟溝.”

[f]Ying Shao says: “Anciently, the prison officials were the Wei尉 clan [shi氏], Zheng's detached prison.”

Your Subject Zan says: “The town of Zheng's Grandee, Mister Wei's尉氏, for that reason they thereupon used it for the town.”

Shigu says: “Zheng's Grandee Mister Wei also was the official in charge of prisons, and for that reason it became the family name and that is all. Ying's explanation is correct.”

[g]Ying Shao says: “The Earl of Zheng vanquished Duan at Yan鄢.”

Shigu says: “ 鄢 is pronounced yan偃.”

[h]Meng Kang says: “The Spring and Autumn [era's] assembly at Kuang匡 was at present Kuang City匡城.”

[i]Ying Shao says: “King Hui of Wei moved from Anyi to here, and titled it as Liang梁.”

Shigu says: “Qulü 取慮 is the name of a county, it is pronounced qiulu秋廬. 取 is also pronounced qu趨.”

[dilirebas]

I appreciate your reviews but I'm curious how you rated the long ballad higher than sword snow stride? The writing isn't even close to being on the same level, and the quality of each character in the show is in another ballpark. Only 2 characters are interesting in the long ballad vs every character being interesting and portrayed well in Sss. That being said great reviews and I've enjoyed watching most of the shows you recommend.

Hmm.. have you watched any wuxia dramas or read any wuxia novels in the past? Sword Snow Stride belongs to the wuxia genre, and as far as wuxia dramas go, this one was not particularly well-written. The world-building is a bit sloppy and doesn't do a great job of establishing limitations and stakes. Almost all wuxia stories have big casts of eclectic characters so I don't view this as being super impressive, especially when it follows very familiar character tropes.

For me, the biggest problem was the lack of pacing and direction in the story, i.e. it's a bit boring. I know a lot of people who started watching SSS and almost everyone gave up halfway through because they found it boring. I pushed through to the end because Zhang Ruoyun is one of my favourite actors so I have a lot of patience for his work. I did enjoy it in the end, but I could see why other people found this drama disappointing.

Another genre-specific problem? The fight scenes were bad. This drama literally went viral for having bad fight scenes. Fight scenes don't necessarily make or break a drama, but they're pretty important when the genre is literally about the martial arts world.

Meanwhile, I thought the writing in TLB was excellent. TLB focuses narrowly on one particular character's heroic journey and growth, and it does an excellent job of that. Whether you found the other characters interesting is obviously subjective, but I really liked supporting characters like Mimi Guli and She'er and (controversially) Wei Shuyu. As a fun bonus, the fight scenes are actually among the best I've seen in recent years (though this is not a wuxia drama lol).

I think I simply don't rate SSS as highly as you do, and I think you might be mistaking genre conventions for writing quality. If you like wuxia genre conventions and tropes (I love them! that's why the genre is in my blog title!), I would highly encourage you to try some better wuxia dramas. Happy to give recommendations if you're interested!

[eigwayne]

Looking up times and distances for fantasy stories based in real world settings is... something. I was just looking at stuff for possible Long Ballad fic and Yunzhou, where Leyan was working at the weaving shop, is nearly 400 miles from Luoyang.

I will never make fun of Wei Shuyu and Hao Du for not finding her because her ending up in Yunzhou is improbable at best to begin with, and that's a lot of area to cover.

Also Leyan and Xiao Wu were walking at least a MONTH.

[agendratum]

local emotionally constipated man with daddy issues experiences several emotions in a row, is unhappy about it, more at 11

[linglynz]

Who said I came alone? Don't say I didn't warn you. If you dare make any more sudden moves, who knows whose head will be shot next! The Long Ballad • episode 48

[smylealong]

The Long Ballad - thoughts

Just finished The Long Ballad and I have to say, I enjoyed it. Primarily because I went in with 0 expectations. After the brutal and fascinating journey that was Nirvana in Fire, I wanted something that did not require much thought and was enjoyable. And The Long Ballad delivered. I primarily went in for Liu Haikuan, knowing that he is a bit role, and I wasn't disappointed. I will discuss the details of the show below and because there are some spoilers, I will keep it under "keep reading"

PLOT: After the brutal death of her family, Li Changge (Dilraba Dilmurat) goes on a self-imposed exile. The story is about her journey. She goes from an angry, revenge-seeking princess to a woman who comes to see the bigger picture and finds inner peace and true love. This is also the story of Ashile Sun (Wu Lei), the battle-hardened war veteran who slowly comes to realize the futility of war and understand where true happiness lies. This is the journey of Leyan (Zhao Lusi), the soft, sheltered, shy princess who finds her own form of courage and strength. We also witness Hao Du (Liu Yuning), the cold-blooded, by-the-books soldier who falls head-over-heels in love with Leyan. There is also Wei Shu Yu (Alen Fang) who goes from being a useless waste of space to brotherzoning himself. (He does it all on his own. No one places him there.)

The series is adapted from the manhua "Chang Ge Xing" (长歌行) written by Xia Da (夏达). The manhua, apparently, got embroiled in some legal issues with its publishing company and is hence left incomplete. The team of Long Ballad got the writers, Chang Jiang and Pei Yu Fei on board and the duo did a commendable job in making changes in the characters and the story to deliver a complete package to the audiences.

The plot, while complex and layered, is also very sanitized. They touch upon fairly dark topics such as fratricide, human trafficking, slavery, biological warfare, and rape, but the topics are treated with kid-gloves. The rape, for example, is never shown. Only implied. This is a very important detail to remember while watching the show. Do not go in expecting a "Nirvana in Fire" or even "The Rebel Princess", you will be disappointed. Go in expecting a Young Adult story, and you will be rewarded.

CHARACTERS AND PERFORMANCES:

Li Changge: The protagonist of the story, Li Changge, starts as a boisterous, confident, but naive Princess. This is primarily her story, told mainly through her point of view. She goes from town to town, actively taking part in the governing of the cities/states. Fighting in wars, strategizing, making mistakes and learning from them. Finding both love and inner peace in the process. As you may have gleaned, the character is a bit of a Mary Sue, in the sense that she is almost perennially outsmarting everyone around her and people are constantly complimenting her on her smarts. That said, Changge does end up making a huge mistake and there are some serious consequences to her mistake, which decreases her Mary Sue-ness. The fact that not every man is falling for her like some other Mary Sues we know, coughA'Wucough, is also a HUGE positive. Dilraba Dilmurat does a commendable job as Li Changge and I don't really have anything negative to say about her performance.

Ashile Sun: He is the Tegin (General) of the Eagle Division of the Ashile Tribe and the foster son of the Great Khan of the Tribe. He is a fierce warrior and a quiet man whose perfectly ordered world is turned upside down upon meeting Li Changge. He is the hero of the story and is a character I enjoyed. Given his age, people did have some concern about Wu Lei portraying such a "masculine" character, but Wu Lei rose to the occasion spectacularly. I could discard Fei Liu (not an easy task, because damnit, I could still see the little murder puppy in some angles because the face is still the same, yet different), and see Ashile Sun instead, so full points to Wu Lei.

Li Leyan: Leyan starts as the soft and delicate princess who cannot stand up for herself. Her story is so beautifully shown. The way she comes to understand her country, her people, and learn true compassion is so beautifully shown that it really melted my heart. I loved the bits where she came in and Zhao Lusi embodied the character perfectly. Her love story was arguably the best thing in the story.

Hao Du: Meet the guy that stole the show. The stoic, cold-blooded, brutal warrior who is absolutely smitten with Li Leyan, the princess he is supposed to guard. Hao Du is a man of few words and Liu Yuning portrays the complex emotions with his expressions. He conveyed the cold and unfeeling mask, the pure love, the devotion, the heartbreak, and the complete surrender to Li Leyan - he showed it all. It was just... FABULOUS.

Wei Shu Yu: Meet the Ma Zitan of this story. Only, unlike Zitan who is both terrible and useless, Wei Shu Yu is just terribly useless. Alan Fang was reasonably good in portraying this nothing character. There is nothing else to say about him.

Ashile She Er: I have to talk about this character. He starts off as the rival to Ashile Sun, the petty guy who is there to make the hero look good. But slowly, we learn that deep inside, he is just a hurt and confused child who is looking for one person who would love and trust him for who he is. Not for his name, not for his title (Young Khan, ie, crown prince), or the power he wields. His relationship with Ashile Sun is the most complicated one of the story and he gets a beautiful character arc. Kudousi Jiang Ainiwaer portrayed the progression of the character convincingly.

The rest of the cast is adequate.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

OST: The OST is beautiful and is definitely worth a listen. My favorite track is the one sung by Liu Yuning. Man, the guy can sing!

Costumes: The costumes are not the best I have seen (NIF and JOL have spoiled me in that department), but they were not bad either. The fur on Ashile Sun's war costume, especially the one around his neck, made me want to itch my own neck, lol.

Cinematography: The long shots are done well, but the camera does switch angles a bit too often sometimes, which was rather distracting.

Graphics: Since the story is taken from a manhua, there are some scenes, especially the war scenes, that are shown in manhua panels. While this works, mostly, there are scenes where they become a tad comical. There are moments in the series where the graphics are in the background and a character is yelling some dialogue. NONE of those scenes worked. They were cringeworthy. Question to the writers: What do you have against boys aged eight to fourteen? Why did you do this to them?

OVERALL

Overall, I enjoyed the series. Was it the best I have ever seen? No. Definitely not. But this was not the worst either. The series is complete and does not leave any thread hanging or plot point unaddressed. The acting is adequate and I don't have any complains in that department. Yes, it was rather simplistic in its solutions and Changge does get some things done way too easily. The sanitizing of the more serious aspects can be off putting to the viewers expecting a dark, gritty tale. Go in with the expectation of watching a YA story, and you will be treated to an enjoyable one.

Final rating: 7 out of 10.

[shouri-yumi]

Wei Shuyu's appreciation post, because he deserves better

In the first half of The Long Ballad, Wei Shuyu's existence is completely a waste of screen time to me. He was the golden boy of Chang'an, but that's before Xuanwu Gate Incident. He clearly wasn't just Changge's childhood friend, or brotherlike. He had a crush on her and was stuck between wanting to help her and protecting his family. His ideal righteous and bravery now become such a heavy burden, he obviously didn't know what to do. But what could Wei Shuyu do about Changge and the power shifting? Even his father was down during that period. When I first watched the drama, it was so tiring watching him whining, blaming other people, taking responsible and talking big without actually making any difference. But gradually, he becomes one of my favourites for his growth. Despite being listed as one of the five main characters, Wei Shuyu is clearly being used as a background for the other four. For some reason he is underrated more than many other supporting characters like She'er, A'Dou, Mimi Guli or Mu Jin. And don't get me wrong, all of them are my favs too, but don't you think it's unfair for him? I love how most of the characters in this drama has their background stories or being really well-developed. Except for Wei Shuyu. His growing process is off-screen, and while some others are being a little bit over-exaggerated, his achievements are being underestimated. Take a look at the gifs above, my top 4 moments of him. ① Being Datang's envoy, representing his country, he is the main responsible person for the meeting with the desert's tribes about forming alliance. And he firmly faced Khatun of Ashile Tribe, getting all what his emperor had ordered. The old Wei Shuyu could never do that. ② He was the only one trying to understand the crown prince. Everyone sees the prince as a little spoiled brat (including me), but Wei Shuyu, with the same patience & gentleness for Changge, was able to reason with him. ③ He was leading one of the two groups sneaking in to rescue those being captured by Yi Cheng. Then he escorted Empress Xiao & her grandson back to Chang'an. He was weaker than Hao Du, but that's before. Now he's strong enough to be assigned for such important mission. ④ Lastly, he was able to let go of his crush for Changge and sincerely wishes her happiness with A'Sun. Of course not only for her, he wishes happiness for everyone.

In the end, he was able to stay true to his ideal righteous & bravery while still maintaining the gentleness, the kind-hearted part. So, doesn't all that prove he really deserves more appreciation?

[lyselkatzfandomluvs]

Fang YìLún 方逸倫

A Journey to Love 一念關山

Airing on November 28, 2023