[mdzs] Analysis of Jiang Cheng’s name and character traits
After my previous posts on WWX and LWJ’s names (now LSZ’s and LXC’s also), I decided to do another one on Jiang Cheng, as I think this reference sheds so much light on his significance in the story.
Jiang Cheng’s name derives from a poem by renowned Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu. “云阔烟深树，江澄水浴秋” (yún kuò yān shēn shù, jiāng chéng shuǐ yù qiū) translates to “vast clouds and mists entwine the deep forest trees; autumn bathes in the clear river”. Cheng (澄) itself means “to make [sth] clear and unclouded”.
The poem paints a vivid picture of autumn’s colours dancing on the clear water. Interestingly, the phrase 秋水 (directly meaning autumn waters), is used to describe a longing gaze, deriving from the Chinese idioms 秋水伊人 (meaning the friend one is longing for) and 望穿秋水 (meaning await with great anxiety).
My heart aches at this discovery. Doesn’t this bring to mind JC’s plight of persuading WWX to abandon the dark and perilous demonic path, his envy of WWX and LWJ’s relationship, the months he spent waiting anxiously for his return from the Burial Mounds, and looking after Chen Qing for 13 years whilst keeping faith that one day he might see his brother again? JC’s father chose his name to mean “clear, untarnished”, however throughout his life he lived in WWX’s shadow... he hid his true feelings towards him behind brash words in life and raging condemnation in death.
Jiang Cheng’s zi, or courtesy name Wan Yin (晚吟), comes from a poem by another Tang Dynasty poet Xu Hui. “茶香秋梦后，松韵晚吟时” (chá xiāng qiū mèng hòu, sōng yùn wǎn yín shí) translates to “I wake from a hazy nap in autumn, enshrouded by the fragrant aroma of tealeaves; at dusk I saunter and recite poetry, the pine branches swaying in time”. The words Wan (晚) means “at night” and Yin (吟) means “to recite” or “to cry/lament”. The poem’s depiction of a deep sense of abstruse melancholy – as the poet spends his days in Autumn idly, being indifferent to the world – is widely quoted by Chinese literati of today’s age.
To me, this is a great depiction of how lost and despondent JC would have been the first few years after WWX’s death. Let’s not forget that he is the only surviving character in the story who lost every single person dear to him the moment WWX died – it’s hard to imagine how he managed to rebuild the Sect without anyone by his side...
Bonus trivia: Both JC’s birth and courtesy names are taken from scenic moments set in Autumn. In Chinese tradition, the Autumn season is associated with the emotions of both courage (霜气横秋) and sadness (秋风落叶), the act of mourning (秋祭), and is also connected to the Westward direction, often considered to be the direction of dreams and enlightenment. These words depict JC’s key events in mdzs – courage when he saved WWX from the Xuan Wu cave, sadness when WWX defected from the Jiang Sect, mourning when he lost all his loved ones, and enlightenment when he found out about the golden core and finally resolved his inner turmoil.
