Part 1 - The Universe + Basic Terminology
Wuxia, Xianxia & Xuanhuan Novels
I’m only doing a basic overview here, with the purpose of clarifying the world of The Untamed, versus doing a comprehensive study of these novel genres. That said:
Wuxia (武俠 wǔxiá) – “Martial Heroes” - fictional stories about regular humans who can achieve supernatural fighting ability through Chinese martial arts training and internal energy cultivation. Themes of chivalry, tragedy, revenge & romance are common.
Xianxia (仙侠 xiānxiá) – “Immortal Heroes” - fictional stories featuring magic, demons, ghosts, immortals, and a great deal of Chinese folklore/mythology. Protagonists (usually) attempt to cultivate to Immortality, seeking eternal life and the pinnacle of strength.
Xuanhuan (玄幻 xuánhuàn) – “Mysterious Fantasy” - a broad genre of fictional stories which remixes Chinese folklore/mythology with foreign elements & settings.
Now, The Untamed is often referred to as a wuxia novel, although it clearly possesses a great deal of the xianxia elements, but that’s neither here nor there.
The thing to understand about wuxia and xianxia is this: while both incorporate a great deal of Chinese historical elements, they are not specifically set in any one historical period. Someone described it once as Wild West fiction. Over time, Wild West fiction has incorporated many elements of that particular time period, but the tropes, themes, and abilities have become exaggerated, romanticized, and just not historically accurate. Yes, the Wild West did contain a number of famous gun duels, but they were not pre-planned, they did not happen as often as people assume, and low hanging holsters tied to the leg did not exist. You get where I’m going with this?
This is actually a wonderful fictional landscape to play in because while some things are inflexible components of the genre (cultivation + sects for xianxia/gunslingers and small town sheriffs for Wild West) other components are very flexible because it is, after all, fiction. It is essentially a well-established fictional framework that is malleable in all the best places.
Wuxia, Xianxia & Xuanhuan Terms you will need to know for The Untamed
Qi (气 qì) – the life energy that exists in all things
Qi Deviation (走火入魔 zǒuhuǒ rùmó) – disruption in the normal flow of the life energy, which can cause internal damage to the body and mind
Cultivator (修者 xiūzhě) (修士 xiūshì) (修仙者 xiūxiānzhě) – a person who trains in martial and mystical arts
Rogue Cultivators (散修 sǎnxiū) – cultivators who don’t belong to any sect or clan
Sect (宗 zōng) (派 pài) – an organization dedicated to the practice of cultivation and/or martial arts. Typically led by a Sect Leader (掌门) or Patriarch (老祖). With the help of Sect Elders (老), they instruct Disciples (弟子) in the proper methods of cultivation or training in the martial arts styles of the Sect. The Disciples live in the Sect, which provides for their daily needs.
Clan (家 jiā) – an extended family related by blood, sharing a surname
Side Note: There will be a more concise explanation in the Name + Title section of the guide to The Untamed, but Sects and Clans are not interchangeable. For example, in The Untamed, the Lan Sect of Gusu has many Lan disciples from other clans. Su She is a Lan Disciple, but he is not related to the Lan clan by blood, the way Lan Wangji or Lan Xichen are.
Cultivation (修炼 xiūliàn) (修真 xiūzhēn) (修仙 xiūxiān) – the process of improving health, increasing longevity, and growing powerful. This is accomplished by cultivating Qi and training in martial & mystical arts. In many of these novels, the ultimate goal of cultivation is to become an Immortal or attain godhood.
Cultivation Method (功法 gōngfǎ) (心法 xīnfǎ) – a mystical art or collection of techniques which cultivators practice in order to cultivate.
Dantian (丹田 dāntián) – refers to the region in the body where a person’s Qi is concentrated.
Meridians (经脉 jīngmài) – the network of vessels/channels in the body through which Qi flows. Like blood vessels, but for Qi instead of blood.
Golden Core (金丹, Jīndān) is a core formed by cultivators after they had cultivated to a certain point. Golden cores can store and control spiritual energy. After the core is formed, the cultivator’s level of cultivation would increase.
Flying Sword (飞剑 fēijiàn) – a sword that can fly through the air and can be directed to engage in long-range attacks. In some novels, (and in The Untamed) cultivators stand on the flying swords and ride them as a form of transportation.
Talisman (符 fú) – a strip of paper with mystical diagrams & calligraphy drawn on it - basically spells
Sword (剑 jiàn) – a double-edged, straight sword (think Lan Zhan’s sword)
Saber (刀 dāo) – a single-edged, curved saber (thing Nie Mingjue’s saber)
Formations (阵 zhèn) (阵法 zhènfǎ) – refer to both battle formations and spell formations. Battle formations are tactical formations used by several cultivators or martial artists attacking in concert. Spell formations (also called Arrays) are magic circles which cast a continuous area-of-effect spell on the location the formation encompasses.
Formation Flags (阵旗 zhènqí) – magical flags set up at key points in order to activate a spell formation
Face (面子 miànzi) – a person’s reputation in society and amongst their peers. If someone “has face” (有面子), they have a good reputation. If they “have no face” (没面子), then they have a bad reputation.
More extensive description of terms + terms not necessarily related to The Untamed by this genre in general, can be found here.
origamiaround
yousharknotpass
titsay
