Hi! I think “light of his life” MXTX has literally called Lan Xichen that for Jin Guangyao. And XXC name literally means “Dawn Stardust” and he given the moniker of “Bright Moon and Gentle Breeze”, so Dawn, Stars, and Moon, 3 sources of light, but his character ends up blind. Given the importance of rabbits of the story, XY cuts up apples into the shapes of rabbits?? Rabbits are a core component of WangXian symbolism? Is that a coincidence?
Hey! Insofar as your question is concerned, rabbits are symbolic in Chinese lore! I recommend @thisworldgodonlyknows‘ post here, in which she explains that:
First, there is the reference to Tu’er Shen or Rabbit God, the Chinese god of homosexual love. MDZS is clear in its depiction of homophobia in Ancient China... Due to this, having rabbits as an animal motif for the love Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan share could give a protective factor to it, as they are blessed by the patron god of gay men. Moreover, rabbits are famously associated with the moon due to the Chinese folklore about the Jade Rabbit who keeps the moon goddess Chang’e company. This symbolism can be linked to Lan Zhan (the raiser of bunnies), since his cold, distant and graceful demeanour makes the moon rabbit motif quite suitable for him.
One last little thing about the rabbit symbolism in relation to the WangXian love is its sexual component. Given their noted productivity when it comes to reproduction, rabbits also stand out as symbols of sexual vitality, fertility and desire.
As far as Xiao Xingchen’s symbolism goes, I think that he is indeed the light of Xue Yang’s life--the only compassion he’s ever really received, and it was based on a lie about whom Xue Yang was.
Xiao Xingchen’s going blind is certainly symbolic--by trading his own eyes to save his friend, he helps Song Lan see in both the physical and metaphorical sense (seeing as Song Lan spent years looking for Xiao Xingchen), but he loses his ability to see himself. At the same time, he wasn’t blind in a spiritual way--he was highly compassionate and caring, but he was still blind in a certain way: namely, in regards to how he appraised himself.
Xue Yang’s accusation in the end is that Xiao Xingchen wanted to save the world, but he couldn’t even save himself. While Xue Yang is wrong here in that he’s projecting his own responsibility for his actions onto Xiao Xingchen, he’s correct that Xiao Xingchen was not particularly wise or good at understanding the world. Like Wei Wuxian, he would sacrifice himself over and over, but this isn’t always a good thing, as he eventually commits suicide. His idealism and naivete are in many ways his best traits, and in some ways his flaws as well, because it led to him not fully grasping the nuance and cruelty of the world. Xue Yang asks him:
Daozhang Xiao XingChen, you were so just, so stern when you brought me to Koi Tower! You condemned me and asked me why I wiped out an entire sect simply because of some suspicion. Is it that, since the fingers weren’t yours, you guys were incapable of feeling the pain?! You guys didn’t know how horrifying screams sounded like out of your own mouths? Why didn’t you ask him why he decided to amuse himself with me without a single reason?
Basically, while Xue Yang certainly did murder people horrifically, Xiao Xingchen condemned him before he knew the story. And even once he knew, he still tells Xue Yang that his finger isn’t worth fifty lives, which like, again, I agree. At the same time, that’s not empathy--Xue Yang grew up on the streets, probably having to fight for food and to survive day after day. If he didn’t look after himself first, he’d probably be dead. This is highly different than how Xiao Xingchen grew up under an Immortal Cultivator. It’s not an excuse, but it explains. Keep in mind I’m not attempting to morally equivalate Xiao Xingchen and Xue Yang; the novel makes it clear that moral appraisal is pointless.
Xiao Xingchen had his naivete twisted and used against him. That he killed people without knowing Xue Yang had tricked him into it means that honestly, it isn’t his fault, and Song Lan himself did not fault Xiao Xingchen any more than Xiao Xingchen faulted Song Lan for his cruel statement after he had been blinded and lost his childhood sect. And yet Xue Yang never empathized with Xiao Xingchen either, despite requesting it of Xiao Xingchen: how would you treat someone who wiped out your best friend’s family and blinded your friend? I can’t say most of us would be any different. Xue Yang also never considered the perspective Xiao Xingchen would have had being raised how he was without the condemnation that he accuses Xiao Xingchen of lobbing at him.
The entire arc is basically about blindness and an inability to see from others’ perspectives (A-Qing being fake-blind ironically is the one who can see best) before it’s too late, and the tragic deaths of the Yi City trio breaks my heart every time.