Characters
The identity of certain characters may be a spoiler; use this guide with caution on your first read of the novel.
Note on the given name translations: Chinese characters may have many different readings. Each reading here is just one out of several possible readings presented for your reference and should not be considered a definitive translation.
MAIN CHARACTERS
Wei Wuxian
BIRTH NAME: Wei Ying (魏婴 / Surname Wei, “Infant”)
COURTESY NAME: Wei Wuxian ( 魏无羡 / Surname Wei, “Having no envy”)
SOBRIQUET: Yiling Patriarch
WEAPON:
Sword: Suiban (随便 / “Whatever”)
Hufu/Tiger Tally: Yin Tiger Tally (阴虎符)
INSTRUMENT:
Dizi (side-blown flute): Chenqing (陈情 / “To explain one’s situation in detail.” This is a reference to a line in a collection of poems, Chu Ci [楚辞], by famous poet Qu Yuan)
Unnamed dizi (side-blown flute)
In his previous life, Wei Wuxian was the feared Yiling Patriarch. He commanded an army of the living dead with his wicked flute Chenqing and laid waste to the cultivation world in an orgy of blood that eventually resulted in his death. Thirteen years later, a troubled young man sacrifices his soul to resurrect Wei Wuxian in his own body, hoping the terrible Yiling Patriarch will enact revenge on his behalf. Awakening confused and disoriented in this new body, Wei Wuxian stumbles forth into his second chance at life. Now, he must piece together the mystery surrounding his return—and face the lingering consequences of his last life, which continue to dog him even beyond death.
Wei Wuxian is mischievous and highly intelligent. He seems physically incapable of keeping his mouth shut and also can’t seem to stop himself from teasing people who catch his interest—with Lan Wangji being a perennial favorite target, even after thirteen years away from the land of the living. He has a soft spot for children and can often be found scolding junior disciples for endangering themselves during missions.
Lan Wangji
BIRTH NAME: Lan Zhan (蓝湛 / “Blue,” “Clear” or “Deep”)
COURTESY NAME: Lan Wangji (蓝忘机 / “Blue,” “Free of worldly concerns”)
SOBRIQUET: Hanguang-jun (含光君 / “Light-bringer,” honorific “-jun”)
WEAPON: Sword: Bichen (避尘 / “Shunning worldly affairs”)
INSTRUMENT: Guqin (zither): Wangji (忘机 / “Free of worldly concerns”)
Lan Wangji’s perfection as a cultivator is matched by none. Shunning petty politics and social prejudices, he appears wherever there is chaos to quell it with his sword Bichen, and evildoers quake in fear at the sound of strumming guqin strings. His remarkable grace and beauty have won him renown far and wide, even though his perpetual frown makes him look like a widower.
Younger brother to the current Lan Sect leader, Lan Xichen, Lan Wangji is stern, reserved, highly principled, and an avid fan of rabbits. While he was easily affected by teasing in his youth, he seems harder to perturb these days.
SUPPORTING CHARACTERS
Baoshan-sanren
COURTESY NAME: Baoshan-sanren (抱山散人 / “To embrace,” “Mountain,” “Scattered One”)
A mysterious immortal cultivator. She lives the life of a hermit on a secluded mountain, far removed from the chaos and pain of the outside world. She frequently takes in orphaned children to be brought up as cultivators under her tutelage and has but a single rule for her students to follow: If they ever choose to leave the mountain, they will never be allowed to return. She was the teacher of Xiao Xingchen and Cangse-sanren.
Cangse-sanren
COURTESY NAME: Cangse-sanren (藏色散人 / “Hidden,” “Colors,” “Scattered One”)
A famous cultivator of remarkable skill and beauty who studied under Baoshan-sanren. Upon leaving her teacher’s secluded mountain, she fell in love with Wei Changze (魏长泽 / Surname Wei, “Long-lasting” or “Large”, “Benevolence” or “Lake”), a servant boy from the Jiang Clan of Yunmeng, and they ran away together. They eventually perished during a Night Hunt gone wrong, leaving behind their young son, Wei Wuxian.
Jiang Cheng
BIRTH NAME: Jiang Cheng (江澄 / “River,” “Clear”)
COURTESY NAME: Jiang Wanyin (江晚吟 / “River,” “Night,” “Recitation”)
SOBRIQUET: Sandu Shengshou (三毒圣手 / “Three Poisons,” a reference to the Buddhist three roots of suffering: greed, anger, and ignorance, “Sage Hand”
WEAPON:
Whip: Zidian (紫电 / “Purple,” “Lightning”)
Sword: Sandu (三毒 / “Three Poisons”)
Jiang Cheng is the leader of the Jiang Sect and Jin Ling’s maternal uncle. Known to be stern and unrelenting, he possesses a longstanding grudge against Wei Wuxian even after the latter’s death. This is a far cry from the way things once were—Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian grew up together at Lotus Pier when the homeless and orphaned Wei Wuxian was taken in by Jiang Cheng’s father, and were the closest of friends as well as martial siblings. However, after Wei Wuxian’s rise as the Yiling Patriarch, their friendship ended alongside the many people who died at his hands…or so it seems.
Jiang Fengmian
COURTESY NAME: Jiang Fengmian (江枫眠 / “River,” “Maple,” “To sleep”)
The former head of the Jiang Clan of Yunmeng, husband of Yu Ziyuan, and father of Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng. Jiang Fengmian is a mild-mannered man who prefers keeping the peace. He is rumored to have been in unrequited love with Wei Wuxian’s mother, Cangse-sanren. He took in the orphaned Wei Wuxian and maintains a warm and fatherly relationship toward him. He treated Wei Wuxian with visibly more affection than his biological children, which further aggravated his already strained relationships with his wife and Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Yanli
BIRTH NAME: Jiang Yanli (江厌离 / “River,” “To dislike separation”)
WEAPON: Love, patience, soup
The eldest daughter of the Jiang Clan, older sister to Jiang Cheng, and older martial sister to Wei Wuxian. She is Jin Zixuan’s wife and Jin Ling’s mother, and is warmly remembered by Wei Wuxian as being unconditionally kind and caring—and also an amazing chef. Though she possessed weak cultivation and no talent for combat, Jiang Yanli’s boundless compassion touched the lives of many and changed the course of the cultivation world more profoundly than any bloody war ever could.
Yu Ziyuan
BIRTH NAME: Yu Ziyuan (虞紫鸢 / “Apprehension” or “To worry,” “Purple,” “Kite [species of bird]”)