Who is Duo Guan’er? Duo Guan’er (多官兒) is a cook in the Rongguo Mansion in Dream of the Red Chamber, a drunk so weak and useless that everyone calls him “Duo the Muddlebug.” He’s the husband of Miss Duo, and he doesn’t care who she sleeps with, as long as he’s fed and paid.
The name
多官兒 / 多官儿 / Duō Guān’ér / ㄉㄨㄛ ㄍㄨㄢ ㄦˊ
多 (duō) is his surname. As an ordinary word, it means “many.”
官兒 (guān’ér) is his given name. 官 means “official,” and 兒 is a small, familiar ending. A cook named “little official” is a mild joke in itself.
Nickname: 多渾蟲 / 多浑虫 / Duō húnchóng / ㄉㄨㄛ ㄏㄨㄣˊ ㄔㄨㄥˊ
渾 means muddle-headed, and 蟲, “bug,” is an everyday Chinese insult for a person, as in 懶蟲, “lazybones.” In my translation he’s “Duo the Muddlebug.”
What we know so far
We meet him in Chapter 21, and the narrator doesn’t waste kind words on him. He’s a worthless, broken-down drunk. Two years ago his father found him a wife, and she has had her pick of the men in both mansions ever since. He never makes a fuss. As long as he has his wine, his meat and his money, nothing else matters to him. On the night Jia Lian comes to call, he’s lying dead drunk on the bed (Congratulations, It’s Smallpox).
My reading so far, after Chapter 21: he’s the most complete failure of a husband we’ve met yet, and he seems perfectly content.
Why the author needs him
I think he’s there as a mirror for Jia Lian. One husband doesn’t care what his wife does. The other is terrified of what his wife will find out. Put side by side, the cook’s indifference makes Jia Lian’s fear of Xifeng look almost like respect. That’s a working theory, so far.
Every post about Duo Guan’er
Read next
Meet his wife: Miss Duo
All characters: Characters
New here? Start with the Start Here guide, or meet the rest of the family on the Characters page.