Dream of the Red Chamber

Dream of the Red Chamber

Share this post

Dream of the Red Chamber
Dream of the Red Chamber
Is It Fate?
Commentary

Is It Fate?

What's the deal with all the negative poetry?

Daniel Evensen's avatar
Daniel Evensen
Jul 21, 2025
∙ Paid
1

Share this post

Dream of the Red Chamber
Dream of the Red Chamber
Is It Fate?
Share

Is It Fate?

The wording in the Chinese version of yesterday’s post was a little bit odd:

後面又畫著一塊美玉,落在泥汙之中。其斷語云:

Below that was a painting of a beautiful piece of jade that had been dropped into the mud. Its poem read:

Now, my translation here is a bit deceptive. Actually, the word 斷語 in Chinese means “judgment” or “verdict.”

But that brings up an interesting question. Are these predictive poems verdicts? In other words, does this represent the inescapable fate of all 12 girls?

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Dream of the Red Chamber to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Daniel Evensen
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share