Dream of the Red Chamber

Dream of the Red Chamber

Commentary

Jia Zhen's Guilt

What the funeral arrangements mean

Daniel Evensen's avatar
Daniel Evensen
Mar 20, 2026
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Jia Zhen’s Guilt

Jia Zhen Qin Keqing 賈珍 秦可卿

I kept yesterday’s translation post short, and there’s a reason for that.

The arrangements Jia Zhen made for Qin Keqing’s funeral are actually quite unusual and extremely ostentatious. But they also reflect a feeling of guilt that Jia Zhen likely has for Qin Keqing’s death, even though she died of an illness.

It’s subtle, and you’ll likely miss it if you don’t know to look out for it - but it’s there.

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