Dream of the Red Chamber

Dream of the Red Chamber

Commentary

Little Textual Treats

The Genius of Dream of the Red Chamber

Daniel Evensen's avatar
Daniel Evensen
Sep 17, 2025
∙ Paid
1
Share

Little Textual Treats

There are a lot of really little textual treats in Dream of the Red Chamber that are impossible to translate adequately.

A really subtle example comes from yesterday’s text.

When the child calls out for Mrs. Zhou, he uses this phrase:

指道:「這就是他家。」又叫道:「周大媽,有個老奶奶子找你呢。」

He pointed to it and said, “This is where she lives.” And then he called out, “Aunt Zhou! There’s an old lady here to see you!”

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