The Attacking Fragrance

Where Xiren's name comes from

The Attacking Fragrance

You’ve probably figured out by now that just about everything in Dream of the Red Chamber is an allusion to something in the Chinese literary world.

Now, the problem that most of us have when we read this book is that we don’t have the time to figure out what Cao Xueqin is talking about. That’s not just a problem for ignorant foreigners like me, who have to spend extra time trying to figure out what in the world these words mean. Chinese students who encounter this book in school simply do not have the time to do the research needed to discover all the wonderful puns and jokes and allusions hidden inside.

But, of course, we’re not under any time pressure in this blog. We can take our time to appreciate fine art.

Let’s take a look together to figure out where the name Xiren (襲人, more commonly known in the West as Aroma thanks to David Hawkes) comes from.