The Spring Cycle
The name of the Jia sisters mirrors the eventual fate of the family
After a reader suggestion, I’ve decided to change the order of each section. This means that most future paid posts will be almost entirely behind the paywall. My hope is that this will make it easier for readers who do not read Chinese to follow.
I’m going to continue to provide translation notes and the Chinese text, though I’ll keep all of that at the bottom.
Thank you for your patience as I work through past posts to make this change.
The Spring Cycle
We’ve come across another one of those extremely difficult to translate sections today. Yucun and Zixing now discuss naming conventions. While this might seem a little bit boring, the symbolism here is quite interesting. Pay attention to the Translation Notes, because we’re going to go deep. Although it can be difficult to understand this if you don’t have some familiarity with Chinese, it’s actually not impossible to grasp the symbolism.
This is another relatively long post. I couldn’t find a natural stopping point and decided to simply keep it together. This concludes Chapter 2.
My Translation
“So, according to you,” replied Zixing, “if they succeed they’re nobles; if they fail they’re bandits?”
“Precisely,” replied Yucun. “What you don’t know, though, is that I’ve traveled across several provinces over the past two years, since I was dismissed from office. I’ve encountered two extraordinary children on my travels. I figured that this Baoyu you just spoke of must be like them. But we don’t need to talk about distant examples. There’s one right here in Jinling – the Zhen family, the imperial envoy and Director of the Court of Benevolence for Jiling Province. Are you familiar with them?”
“Who doesn’t know about them?” replied Zixing. “The Zhen family are old relatives of the Jias. They’ve been well acquainted for a long time now. Even I’ve had dealings with them for a long time!”
“Someone actually recommended me to serve as a tutor in the Zhen household last year,” laughed Yucun, “when I was in Jinling. When I went in to observe the situation, who would have guessed that their family prized courtesy along with riches despite their wealth and noble status? It really would have been an exceptional position. But even though their student was only at the elementary learning stage, he proved harder to instruct than a scholar preparing for the imperial examinations. But what came next was even funnier.
“‘I have to have two girls with me when I study,’ that boy told me. ‘Only then can I recognize characters and understand what they mean. Otherwise, my mind turns to mush!’
“He would also frequently lecture the young male servants that accompanied him: ‘The characters that form the word ‘girl’ are supremely noble and pure, more rare and precious than auspicious animals, exotic birds, or extraordinary flowers. You wretches with foul mouths and stinking tongues must NEVER profane them with your speech! This is absolutely critical! But, if you have to say them, you should first rinse your mouths with purified water and scented tea. If you slip up, you deserve to have your teeth chiseled out and your eyes poked out.’
“His violent and impatient manner was certainly unusual. And yet, as soon as school was over, once he saw those girls he’d change completely, becoming gentle, peaceful, intelligent, and refined.
“Because of this odd behavior, his own father nearly flogged him to death on several occasions, but to no avail. Whenever the pain became too much to bear, he’d frantically cry out ‘older sister! Younger sister!’
“I heard how the maids would tease him about this, asking him ‘Why do you keep calling for sisters when you’re being beaten? Do you want us do beg for mercy on your behalf? Aren’t you ashamed?’ His response was quite remarkable.
“‘When it really hurts,’ he would explain, ‘calling out ‘sister’ might help alleviate the pain. After trying this once, I found that the pain did go away a little. And so it’s my secret method: whenever the pain becomes unbearable, I simply cry out ‘sister.’’ Isn’t that absurd?
“His grandmother would dote on him beyond all reason and would invariably side with him, rebuking both his tutors and his own father. And so I quit that job. A boy like that will only squander his family’s legacy and scorn all guidance from his teachers and peers. The only shame is that the household bosts several remarkable girls — true rarities among women!”
“Even the three daughters in the Jia household now are exception,” replied Zixing. “The oldest, Master Zheng’s daughter Yuanchun, was chosen to serve as an administrator at the palace because of her virtue and talent. The second girl, named Yingchun, was born to Master Jia She’s concubine. The third girl, named Tanchun, is Lord Zheng’s second daughter, also through a concubine. The fourth, named Xichun, is the younger sister of Master Jia Zhen of the Ning household.
“Since Lady Jia adores her granddaughters, they all study together under her care. I’ve heard each of them is remarkably accomplished.”
“What’s even more remarkable,” remarked Yucun, “is the naming custom in the Zhen family. Their daughter’s names follow the same pattern as their son’s names. They’re not like the other households, which insist on gaudy names like ‘spring,’ ‘red,’ ‘fragrant,’ or ‘jade.’ How could the Jia family stoop to such vulgar customs?”
“It’s not like that,” replied Zixing. “It’s only because their oldest daughter was born on the first day of the New Year. That’s why they called her ‘Primordial Spring,’ or ‘Yuanchun.’ The others just followed with the same ‘Spring’ character [Chun]. The daughters of the previous Jia generation, however, did follow the naming pattern of their brothers. Here’s the proof: the wife of your employer, Master Lin, is the full younger sister of the Rong mansion’s Jia She and Jia Zheng. She was named Jia Min. If you don’t believe me, ask them yourself when you go back.”
Yucun clapped his hands and alughed. “Exactly! The girl I’m teaching is anmed Daiyu. When she reads aloud, every time she encounters the word “Min,” she pronounces it as “Mi.” And, when she writes “Min,” she leaves off a stroke or two. I’ve often wondered why, but, now that I’ve heard your explanation, I understand. No wonder her language and behavior is unique, different from other ordinary girls! If her mother was extraordinary, it’s natural for the daughter to also be extraordinary. And now, knowing that she’s a granddaughter of the Rong mansion, her distinction makes perfect sense. It’s a pity that her mother passed away just last month!”
“She was the youngest of three sisters,” sighed Zixing, “and now she, too, is gone. Not a single one of that generation remains. We can only wait to see what kind of sons-in-law the younger generation of girls will bring into the family.”
“Exactly,” replied Yucun. “You just mentioned that Master Zheng already has a son born with jade in his mouth, as well as a frail grandson left by his eldest son. Could it be that Master She doesn’t have a single heir to his name?”
“After Master Zheng had his ‘jade son,’” replied Zixing, “a concubine bore him another son. But who knows if he’ll wind up good or bad? So, for now he has two sons and a grandson, but the future remains uncertain. As for Master She, he does have one son: Jia Lian, who is now in his 20s. He married a cousin from Lady Wang’s side — a match between close relatives — about 4 or 5 years ago. Master Lian purchased the title of Assistant Prefect, though he doesn’t enjoy performing his proper duties. But he’s shrewd in worldly affairs and is a smood talker. He lives with his uncle Master Zheng, helping to manage the household.
“But here’s the twist. Ever since he married this young mistress, she’s the one the entire household praises, while Master Lian has been forced into the background. She’s incredibly beautiful, very eloquent, and is cunningly perceptive. She’s a woman who outshines ten thousand men!”
“Now you know I wasn’t wrong,” laughed Yucun. “I suspect that all the people we’re talking about suffer from the dual endowment of ‘virtue’ and ‘vice’ that I just described. They’re cut from the same cloth, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Who cares if it’s virtue or vice?” replied Zixing. “Stop keeping score for other families and have a drink.”
“I’ve already had too many cups while we’ve been talking,” replied Yucun.
Zixing laughed. “Gossiping about others is the perfect accompaniment to wine! What’s a few extra cups?”
“It’s getting late,” said Yucun, glancing out the window. “Why don’t we continue this conversation as we slowly walk back to the city?”
The two men rose and paid the bill. Just as they were about to leave, a voice called from behind them. “Brother Yucun, congratulations! I’ve come with great news!”
Yucun whirled around to see…
To discover who it was, read on to the next chapter.
Is that long enough for you? We’re done with Chapter 2; stick around for Chapter 3!
Translation Critique
Hawkes
Hawkes uses the phrase “after I was cashiered,” which fits with an older definition of the word “cashier” meaning “to fire” or “to dismiss from office.” This is extremely rare in contemporary English.
Otherwise, Hawkes’ translation here is faithful to the original.
Yang
In a footnote, the Yangs claim that 敏 “shares the same radical” with 政 and 赦, the given names of Jia Min’s two brothers. This is technically true: the radical is ⺙, which is written on the right side of the character (usually characters are organized by radicals written on the left side, but ⺙ here is an exception). In that sense, we could say that the names are similar.
However, the Yangs don’t mention the significance of the three names. Jia Min dies young, and her “diligence” (敏) is erased. Jia Zheng fails to properly govern (政) his household. And Jia She abuses his power to pardon (赦) others, leading to the downfall of the family.
The interesting thing about ⺙ is that it implies force. In modern Chinese it is closest to the character 攴 (pū), which means to hit lightly or tap. In Japanese, 攵 means to strike or hit, and, in the Kun’yomi (訓読み) or “Chinese pronunication” system is pronounced うつ (utsu). It’s a homophone with 打つ, which means to hit, beat, or strike. The similarity continues in Korean, where 攵 is pronounced 복 and means “to hit” or “to strike,” and even in Vietnamese, where the old hán nôm reading of 攵 was phộc, a onomatopoeic slang term that usually stands for a thud or splash.
And, interestingly enough, ⺙ in other words usually includes disciplinary undertones, such as 教 (jiāo: to teach), 整 (zhěng: to put into order), and 敵 (dí: enemy). You can also see its violent undertones in older and rarer characters like 斀 (zhuó: castration as punishment, or zhú: to strike, to hit, to beat). Notice, by the way, that this radical indicates the meaning of these characters, not their sound.
Though their translation is generally good, the Yangs mistranslate the final sentence spoken to Jia Yucun as “What are you doing here in the wilds of the country?” It’s not clear where this comes from, as it’s certainly not in the 1792 version of the book.
Chinese Text
子興道：「依你說，成則公侯，敗則賊了？」雨村道：「正是這意。你還不知，我自革職以來，這兩年遍遊各省，也曾遇見兩個異樣孩子，所以方才你一說這寶玉，我就猜著了八九也是這一派人物。不用遠說，只這金陵城內欽差金陵省體仁院總裁甄家，你可知道？」子興道：「誰人不知！這甄府就是賈府老親。他們兩家來往極親熱的。就是我也和他家往來非止一日了。」
雨村笑道：「去歲我在金陵，也曾有人薦我到甄府處館。我進去看其光景，誰知他家那等榮貴，卻是個富而好禮之家，倒是個難得之館。但是這個學生雖是啟蒙，卻比一個舉業的還勞神。說起來更可笑。他說：『必得兩個女兒陪著我讀書，我方能認得字，心上也明白；不然，我心裡自己胡塗。』又常對著跟他的小廝們說：『這『女兒』兩個字，極尊貴極清淨的，比那瑞獸珍禽、奇花異草更覺稀罕尊貴呢。你們這種濁口臭舌，萬萬不可唐突了這兩個字。要緊，要緊！但凡要說的時節，必用淨水香茶嗽了口方可；設若失錯，便要鑿牙穿眼的。』其暴虐頑劣，種種異常。只放了學進去，見了那些女兒們，其溫厚和平、聰敏文雅，竟變了一個樣子。因此，他令尊也曾下死笞楚過幾次，竟不能改。每打的吃疼不過時，他便『姐姐』『妹妹』的亂叫起來。後來聽得裡面女兒們拿他取笑：『因何打急了只管叫「姐妹」作什麼？莫不叫姐妹們去討情，討饒？你豈不愧些？』他回答的最妙。他說：『急疼之時，只叫「姐姐」「妹妹」字樣，或可解疼，也未可知，因叫了一聲，果覺疼得好些，遂得了祕法，每疼痛之極，便連叫「姐妹」起來了。』你說可笑不可笑？為他祖母溺愛不明，每因孫辱師責子，所以我就辭了館出來。這等子弟必不能守祖父基業，從師友規勸的。只可惜他家幾個好姊妹都是少有的！」
子興道：「便是賈府中現在三個也不錯。政老爺的長女名元春，因賢孝才德選入宮作女史去了。二小姐乃是赦老爺姨娘所出，名迎春；三小姐，政老爺庶出，名探春；四小姐乃寧府珍爺的胞妹，名惜春。因史老夫人極愛孫女，都跟在祖母這邊一處讀書，聽得個個不錯。」雨村道：「更妙在甄家風俗：女兒之名亦皆從男子之名，不似別人家另外用這些『春』『紅』『香』『玉』等豔字。何得賈府亦落此俗套？」子興道：「不然。只因現今大小姐是正月初一所生，故名元春，餘者都從了『春』字。上一輩的卻也是從弟兄而來的。現有對證：目今你貴東家林公的夫人即榮府中赦政二公的胞妹，在家時名喚賈敏。不信時，你回去細訪可知。」雨村拍手笑道：「是極！我這女學生名叫黛玉。他讀書，凡『敏』字，他皆唸作『密』字；寫字，遇著『敏』字亦減一二筆。我心中每每疑惑。今聽你說，是為此無疑矣。怪道我這女學生言語舉止另是一樣，不與凡女子相同！度其母不凡，故生此女；今知為榮府之外孫，又不足罕矣。可惜上月其母竟亡故了！」子興嘆道：「老姊妹三個，這是極小的，又沒了。長一輩的姊妹一個也沒了，只看這小一輩的將來的東床何如呢。」雨村道：「正是。方才說政公已有了一個銜玉之子，又有長子所遺弱孫，這赦老竟無一個不成？」子興道：「政公既有玉兒之後，其妾又生了一個，倒不知其好歹。只眼前現有二子一孫，卻不知將來何如。若問那赦老爺，也有一子，名叫賈璉，今已二十多歲了，親上做親，娶的是政老爺夫人王氏內侄女，今已娶了四五年。這位璉爺身上現捐了個同知，也是不喜正務的。於世路上好機變，言談去得，所以目今在乃叔政老爺家住，幫著料理家務。誰知自娶了這位少奶奶之後，倒上下無一人不稱頌他的夫人，璉爺倒退了一射之地。模樣又極標緻，言談又極爽利，心機又極深細，竟是個男人萬不及一的！」
雨村聽了，笑道：「可知我言不謬了。你我方才所說的這幾個人，只怕都是那『正』『邪』兩賦而來，一路之人，未可知也。」子興道：「正也罷，邪也罷，只顧算別人家的賬，你也吃一杯酒才好。」雨村道：「只顧說話，就多吃了幾杯。」子興笑道：「說著別人家的閒話，正好下酒，即多吃幾杯何妨？」雨村向窗外看道：「天也晚了，仔細關了城。我們慢慢進城再談，未為不可。」於是二人起身，算還酒錢。方欲走時，忽聽得後面有人叫道：「雨村兄，恭喜了！特來報個喜信的。」雨村忙回頭看時...
要知是誰，且聽下回分解。
Translation Notes
則 in Zixing’s response is basically an “if… then” clause marker from classical Chinese. If (則) someone succeeds (成), then they’re a noble (公侯). Zixing is following Jia Yucun’s example by speaking in archaic phrases.
老親 normally means “elderly parents,” but here it more likely means something like “old relatives” or “old acquaintances.”
非止一日 means “not only one day;” in this situation it’s pretty easy to interpret it as “we’ve known each other for a long time.”
When Jia Yucun says 館, he’s referring to the old definition of a “traditional Chinese private school where classical literature and Confucianism used to be taught.” He’s also using it as a verb, meaning that he’s working as a teacher.
富而好禮 is a quotation from Confucius. From the Analects:
子貢曰：「貧而無諂，富而無驕，何如？」子曰：「可也，未若貧而樂，富而好禮者也。」
In English:
Zi Gong said, “What do you think of one who is poor yet does not flatter, and rich yet not arrogant?”
The Master replied, “That is acceptable, but not as good as one who is poor yet joyful, and rich yet devoted to ritual propriety.”
Jia Yucun is saying that the Zhen family is rich, yet devoted to ritual propriety, and is directly saying that they are a good Confucian family.
瑞獸珍禽 means auspicious beasts and exotic birds; 奇花異草 means rare flowers and unusual grass.
暴虐頑劣 means impatient and quick to anger.
令尊 is an honorific term for father
笞楚 means to use a wooden cane or paddle to spank
The story of the young man screaming out “older sister” and “younger sister” while being spanked is interesting because it clearly refers to the Zhen family, not the Jia family. His actions are almost a perfect description of the character of Jia Baoyu, and it would be pretty easy to assume that this was actually Jia Baoyu. There are some scholars who speculate that Cao Xueqin originally wanted to make the contrast between the Zhen and Jia families more pronounced, and there are scenes in older manuscripts that show interactions between Zhen Baoyu and Jia Baoyu. Because we’re sticking here with the 1792 version of the book, we’ll refrain from entering into a lot of that speculation — though it’s probably something you should keep in mind.
討情 means to plead or beg for leniency; 討饒 means to beg for mercy
因孫辱師責子 can be a little bit complicated. 因孫 means “because of her grandson;” 辱師 means “humilate the teacher;” 責子 means “criticize her son.” Here the grandmother is yelling at the teacher and her son (the grandson’s father) to protect her grandson.
女史 was a female attendant of the imperial household, usually in charge of protocol, literacy, record keeping, scribal work, and so on.
胞妹 means a younger sister born of the same parents, or a younger full-sister.
As usual, the names of the four Jia girls are symbolic:
賈元春 (Jia Yuanchun) literally means “first spring.” However, 元 is a homophone with 冤 (injustice) and 緣 (fate). She’s the oldest, which means that she’s the origin of the family’s imperial connection — but she also suffers the injustice of being tied to palace politics.
賈迎春 (Jia Yingchun) means “welcoming spring.” However, 迎 is a homophone with 應 (to comply) and 影 (shadow). She is passive and compliant by nature, but her ultimate fate is a shadow of happiness.
賈探春 (Jia Tanchun) literally means “exploring spring.” 探 is a homophone with 嘆 (to sigh). She actively fights her fate, but ultimately sighs as she finds herself incapable of defeating it.
賈惜春 (Jia Xichun) literally means “cherishing spring.” 惜 is a homophone with 息 (to cease). She ultimately witnesses the decline of the family before she becomes a nun.
If you look at the four names in order (元，迎，探，惜), you have the trajectory of spring. There’s the primordial beginning, the welcoming phase, the exploring phase, followed by the gradual ceasing of springtime.
The legendary commentator 脂硯齋 (often translated as “Red Inkstone” commented that the four names represented 原 (origin), 應 (to comply, or “should”), 嘆 (to sigh), and 息 (to cease). If you stick 嘆 and 息 together, they form the word 嘆息, which means to sigh with regret. The phrase 原應嘆息 means “One should sigh from the beginning,” i.e. at the eventual fate of the four girls.
春 means spring. It’s common practice in China to this day to have members of the same generation in the family share the same second given name. The family name comes first, followed by (usually) two given names. Usually this second name differs depending on gender. Thus, for the Jia family, all girls of the same generation share the 春 given name. Some commentators note that this name itself is symbolic: the fall of the family begins with the start of spring.
Now — whether the 原應嘆息 (One should sigh from the beginning) phrase is a promotion of Buddhist or Taoist philosophy (i.e. the girls ought to renounce the world and become nuns), or whether it is instead a renunciation of the society of Cao Xueqin’s day, is something you’ll have to decide on your own. Or, in other words, Dream of the Red Chamber is not necessarily a fatalistic novel.
豔 means “bright and gorgeous” when it refers to colors (which it usually does). Here it could also mean relating to love relationships. You actually could translate it as “romantic,” or even “vulgar,” since the four characters Yucun cites (春 [spring], 紅 [red], 香 [fragrant], and 玉 [jade]) all have romantic and sensual connotations.
賈敏 (Jia Min) was the original name of Lin Daiyu’s mother. 敏 means “quick-witted,” “diligent,” or “agile,” which are traits traditionally prized in boys in Confucian societies. As a result, the name usually was only given to men.
There are three general aspects of the name 賈敏 that are important:
The fact that the Jia family abandoned the “male” naming for its girls symbolizes how it abandoned substance for ornamentation. In other words, it’s a symbol of the coming decline of the family.
Lin Daiyu’s brilliance is hinted at by her mother’s name. Lin Daiyu inherited her mother’s wit and sharp mind (敏), although these qualities are alienating to the Jia household. If you think about it, Lin Daiyu’s intelligence is a “masculine” quality, though she is crushed in the end by the family’s patriarchal rules.
As usual, Jia Min (賈敏) is a homophonic pun (we’ve had a lot of those, haven’t we?). 敏 sounds like 憫 (to pity) as well as 泯 (to vanish). We’ll see a lot of both in the coming chapters.
矣 is a classical Chinese final particle marking a complete action or a new realization. It’s similar to 了 (le) in modern Chinese. Jia Yucun overuses it in his speech — a neat little flourish showing just how pretentious he is, and something that is impossible to adequately translate into English.
東床, literally “eastern bed,” means “son-in-law” due to a tale about Wang Xizhi in the Book of Jin. See the full explanation at Wiktionary.
The phrase 銜玉之子 to describe Jia Baoyu is quite pejorative. Yucun doesn’t mention him by name here, though he mentioned his name earlier. He’s implying that Jia Baoyu isn’t a true filial and Confucian child, nor is he fit to be an heir. Note as well that Jia Baoyu’s older brother, mentioned in the same passage, is already deceased.
The character 璉 (liǎn) in 賈璉 (Jia Lian) refers to an old vessel for holding grain offerings in an ancestral hall. As alluded to here, Jia Lian is a failed sacred vessel. He squanders the family fortune and neglects both his work and ancestral duties. His wife, briefly mentioned here, accelerates the ruin of the family through her own bribery and greedy exploitation. Additionally, 璉 is a homophone with 斂 (to extort), 臉 (face – or “vanity” by extension), and 殮 (to prepare a corpse for burial).
The 正 and 邪 Jia Yucun mention are references back to the somewhat lengthy lecture he gave in our last translation post. Jia Yucun can’t say that any of these people are all good or all evil, and so he must conclude that they are eccentrics filled with a similar combination of good and evil spirits. This is a pretty good insight into just how ridiculous his metaphysical model is.