Why Lin Daiyu Refused The Gift
Even though I’ve already read Dream of the Red Chamber a few times, there are still things that surprise me.
The fascinating thing about this novel is the way that it references itself. It must have taken Cao Xueqin years to weave this story together. And we saw a great example of its self-referential nature yesterday.
Lin Daiyu was busy handing out gifts to the others in the family after returning from her long journey. And Jia Baoyu felt obliged to do something about it:
寶玉又將北靜王所贈蕶苓香串，珍重取出來，轉送黛玉。黛玉說：「什麼臭男人拿過的，我不要這東西！」遂擲還不取。寶玉只得收回，暫且無話。
Baoyu carefully took out the fragrant prayer bead bracelet that the Prince of Beijing had given to him, and offered it to Daiyu.
“Why would I want something that a stinking man has handled?” asked Daiyu. “I don’t want this!” And she gave it back and refused to take it.
Baoyu had no choice but to take it back. And nothing more was said for the time being.
Now, the interesting thing here isn’t what the “fragrant prayer bead bracelet” (蕶苓香串) means or symbolizes. Rather, the interesting thing here is Lin Daiyu’s somewhat rude refusal, which should strike you as odd.
