Zhen Shiyin | 甄士隱

Zhen Shiyin is the first name that we encounter in Dream of the Red Chamber. In the first paragraph, which is often skipped by translators, author Cao Xueqin notes that he used names like Zhen Shiyin because he was “hiding the true facts” (將真事隱去… 故曰「甄士隱」云云). 真事隱 (hiding true things) is a homophone with the name 甄士隱, and this linguistic trick is the first indication we have that the names in Dream of the Red Chamber are “puns” with hidden meanings.

Zhen Shiyin’s given name is 甄費 (Zhen Fei), which likely stands for 真非 — either “false truth” or “truth and non-truth.”

Zhen Shiyin’s daughter is Zhen Yinglian, who we hear about as soon as Zhen Shiyin is introduced. He sees the stone (which becomes Jia Baoyu) in a dream, and is told that he has a direct tie to Jia Baoyu by the Buddhist monk and Taoist priest.

Zhen Shiyin is a kind Confucian gentleman of some wealth, who gives liberally to his friend Jia Yucun.

In the end, Zhen Shiyin’s daughter Zhen Yinglian is lost. His house burns down, he moves in with his father-in-law, his father-in-law takes advantage of him and criticizes him behind his back, and Zhen Shiyin become sick. The Taoist Priest chants a sarcastic poem (Hao-Liao Song, or 好了歌) at Zhen Shiyin. Zhen Shiyin responds with an emotional poem, after which he renounces everything in the world and follows the monk and priest.