There are many characters in "A Dream of Red Mansions", all kinds of characters, overlapping layers and complex relationships. Cao Xueqin put a lot of effort into shaping these characters, and even the naming took a lot of thought. They closely follow the theme of the book, are consistent with the content, and are also coordinated with the character image and plot development. Cao Xueqin pays great attention to the personality of the characters when naming. He uses strange words and a wide range of words. Some of them are the names of birds, some are the names of flowers, and some are the names of pearls and jade articles. They are colorful, rich and elegant. The names of many characters, or the names of several people combined, have profound meanings. Some hint at the character's fate, some are some kind of metaphor for the development of the plot, some summarize some characteristics of the character's personality, some are wonderful satires on the character's behavior, some are some hints of the character's story, etc.
Cao Xueqin touched and unfolded the stories of the four major families from far to near. He first wrote about Zhen Shiyin, Jia Yucun, Leng Zixing, etc., thus explaining that this book is "the truth is hidden, and the lies are kept." ", and to remind readers to pay attention.
The story of the four major families is initially told through Zhen Shiyin, Jia Yucun, Leng Zixing, Grandma Liu, from far to near, from the outside to the inside, whether it is the Jia family or the The stories told by these four people of the Zhen family in the south of the Yangtze River are all "True (Zhen) False (Jia) Nan ("Guangyun": cold, difficult, similar in sound, but can be connected.) (Leng) Liu (Liu)", which means It tells the tragic end of the four major families' complete defeat.
The main characters in the book are Baoyu, Daiyu, Baochai and Miaoyu, and the complexity of their relationships is also reflected in their names. "Chai" and "Dai" are both synonyms for ladies in feudal society. Baoyu's name was split and given to the two girls respectively, forming "Baochai" and "Daiyu". This shows that the relationship between the three of them is very special. As usual, the entanglement must also be close and unpredictable, so that Baoyu fell in love with Daiyu, but ended up marrying Baochai. Miaoyu is also connected to Baoyu by the word "yu". The two are in love with each other and have many similarities in personality. They are a mirror of Baoyu.
For other important characters, the author mainly uses homophonic names to name them. This is a large number, and the "harmony" is very clever, which shows the author's painstaking thinking and ability to control words.
Zhen Shiyin, Jia Yucun: True things are hidden, false words remain (false words in the village).
Jia Baoyu: "Fake Baoyu", "Real Stone" with rebellious spirit.
Miaoyu: The jade in the "temple" shows her identity, she was originally a monk.
The four sisters Yuanchun, Yingchun, Tanchun and Xichun: homophonic to "Yuan Ying Sigh", sighing at their short youth. Spring is already very short, not to mention it is divided into four stages, each stage is shorter. Some people think it is "cause analysis", which analyzes the reasons for the decline and demise of feudal society.
Wang Xifeng: The phoenix is ??a male divine bird, which means that Sister Feng is like a man with outstanding talents and sharpness. It also sounds like "feng in vain". Although he was outstanding in talent, his beauty was inevitable. He was wrapped in a straw mat and his body was thrown into the wilderness. His daughter was almost sold.
Flowers attack people: The flowers are beautiful in appearance and have a charming fragrance, but they give you a gentle knife in the back. It also implies that Xiren is the "person" of the "player" (Jiang Yuhan).
Qin Keqing: Affectionate, affectionate, can have sex with anyone close to her. But upon closer inspection, things may not be that simple. It seems that there are other hidden things inside.
Qingwen: Clouds on a sunny day are just "colorful clouds that disperse easily"; some say they are "love poems".
Jia Zheng: A hypocrite who is hypocritical, foolish and serious, and talks about benevolence, justice and morality.
Jia She: The hypothesis is that he is just a decoration in Jia Fu and is not favored by Jia Mu.
Jia Rong: Rong means "rong", and "rong" has reached the point where his wife committed adultery with her father and seduced her brother-in-law.
Jia Rui, whose courtesy name is Tianxiang: Rui means a good omen that God wants to bless you, but with the word "Jia (false)" in front of it, the meaning is completely reversed, so Jia Rui in the book The first one died, and then the fragrance disappeared one by one. It can be seen that this was a false good omen, so he was called Jia Rui.
Cai Yuanpei believed that Jia Rui was the "fake Wen Tianxiang" because Jia Rui happened to be named Tianxiang and Wen Tianxiang happened to be named Song Rui. Therefore, Cai Yuanpei believed that this character was used to ridicule those Ming Dynasty people who surrendered to the Manchu Qing Dynasty, implying that they had no spine.
Jia Hua, courtesy name Shi Fei: lies are not true.
Jia Lian: Fake integrity, fake face, a shameless and dissolute person.
Jia Jing: He pretends to be quiet. He likes to be quiet and moved to the suburbs. The author satirizes that he pretends to be quiet.
Jia Qiang: Compared with those Jia family children who only know how to eat, drink and have fun, Jia Qiang is slightly "stronger"; "Rose flower" is also a symbol of love. Understand the true meaning of love.
Xue Pan: The original meaning of "Pan" is "twisting, coiling", Xue Pan's character is "Wenlong", and "Panlong" is the most ferocious of the eight legendary dragons.
Jiao Xing: It’s a fluke. Because I looked back at Yucun a few more times, I later became Yucun’s principal wife. What a fluke. It is precisely "accidental causes that make people become masters when they look back".
Leng Zixing: Emphasizing the word "cold", the book arranges this person as a "cold-eyed person", which has an extraordinary effect. It not only uses his words to "speech about Rongguo Mansion", but also makes readers understand the story that unfolds later. The plot was mentally prepared, and the dilapidated appearance of the wealthy family was seen very early, which shows that Leng Zixing's "cold eye" is quite powerful.
The maids in the Four Spring Periods are respectively "holding the qin, playing chess, serving books, and painting": they embody the four arts of "playing chess, calligraphy and painting", and also imply the characteristics, hobbies and artistic accomplishments of their masters.
The four major princes (Dongping King, Nan'an King, Xining King, Beijing King): The metaphor of "the southeast, northwest, peace and tranquility" is a false statement that the author deliberately whitewashed peace and praised the virtues of the current dynasty. .
Qin Zhong: Qingzhong, he had an affair with Neng'er and killed his father, and also killed himself. What a Qingzhong. Because his personality and appearance were very much in line with Jia Baoyu's preferences, he was introduced as a confidant by Jia Baoyu.
Yuanyang: An ironic name. Yuanyang birds originally came in pairs and were the mascots of love, but the "Yuanyang Girl" could not have her own love and was forced to death by Jia She.