Have you read Lu Ding Ji - Tale of Deer Cauldron?

[yittz]

I am hoping to start a discussion of JY's last novel soon. I am half way through it myself and deeply impressed with WXB's pimping skills.

WXB has an interesting character, excellent streetsmartness as well as luck that rivals DY and XZ.

There's is also some interesting martial arts to be discussed. The shaolin chapter is rather fascinating esp. for the likes of PJ - there are evidence of sealing/unsealing pressure points from distance (and with ease and nonfussed), there is an explanation why Shaolin arts 'seem' inferior to that of great arts even though they are equal, there is a sequence of shaolin arts to be learned as a Shaolin disciple, one of the monks learned one of the arts 2nd= fastest, also the fact that DGQB and LHC were reported as undefeatable in their era.

I also wonder how his blade and armour (reminds me of Frodo) compairs to trilogy weaponary.

Just wondering how many have read DOMD in this forum, because there are so few discussion on this masterpiece.

[0-0-0]

i've never liked WXB or the storyline much because it deviates so much from the type of wuxia that i enjoy normally. This is meant to be part of it’s appeal, but I’ve never really seen it. I find females tend to dislike DOMD.

[Han Solo]

Read the John Minford's translation- which i thought was based on the first edition, and he markedly abridged many of the later chapters.

Had always thought that WXB is a parody of the late Ming and Qing eunuchs such as Chiu Shih-liang or Li Lien-ying (http://wuxiapedia.com/research/socie...hinese_eunuchs)


In terms of his deeds and personality, always felt that:-
1) WXB is indeed to be very lucky, he had survived so many near death experience throughout the novel that one, towards the end tends to know that he will survive anything.

2) He is very very cunning too, invariably turning all his enemies into believing that he is their ally.

3) Loyal towards his friends and have a tendency to be spiteful, and revenges over small matters. Those that he values as friends such as Whisker Mao or the emperor, he will do anything for them up to a certain limit.

4) Markedly greedy but willing to spend to get what he wants.

Han SOlo
P/s: will talk in detail next day.

[bigben85]

Sometimes I think JY's writing isn't very translatable (to English). Sure, you can translate the meaning of a sentence. You can't translate the feeling of his writing. Sometimes you can't even do that, and some jokes, or some details are lost, such as character names which all have meanings and fitting to the characters. I think his books are much more enjoyable to read in Chinese.

[Ren Wo Xing]

Rivals? More like surpasses their luck. Combined.

[Trinie]

Things are always lost in translation because there are just some things that can't be translated(at least not directly).

[Han Solo]

Sometimes I think JY's writing isn't very translatable (to English). Sure, you can translate the meaning of a sentence. You can't translate the feeling of his writing. Sometimes you can't even do that, and some jokes, or some details are lost, such as character names which all have meanings and fitting to the characters. I think his books are much more enjoyable to read in Chinese.

Agree to an extent.

The mark of a good translator is one who attempts to gauge the feel and the mood of a story and attempts to bring it alive in a grammatically correct translation that is easy to read, while preserving the authors distinctive writing style and the author's intention.

To quote Gaiman: "Everything changes, but nothing is truly lost".

Han Solo

[bigben85]

But at the same time, I find the English subtitled tv series easier to follow for non Chinese viewers. I mean 2/3 of the story is shown and acted out.