Originally Posted by
whiteskwirl
No, Dabei is actually 大悲, which means Great Sadness. It can also mean Great Mercy. There's actually some good wordplay in there because Laughing General is actually Big Laughing General 大笑, and at one point it says someone flew into a rage, the Chinese is 大怒, great rage. Also, Mr, Dabei told sad news, fitting given his name.
This is a good example of what inevitably gets lost in translation.
Yeah, that's true. However,
click to show/hide spoilersThis character isn't relevant to the plot, nor is he created as a foil to or comparison/contrast to the Laughing General. Had it called him 大悲将军, or if the text referred to the Laughing General as 大笑先生, I definitely would not have transliterated it. In any case, I'm pretty sure the 大悲 and 大笑 connection is just coincidence, not a literary device. Just my take though.