Was SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN, RUTHLESS SWORD actually supposed to be about Ah Fei?

SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN, RUTHLESS SWORD is known primarily as the story of Lee Chum Foon, but do you think that perhaps Gu Long originally intended it to be the story of Ah Fei (but got sidetracked because Lee Chum Foon was such a compelling character)? Lee Chum Foon was sentimental, but he was not particularly known as a swordsman. His claim to fame was his flying dagger, not his swordsmanship, which was good, but likely inferior to that of Ah Fei, Ging Mo Meng, and Gwok Sung Yeung. Ah Fei, too, was sentimental (particularly after meeting Lam Sin Yee), and of course, he was a swordsman extraordinaire (moreso than Lee Chum Foon ever was). Ah Fei shared roughly the same "face time" in the story as Lee Chum Foon did, and he fit the young wuxia hero mold more than Lee Chum Foon (who was much older) did.

So was SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN, RUTHLESS SWORD actually supposed to feature Ah Fei as the main character?

In Chinese, Duo Qing Jian Ke can be translated into either Sentimental SwordsMAN or SwordsMEN.

So it could refer to both.

Personally, I think that GL didn't give a crap because the title sounds really cool and thats all the reason you need.

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Originally Posted by CC

In Chinese, Duo Qing Jian Ke can be translated into either Sentimental SwordsMAN or SwordsMEN.

So it could refer to both.

Personally, I think that GL didn't give a crap because the title sounds really cool and thats all the reason you need.

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He could have just called it "Siu Lee Fei Do" (LITTLE LEE'S FLYING DAGGER) like all the adaptations subsequently did and saved himself the trouble of writing all those characters. :p

The original working title of the novel was Fengyun Diyi Dao --> The #1 Dagger of the World. So we know that he did intend it to be about The Little Li of Flying Dagger, The Flying Dagger of Little Li, LITTLE LI FLYING DAGGER Li Xunhuan.

And I agree with this assertion of hilarity:

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Originally Posted by CC

Personally, I think that GL didn't give a crap because the title sounds really cool and thats all the reason you need.

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As far as Sentimental SwordsmAn or SwordsmEn - I see sentimental as referring to Little Li Flying Dagger Li Xunhuan and Ah Fei, while ruthless as referring to everybody else, i.e. Apex Sword Guo Songyang, Shangguan Jinhong (even though he didn't use a sword), Jin Wuming, Mr. Long Xiaoyun, etc.

I never really liked the translations of "sentimental" and "ruthless" that were used to for "duoqing" and "wuqing". I think closer translations would have been "compassionate" and "emotionless". Personally, I think the "duoqing" classification was used to describe how the swordsmen valued friendship above all else, including romantic love. It was the case for Li, Ah Fei, Li's bodyguard, Guo Songyang (who wasn't ruthless by the way), and so many others. I was always under the impression that Gu Long himself always valued friendship way more than romantical love, and it shows through in his writing.

The "wuqing" part of the title, I felt, referred to the fact that even though the swordsman may be compassionate, his sword is often emotionless. Kind of like the chinese metaphor "swords and blades have no eyes". I feel it as more of a narrative Gu Long was trying to express about the world in general. Even though humans can have compassion, often events and the causality of reality is emotionless. Tragic events can happen for no good reason at all. It is very much inline with the semi-existentialist overtones that is prevalent all over Gu Long's works.

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Originally Posted by bliss

I never really liked the translations of "sentimental" and "ruthless" that were used to for "duoqing" and "wuqing". I think closer translations would have been "compassionate" and "emotionless". Personally, I think the "duoqing" classification was used to describe how the swordsmen valued friendship above all else, including romantic love. It was the case for Li, Ah Fei, Li's bodyguard, Guo Songyang (who wasn't ruthless by the way), and so many others. I was always under the impression that Gu Long himself always valued friendship way more than romantical love, and it shows through in his writing.

The "wuqing" part of the title, I felt, referred to the fact that even though the swordsman may be compassionate, his sword is often emotionless. Kind of like the chinese metaphor "swords and blades have no eyes". I feel it as more of a narrative Gu Long was trying to express about the world in general. Even though humans can have compassion, often events and the causality of reality is emotionless. Tragic events can happen for no good reason at all. It is very much inline with the semi-existentialist overtones that is prevalent all over Gu Long's works.

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Agree on 'sentimental' being not such a good word to replace Duoqing. But compassionate doesn't cut it either. A lot of it was about love and friendship between friends so maybe 'Passionate' or 'Emotional' would be a better fit.

'Passionate Swordsmen, Emotionless Blades'?

'Emotional Swordsmen' just brings images of unstable sensitive new age metrosexual crybabies. Not my idea of cool wuxia heroes.

Emo Swordsman, Punk Rock Sword.

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Originally Posted by CC

Agree on 'sentimental' being not such a good word to replace Duoqing. But compassionate doesn't cut it either. A lot of it was about love and friendship between friends so maybe 'Passionate' or 'Emotional' would be a better fit.

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How about Super-Dramatic Swordsman, Drama-Free Blade?

we're reinventing titles? fun! my contribution: manic-depressant swordsman, prozac'd sword.

Since wuxia is supposed to be written for the common man, how about something less eloquent and more straight-to-the-point:

Swordsmen With Screwed-Up Lives and Blades That Hurt!

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i havent read this novel yet but i think i already watched the movie. it's a really really long series. I thought ah fei was also the main character as well.