Official Sacred Record
LEGACY
Author Zhuo Wenjun's reading records
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I n t r o d u c t i o n
「Baitou Yin」 Zhuo Wenjun
AuthorCNBC 175 — BC 121
A female poet of the Western Han dynasty. Famous for her love affair with Sima Xiangru, she left behind literary masterpieces including the Baitou Yin.
“The deeply held promise to be together forever until our black hair turns like green onion roots is like the clear sound of a geomungo.”
C o n t e m p o r a r i e s
L i b r a r y
Cultural Journey
How cultural experiences shaped this figure's life
Zhuo Wenjun is a woman of the Western Han dynasty who received a deep literary and musical education in a prosperous household. The Zhuo family of Linqiong in Sichuan ensured that their daughter cultivated profound attainments in literature and music, and this education determined the course of her life. The anecdote of her falling in love upon hearing Sima Xiangru play the guqin shows that music was for her not an object of aesthetic appreciation but the turning point of her life.
Her elopement with Sima Xiangru is the event in which literary sensibility overrode social convention. Her departure with a poet against her father's opposition was because the emotional resonance created by poetry and music was stronger than the wealth and honor of her family. That she subsequently opened a tavern to support them is a case of a cultivated woman making terms with reality without losing her artistic self-respect.
When Sima Xiangru sought to take a concubine, Zhuo Wenjun fought back with verse. *Baitou Yin* carries the fury of a love that should have been as pure as mountain snow and as bright as a moon between clouds, now betrayed. Her response to her husband's unfaithfulness with not tears but a masterpiece is Zhuo Wenjun's mode of aesthetic engagement. For her, poetry was not a means of expressing emotion but a weapon for reversing the power dynamics of a relationship — and that her poem caused her husband to turn back is a direct example of literature changing reality.
Her elopement with Sima Xiangru is the event in which literary sensibility overrode social convention. Her departure with a poet against her father's opposition was because the emotional resonance created by poetry and music was stronger than the wealth and honor of her family. That she subsequently opened a tavern to support them is a case of a cultivated woman making terms with reality without losing her artistic self-respect.
When Sima Xiangru sought to take a concubine, Zhuo Wenjun fought back with verse. *Baitou Yin* carries the fury of a love that should have been as pure as mountain snow and as bright as a moon between clouds, now betrayed. Her response to her husband's unfaithfulness with not tears but a masterpiece is Zhuo Wenjun's mode of aesthetic engagement. For her, poetry was not a means of expressing emotion but a weapon for reversing the power dynamics of a relationship — and that her poem caused her husband to turn back is a direct example of literature changing reality.
Cultural Journey
How cultural experiences shaped this figure's life
Zhuo Wenjun is a woman of the Western Han dynasty who received a deep literary and musical education in a prosperous household. The Zhuo family of Linqiong in Sichuan ensured that their daughter cultivated profound attainments in literature and music, and this education determined the course of her life. The anecdote of her falling in love upon hearing Sima Xiangru play the guqin shows that music was for her not an object of aesthetic appreciation but the turning point of her life.
Her elopement with Sima Xiangru is the event in which literary sensibility overrode social convention. Her departure with a poet against her father's opposition was because the emotional resonance created by poetry and music was stronger than the wealth and honor of her family. That she subsequently opened a tavern to support them is a case of a cultivated woman making terms with reality without losing her artistic self-respect.
When Sima Xiangru sought to take a concubine, Zhuo Wenjun fought back with verse. *Baitou Yin* carries the fury of a love that should have been as pure as mountain snow and as bright as a moon between clouds, now betrayed. Her response to her husband's unfaithfulness with not tears but a masterpiece is Zhuo Wenjun's mode of aesthetic engagement. For her, poetry was not a means of expressing emotion but a weapon for reversing the power dynamics of a relationship — and that her poem caused her husband to turn back is a direct example of literature changing reality.
Her elopement with Sima Xiangru is the event in which literary sensibility overrode social convention. Her departure with a poet against her father's opposition was because the emotional resonance created by poetry and music was stronger than the wealth and honor of her family. That she subsequently opened a tavern to support them is a case of a cultivated woman making terms with reality without losing her artistic self-respect.
When Sima Xiangru sought to take a concubine, Zhuo Wenjun fought back with verse. *Baitou Yin* carries the fury of a love that should have been as pure as mountain snow and as bright as a moon between clouds, now betrayed. Her response to her husband's unfaithfulness with not tears but a masterpiece is Zhuo Wenjun's mode of aesthetic engagement. For her, poetry was not a means of expressing emotion but a weapon for reversing the power dynamics of a relationship — and that her poem caused her husband to turn back is a direct example of literature changing reality.
S i g n a t u r eL i n e s
Quote
“The deeply held promise to be together forever until our black hair turns like green onion roots is like the clear sound of a geomungo.”
Greeting
“I have come with my heart carried in the strings of a guqin.”
“I am the woman who told a man — let us part before the white hairs come.”
“I made a vow by the vast waters of the Qin River.”
Roll Call
“A woman who survived by opening a wine stall. I am ready.”
“I will set down the guqin and take up the blade.”
“The strength that turned Sima Xiangru around still remains in me.”
Deploy
“Press forward like the currents of the Qin River!”
“Pierce through with the edge of the Baitou Yin!”
“Cast aside all dignity and charge!”
Victory
“True feeling rings out like a guqin.”
“I was never ashamed of the days I sold wine at Linqiong.”
“Just as the song of white hairs turned his heart in the end.”
Draw
“The poem is not yet finished.”
“The guqin strings have not been cut.”
“The waters of the Qin still flow.”
Defeat
“Do not grieve me any further.”
“One who survived with all dignity cast aside knows defeat well.”
“Even so, I will not revoke my vow.”
Strike
“I strangle you with the guqin strings!”
“I pierce through with a single verse of the Baitou Yin!”
“I cut it clean!”
Quote
“The deeply held promise to be together forever until our black hair turns like green onion roots is like the clear sound of a geomungo.”
Greeting
“I have come with my heart carried in the strings of a guqin.”
“I am the woman who told a man — let us part before the white hairs come.”
“I made a vow by the vast waters of the Qin River.”
Roll Call
“A woman who survived by opening a wine stall. I am ready.”
“I will set down the guqin and take up the blade.”
“The strength that turned Sima Xiangru around still remains in me.”
Deploy
“Press forward like the currents of the Qin River!”
“Pierce through with the edge of the Baitou Yin!”
“Cast aside all dignity and charge!”
Victory
“True feeling rings out like a guqin.”
“I was never ashamed of the days I sold wine at Linqiong.”
“Just as the song of white hairs turned his heart in the end.”
Draw
“The poem is not yet finished.”
“The guqin strings have not been cut.”
“The waters of the Qin still flow.”
Defeat
“Do not grieve me any further.”
“One who survived with all dignity cast aside knows defeat well.”
“Even so, I will not revoke my vow.”
Strike
“I strangle you with the guqin strings!”
“I pierce through with a single verse of the Baitou Yin!”
“I cut it clean!”
P e r s o n aA n a l y s i s
Overview
Legendary artistic charm combined with bold free spirit became the embodiment of Han dynasty female literati. High courage and progressive disposition aligned with individualistic character to choose a life challenging Confucian norms.
Core Abilities
Command45
Martial23
Intellect80
Charm90
Inner Virtues
Temperance55
Diligence70
Reflection72
Courage85
Outer Virtues
Loyalty70
Benevolence60
Fairness65
Humility50
Core Disposition
Pessimism
Optimism
Conservative
Progressive
Individual
Social
Cautious
Bold
Similar Figures
Overview
Legendary artistic charm combined with bold free spirit became the embodiment of Han dynasty female literati. High courage and progressive disposition aligned with individualistic character to choose a life challenging Confucian norms.
Core Abilities
Command45
Martial23
Intellect80
Charm90
Inner Virtues
Temperance55
Diligence70
Reflection72
Courage85
Outer Virtues
Loyalty70
Benevolence60
Fairness65
Humility50
Core Disposition
Pessimism
Optimism
Conservative
Progressive
Individual
Social
Cautious
Bold
Similar Figures
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