MDZS Volume 4 Annotations

Concept arts and sample insert illustrations by Marina Privalova (@Baoshan_Karo) for Sha Po Lang Russian Edition of the book shared by Istari Comics Publishing.

If you haven't seen the beautiful cover arts, here's the link.

Yes, the same artist behind MDZS insert illustrations for EN and RUS license.

Common Anime Words Glossary

Glossary of common anime words and their meanings in Japanese explained.

I want to read every entry on this site! I just found it today, and it explained the BETSUNI i’ve been hearing so much in video games and couldn’t figure out!!!

I expect a LOT of phrases this site goes through would help clarify confusion I’ve been having. It’s a nice site.

I love Priest's supporting characters. I love how she started Stars of Chaos from supporting characters' POV, and then she keeps dropping in on them and making us love them more and more.

My one complaint is: why doesn't she write more (even more) Extras featuring her supporting characters? We care!

Brief Character Analyses and Spoilers for Stars of Chaos below...

Cao Chunhua 曹春花 / 曹娘子 Cao Niangzi:

曹春花， I love you! How did you get so good at languages and disguise and acting? Did you ever get to catch a nice young man? Or are you constantly catching nice young men in a serial fashion? Ahhh, our little 娘子 <3 I definitely want to read more about you and your adventures.

Li Feng 李丰, "Long An" Emperor, Chang Geng's unfortunate half-brother:

You tried so hard. I don't actually want to read more about you, but I want you to know that I appreciate that you did your best, and validate that you really were a lot better than your dad -- you were just unlucky, and, sadly, you had to die for it. Life is hard. And short, for you.

Fang Qin 方钦

Yah, life is unfair. I don't want to read more about you, either -- I just want to ruminate on how you were a fancy rich popular kid, but all you really wanted was to hang out with the nerds. The nerds were smart and fun and honest and doing cool things, but your fancy rich popular old-money family held you back. Too bad you didn't have any backbone.

Chen QingXu 陈轻絮 and Shen Yi 沈易

What an amazing couple. I feel like Chen QingXu is barely in the book at all, but every time she is mentioned it is with reverence and awe. My favorite scene with Chen QingXu is when she's chaining together Pipa melodies while a battle is literally going on in front of her, then elegantly floats away when her part of the battle is concluded...

And! And! When she figures out that the Spirit Mannequin is actually a "book" and clutches it "like she's never seen wood before," I swooned -- Chen QingXu is a scientist, through and through <3

Every time Shen Yi is mentioned, I know I'm going to have a good time, too. It is through his near-constant consternation at Gu Yun that we see how terribly fun (emphasis on the "terrible") Gu Yun is.

Poor Shen Yi, putting up with his crazy best friend. Accidentally rising to one of the highest positions in the land just because he doesn't want to go home and instead follows his best friend out to the far remote edges of the empire; and is totally willing to give it all up to be a house-husband for the girl he likes, once he gets up the courage to tell her he likes her. What a sweet guy <3

Yah, I want more Chen QingXu and more Shen Yi and more ChenYi.

Old Master Shen 沈老爷子

While we’re talking about the Shen family, I’d love to read more about Shen Laoyezi. He knows everything. His bird cusses out everyone. He’s pretty awesome.

Yao Zhen 姚镇 / 姚重泽 Yao ZhongZe (Chong Ze?) (I'm not so good when a word has multiple pronunciations)

I'm not super hungry for more Yao Zhen content, but I love every bit of Yao Zhen that I get to read. Poor man -- he just wants to hang out and enjoy life, but Gu Yun keeps giving him all these empire-critical, life-and-death-of-thousands responsibilities. The man knows what he wants! But Gu Yun just railroads past those clearly delineated desires and keeps raising him up to higher and higher positions of responsibility!

Living up to your true potential is overrated; sleeping 10 hours/day is the way to go :)

Huo Dan 霍郸

Oh, the stories that Huo Dan could tell... Poor man, having to put up with Gu Yun's peculiarities and Chang Geng's idiosyncrasies and I'm sure he learned very early on to always knock before entering any space that the two of them think they're alone in.

I want more Huo Dan stories ;)

That's pretty much it for me. I love Ge PangXiao 葛胖小 / 葛晨 Ge Chen, too, but I am satisfied with his story already. He's cool, he's sweet, but he's not mysterious like Cao ChunHua and Chen QingXu, or in an entertaining state of near-permanent exasperation because of Gu Yun's shenanigans like poor Shen Yi is. You do you, Ge Chen.

The Husky and His White Cat ShiZun, volume TWO 2 二

(The one with the very pale cover)

(English 7Seas version) Notes 2 of 4

Pages 137-198

(That was just me sitting there for a second, wondering who “he” was referring to, then wondering if anyone else was momentarily confused by the ambiguity of pronouns.)

More under the cut :)

Back to my Masterlist

Stars of Chaos 杀破狼

Vol 2, Notes 4, pages 90 - 144.

Ten more pictures with notes about the novel! More text that may have been edited out of the print version!

Half of the sentence is gone!!!!!

"...and Chang Geng at that time had not even known what luxury and riches were, but had unexpectedly and resolutely left the marquis's residence; he would rather wander the wide 江湖 Jiang Hu than return to being a 'frog in a well' rich prince."

"Frog in a well" is 井底之蛙, which means "very limited worldview" since frogs in wells can't see more than their tiny patch of sky.

There is no mention of bloodlust in the version I read. It was just "In previous years, Gu Yun still frequently muttered about beating up this person or beating up that person..."

Yah. Priest has LOTS of plot. Constant bouncing between what happens in the imperial court vs in the outside-the-official-government world.

"粘". Priest even put that word in " ". It can mean sticky, adhesive. Not like a clingy girlfriend, more like magnets or glue.

It's very romantic right here, anyway. :)

Text, plus my bad handwriting: "Who knows what my brothers and comrades will think when they hear the news! What do you think, Marshal!?" meaning "What do you feel in your heart?! Do you really think this is fair?"

停 can mean "parked" or "landed," which I think makes more sense here since "stored" has the implication that the hawks are packed away, but, in this case, the hawks were flying just a little bit ago and now they are "landed," or "parked."

There some additional sentences in the version used for translation, I guess.

The Chinese from the version I read: 我若说出傅志诚私运紫流金谋反一事...

My bad translation: If I speak about Fu Zhicheng's smuggling Violet Gold conspiracy this one matter...

My interpretation: "the treason of smuggling violet gold," since he is referring to one matter, not two.

But it would not be weird if Priest later edited it into two matters of treason, one of smuggling and another of rebellion.

Chang Geng is elegant and graceful. He does not hunker. He settles.

炼丹 ”Make pills of immortality"

This "alchemy", Chinese version, is not to turn whatever into gold, but instead to find ways to extend your life; like how my mom puts turmeric in absolutely everything and reminds me to eat more blueberries and tomatoes and goji berries and...

OK! That's it for these ten photos! More later :)

My DanMei Literary Adventure Masterpost

Stars of Chaos - All Notes Links

The portraits of Yiling Laozu

As a former student of biology and an eternal fan of Ghibli, and this hits really deeply. 😁

biologists will be like this is a very simplified diagram of a mammalian cell

chemists will be like this is a molecule

MDZS Vol 3 Annotations, part 2

Here is Part 2 of my annotations of MDZS Volume 3, pages 92-217. I hope it helps improve your reading experience!

(It's mostly cultural annotations and reminders of appropriately-untranslated words, with a few re-translations of really thorny sentences that I admit have no good translation.) (And a few places I re-translated to take out the fanciness. WWX, especially, usually speaks in a very simple, colloquial manner.)

So, "regarded him askance" is a totally legitimate translation. I just never speak like that; and yet "gave him the side-eye" felt too casual.

The 36 Stratagems in mdzs

🔮 I describe individual scenes in MDZS where each of the 36 Stratagems plays out

🔮 Note that while this post mainly references novel canon, it may wander into CQL territory at times

🔮 I won’t include the detailed history of each of the Stratagems in this meta as they may be too long, but I will include a resource at the end that you can refer to for further reading

🔮 Spoilers ahead!

Let’s go!

Ok so! The 36 Stratagems (三十六计) is an essay on the use of cunning ruses and deceptive tactics on the battlefield, in politics, and in civil matters. It has been attributed to various authors throughout popular history, and references various famous military scenarios in the Warring States era (战国时代) and Three Kingdoms period (三国时代).

The 36 Stratagems are split into six discrete sections, each describing six techniques:

胜战计: victory stratagems

敌战计: enemy fighting stratagems

攻战计: attack stratagems

混战计: chaos stratagems

并战计: proximate (parallel) stratagems

败战计: desperate stratagems

胜战计 Victory stratagems

1. 瞒天过海: crossing the sea without alerting the heavens; i.e. setting a fake objective to mislead others, while concealing progress for the true objective.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Wei Wuxian taking a blindfolded Jiang Cheng to “visit Baoshan Sanren” to “get his core repaired”. This was a ruse to conceal the true objective — a core transfer.

2. 围魏救赵: besieging Wei to rescue Zhao (Wei and Zhao were states in the Warring States period); i.e. attacking something precious to the enemy to avoid a head-on battle and forcing them to retreat.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Jin Guangyao placing a qin string around Wei Wuxian’s neck to force Lan Wangji to stand down at the Guanyin temple.

Bonus: Jin Guangyao is literally “besieging Wei/围魏” here! The word 围, other than “to besiege”, also means “to encircle” or “to surround”.

3. 借刀杀人: killing with a borrowed blade; i.e. outsourcing a difficult or incriminating task to someone else.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Nie Huaisang instigating Lan Xichen to stab Jin Guangyao in the Guanyin temple. Quite literally, he “borrows” Lan Xichen’s sword to do the deed.

4. 以逸待劳: letting others exhaust themselves, and swooping in at the right moment to claim victory or deal the final blow.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Wen Chao instructing the hostages from the various clans to wear the Xuanwu down, with the intention of coming in at the last minute to claim the kill.

5. 趁火打劫: looting a burning house; i.e. taking advantage of a desperate situation to raid a weakened enemy.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Qishan Wen taking advantage of Jiang Fengmian’s absence to launch an attack on Lotus Pier.

6. 声东击西: making a sound in the east to misdirect the enemy, while striking in the west.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Jin Guangyao instigating the second siege of the Burial Mounds to divert everyone’s attention, whilst simultaneously making preparations for his escape to Dongying.

敌战计 Enemy fighting stratagems

7. 无中生有: creating something out of nothing; i.e. creating an illusion or lie to fool people into believing something exists.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Nie Huaisang perpetuating the rumor that his family’s ancestral tomb is actually a man-eating fortress, to prevent grave robbers from entering it.

8. 暗渡陈仓: sneaking through the passage of Chencang while repairing the main roads; i.e. distracting the enemy while taking a shortcut to launch an attack.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Su She devising a similar-sounding qin score to that of Gusu Lan. The discordant notes distracted the Lan disciples, concealing the score’s true purpose — weakening people’s spiritual abilities.

9. 隔岸观火: watching the fire from the opposite bank; i.e. delaying entering a battle until the enemy has been weakened, then moving in at full strength.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Xue Yang slowly chipping away at Xiao Xingchen’s virtue by making him kill innocent people, then revealing the truth at the end to break him.

10. 笑里藏刀: hiding a knife behind a smile: i.e. putting up a friendly appearance to conceal one’s true intentions.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Jin Guangyao’s political maneuvering to make himself seem genial and unassuming, while concealing the truth about his roles in Nie Mingjue’s and Jin Guangshan’s deaths.

11. 李代桃僵: sacrificing the plum tree for the peach tree; i.e. sacrificing some short-term aims for a greater, long-term good.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Wei Wuxian accepting the eventuality of Wang Lingjiao chopping off his hand, and later, sacrificing his own core to restore Jiang Cheng and preserve the Jiang clan in the long run.

12. 顺手牵羊: taking a opportunity to steal a goat; i.e. making use of available resources as they present themselves.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Wei Wuxian leading Lil Apple from the Mo household!

攻战计 Attack stratagems

13. 打草惊蛇: hitting the grass to startle the snake; i.e. making over-the-top gestures to taunt or disrupt the enemy.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Wei Wuxian taunting Wen Chao in the Xuanwu cave for his lack of knowledge of Wen Mao’s writings, to lure Wen Chao away from Wen Zhuliu’s protection.

14. 借尸还魂: borrowing a corpse to resurrect a soul; i.e. fixing up something useless to give it a fresh purpose.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Mo Xuanyu’s body literally being used as a vessel to resurrect Wei Wuxian!

Bonus: here’s a short explanation I previously wrote as part of the cql subs critique for Episode 1 on the poem Chu Ci 楚辞. It’s in para 4.

15. 调虎离山: enticing the tiger to leave the mountain; i.e. luring a strong enemy away from their base of protection to attack them in the open.

Where this plays out in MDZS: the invitation to Jin Ling’s party as a means to lure Wei Wuxian from Burial Mounds and into a set-up.

16. 欲擒故纵: loosening the hold slightly to ensure capture; i.e. allowing an enemy to believe they have a chance to escape, thus getting them to lower their defenses, then crushing their morale.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Wei Wuxian taunting Wen Chao at various intervals instead of killing him outright — letting Wen Chao run a little, then catching up with him to slice pieces off of his body.

17. 抛砖引玉: tossing pieces of brick to get gems; i.e. throwing out pieces of useless information to tempt the enemy into revealing something important.

Where this plays out in MDZS: A-Qing deliberately misinterpreting the term “night-hunt 夜猎” to trick Xue Yang into revealing that he is also a cultivator.

18. 擒贼擒王: defeating the enemy by first defeating their leader.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Nie Mingjue infiltrating Nightless City during the Sunshot Campaign to attack Wen Ruohan, as a means of quickly securing victory.

混战计 Chaos stratagems

19. 釜底抽薪: removing the firewood from the underside of the pot; i.e. cutting off an enemy’s resources or means of attack.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Jin Guangyao making everyone seal their spiritual powers in Guanyin temple, so they would not be able to attack him.

20. 浑水摸鱼: disturbing the water to catch the fish; i.e creating confusion to mask one’s true purpose.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Su She trying to incite mass panic during the second siege of Burial Mounds to get everyone to be suspicious of Wei Wuxian.

21. 金蝉脱壳: the golden cicada shedding its shell; i.e. leaving riches or identifying marks behind to go undercover or escape.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Jin Guangyao, knowing that he has incurred the ire of the clans, preparing to leave his position behind and escape to Dongying.

22. 关门捉贼: shutting the door to catch a thief; i.e. cutting off all escape routes for an enemy.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Xue Yang trapping the juniors in Yi City and turning them around in circles, in order to get close to Wei Wuxian.

23. 远交近攻: allying with people further away while attacking those closest, for a strategic advantage.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Jin Guangyao swearing brotherhood with the two most powerful people outside the Jin clan, whilst simultaneously planning his takeover of the Jin household.

Bonus: here’s another meta I wrote on Jin Guangyao’s personal reasons for joining the sworn brotherhood, in which I also touch on 远交近攻.

24. 假途伐虢: getting safe passage to besiege Guo (a state during the Zhou dynasty); i.e. borrowing an ally’s resources to attack an enemy, then turning on that same ally with those resources.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Xue Yang borrowing the abilities of Shuanghua to kill innocent people, then instigating Xiao Xingchen to turn those same abilities on Song Lan, thus destroying their bond.

并战计 Proximate stratagems

25. 偷梁换柱: replacing the beams with rotting timbers; i.e. disrupting the enemy’s operations by replacing certain supports with inferior varieties.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Jin Guangyao swapping the notes of Cleansing 洗华 with those from the Collection of Turmoil 乱魄抄.

Bonus: here’s a quick explanation on the name 乱魄抄 in my critique of CQL episode 42, para 441.

26. 指桑骂槐: pointing at the mulberry tree while cursing the locust tree; i.e. deliberately misdirecting one’s anger to avoid having to make the first move.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Jin Guangyao forcing Wei Wuxian to reveal himself in the treasure room by addressing him as Mo Xuanyu, accusing him of slander and of causing Qin Su’s death.

Bonus: it’s possible that Nie Huaisang’s name was derived from this particular stratagem — except that instead of the locust tree 槐, he uses the character 怀, which loosely means “to harbor (in one’s heart)”. Both words use the same tone and are similarly pronounced.

27. 假痴不颠: feigning ignorance to lure the enemy into complacency.

Where this plays out in MDZS: this is the crux of Nie Huaisang’s nickname, 一问三不知 “Mr I Don’t Know”!

Bonus: here’s a brief explanation I wrote about 一问三不知 for my critique of CQL episode 34, para 351.

28. 上屋抽梯: removing the ladder when the enemy has reached the roof; i.e. severing an enemy’s recourse or supply lines.

Where this plays out in MDZS: the plot for Su She to finish everyone off at the second siege of Burial Mounds, through the cutting off of everyone’s spiritual abilities and means of escape.

29. 树上开花: tying blossoms on a dead tree; i.e. making something of low value appear useful and beautiful through artifice.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Jin Guangshan accepting Jin Guangyao into the family and bestowing his own generational name on him as a public honor, while continuing to undermine and ill-treat him.

30. 反客为主: forcing the host and guest to change places; i.e. usurping authority by turning the tables.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Wei Wuxian seizing Wen Chao and holding him hostage in the Xuanwu cave.

败战计 Desperate stratagems

31. 美人计: the beauty trap; i.e. sending a beautiful woman to distract the enemy and incite unrest in their camp.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Jin Guangyao literally ensnaring his own father in such a fashion to bring about his death.

32. 空城计: the empty city; i.e. appearing calm despite being at a disadvantage, to fool the enemy into thinking that there is an ambush waiting for them.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Wei Wuxian remaining at ease when confronting Xue Yang in Yi City, despite knowing he would not be able to physically overpower him.

33. 反间计: sowing discord between an enemy and their allies.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Nie Huaisang instigating Bi Cao to write a letter to Qin Su, with the intent of turning her against Jin Guangyao.

34. 苦肉计: inflicting injury on oneself to earn the enemy’s trust and sympathy.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Xue Yang masquerading as an injured Xiao Xingchen to gain entry to the house that Wei Wuxian and the juniors were hiding in.

35. 连环计: chain stratagems; i.e. carrying out different plans as part of a linked, continuous scheme.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Nie Huaisang methodically laying the trail of body parts and clues for Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji to follow.

36. 走为上: if all else fails, flee, and regroup to fight another day.

Where this plays out in MDZS: Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji running from the Xuanwu after their escape had been sealed off.

Bonus: there’s a saying 三十六计 走为上计 which means “of all the 36 Stratagems, fleeing is the best”!

References

Translations largely referenced from Military Wikia

Details of each of the Stratagems

Original post on Twitter

The Untamed as text posts (80/?) mad scientists edition