Please note that all translations below are just the best I could think of, and not necessarily entirely accurate. Translations are inherently a product of the translator’s interpretation; there’s not really any such thing as a “perfect” translation, and attempting to find one is just an exercise in futility.

I’ve tried to translate everything as far as possible since it’s harder to consult footnotes while watching a show as compared to reading a novel. Exceptions are made for phrases whose translations would be too clunky or misleading, or for place names that exist in reality. They’re sorted alphabetically according to their pinyin.

<aside> 💡 notes

• The genre of the novel this show is based on is 武侠 wuxia (lit. “martial warriors”). It draws very heavily on cultural aspects such as religion, in particular Buddhism and Daoism.
• This show is essentially a remix of traditions and eras across the many different dynasties and time periods, including some very modern references, so there’s really no point in trying to date it.
• Do note that most, if not all, of the explanations in this page will apply only to Han Chinese culture.
• Spoilers will be hidden under a toggle; just click the triangle to reveal it.
• Note: I have yet to finish translating the show, so some entries are incomplete. I’ve also copy-pasted some explanations for different sections to make referencing easier. </aside>

Armoury

I decided to transliterate all weapon names for the sake of standardisation, unless they’re the same as their wielder’s titles. This also means that I’ve elected to assume certain phrases aren’t names but rather descriptions of weapons, though both explanations may very well be true at the same time.

Main

• 刀 dao / sabre: specifically, a single-edged sword, usually used for slashing and chopping
  • Among the 四大名器 / four renowned instruments of war, it’s known as the 百兵之帅 / commander-in-chief of a hundred weapons.
  • Sabres are usually moderately curved with a single cutting edge, though a few inches of the back edge is often sharpened as well.
• 尔雅剑 Erya-jian / the Erya sword → 尔雅 / elegant, refined, cultured
• 剑 jian / sword: specifically, a double-edged straight sword
  • Among the 四大名器 / four renowned instruments of war, it’s known as the 百兵之君 / gentleman of a hundred weapons.
  • In pre-Han times, the sword was associated with qualities such as an unyielding sense of justice; later, it became an ornamental item symbolising high social status. By the Eastern Han Dynasty, the sword took on religious importance as a Daoist symbol, believed to hold heaven-gifted powers that allowed its wielder to ward off and triumph over evil spirits.
• 少师剑 Shaoshi-jian / the Shaoshi sword
  • 少师 / Lesser Preceptor refers to a position established in the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period; the official in this position would aid their ruler in governing the country. After the Northern Zhou, the Lesser Preceptor formed the 三孤 / Three Aristocrats with the 少保 / Lesser Protector and the 少傅 / Lesser Tutor, second only to the 三公 / Three Dukes, comprised of the 太师 / Grand Preceptor, the 太保 / Grand Protector, and the 太傅 / Grand Tutor.
• 刎颈剑 Wenjing-jian / the Wenjing sword
  • 刎颈 / to slit one’s own throat
  • 刎颈之交 refers to friends willing to share in life and death together, and endure trials and tribulations at each other’s side. It originates from the 《史记·卷八十一·廉颇蔺相如列传》 / Records of the Grand Historian, Volume Eighty-One: Biography of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru: 卒相与欢，为刎颈之交 / the soldier and his horse are friends who share in life and death together.

Others

These will be organised by order of initial appearance.

• Episodes 01–05
• Episode 06–10
• Episode 11–15
• Episode 16–20
• Episode 21–25
• Episode 26–30
• Episode 31–35
• Episode 36–40

Conventions of the wuxia genre

• 江湖 jianghu: lit. “rivers and lakes”; generally taken to mean 天下 / all under the heavens
  • In modern fiction such as wuxia, it often indicates the society of outsiders that exists outside of royal courts and the governing stratum. The jianghu, by its very nature, resists a fixed definition and acts more as an ever-evolving concept, but this is the general understanding of the jianghu as it exists in wuxia narratives.
    • The jianghu follows its own moral codes, which are viewed by its inhabitants as superior to the corrupt laws imposed by the government—such codes of honour also mean that any attempt to impose a set of laws and regulations (or a governing body) upon the jianghu is usually disdained.
      • A major component of these codes is 侠义 / gallantry, chivalry, and righteousness, which connotes a sense of social responsibility, the ability to discern right and wrong, and the willingness to aid the weak and pursue justice.
    • Other defining traits of the jianghu and its inhabitants include the spirit of 浪迹天涯，逍遥适性 / leaving the marks of one’s wandering at the edges of the sky, with an unhampered and adaptive heart, as well as the idea that 人在江湖，身不由己 / to be a dweller of the jianghu is not have the agency to act independently.
    • Since teachings in the jianghu used to be limited to direct master-disciple lineages, upon meeting someone else in the jianghu, one would usually ask after their lineage as an approximation of their skill. As such, people would often be recognised by their martial techniques and weapons.
  • The first recorded use of this term is in the 《庄子》 Zhuangzi, a classic Daoist text comprising anecdotes which detail the 逍遥 / free and unrestrained nature of the ideal Daoist sage: 泉涸，鱼相与处于陆，相呴以湿，相濡以沫，不如相忘于江湖。 / When the springs dry up and the fish are left stranded on the ground, they spew each other with moisture and wet each other down with spit—but it would be much better if they could forget each other in the rivers and lakes. (tr. Burton Watson)
  • The wuxia-specific form is the 武林 wulin / valourwood, which refers exclusively to a society of martial artists and is closely associated with the jianghu. It literally translates to martial wood, implying that martial artists are so numerous they could make up an entire forest.
    • 武林大会 wulin dahui / assembly of the valourwood: a gathering of the orthodox sects, usually ending in horrifying revelations, tears, and/or death
    • I’ve rendered it as valourwood to mirror the archaic term greenwood, which refers to the scene of medieval outlaw life.
• 门派 menpai / sect: based on shared philosophy and skill. The sect leader would usually either choose the most talented disciple or the one who exemplifies the sect philosophy best to inherit.
  • 宗派 zongpai / order: similar to a sect, but usually with a greater emphasis on religion

Cultivation

• 丹田 dantian: a focal point in Daoism and critical to one’s cultivation in wuxia. It’s located roughly at one’s centre of gravity, so in the lower torso.
• 功夫 gongfu / martial arts/ability: also known as 武功 wugong
  • 外家功夫 waijia gongfu / external martial technique: refers to techniques focused on physiological aspects
  • 内家功夫 neijia gongfu / internal martial technique: refers to techniques related to internal skills and qi
    • 内功心法 neigong xinfa / internal cultivation method
• 内力 neili / internal power: the power cultivated by a martial artist
• 轻工 qinggong / fleetwork: a martial arts technique that makes one inhumanly fast, agile, and light. With sufficient proficiency, one can use fleetwork to glide through the air. Though it is an existing technique in reality, the form it takes in wuxia is exaggerated.
• 气 qi: one’s internal energy/vital force and the basis of martial arts, used to increase physical attributes and exert influence on one’s surroundings, such as weaponising random objects like liquids. It is built up through rigorous training over a long period of time and circulated throughout one’s body through channels known as 经脉 jingmai / meridians. Should one’s meridians be destroyed, they will be unable to use their qi and thus lose their martial ability. It’s usually depicted as something warm.
  • 罡气 / unyielding qi: lit. “strong/firm qi”
  • 真气 / core qi: lit. “true qi;” from what I understand, it’s the most essential substance that maintains one’s vitality
• 走火入魔 zou huo ru mo / to walk into fire and beget the malignant
  • In Anglophone wuxia fandoms (and those of related media), this trope is commonly known as qi deviation.
  • It can take the form of:
    1. The repercussions of practising certain (usually unorthodox) techniques, often resulting in disablement or death. Alternatively, the backlash of negative emotions on one’s power. This is a common trope in wuxia and related genres.
    2. A deviation from the orthodox/righteous path to a heretical one. This definition has Buddhist connotations.
    3. An obsession/addiction (i.e. “fallen to the dark side”). This is a modern definition of the term.

Epithets & Titles

and one name.

Main

• 多愁公子 Duochou-gongzi / the Much-Woed Young Master

  • 多愁 duochou comes from the same idiom as Fang Duobing’s 多病 duobing: 多愁多病, used to describe the fragility of someone’s emotions and health and to imply said person’s inclination towards melancholy and dejection. My first preference would have been care for its double meaning (the Young Master of Many Cares), but then the name of the sword technique he invents would have been much too unwieldy. Either way, I’m very amused by the wordplay here (much-woed VS much-wooed).

• 狐狸精 Huli Jing / Vixen: lit. “fox spirit”

  • In Chinese mythology, fox spirits are creatures capable of shapeshifting, and may be either good or bad omens, as well as either benevolent or malevolent. Fox spirits usually appear as beautiful young women in mythology, and have taken on a bit of a “homewrecker” association in modern slang. I wanted to evoke the seductive aspect, as well as make it seem more like a name.

• 剑神 jian-shen / sword deity → 神 / god, immortal

• 昭翎公主 Zhaoling-gongzhu / Princess Zhaoling

  • → 昭 / radiance, light + 翎 / plume, feather

<aside> 🦆 The Firebird Alliance

</aside>

Others

These will be organised by order of initial appearance.

• Episodes 01–05
• Episode 06–10
• Episode 11–15
• Episode 16–20
• Episode 21–25
• Episode 26–30
• Episode 31–35
• Episode 36–40

Establishments

Main establishments

• 百川院 Baichuan Yuan / the Hundred Rivers Institute