Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils

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Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (Traditional Chinese: 天龍八部; Simplified Chinese: 天龙八部; pinyin: Tiān Lóng Bā Bù) is a long wuxia novel written by Jinyong.

It was originally published in 1963, and has since spawned several movies and television serials in both Mainland China and Hong Kong. The title of the novel has been a challenge for translators for years. It is based on the eight races of no-human entities described in Buddhist cosmology. In Buddhism, even though these demi-gods are ranked higher than humanity, they are still bound to the samsara by their own passions and desires. It is said that Jinyong originally modelled each major character after one of the Races. (eg. Qiao Feng obviously represents the Deva, due to his fall from grace, much like Indra in the Indian legends) But as he wrote on, the complexity of the story made it impossible for such a simplistic mapping. Today, the topic of which character corresponds to which Race is still an interesting matter of discussion among fans and readers.

Contents

[edit] Chapters

Jinyong revised the novel three times with the most recent revision being the 2005 edition. There are 50 chapters. Most of the revisions are either clarifications or minor alterations of character motivations.

  1. 青衫磊落險峰行 — An openhearted young man wearing a green shirt is wandering through dangerous mountains
  2. 玉壁月華明 — The Jade Cliff under moonlight
  3. 馬疾香幽 — Fast Horse and Faint Fragrance
  4. 崖高人遠 — High Cliff and Faraway Person
  5. 微步轂紋生 — Subtle Steps and Hanging Threads
  6. 誰家子弟誰家院
  7. 無計悔多情
  8. 虎嘯龍吟 — Tiger's roar and dragon's sound
  9. 換巢鸞鳳
  10. 劍氣碧煙橫
  11. 向來癡
  12. 從此醉
  13. 水榭聽香 指點群豪戲
  14. 劇飲千杯男兒事
  15. 杏子林中 商略平生義
  16. 昔時因
  17. 今日意
  18. 胡漢恩仇 須傾英雄淚
  19. 雖萬千人吾往矣
  20. 悄立雁門, 絕壁無餘字
  21. 千里茫茫若夢
  22. 雙眸粲粲如星
  23. 塞上牛羊空許約
  24. 燭畔鬢雲有舊盟
  25. 莽蒼踏雪行
  26. 赤手屠熊搏虎
  27. 金戈蕩寇鏖兵
  28. 草木殘生顱鑄鐵
  29. 蟲豸凝寒掌作冰
  30. 揮灑縛豪英
  31. 輸贏成敗 又爭由人算
  32. 且自逍遙沒誰管
  33. 奈天昏地暗 鬥轉星移
  34. 風驟緊 縹緲峰頭雲亂
  35. 紅顏彈指老 刹那芳華
  36. 夢裏真 真語真幻
  37. 同一笑 到頭萬事俱空
  38. 糊塗醉 情長計短
  39. 解不了 名韁系嗔貪
  40. 卻試問 幾時把癡心
  41. 燕雲十八飛騎 奔騰如虎風煙舉
  42. 老魔小丑 豈堪一擊 勝之不武
  43. 王霸雄圖 血海深恨 盡歸塵土
  44. 念枉求美眷 良緣安在
  45. 枯井底 污泥處
  46. 酒罷問君三語
  47. 為誰開 茶花滿路
  48. 王孫落魄 怎生消得 楊枝玉露
  49. 敝屣榮華 浮雲生死 此身何懼
  50. 教單于折箭 六軍辟易 奮英雄怒

[edit] Background

The main thematic element of the novel concerns the complex, often troubled relationships between the great multitude of characters from various kingdoms and sects, and the inherent bond that underlies the struggles of each. Ultimately, the novel examines the cause and effect that forms and breaks these bonds on five uniquely corresponding levels: self, family, society, ethnic group, and country (dominion). The timeframe in which the novel takes place is historically based upon the era of the Northern Song Dynasty, and includes the warring empires of Song, Liao, Dali, Western Xia and Tubo.

[edit] Plot

The novel is made up of several separate yet intertwining story lines, revolving around the protagonists Qiao Feng, Duan Yu and Xu Zhu.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Duan Yu's adventure

Duan Yu (段譽) started as the young, naive prince of Dali. Despite the long tradition of practicing martial arts in his family, he refused to learn it due to his influence by Buddhism and his disdain for fighting and killing. When his father, a Prince of Dali, tried to force him, he ran away. Ironically, by chance, he acquired three powerful martial arts skills and becomes immune to poison after unintentionally eating Zhu Ha (a poisonous toad).

Early on in the novel, Duan Yu met a young girl Zhong Ling, who grew in affection for him. In order to save her from a captor, he met Mu Wanqing. Although she mistreated him at the beginning due to the general mistrust of men imposed by her teacher/mother, Mu Wanqing fell in love with him and under the threat of Nan Hai Er Shen (南海鱷神) who tried to violate her, the two were engaged. Although Duan Yu was attracted by her beauty, he did not love her or treat their relationship seriously. It's later revealed that both Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing, as a result of Duan Yu's fathers's (Duan Zhengchun, 段正淳) previous love affairs, are his half sisters. The news devastated Mu Wanqing. Zhong Ling learned about it much later and the news did not affect her as much due to her personality and young age.

Duan Yu later went to the Central Realm and met Wang Yuyan (王語嫣). He immediately fell madly in love with her, and sought every opportunity to be close to her. Unfortunately for him, Wang Yuyan was equally obsessed with her cousin Murong Fu (慕容復). It's not until Murong Fu abandoned her in his pursuit of power, did they finally get together.

Later, when Duan Yu's parents and all of Duan Zhengchun's concubines were captured and about to be killed by Murong Fu, he learned that Wang Yuyan is also a daughter of Duan Zhengchun, which means he is also her half-brother, devastating news for Duan Yu. However, with her dying breath, his mother (Dao Baifeng, 刀白鳳) told him that he is in fact not the son of Duan Zhengchun, but an offspring of Duan Yanqing (段延慶), due to an one-night stand.

In the end, Duan Yu became the emperor of Dali and made Wang Yuyan his empress.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Protagonists

  • Qiao Feng (喬峰) - later assumes his real ancestral name Xiao Feng (蕭峰). Known as "Northern Qiao Feng" (after his usual base), Qiao Feng was one half of the two legendary 'Wulin' names in this novel (the other being the Murong family) and an undefeatable martial artist.
  • Duan Yu (段譽) - Prince of Dali. He becomes sworn brothers with Qiao Feng and Xu Zhu.
  • Xu Zhu (虛竹) - A Shaolin monk, known for his kind-hearted and submissive nature, yet acquired tremendous skills.
  • Wang Yuyan (王語嫣) - A beautiful and compassionate maiden. Initially, she loved her cousin, the elusive Murong Fu, who had no desires outside of re-establishing his Yan kingdom; eventually became Duan Yu's wife (this was changed in the 3rd edition, where she remained with her cousin).
  • A Zhu (阿朱) - The love interest of Qiao Feng, who accidentally killed her in a tragic mix-up.
  • A Zi (阿紫) - A Zhu's younger sister. Very childish and self-centered, she caused much hassle for Qiao Feng, who swore an oath to take care of her after her sister's passing.

[edit] Antagonists

  • Murong Fu (慕容復) - Known as "Southern Murong", his skill turned out be the poorest out of all the main characters (as he is constantly relieved of his sword in numerous engagements); born of a royal lineage and successor to the throne of decimated Later Yan (his name suggests that he is from the Murong clan of the Xianbei that were part of the Sixteen Kingdoms period. A power-hungry and self-absorbed individual, he would stop at nothing to restore his kingdom. After a lengthy bout with Duan Yu and a failed alliance with Duan Yanqing (resulting in several needless deaths), he went insane and became somewhat of a recluse. His father, Murong Bo 慕容博, whose martial arts prowess was far superior to his own, was also a cunning villain who plotted the attack on Qiao Feng's parents.
  • You Tanzhi (游坦之) / "The Iron Clown" (Tie Chou - 鐵丑) - The teenage son of a martial arts family who were killed by Qiao Feng, his attempted revenge against Qiao backfired when he was taken prisoner by A Zi's guards. He was mesmerised by A Zi's beauty and became submissive to her sadistic desires (including having a cast-iron mask placed over his face for her amusement, thus the nickname "The Iron Clown"). He showed devotion towards A Zi when she was blinded by Ding Chunqiu by offering his own eyes, however this affection was never reciprocated. Other than that, You Tanzhi is vicious and callous, demonstrated by his unprovoked challenge at the whim of A Zi against Shaolin monk Xuan Ci, or indiscriminiately killing those who threatened to reveal his true identity when he was escorting the blinded A Zi. He originally had no training in the martial arts (even though he was from a rather well known martial arts family) but a series of freak events lead to him acquiring one of the most fearsome internal energies of the realm.
  • Jiu Mozhi (鳩摩智)- An evil Tibetan monk who is revealed in the latter half of the story as a close friend of Murong Bo. He is obsessed with learning the various special techniques of many styles of martial arts. Murong Bo's long and secretive stay at the Shaolin Temple allowed him to steal many important martial arts manuals, which he gave to Jiu Mozhi after he was done with them. Jiu Mozhi's first appearance is when he kidnaps Duan Yu after a failed attempt to learn a special technique of the Duan family. Near the end of the story he is plagued with internal energy imbalances as he only studied the violent aspects of the Shaolin arts instead of balancing them with the peaceful aspects. However, while fighting with Duan Yu, Duan Yu's strange style of Qigong manages to cure the imbalance. In gratitude, Jiu Mozhi apologizes for his past actions and leaves Duan Yu alone.
  • Ding Chunqiu (丁春秋) - An evil traitor of the Xiaoyao Sect. He specializes in using poison in all sorts of ways. While fighting with Murong Fu he accidentally blinded his student A Zi.
  • Murong Bo (慕容博) - Murong Fu's father and a supreme martial artist, he faked his own death for many years in order to escape being blamed for the plot of sowing discord between the Song and Liao Empires. This allowed him to commit many mysterious murders as well as secretly borrow martial arts manuals from the Shaolin Temple. His existence is known by only the Duan Family (as Zhu Si Ge, one of the major guards of Dali finds his coffin empty), Xiao Yuanshan, and the sweeper monk.

[edit] Duan Zhengchun, his daughters, and his acquaintances

Duan Zhengchun's many affairs and illegitimate children are a recurring joke, since all of Duan Yu's girlfriends turn out to (initially) be his sisters (whom he naturally cannot marry). The plot twist comes near the end of the story when it is revealed that Duan Yu is not his son.

  • Duan Zhengchun (段正淳) - (foster) father of Duan Yu, and the brother of the emperor of Dali. He had affairs with several women, and because they were all killed by Murong Fu near the end of the story, he committed suicide. Most of them bore him daughters.
  • Dao Baifeng (刀白鳳) - she is the mother of Duan Yu, the only male. As it turned out, angry and jealous of Duan Zhengchun's many affairs, Dao Baifeng committed adultery with Duan Yanqing, who was the true father of Duan Yu. Dao Baifeng is Duan Zhengchun's one and only official wife.
  • Wang Fu Ren (王夫人 - Madam Wang) - she bore Wang Yuyan (王語嫣) Her death is rather ironic because she happened to be Murong Fu's aunt. She was also the biological daughter of Wu Ya Zi and Li Quishui.
  • Gan Bao Bao (甘寶寶) - she bore Zhong Ling (鍾靈).
  • Qin Hongmian (秦紅棉) - she bore Mu Wanqing (木婉清).
  • Ruan Xingzhu (阮星竹) - she is the mother of A Zhu (阿朱) and A Zi (阿紫).
  • Ma Fu Ren (馬夫人 - Madam Ma) / Kang Min (康敏) - she has no children and is the only one of Duan Zhengchun's love interests who is truly evil; having plotted the death of her weak but good-natured husband Ma Dayuan (馬大元), formerly the assistant chief of the Beggar Sect and second in command to Qiao Feng.
  • Wang Yuyan - She is 16 years old. She is a "martial arts encyclopedia" as she memorizes about everything in the Murong family's martial arts library.
  • Zhong Ling - Probably the sweetest and most innocent of Duan Zhengchun's daughters. She is 16 years old, but is slightly younger than Wang Yuyan.
  • Mu Wanqing - The oldest of Duan Zhengchun's daughters. Of all her sisters, the fact that Duan Yu was her brother hit her the hardest.
  • A Zhu - Along with Zhong Ling, she is the most mild tempered of Duan Zhengchun's daughters. Although she possesed meagre martial arts, her ability in disguise was unparalled in the world. She is 17 years old.
  • A Zi - The most childish, spoiled, and evil of Duan Zhengchun's daughters. She is 15 years old.

[edit] The Four Evil Ones

"The Four Evil Ones" (Si Da E Ren - 四大惡人) is a band of four individuals known for their cruelty and malevolence. Their nicknames are Chinese idioms describing evil. Interestingly, the position of the character "惡" in their nickname idioms indicates the character's ranking in the group (for example, 葉二娘 is ranked 2nd as indicated in her nickname "無惡不作").

  • Duan Yanqing (段延慶) / "Overflowing Evil" (E Guan Man Ying - 惡貫滿盈) - Extremely powerful despite his form as a crippled old man. Once the Crown Prince of Dali, he was outcast and left for dead, after which he was "brought back to life" by a woman who was shrouded in light. The women turned out to be Dao Baifeng, who gave birth to his son Duan Yu.
  • Ye Er Niang (葉二娘) / "Commits all kinds of Evil" (Wu E Bu Zuo - 無惡不作) - Deprived of her only son, she crazily seized and killed the sons of others. It turned out Xu Zhu was her son. Later, she meets Xuan Ci, the head abbott of Shaolin whom Xiao Yuan Shan, the vengeful father of Xiao Feng, revealed as the father of Xu Zhu. Xuan Ci was then punished for breaking the monk's protocol and was beaten, and later committed suicide due to the shame. A heartbroken Ye Er Niang then killed herself.
  • Yue Lao San (岳老三) / "Evil Countenance" (Xiong Shen E Sha - 凶神惡煞) - Comical (but evil) individual who complained constantly about his status with regards to others (Yue Lao San always thinks he is more powerful than Ye Er Niang and calls himself Yue Lao Er 岳老二). He wields an enormous pair of scissors. He was outsmarted by Duan Yu and becomes his "apprentice". This proves useful as every time Duan Yu needs his help he simply tells him that for an apprentice to not help his master would be extremely dishonorable, Yue Lao San views his own honor very highly and therefore always helps Duan Yu. He was also known as Crocodile Spawn of the Southern Seas (南海鱷神). Despite his ignoble namesake, he proved to be a loyal disciple by sacrificing his own life to save Duan Yu. Killed by Duan Yanqing.
  • Yun Zhong He (雲中鶴) / "Desperate Evil" (Qiong Xiong Ji E - 窮凶極惡) - A lecherous fiend who was notorious for preying on beautiful young women. He is viciously slaughtered by Duan Yu using the Liu Mai Shen Jian near the epilogue of the story, for lusting after Wang Yu Yan.

[edit] Beggars' Sect

  • Elder Wu (Wu Changfeng 吳長風) - One of the four elders who plotted against Qiao Feng after discovering that he was Qidan. One of the strongest elders in terms of martial arts ability.
  • Elder Song - One of the four elders who plotted against Qiao Feng. He was killed by You Tanzhi.
  • Elder Xi - One of the four elders who plotted against Qiao Feng. Killed by Qiao Feng.
  • Elder Chen (Chen Guyan) - One of the four elders who plotted against Qiao Feng.
  • Elder Xu - Killed by Qiao Feng's father???
  • Elder Bai (Bai Shijing 白世鏡) - Takes care of the rules in the Beggars Sect.
  • Quan Guanqing (全冠清) - An evil individual who was behind the plot to expose Qiao Feng's true ethnicity.
  • Ma Dayuan (馬大元) - The vice sect-leader whose death was wrongly blamed on Qiao Feng.

[edit] Xiaoyao Sect (逍遥派)

Xiaoyao Sect (lit. "The Freely-Roaming Sect") is described as a mysterious group, closely guarding their secrets to the point of eliminating anyone who stumbles across the group. The origins of the group are not known, nor does it feature prominently in Jinyong's other works (a fleeting reference in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer regarding some of its martial art skills). Nevertheless, characters belonging to this Sect played significant roles in the development of this novel.

  • Wu Ya Zi (無崖子) - Head of the Xiaoyao Sect, who transferred all his inner energy (qi) to Xu Zhu before he died, enabling Xu Zhu to achieve elite status.
  • Tian Shan Tong Lao (天山童姥) - Disciple sister of Wu Ya Zi and long-time nemesis of Li Qiushui, her own disciple sister. She is described as a ruthless elderly ruler of the Ling Jiu Palace (靈鹫宫), and treats her subordinates harshly. She was saved by Xu Zhu when she was pursued by Li Qiushui, and handed Xu Zhu the powers to Ling Jiu Palace prior to her death.
  • Li Qiushui (李秋水) - Training partner of Wu Ya Zi and younger disciple sister to Tian Shan Tong Lao. Mother of Wang Fu Ren who gives birth to Wang Yuyan. Described as a ruthless, scheming character, yet maintaining an affable appearance. Her rivalry with Tian Shan Tong Lao began as they both vied for Wu Ya Zi's affection. Duan Yu accidentally stumbled upon the cave where she and Wu Ya Zi once practised their sword skills, and there he acquired the skill of Ling Bo Wei Bu ("Wave-like Subtle Steps", 淩波微步).

[edit] Miscellaneous Characters

  • Xiao Yuanshan (蕭遠山)- Qiao Feng's father who has actually been alive the whole time. It so happens that when he tried to commit suicide at Yan Men Guan he managed to land in a tree instead of dying. Him and Murong Bo are responsible for many of the mysterious deaths that occur throughout the story. Saves Xiao Feng's life in the duel of Ju Xian Manor. His kung fu is exceptionally good and rivals Murong Bo.
  • Sweeper Monk - An unknown persona within the Shaolin temple that was outside the temple hierarchy but had unbelievably powerful martial arts skills. He was able to "kill" Xiao Yuanshan and Murong Bo with one hit, but was wounded by Xiao Feng's blow. Near the end of the series, both Xiao Yuanshan and Murong Bo forget their hatred and become the sweeper monk's disciples.
  • Zhuo Bufan (卓不凡) - A swordsman with the presumptous title of 'Sword God Zhuo Bufan' (剑神卓不凡) who seeks revenge against Tian Shan Tong Lao. Despite his impressive title, he suffered an embarassing defeat when he tried to attack Xu Zhu at Ling Jiu Palace. Not much is known about his background except that his clan was massacred to the last man by Tian Shan Tong Lao thirty years before the events in the book and he had spent the last three decades perfecting his sword skills in isolation.

[edit] List of various sects, famous families, and groups

  1. Shaolin Temple
  2. Tianlong (Heavenly Dragon) Temple
  3. Beggars Sect
  4. Xiaoyao Sect
  5. Xingxiu Sect
  6. Murong Family
  7. Duan Family

[edit] Adaptations

[edit] Television series

Year Production Title of Adaptation (if different) Notes
1982 TVB (Hong Kong) The main cast includes Leung Ka Yan, Felix Wong, Kent Tong, Patrick Tse Yin, Wong Han Sau, Shek Sau, Idy Chan, Sharon Yang Pan Pan
1996 TVB (Hong Kong) Cast includes Felix Wong as Qiao Feng, Benny Chan as Duan Yu, Carman Lee as Wang Yu Yin
2003 CCTV (Mainland China) Heaven Dragon - the Eighth Episode Producer Zhang Jizhong had previously adapted The Legend of the Condor Heroes for CCTV to great acclaim. The main cast includes Hu Jun, Jimmy Lin, Gao Hu, Liu Yifei, Liu Tao, Chen Hao and Christy Chung.

[edit] External links


Jinyong's wuxia novels
v • d • e
The Book and the Sword (1955) 書劍恩仇錄
Sword Stained with Royal Blood (1956) 碧血劍
The Legend of the Condor Heroes (1957) 射鵰英雄傳
Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain (1959) 雪山飛狐
The Return of the Condor Heroes (1959) 神鵰俠侶
Other Tales of the Flying Fox (1960) 飛狐外傳
Swordswoman Riding West on White Horse (1961) 白馬嘯西風
Blade-dance of the Two Lovers (1961) 鴛鴦刀
The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre (1961) 倚天屠龍記
A Deadly Secret (1963) 連城訣
Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (1963) 天龍八部
Ode to Gallantry (1963) 俠客行
The Smiling, Proud Wanderer (1967) 笑傲江湖
The Deer and the Cauldron (1969) 鹿鼎記
Sword of the Yue Maiden (1970) 越女劍
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