| Word | Reading | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 进士 | jìn shì | jinshi; successful candidate in the highest imperial civil service examination |
| 一门七进士，父子三探花 | yī mén qī jìn shì ， fù zǐ sān tàn huā | seven jinshi in one family, three tanhua between father and sons |
I feel like I say it every time, but this short story was really extraordinary. The idea and the setting were so great, and the quest for happiness too. I really loved this one!
I finished chapter 6, this one was actually quite funny! There are some details I haven’t understood towards the end, so I’ll have to go over these again, but it’s too late now, so I’ll do it tomorrow before starting chapter 7.
李寻欢皱眉道：“今日你我应该开心才是，说什么不平事，说什么不复醒，人生得意须尽欢，莫使金樽空对月！”
Oh, that’s Li Bai poem, the one Xiangling told Paimon which became her motto or something like that? Can’t remember when it was, last Lantern Rite? Though I think the Xiangling version was a bit different. I can’t remember, but eh, playing Genshin is useful!!
I did Vodyanitsa’s anecdote, it was really cool! Her reaction was quite the twist, I really like her personality! I just unlocked her meeting point as well (very late, but… ). Now I did the first chapter of each meeting point I think. I probably need more exploration progress to unlock the second one, I’ll have to check.
I haven’t done a lot of anecdotes so far, maybe just Charlotte (which was very good as well), and a couple of shorter encounters.
| Word | Reading | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 奉还 | fèng huán | to return with thanks |
| 亲笔 | qīn bǐ | in one's own handwriting |
| 前排 | qián pái | front row |
I finished the second story, it was very sweet! I loved spending time Yu-yu and his grand-mother. The story made me a bit sad and melancholic too.
I usually really don’t care for this kind of mystery and bitter sweet, heartwarming stories, but I really like this book. And Cheng Chung-fan is a very likeable character.
I found this incredible blog on architecture in Korea dating from Japanese Occupation period. I’m putting the link to Gunsan here, because I haven’t finished to read it. Pictures are fantastic, it’s a good companion to go along with the novel as it also features a house from the Occupation period.
GunsanColonial Korea · colonialkorea.com
I finished the first chapter. This book is so so well written, and so intriguing too. It’s much better than I expected, I don’t know I thought it would be basic haunted house horror stuff, but the characters really have a lot of depth, and the mystery seems to have historical roots too, which is really interesting.
Finally started it! At first, I thought it would be a rural horror novel set in 1932, but the story is set in contemporary time.
In any case, the beginning is so so great, it draws you in right away and the character of Hyung-yong is really well written.
Things are starting getting more and more intriguing. There’s already a scene that pissed me off and characters I hate, a sign that the novel is well written! The whole community makes me ill at ease too, I fear this novel is going to be emotionally tasking…
When reading several books at the same time, it’s inevitable to have books I love more than others. There are also books I love equally but that are for different moods.
多情剑客无情剑 is by far my favourite book right now, that’s why I think that having a limit of one chapter per day is actually a good thing.
Somehow I thought this book would be more introspective and contemplative, more based on character development and inner thought, because of Li Xunhuan’s self-destructive melancholy. But how can so many things happen in such a short chapter? Is the book going to keep this pace for the whole 800 pages?
I’m also just at the very beginning, there were no setting chapters at all, you’re just right into the action, and the setting kinds of unfold by itself through suspenseful confrontations and twists.
That’s incredible!
| Word | Reading | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 潘安 | pān ān | a historical archetype of male beauty; an extremely handsome man (from poet Pan Yue 潘岳 from the Western Jin dynasty) |
| 飞镖 | fēi biāo | throwing dart; concealed throwing blade |
| 袖箭 | xiù jiàn | sleeve arrow; hidden sleeve dart |
| 银针 | yín zhēn | silver needle; silver throwing dart / needle weapon |
| 五芒珠 | wǔ máng zhū | five-spiked bead？ (a type of concealed projectile weapon？) |
| 毒蒺藜 | dú jí lí | poisoned caltrop (weapon) |
I still think that 多情剑客无情剑 is slightly, very slightly above 流星蝴蝶剑 but it is still very easy to read, especially compared to 山中邪神. There were so many chengyu in 山中邪神, and it’s not the case in Gu Long’s novel.
The hardest parts are introductions of weapons, persons or sect/school, etc. That’s mainly because I don’t have the basis knowledge of Wuxia lore. A lot of things are established things in wuxia world, some even have historical background like the Yuchang Jian. This means that even though I’m still a newbie in the genre, the more I read the easier it will get which feels very motivating. I feel like a lot of established concepts come from Jin Yong, but because Gu Long is so easy to read, I also think it makes sense to read him first.
Other things that can be hard sometimes are action scenes. I have to look up some words or read the passage twice, but it’s overall okay still.
