Jia Xichun

Jia Xichun ( zh, t=賈惜春, p=Jiǎ Xīchūn, rendered Compassion Spring in

Chi-chen Wang Chi-chen Wang (; 1899–2001) was a Chinese-born American literary scholar and translator. He taught as a professor at Columbia University from 1929 until his retirement in 1965. Life and career Wang was born in Huantai County, Shandong province ...

's translation) is a primary character in the 18th century

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

Dream of the Red Chamber ''Dream of the Red Chamber'' (''Honglou Meng'') or ''The Story of the Stone'' (''Shitou Ji'') is a novel composed by Cao Xueqin in the middle of the 18th century. One of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, it is known for ...

''. Her father is Jia Jing, a son of Jia Daihua. She is the sister of Jia Zhen, ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

'' head of the Ningguo House, and Baoyu's third cousin. When she was little, her mother died, and

Lady Wang Lady Wang (王夫人) is a character in the classic Chinese 18th century novel ''Dream of the Red Chamber''. She is the wife of Jia Zheng, and mother of Jia Zhu (dead at the start of the novel), Jia Yuanchun and Jia Baoyu. She is the elder sist ...

brought her to live in the Rongguo Mansion. A devout

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

, she is religious since a small child and also a gifted painter. When

Granny Liu Granny Liu ( zh, t=劉姥姥, p=Liú Lǎolāo) is a character in the 18th century Chinese novel ''Dream of the Red Chamber''. She is an elderly country rustic and a distant relative of Lady Wang through "joining families" and marriage (i.e. they are ...

visits the

Prospect Garden The Daguanyuan (), variously translated as the Grand View Garden, Prospect Garden or Grand Prospect Garden, is a massive landscaped interior garden in the classic 18th century Chinese novel ''Dream of the Red Chamber'', built within the compound ...

, the Dowager commissions her to make a painting of the Garden for the guest. In Gao E's continuation, after the fall of the house of Jia, Xichun becomes a Buddhist nun in place of

Miaoyu Miaoyu (, rendered Adamantina in the David Hawkes translation) is an important character in the 18th century novel ''Dream of the Red Chamber'', one of the classics of Chinese fiction. She is a young, beautiful but aloof Buddhist nun, compelled by ...

. Xichun is the second youngest of Jinling Twelve Beauties. Xichun's name translates to "cherish spring". She is the youngest of the quartet of "Springs", depicted as a young

teenager Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...

or pre-teen for most of the book. Dream of the Red Chamber characters Fictional characters from Jiangsu Fictional Buddhist nuns Fictional nobility {{novel-char-stub