Miaoyu (, rendered Adamantina in the David Hawkes translation) is an important character in the 18th century novel ''

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 fo ...

'', one of the classics of Chinese fiction. She is a young, beautiful but aloof

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 ...

nun, compelled by circumstances to become a nun, and shelters herself under the nunnery in

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 compoun ...

. She likes

Zhuangzi Zhuangzi may refer to: * ''Zhuangzi'' (book) (莊子), an ancient Chinese collection of anecdotes and fables, one of the foundational texts of Daoism **Zhuang Zhou Zhuang Zhou (), commonly known as Zhuangzi (; ; literally "Master Zhuang"; als ...

's article. 金陵十二钗正册 13

Miaoyu is unusual. She esteems herself highly and, as a result, is proud and aloof but remains open to people she takes a liking to. Being extremely fastidious about cleanliness, she looks down on common people like

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 ar ...

and refuses to share the same tea cup the rustic granny uses. She is also a very talented poet and highly learned, maybe even more so than

Shi Xiangyun Shi Xiangyun () is a major fictional character in the classic 18th century Chinese novel ''Dream of the Red Chamber'', one of the characters known as the Twelve Beauties. She is Jia Baoyu's younger second cousin by the Dowager, Grandmother Jia. X ...

and

Lin Daiyu Lin Daiyu (also spelled Lin Tai-yu, zh, s=林黛玉, p=Lín Dàiyù, rendered Black Jade in Chi-chen Wang's translation) is one of the principal characters of Cao Xueqin's classic 18th-century Chinese novel ''Dream of the Red Chamber''. She is ...

. She has a bond with Xing Xiuyan (邢岫烟), whom she taught to read and write, and with Baoyu, once sending Baoyu a greeting during his birthday. Perhaps she appreciates Baoyu's following his own heart, such as loving Lin Daiyu openly and publicly. Redologists think she will play a part in the original work's ending. In

Gao E Gao E (, c. 1738c. 1815) was a Qing dynasty Chinese scholar, writer, and editor. He attained the degree of '' juren'' in 1788 and ''jinshi'' in 1795. A Han Chinese who belonged to the Bordered Yellow Banner, he became a Fellow of the Hanlin Ac ...

's ending, Miaoyu is abducted by robbers, and

Jia Xichun Jia Xichun ( zh, t=賈惜春, p=Jiǎ Xīchūn, rendered Compassion Spring in Chi-chen Wang's translation) is a primary character in the 18th century Chinese novel '' Dream of the Red Chamber''. Her father is Jia Jing, a son of Jia Daihua. She is t ...

becomes her friend. This abduction leads to Jia Xichun's decision to become a nun in her place. But many Redologists point out that this ending is in conflict with Zhiyanzhai's commentaries and with the foreshadowings in preceding chapters. It is likely Gao E's version is not in line with

Cao Xueqin Cáo Xuěqín ( ; ); (4 April 1710 — 10 June 1765)Briggs, Asa (ed.) (1989) ''The Longman Encyclopedia'', Longman, was a Chinese writer during the Qing dynasty. He is best known as the author of ''Dream of the Red Chamber'', one of the Four G ...

's original intents, although her final fate remains open to speculation.

See also