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 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 compound ...

. She likes Zhuangzi'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 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 and Lin Daiyu. 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.

Redologist Redology () is the academic study of Cao Xueqin's ''Dream of the Red Chamber'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of China. There are numerous researchers in this field; most can be divided into four general groups. The first group are t ...

s 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 Acade ...

'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 ...

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 Zhiyanzhai (脂硯齋/脂砚斋; pinyin: Zhī Yànzhāi, ''literally'': "Rouge Inkstone Studio", sometimes translated as Red Inkstone or Rouge Inkstone) was the pseudonym of an early and mysterious commentator of the 18th-century Chinese novel ''D ...

's commentaries and with the foreshadowings in preceding chapters. It is likely Gao E's version is not in line with Cao Xueqin's original intents, although her final fate remains open to speculation.

See also