Unlike other romance novels, "Water Margin" has a particularly interesting detail. The 108 heroes of Liangshan all have their own nicknames. I don't know if these nicknames were given to them by others, or when they walked the rivers and lakes, they were given them nicknames. Brother Song's "timely rain" is estimated to have been given to him by others, and Brother Song scattered coins everywhere, and when he saw the iron bull, he rattled and threw silver. Don't talk about the Iron Bull, if it were you, you would have to be dumped by Brother Song's silver!
The nicknames of the heroes of Liangshan can be roughly divided into the following categories. (Author: Shi Shu Ling Xuan Ge)
The first is weapons, such as Zhang Qing without feather arrows, Guan Sheng with a big knife, Dong Ping with two guns, Hu Yanzhuo with two whips, and Xu Ning with a golden gunner;
the second is the ancient heroes, such as Xiaobawang Zhou Tong, Sick Guan Suo Yang Xiong, Xiao Li Guanghuarong, Sai Rengui Guo Sheng, Xiao Wenhou Lu Fang;
the third is the beasts and animals, such as Shi Jin, the nine-patterned dragon, Lu Junyi, the jade unicorn, Li Ying, the golden leopard, Yang Lin, and the fire-eyed Deng Fei;
The fourth is physiognomy, such as the red-haired ghost Liu Tang, the white-faced Langjun Zheng Tianshou, the blue-faced beast Yang Zhi, and the beautiful bearded man Zhu Tong.
But among the heroes of Liangshan, there are 7 of the most incomprehensible nicknames, and ordinary people don't know what they mean at all.
1. Iron is called Zile He
Although most of the 108 heroes in Liangshan are outstanding in martial arts, after all, Liangshan's main activity is to rob houses and houses, rather than farming in the fields, but in terms of literature and art, there are very few real talents in Liangshan, only three.
The first is Yan Qing, whose talent is unmatched. Whether it is a splendid article or a delicate embroidery process, he can easily do it. What's even more rare is that he is also proficient in various musical instruments, various dialects, good at singing and dancing, whether it is dismantling anagrams or continuing hemp words, he is also proficient and omnipotent. (Author: Shi Shu Ling Xuan Ge)
Secondly, what you may not expect is Dong Ping, one of the five tiger generals. Dong Ping is not only ingenious, but also erudite and talented, and has an in-depth understanding of the three religions and nine streams. He is good at playing bamboo tunes, no matter what kind of instrument he is, he can easily use it.
The third place is Lehe. Rakuwa is also a good learner of various musical instruments. Whether it's blowing, playing the strings, or plucking it, I can easily pick it up, and I sing with a lot of charm. (Author: Shi Shu Ling Xuan Ge)
Nale and this nickname of "Iron Horn" are actually a name full of fun and history. First, let's understand the origin of the word "caller". In ancient times, the word "whistle" usually referred to a whistle, which was often used to summon or direct animals, such as shepherds who would use whistles to guide their flocks. Therefore, the word "caller" itself carries a primitive and natural atmosphere.
The nickname "Iron Caller" is based on the word "Iron". The word "iron" here refers to the material of this whistle - iron on the one hand, and on the other hand, it also carries a symbolic meaning of tenacity and perseverance.
2, the living flash Po Wang Dingliu
Wang Dingliu plays the role of inquiring about news in Liangshan, which seems to be dispensable, but it is actually crucial to the overall operation of Liangshanbo. He was nicknamed "Living Lady" because of his quick movements, a nickname rich in meaning, both reflecting his personal characteristics and closely related to his work position. (Author: Shi Shu Ling Xuan Ge)
First of all, from the literal meaning of "living flash woman", it can be interpreted as electric mother or pig dragon woman. The electric mother symbolizes lightning-fast speed and agility, which is in line with Wang Dingliu's personal characteristics. The pig dragon woman is another name for the field crocodile along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, this animal swims quickly in the water, echoing Wang Dingliu's preference for swimming and agile movements.
Secondly, from a deeper perspective, the "Living Flash" can also be understood as a psychic or a witch with mystical abilities. As an inquirer, you need to be able to be tactful and sophisticated in order to obtain accurate information in complex situations. (Author: Shi Shu Ling Xuan Ge)
The nickname "Living Flash Woman" is a reflection of this ability, implying that Wang Dingliu is able to capture key information as quickly and keenly as lightning when processing information. Some people also say that the word "live flash" is actually "Huo Shan", which refers to running fast, and also refers to "lightning" in the Jiangsu dialect, and "Huo Shanpo" also refers to "electric mother".
3. No face to look anxious
Jiao Ting's wrestling kung fu is strong enough to make a master like Black Whirlwind Li Kui defeat and convinc. In terms of wrestling, Jiao Ting's attainments are almost comparable to Yan Qing. He can fall Li Kui, and he can also fall Lei Heng, Zhu Tong, Yang Xiong and others.
Jiao Ting's nickname "Faceless" is not literally "skinless and faceless", but refers to his lack of social skills. According to the explanation of the original work of "Water Margin", "faceless" means that Jiao Ting knows very few people, and he has no acquaintances wherever he goes. The moniker actually alludes to Jiao Ting's limitations in relationships and social networks, i.e. "no way" or "no acquaintances".
This nickname not only reflects Jiao Ting's personal characteristics, but also echoes his status and experience among the heroes of Liangshan. Despite Jiao Ting's excellent wrestling skills, his popularity and influence among the heroes of Liangshan are relatively low due to his lack of social skills and connections. This also reveals the diversity and complexity of the heroes in "Water Margin" from another perspective.
4/5/6: Xue Yong, a sick insect, Suo Yang Xiong, and Chi Sun Li, a sick lieutenant
The reason these three people are put together is because their nicknames have the word "sick" in common.
In "Water Margin", the word "sick" does not mean to win, surpass or race, otherwise "sick captain late" may be rewritten as "race captain late". Similar examples also appear in the book, such as Guo Sheng, who is known as "Sai Rengui".
The word "sick" here cannot be understood as an active word, i.e., to make someone sick, have a headache, or be irritable. For example, the "sick insect" Xue Yong does not mean that Xue Yong can give the tiger a headache.
By reading the original work, we can find that the word "disease" here actually describes the yellowing of a person's face. Therefore, the word "sick" is not a pejorative meaning, but a description of their physical characteristics.
7. Zhu Gui of dry land
Zhu Gui, his image in the book is not outstanding, his martial arts are mediocre, and he has no significant achievements. However, he undertook an important task in Yangshan: opening a tavern as a cover, spying and collecting all kinds of information on the rivers and lakes. Zhu Gui is a veteran of Liangshan, and has been a member of it as early as the Wang Lun period. (Author: Shi Shu Ling Xuan Ge)
Regarding Zhu Gui's nickname "Dry Land Blind Law", its meaning may not be clear to many people.
There are two interpretations of "Kulu" in ancient Chinese, one is the crocodile, so "dryland Kulu" can be interpreted as a crocodile on the shore, symbolizing ferocity. Another interpretation comes from some dialects, "Kulu" means the thunder before the rain, so "Kulu in dry land" can be understood as the rain that is about to usher in arid land, which is quite similar to "timely rain".
Considering Zhu Gui's role in Liangshan, as an intermediary who introduced the heroes who defected to Liangshan to Song Jiang, the latter interpretation seems more appropriate, highlighting his status as a key figure connecting all parties.