"Dream of Red Mansions" has been controversial since its inception, and one of the most controversial is the interpretation of "vain eyebrows". For 300 years, people have had different opinions about what these three words mean. Some scholars believe that "vain eyebrows" represents the love story between Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu, however, the author believes that this interpretation is wrong. In fact, Cao Xueqin is not wrong, the real mistake is that we misinterpreted the "vain eyebrows" and failed to find the correct clue. This article will reinterpret "vain eyebrows" from Cao Xueqin's perspective, revealing its true meaning through rich descriptions.
"Vain eyebrows" is widely regarded as the love tragedy of Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu, and this explanation originates from the artistic conception of the three words "vain eyebrows", which contains sorrow and trouble, and this expression is not enough to convey the deep feelings between Bao Dai. There is also an erroneous interpretation that "vain eyebrows" is considered to be a symbol of Lin Daiyu's tears, however, judging from the original description, this interpretation is also wrong.
According to the description in "Dream of Red Mansions", we can conclude that "Vain Eyebrows" is not about the love story between Bao Dai. On the contrary, it is more about the emotional entanglement between Jia Baoyu and other female characters, which is more in line with the development of the entire storyline. Among them, the term "vain eyebrows" appears in the thirty-eighth chapter of "Dream of Red Mansions", and when Jia Baoyu recalls those female characters related to him, he often feels heartache and regret.
To understand the true meaning of "vain eyebrows", we need to refer to the 12 hairpins of Jinling in "Dream of Red Mansions", that is, the story of 36 women who are in love with Jia Baoyu. As we mentioned earlier, in addition to Daiyu and Baochai, Jia Baoyu also has emotional entanglements with several other women. Therefore, "vain eyebrows" may be describing the emotional entanglement with women other than Daiyu.
When we take a closer look at each of the characters in the Twelve Hairpins of Jinling, we will find many female characters who have special emotional entanglements with Jia Baoyu, and these clues indicate the story of Jia Baoyu's "vain eyebrows".
1.Langyuan Xianbao: refers to Shi Xiangyun, she is Jia Baoyu's most important cousin and confidant besides Lin Daiyu. There is also an unfulfilled relationship between her and Jia Baoyu. Although their relationship is not as deep as Bao Dai's, it still brings Jia Baoyu a lot of happiness and troubles. Therefore, Jia Baoyu's emotional entanglement with Shi Xiangyun can also be called "vain eyebrows".
2.Old acquaintance to peach: refers to Li Kun, she is Jia Baoyu's old acquaintance, and the two met when they were children. Jia Baoyu has always maintained a special affection for Li Kun, and he feels sorry and sad for Li Kun. This emotion can also be called "vain eyebrows".
3.Shuiyue'an incense: refers to You's, she is Jia Baoyu's biological mother, although they haven't spent much time together, but Jia Baoyu also has a regret and trouble about her fate with her biological mother. Therefore, You can also be called a part of Jia Baoyu's "vain eyebrows".
To sum up, the emotional entanglements between Jia Baoyu and other female characters can be found in the twelve hairpins of Jinling, which can be interpreted as "vain eyebrows". Although Daiyu is Jia Baoyu's favorite, other female characters are also part of his emotional world, and he feels regret and sadness for these female characters related to him, so he has the meaning of "vain eyebrows".
By reinterpreting "Vain Eyebrows", we can see Cao Xueqin's profound thinking and descriptive skills in "Dream of Red Mansions". He expresses the complexity of the emotional entanglement between Jia Baoyu and other female characters through "vain eyebrows", which is also an important thread in the whole story. Therefore, we should read "Dream of Red Mansions" more carefully, and try to understand the meaning that Cao Xueqin really wants to express, rather than just staying at the surface interpretation. Only in this way can we truly comprehend the connotation and charm of this great literary work.