The male lead of 红楼梦, born with a piece of jade in his mouth: the sensitive heir of the rich Jia family, who loves his cousin 林黛玉 but is made to marry 薛宝钗.
Jiǎ Bǎoyù chūshēng shí xián zhe yíkuài tōnglíng bǎoyù.
Jia Baoyu was born with a magical jade in his mouth.
Tips
culture
His jade is engraved 莫失莫忘，仙寿恒昌, 'lose me not, forget me not, and long life is yours', and 薛宝钗's gold locket bears a matching pair of phrases. Their match, 金玉良缘, is still a set phrase for an ideal marriage.
memory
宝玉 'precious jade' is named for the 通灵宝玉 he was born with, and the jade works like his soul: when it vanishes late in the novel he turns dazed and witless, and recovers only when a monk brings it back.
