林黛玉

LínDàiyù

popculture

Meanings

1 Lin Daiyu, female lead of 《红楼梦》 ('Dream of the Red Chamber')
2 Jia Baoyu's orphaned cousin, archetype of the frail poet-heroine

Characters

forest; surname Lin

dark-blue eyebrow pigment

Examples

林黛玉是贾宝玉的表妹。

Lín Dàiyù shì Jiǎ Bǎoyù de biǎomèi.

Lin Daiyu is Jia Baoyu's younger cousin on his mother's side.

林黛玉葬花是经典场景。

Lín Dàiyù zànghuā shì jīngdiǎn chǎngjǐng.

'Daiyu burying flowers' is a classic scene.

Tips

culture

In Cao Xueqin's cosmology, Daiyu is a crimson pearl plant (绛珠仙草) come to earth to 'repay' Baoyu's watering with a lifetime of tears. She writes some of the novel's most famous poems — 《葬花吟》 ('Song of Burying Flowers') remains a staple of Chinese literature anthologies.

usage

'林黛玉式' has become shorthand in modern Chinese for a hyper-sensitive, easily-offended personality: 别那么林黛玉 — 'stop being so Daiyu about it'.

Stroke Order

林 lín

黛 dài

玉 yù