Classification of nicknames in Water Margin

A very important feature of "Water Margin" is that all one hundred and eight generals have nicknames. Some characters other than the One Hundred and Eight Generals also have nicknames, such as Pig Iron King Yuanwai.

The nicknames of Liangshan generals can be roughly divided into the following categories:

First, they are compared to animals: such as Jade Unicorn Lu Junyi, White Flower Snake Yang Chun, Winged Tiger Lei Heng, Jin Leopard Yang Lin, Ruyunlong Gongsun Sheng, Gu Shangcha Shi moved, daytime mouse Bai Sheng, and golden retriever Duan Jing lived.

The second one reflects physical appearance: such as Zhu Tong, the beautiful bearded man, Huang Fu Duan, the purple-bearded man, Zheng Tianshou, the white-faced man, Yang Zhi, the green-faced beast, Liu Tang, the red-haired ghost, Lu Zhishen, the flower monk, and Long Shi with nine patterns. Enter, Sanniang Qinghu, who is one foot tall, touches Tian Duqian, blue-eyed tiger Li Yun, Wang Dwarf tiger Wang Ying, and golden-eyed Biao to show mercy.

The third one represents character: such as Zhiduoxing Wu Yong, Shenji Military Advisor Zhu Wu, Smiling Tiger Zhu Fu, Grimace Du Xing, Mu Hong without Zhehai, Mu Chun with Xiao Zheba, Shi Xiu with Desperate Saburo, Live Yan Sui Ruan Xiaoqi, his mother Da Chong hired his sister-in-law, his mother Yaksha Sun Erniang, and the prodigal son Yan Qing.

The fourth one reflects profession: such as the miracle doctor An Daoquan, the sage scholar Xiao Rang, the traveler Wu Song, and the vegetable gardener Zhang Qing. The fifth is to remind you of weapons: such as the broad sword Guan Sheng, the featherless arrow Zhang Qing, the double whip Hu Yanzhuo, and the double spear general Dong Ping.

The sixth one indicates specialties: such as Hunjianglong Li Jun, Langli Baitiao Zhang Shun, Divine Taibao Dai Zong, Divine fortune teller Jiang Jing, Hongtian Lei Lingzhen.

Seven are directly praised: such as Timely Rain Song Jiang, Zhen Sanshan Huang Xin, and Yum General Han Tao.

The eighth one is compared to the heroes of the past: such as Xiao Li Guang Huarong, Xiao Wen Hou Lu Fang, Sai Rengui Guo Sheng, and Wei Wei Chi Sun Li.

This is just a general classification, and some can be distinguished.

The nicknames of Water Margin characters are not optional. Nicknames are an integral part of the novel and have an important basis for existence.

1. Nicknames are inherent in life and have existed at home and abroad in ancient and modern times.

A name is a linguistic mark that distinguishes a person from others. Everyone has a name. Since it is a mark, it can have this mark or that mark. In life, in addition to the more orthodox names, people often have other names. This may be to break the monotony of the name, or to better indicate the characteristics of a person, or it may be that the name is unknown at the beginning of the relationship and is chosen casually for convenience of reference.

In China’s long historical life, in addition to names, people also had words and numbers. For example, Cao Cao was named "Cao" and his courtesy name was Mengde. Zhang Fei, whose surname is Zhang, whose given name is Fei, and whose courtesy name is Yide. Chiang Kai-shek, the character is Zhongzheng. Su Shi, also known as Dongpo Jushi. Ouyang Xiu, No. 61 layman.

People’s surnames, first names, and characters are all within relatively orthodox standards. Generally, the name is given by the elders, and the name is determined by the husband. The number is usually chosen by yourself or your friends. Some people have numbers, some don't, some have one, and some have several, just like the casual seals on calligraphy and painting, the person who makes the number just marks it out of their own considerations.

There are also nicknames and nicknames. Generally speaking, elegant names are mostly used by literati, and they often have the charm of etiquette in poems and books. The nicknames are mostly given by lay people in Shijing. For example, the nicknames given to children in the village are: Ergoudio, Sanshou, Si Sack, and Nidun.

Some people were nicknamed because of something. My colleague Lao Tian told people a joke, saying that there was a cadre who had not been home for a long time. He finally passed by his house on a business trip and wanted to satisfy his sexual hunger with his wife in the countryside. His wife was busy in the wheat field. In order to let his wife go home, the cadre lied that he needed his wife to go home to get a straw hat. His wife asked him to go home and get it, but he said he couldn't find it. After several struggles, his wife finally figured out what he was thinking, so she followed him home, took off her clothes, came forward, and said to the cadre: This straw hat is for you! Straw hat for you! ! ! Lao Tian was talking with great interest, but the listener was naughty and blamed Lao Tian for the matter, and from then on called him Tian Cao Hat.

The purpose of talking about these seems to be too much. The purpose is to illustrate that nicknames are inherent in life. The nicknames of the characters in "Water Margin" have a profound foundation in life, so they are real.

2. The trend of giving nicknames is mainly based on rivers and lakes. Therefore, it is natural that "Water Margin", which writes about heroes in rivers and lakes, writes nicknames for characters.

As mentioned earlier, nicknames are mostly used by the lower classes among the people. They are given more casually and are not as solemn and verbose as literati. Some people enjoy giving nicknames to others. There are also some groups where almost every member has a nickname. These people use nicknames to make fun and get a sense of pleasure and break the rigidity of life. Most of the people in the world are rough and heroic people. Of course, they will have more nicknames. Some people may even think that nicknames are beautiful. Therefore, the nicknames of Liangshan heroes in "Water Margin" are very consistent with the identities and characteristics of these people. It is not ruled out that the nicknames of some characters were originally heard from the folk.

3. The use of nicknames makes the character image more distinct. Although the nicknames of the characters in Water Margin are numbers Liao Liao, they play an important role in reminding the characters and are the finishing touch. Speaking of the black whirlwind, our minds will immediately think of the charcoal-skinned man wielding an ax and blowing into the wind. Speaking of the leopard-headed Lin Chong, we will immediately think of Lin Chong's strength and might. Speaking of the power of the dragon emerging from the cave and the fierceness of the mirage, you will immediately feel the swiftness and bravery of these two heroes.

4. The nickname expresses the author's praise of the hero. For example, the nickname "Timely Rain" expresses the characterization of Song Jiang's behavior of helping the weak with righteousness and wealth. The nickname Yu Qilin expresses his love for Lu Junyi's noble and handsome appearance. Wisdom and many stars express his appreciation for Wu's extraordinary wisdom and endless strategies. The nickname "Xiao Li Guang" expresses admiration for Hua Rong, who is brave and strong and has superb archery skills.

Although there are some nicknames that are not praise but make people feel a little domineering and evil, such as the little bully Zhou Tong, the two-headed snake Jie Zhen, and the two-tailed scorpion Jie Bao, these are in line with the reality of the uprising team. Some of the people who participated in the uprising were lumpenproletarians and marginalized figures. Some of them inevitably had a domineering gangster spirit, which was more in line with the reality of life and the reality of art. But, I think, even so, behind the nickname is more of an appreciation for the hero's bravery.

Looking at the Liangshan General’s nickname, nine times out of ten, it directly reflects appreciation and praise. This also illustrates the author’s subjective construction of this book from a unique perspective: he is the hero he writes about, and he is the hero. To celebrate this group of characters, he expressed his heroic yearning through these characters and stories. He definitely did not write about these people as gangsters.