How about Jia Baoyu and Zhen Baoyu?

There are two people in the book, Jia Baoyu and Zhen Baoyu. For Jia Baoyu, the owner of the Red Mansion, Zhi Yanzhai or Cao Tianyou has already taken his seat in reality. Where is Zhen Baoyu? Since there are only eighty chapters in "The Story of the Stone" and he rarely appears in the first eighty chapters, we cannot fully understand his ideological image and his relationship with Jia Baoyu. Because of this, we should pay more attention to him in order to dig out things from him that will help us further understand the work. So, can he find the prototype in reality? My idea is that the focus should be on the author of the book, Cao Xueqin.

First, carefully review the fat approval. The first chapter of the Jiaxu edition reads: "Those who can understand it shed bitter tears and wept to write this book. On Renwu New Year's Eve, before the book was completed, Qin died of tears. I only tried to cry for Qin, and my tears also ran out." It can be seen that. It was Cao Xueqin who had to shed bitter tears to write this book, not Cao Tianyou, the critic who compared himself to Baoyu, Zhi Yanzhai. The eighth chapter of the Jingzang edition has an eyebrow review: "The author uses the pen with a knife and axe, and each word turns into a tear, and each tear turns into a drop of blood. Only the person who criticized the book knows it." The blood is used to make ink, and the tears to form words are also the author's work. Just citing two comments, it is not difficult to see that the author poured his heart and soul into this book, and the critic read the review from the perspective of a participant and felt that it was difficult for him. There are many others like this in the fat batch. In reality, Cao Xueqin grew up with her cousin Cao Tianyou and had a very close relationship, experiencing the same human things as Tianyou. Therefore, when writing "The Story of the Stone", Cao Xueqin stood up and incarnated herself as Zhen Baoyu in the book, and compared herself to God's blessing as Jia Baoyu, and actually wrote about Jia Baoyu's life. Entrust yourself to the other, regard yourself as God, and the other acts as a shadow, reflecting each other's light.

With this guess, let’s start with Zipiao to try to understand its meaning. Chapter 2 of the Jiaxu version: "(Zhen Baoyu said) I must have two daughters to study with me, so that I can recognize the words and understand them in my heart; otherwise I will be confused." Zhipi: "The treasure of the Zhen family is the first half. Those who do not write it here try their best to show that Jia Baoyu's treasures are reflected from a distance. "Photo", "Photography". In real life, Cao Xueqin is probably the only one who can have such a relationship with Cao Tianyou. In the comments, Cao Tianyou changed the word "Zhen" to "Zhen". Probably, he also understands his "fake" Baoyu's identity as a shadow!

Same reply: "It's a pity that his sisters are rare." Zhi Pi: "A real point. I said the author must have it." The word "real" is eye-catching, as if it is The author has been regarded as the "he" Zhen Baoyu here. ("I said that the author must have" means that there must be someone in his family, but actually means that there must be "sisters" in his heart.)

Chapter 21 of the Gengchen Edition: Baoyu continues a paragraph of "Zhuangzi" . Zhi Pi: "It is the author's own position to continue while the wine is intoxicating. Who else dares to continue Zhuangzi. However, such a strange and weird writing, how could it be imagined? How can it not be amazing!" "The author's position "The place", one sentence draws the author into the book. "Jia Baoyu" naturally did not dare to continue "Zhuangzi", but "Zhen Baoyu" took advantage of the drunkenness and gradually revealed his true body. In his drunkenness, he "could not help but continue". Although it was Jia Baoyu who wrote the book, it is possible that Cao Tianyou saw the author's intention to "fake" the play "Geng Chen Ben Zhen", so he wrote to explain the real situation to the readers.

Chapter 43 of the Gengchen version: "I think he only wanted to be lively and abandoned elegance." Zhi Pi: "Is this Baoyu alone? He also scolded the world. I also said that Baoyu has forgotten , otherwise, why not come? "It's strange that Cao Tianyou, who has always compared himself to Jia Baoyu, took the initiative to leave this role. Is this Baoyu not the other Baoyu? Of course, if this happened to "Zhen Baoyu" Cao Xueqin, it would not be difficult to explain. At the "Serious Society Day" attended by several brothers and friends, everyone arrived, but Cao Xueqin was the only one who didn't arrive. "Xue Qin forgot" may have been what Cao Tianyou was thinking at that time.

There is another comment that seems to explain the problem. Chapter 77 of the Gengchen version: "(Mrs. Wang's words) I'll get through this year for the time being, and I'll move out together next year with a clear mind." Zhi Pi: "Besides, this is what I have witnessed and heard in the past, and is a ready-made text written by the author's personal experience. , It is not made by searching, so it is completely incompatible with the joys and sorrows of the novel. "This sentence is related to the end of the Grand View Garden, and it is also the key to the joys and sorrows of the daughters, but the critic said "it is completely incompatible with" it. , it seems that it is indeed "not made by searching" and has strong practical reliability. Cao Xueqin's personal experience, Cao Tianyou's seeing and hearing, the false within the true, the true within the false, shadowing each other.

Isn't it the meaning of Zhen Baoyu's personal experience and Jia Baoyu's shadow?

Finally, try to put some effort into the metaphorical meaning of the name "Zhiyanzhai". In the old days, there were terms such as "Brother Yan" and "Friend Yan", which came from the fact that two people studied together and often used pens and inkstones. According to the situation of Cao Tianyou and Cao Xueqin, it is very likely that they learned to use pens and inkstones when they were young. "Zhi" undoubtedly refers to Baoyu who loves rouge. When Cao Tianyou came up with the pen name, he certainly would not highlight the status of his shadow, so. "Fat" should refer to Zhen Baoyu. Zhai is also a study. "Zhi Yanzhai" implies the scene where he and "Zhen Baoyu" used to sit in the study room and use the same pen and inkstone. The love between brothers is deep. Recalling the beautiful days of his childhood, Cao Tianyou thought of Cao Xueqin and "Zhen Baoyu", so he chose this pen name to commemorate him forever.

Cao Tianyou, Cao Xueqin. Jia Baoyu, Zhen Baoyu. What a neat one-to-one relationship between reality and unreality.

The writing style of Zhen and Jia Baoyu is a two-way transmission of virtuality and reality. From the perspective that Zhen Baoyu and Jia Baoyu have the same temperament and become the shadow of Jia Baoyu in his dreams, Zhen Baoyu is the shadow of Jia Baoyu; from the perspective of Jia Baoyu's attendant of Shenying descending to earth to create illusory fate, Jia Baoyu is the "phantom body" , is "fake", but Zhen Baoyu is a real person, "real". In this way, Jia Baoyu can also be said to be the shadow of Zhen Baoyu. Yurui said in "Zaochuang Xianbi": "Hou Baoyu dreamed in the mirror, saying that he was a real person and a fake person, as if he was reflected in the mirror." This is exactly what he meant. The result of this two-way transmission makes each other visualized, and the philosophical meaning of "when the fake is real, the real is also fake", and "enlightenment of the illusion of Zhuang Zhou, the dream of a butterfly" is also deeply embedded in it.