Duan Yu (Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils)
Encyclopedia
Duan Yu is one of the three protagonists in Jin Yong's wuxia
novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils
. He is the sworn brother
of Qiao Feng
and Xuzhu, and their individual, but intertwining storylines form the plot of the novel.
. His father is the Zhennan Prince Duan Zhengchun
while his uncle is the emperor Duan Zhengming. Despite a long tradition of the practice of martial arts in the royal family, Duan refuses to learn martial arts due to Buddhist
influence and his disdain for bloodshed. He runs away from home to avoid his father's coercive moves and embarks on his adventures. Ironically, he acquires three of the most powerful skills mentioned in the novel, namely "Six Meridians Divine Sword" (六脈神劍), "Graceful Wave Steps" (凌波微步) and "Northern Depths Divine Skill" (北冥神功) after some extraordinary encounters. Besides, he also mistakenly consumes the Zhuha, a poisonous toad dubbed as the "king of all venomous creatures", but survives and becomes immune to all sorts of venoms since then. He meets Qiao Feng
, then chief of the Beggars' Sect
, and becomes sworn brothers with Qiao after having a friendly drinking and qinggong competition with Qiao. Later, he meets Xuzhu, who is facing a troubled love relationship just like him, and they become sworn brothers too out of mutual pity for each other. He takes his sworn brothers' side during the great battle at Shaolin Monastery and helps them fight their enemies.
Once, he chances upon a statue of a woman, whom he addresses respectfully as "Fairy Sister" (神仙姊姊). He meets Wang Yuyan later, who bears a similar resemblance to the statue and Duan becomes obsessed and infatuated with Wang. He does anything dutifully in order to win her heart, even though she has a crush on her cousin, Murong Fu. At the same time, Duan Yu also meets other beautiful maidens (Mu Wanqing, Zhong Ling, A'zhu, A'zi), who turn out to be actually his half-sisters, due to his womanizing father's past illicit affairs with other women. In a cruel twist of events, Wang Yuyan is also revealed to be his half-sister as well and Duan is devastated because he has to give up on her to avoid committing incest
. However, there is yet another twist in the plot, as Duan Yu's mother Dao Baifeng (Duan Zhengchun's legitimate wife) tells him that Duan Zhengchun is not his biological father. Dao Baifeng was upset with her husband for having extra-marital affairs and she decided to make him jealous by having a one night stand
with a filthy beggar. The beggar is actually Duan Yanqing of the Four Evils, who was previously the crown prince
of Dali, and had been forced into exile. Duan Yu eventually marries Wang Yuyan after going through thick and thin, as they turn out to not be brothers and sisters after all. The blood of the royal family of Dali still runs in Duan Yu's veins, and he succeeds his father as emperor of Dali at the end of the novel.
Wuxia
Wuxia is a broad genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists. Although wuxia is traditionally a form of literature, its popularity has caused it to spread to diverse art forms like Chinese opera, manhua , films, television series, and video games...
novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils
Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils
Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong. It was first serialized concurrently from September 3, 1963 to May 27, 1966 in Ming Pao in Hong Kong and Nanyang Siang Pau in Singapore....
. He is the sworn brother
Blood brother
Blood brother can refer to one of two things: two males related by birth, or two or more men not related by birth who have sworn loyalty to each other. This is usually done in a ceremony, known as a blood oath, where the blood of each man is mingled together...
of Qiao Feng
Qiao Feng
Qiao Feng, birth name Xiao Feng , is one of the three protagonists in Jin Yong's wuxia novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.-Background:Xiao is a Khitan by birth and he is from the same clan as Empress Xiao of the Liao Dynasty...
and Xuzhu, and their individual, but intertwining storylines form the plot of the novel.
Biography
Duan Yu is a young, naive prince of the Kingdom of DaliKingdom of Dali
Dali or Great Li was a Bai kingdom centred in what is now Yunnan Province of China. Established by Duan Siping in 937, it was ruled by a succession of 22 kings until the year 1253, when it was conquered by an invasion of the Mongol Empire. The capital city was at Dali.- History :The Kingdom of...
. His father is the Zhennan Prince Duan Zhengchun
Duan Zhengchun
Duan Zhengchun was the 15th emperor of the Kingdom of Dali. He reigned from 1096 to 1108. He was the younger brother of Duan Zhengming, and the first ruler of the Later Dali Kingdom....
while his uncle is the emperor Duan Zhengming. Despite a long tradition of the practice of martial arts in the royal family, Duan refuses to learn martial arts due to Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
influence and his disdain for bloodshed. He runs away from home to avoid his father's coercive moves and embarks on his adventures. Ironically, he acquires three of the most powerful skills mentioned in the novel, namely "Six Meridians Divine Sword" (六脈神劍), "Graceful Wave Steps" (凌波微步) and "Northern Depths Divine Skill" (北冥神功) after some extraordinary encounters. Besides, he also mistakenly consumes the Zhuha, a poisonous toad dubbed as the "king of all venomous creatures", but survives and becomes immune to all sorts of venoms since then. He meets Qiao Feng
Qiao Feng
Qiao Feng, birth name Xiao Feng , is one of the three protagonists in Jin Yong's wuxia novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.-Background:Xiao is a Khitan by birth and he is from the same clan as Empress Xiao of the Liao Dynasty...
, then chief of the Beggars' Sect
Beggars' Sect
The Beggars' Sect is a fictional Chinese martial arts sect featured prominently in works of wuxia fiction by writers such as Jin Yong and Gu Long. The sect has also found its way into some Hong Kong martial arts films such as King of Beggars....
, and becomes sworn brothers with Qiao after having a friendly drinking and qinggong competition with Qiao. Later, he meets Xuzhu, who is facing a troubled love relationship just like him, and they become sworn brothers too out of mutual pity for each other. He takes his sworn brothers' side during the great battle at Shaolin Monastery and helps them fight their enemies.
Once, he chances upon a statue of a woman, whom he addresses respectfully as "Fairy Sister" (神仙姊姊). He meets Wang Yuyan later, who bears a similar resemblance to the statue and Duan becomes obsessed and infatuated with Wang. He does anything dutifully in order to win her heart, even though she has a crush on her cousin, Murong Fu. At the same time, Duan Yu also meets other beautiful maidens (Mu Wanqing, Zhong Ling, A'zhu, A'zi), who turn out to be actually his half-sisters, due to his womanizing father's past illicit affairs with other women. In a cruel twist of events, Wang Yuyan is also revealed to be his half-sister as well and Duan is devastated because he has to give up on her to avoid committing incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
. However, there is yet another twist in the plot, as Duan Yu's mother Dao Baifeng (Duan Zhengchun's legitimate wife) tells him that Duan Zhengchun is not his biological father. Dao Baifeng was upset with her husband for having extra-marital affairs and she decided to make him jealous by having a one night stand
One Night Stand
One Night Stand is an HBO stand-up series that first aired on February 15, 1989. The half-hour series aired weekly and featured stand-up comedy specials from some of the top performing comedians. The series originally comprised 55 specials over the course of its four years on HBO...
with a filthy beggar. The beggar is actually Duan Yanqing of the Four Evils, who was previously the crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
of Dali, and had been forced into exile. Duan Yu eventually marries Wang Yuyan after going through thick and thin, as they turn out to not be brothers and sisters after all. The blood of the royal family of Dali still runs in Duan Yu's veins, and he succeeds his father as emperor of Dali at the end of the novel.
Martial arts and skills
- Six Meridians Divine Sword (六脈神劍) - a legendary skill that is known only to the royal family of Dali and members of Heaven Dragon Monastery in Dali. When Jiu Mozhi goes to the monastery to seize the skill's manual, the monks ask Duan Yu to memorize the manual before destroying it. Duan learns the skill and becomes the first person to fully master it since several decades ago, because his inner energyNeigongNeigong, also spelled nei kung, neigung, or nae gong, refers to any of a set of Chinese breathing, meditation and spiritual practice disciplines associated with Daoism and especially the Chinese martial arts...
foundation is strong enough. The skill allows him to materialize his inner energy into the shape of a sword and propel it from his fingers, slicing and piercing through enemies like a real sword.
- Graceful Wave Steps (凌波微步) - a type of qinggong that originated from the Carefree Sect. Duan Yu finds the skill's manual after kowtowKowtowKowtow is the act of deep respect shown by kneeling and bowing so low as to have one's head touching the ground. An alternative Chinese term is ketou, however the meaning is somewhat altered: kòu originally meant "knock with reverence", whereas kē has the general meaning of "touch upon ".In Han...
ing several times to the statue of the woman, as instructed on some carvings. The skill combines rapid movements and maneuvers with graceful, dance-like steps, that can enable Duan Yu to dodge and escape from enemies quickly.
- Northern Depths Divine Skill (北冥神功) - an inner energyNeigongNeigong, also spelled nei kung, neigung, or nae gong, refers to any of a set of Chinese breathing, meditation and spiritual practice disciplines associated with Daoism and especially the Chinese martial arts...
skill that originated from the Carefree Sect. Duan Yu finds the manual together with the "Graceful Wave Steps" manual after kowtowing to the statue. The skill allows him to absorb an opponent's inner energy. It is often mistaken for the Xingxiu Sect's unorthodox "Energy-Absorbing Skill" (化功大法), which also traces its origins from the Carefree Sect.