Shi Jin
Encyclopedia
Shi Jin is a fictional character in the Water Margin
, one of the Four Great Classical Novels
of Chinese literature
. He ranks 23rd of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Nine Tattooed Dragons".
County, Shaanxi
. As a child, he has been fascinated with martial arts and spends his time training or befriending other pugilists, often neglecting his duties of running the village. He sports flowery tattoos all over his body, as well as nine dragon tattoos on his upper torso, which earns him the nickname "Nine Tattooed Dragons".
Shi Jin is the first of the 108 Liangshan heroes to make an appearance in the novel in chapter 2. Wang Jin, a martial arts instructor, comes to his village with his elderly mother. Wang Jin had offended Grand Marshal Gao Qiu
and was been forced to abandon his career and flee. Squire Shi is sympathetic towards Wang Jin and his mother and allows them to stay overnight in his village.
The next morning, Shi Jin is practising some staff
movements in the courtyard when he hears Wang Jin making some comments about him. Wang Jin says that Shi Jin's skill is not good enough. Shi Jin feels offended and he behaves rudely towards the stranger, challenging him to a contest. Just then, Shi Jin's father arrives and chides his son for being rude towards their guest. Shi Jin insists on fighting Wang Jin and he is defeated by Wang in the match. Shi Jin is humbled after his defeat and at the same time he is also awed by Wang Jin's skill. He apologises to Wang Jin for his arrogant attitude earlier and asks Wang to accept him as a student, and Wang agrees after Squire Shi makes a further request for his son.
Wang Jin stays in the village for a few months and instructs Shi Jin in martial arts during his stay. When Wang Jin thinks that Shi Jin has made significant improvement in his skill, he leaves with his mother. Shi Jin feels bored after his teacher's departure and he spends his time training and sparring with other martial artists. He makes his name in the region for defeating a number of stronger pugilists. Squire Shi dies some time later and the burden of running the village falls on Shi Jin's shoulders.
Chen Da's fellows Zhu Wu
and Yang Chun
come to the village to plead with Shi Jin to release Chen. Shi Jin is touched by their strong sense of brotherhood and he releases Chen Da. Since then, Shi Jin becomes friends with the three outlaws. They frequently host parties for each other and exchange gifts. One day, one of Shi Jin's men loses his way back and falls asleep along the way after drinking too much during the party. A hunter called Li Ji chances upon him and he searches the drunkard for valuable items. He finds a note from the outlaws addressed to Shi Jin and promptly takes it to the county office. Li Ji receives a reward for reporting that Shi Jin is in league with outlaws and the magistrate sends troops to attack the village.
Shi Jin is in the midst of a party with his friends when he notices the soldiers approaching. The three men ask Shi Jin to turn them in so Shi will not be implicated, but Shi refuses and offers to fight on their side. Shi Jin burns down his village and fights his way out together with the outlaws. They reach Mount Shaohua and Zhu Wu asks Shi Jin to join them. Shi Jin turns down the offer, saying that he wants to find his teacher first. He leaves for Weizhou (southwest of present-day Yongshun County
, Hunan
) and meets Lu Zhishen
and his former teacher Li Zhong. Shi Jin meets Lu Zhishen again after the latter is banished from the monastery on Mount Wutai. They defeat the evil bandits Cui Daocheng and Qiu Xiaoyi together at the dilapidated Waquan Temple.
. The Liangshan outlaws trick Prefect He out of the city when Song Jiang
impersonates Marshal Su Jin to order He to come out and pay respect. Prefect He is killed and the outlaws break in and rescue Shi Jin and Lu Zhishen. Shi Jin and the Shaohua outlaws follow them back to Liangshan later.
During the battle of Dongping Prefecture
, Shi Jin volunteers to infiltrate the city and work as a spy for the Liangshan forces, through his friendship with a prostitute called Li Ruilian who lives there. Unfortunately for him, the mistress reports him to the prefecture office. Shi Jin is arrested and thrown into prison. He is rescued only after the outlaws defeat Dong Ping
and capture Dongping Prefecture.
invaders and rebel forces after the outlaws have been granted amnesty by the emperor. He proves himself to be a valiant warrior in battle and makes contributions by defeating several enemies during these campaigns.
During the Fang La
campaign, Shi Jin makes a major achievement by slaying the enemy general Shen Gang during the battle of Runzhou
. Subsequently, he is assigned to lead the attack on Yuling Pass in Muzhou, which is guarded by Pang Wanchun
. Shi Jin is killed by a single arrow fired by Pang Wanchun during the battle. Shi Jin's death is dramatic as it marks the first appearance of Pang Wanchun in the novel, as well as serving as a platform for Pang to display his skill in archery.
Water Margin
Water Margin , also known as Outlaws of the Marsh, All Men Are Brothers, Men of the Marshes, or The Marshes of Mount Liang, is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.Attributed to Shi Nai'an and written in vernacular Chinese, the story, set in the Song Dynasty,...
, one of the Four Great Classical Novels
Four Great Classical Novels
The Four Great Classical Novels, or the Four Major Classical Novels of Chinese literature, are the four novels commonly regarded by scholars to be the greatest and most influential of pre-modern Chinese fiction. Dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties, they are well known to most Chinese readers...
of Chinese literature
Chinese literature
Chinese literature extends thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature fictional novels that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese...
. He ranks 23rd of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Nine Tattooed Dragons".
Background
Shi Jin is the son of Squire Shi, the master of the Shi Family Village in HuayinHuayin
Huayin is a county-level city in Weinan, Shaanxi, China. Prior to 1990, Huayin had been regarded as a county. Huayin literally means to the north of Mount Hua, because it is situated to the north of that mountain....
County, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
. As a child, he has been fascinated with martial arts and spends his time training or befriending other pugilists, often neglecting his duties of running the village. He sports flowery tattoos all over his body, as well as nine dragon tattoos on his upper torso, which earns him the nickname "Nine Tattooed Dragons".
Shi Jin is the first of the 108 Liangshan heroes to make an appearance in the novel in chapter 2. Wang Jin, a martial arts instructor, comes to his village with his elderly mother. Wang Jin had offended Grand Marshal Gao Qiu
Gao Qiu
Gao Qiu was a government official who served Emperor Huizong during the Song Dynasty. He is also featured as one of the main antagonists and nemesis of the 108 Liangshan outlaws in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.-Biography:According to the Chinese...
and was been forced to abandon his career and flee. Squire Shi is sympathetic towards Wang Jin and his mother and allows them to stay overnight in his village.
The next morning, Shi Jin is practising some staff
Gun (staff)
The Chinese word gun refers to a long Chinese staff weapon used in Chinese martial arts. It is known as one of the four major weapons, along with the qiang , dao , and the jian , called in this group "The Grandfather of all Weapons".-Variants:There are various kinds of gun, and they include the...
movements in the courtyard when he hears Wang Jin making some comments about him. Wang Jin says that Shi Jin's skill is not good enough. Shi Jin feels offended and he behaves rudely towards the stranger, challenging him to a contest. Just then, Shi Jin's father arrives and chides his son for being rude towards their guest. Shi Jin insists on fighting Wang Jin and he is defeated by Wang in the match. Shi Jin is humbled after his defeat and at the same time he is also awed by Wang Jin's skill. He apologises to Wang Jin for his arrogant attitude earlier and asks Wang to accept him as a student, and Wang agrees after Squire Shi makes a further request for his son.
Wang Jin stays in the village for a few months and instructs Shi Jin in martial arts during his stay. When Wang Jin thinks that Shi Jin has made significant improvement in his skill, he leaves with his mother. Shi Jin feels bored after his teacher's departure and he spends his time training and sparring with other martial artists. He makes his name in the region for defeating a number of stronger pugilists. Squire Shi dies some time later and the burden of running the village falls on Shi Jin's shoulders.
Becoming an outlaw
Shi Jin hears of three outlaw leaders whose stronghold is based on the nearby Mount Shaohua. They have an army of about 3,000 men under their command and even the local government is unable to deal with them. Once, Chen Da of the trio leads his men to plunder the county office for supplies. Chen Da and his men pass by the Shi Family Village along the way and meet Shi Jin, who leads his villagers to stop Chen. Shi Jin fights with Chen Da and captures him.Chen Da's fellows Zhu Wu
Zhu Wu
Zhu Wu is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 37th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 1st of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Resourceful Strategist".-Background:...
and Yang Chun
Yang Chun
Yang Chun is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 73rd of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 37th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "White Flower Serpent".-Background:...
come to the village to plead with Shi Jin to release Chen. Shi Jin is touched by their strong sense of brotherhood and he releases Chen Da. Since then, Shi Jin becomes friends with the three outlaws. They frequently host parties for each other and exchange gifts. One day, one of Shi Jin's men loses his way back and falls asleep along the way after drinking too much during the party. A hunter called Li Ji chances upon him and he searches the drunkard for valuable items. He finds a note from the outlaws addressed to Shi Jin and promptly takes it to the county office. Li Ji receives a reward for reporting that Shi Jin is in league with outlaws and the magistrate sends troops to attack the village.
Shi Jin is in the midst of a party with his friends when he notices the soldiers approaching. The three men ask Shi Jin to turn them in so Shi will not be implicated, but Shi refuses and offers to fight on their side. Shi Jin burns down his village and fights his way out together with the outlaws. They reach Mount Shaohua and Zhu Wu asks Shi Jin to join them. Shi Jin turns down the offer, saying that he wants to find his teacher first. He leaves for Weizhou (southwest of present-day Yongshun County
Yongshun County
Yongshun County is a county of Hunan, China. It is under the administration of the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture.-References:*...
, Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
) and meets Lu Zhishen
Lu Zhishen
Lu Zhishen, nicknamed "Flowery Monk", or Sagacious Lu , is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He is the lead character in the first major story cycle of the novel, in which he comes to epitomize loyalty, strength, justice but...
and his former teacher Li Zhong. Shi Jin meets Lu Zhishen again after the latter is banished from the monastery on Mount Wutai. They defeat the evil bandits Cui Daocheng and Qiu Xiaoyi together at the dilapidated Waquan Temple.
Joining Liangshan
Shi Jin returns to Mount Shaohua to join the outlaws after that. Once he hears from Wang Yi, a craftsman, that his daughter has been kidnapped by Prefect He. Shi Jin attempts to assassinate the corrupt official and rescue the girl but fails. He is captured and held captive inside the prefect's residence. Lu Zhishen travels there as well and attempts to rescue Shi Jin but fails as well and is also captured. The Shaohua outlaws seek help from LiangshanMount Liang
Mount Liang is a mountain in Liangshan County, Shandong province, China which rises to 197.9 m above sea level. It is well known as the stronghold of the 108 legendary Song Dynasty heroes of the classic Chinese novel Water Margin...
. The Liangshan outlaws trick Prefect He out of the city when Song Jiang
Song Jiang
Song Jiang was the leader of a group of outlaws who lived during the Song Dynasty. The outlaws were active in the present-day provinces of Shandong and Henan before their eventual surrender to the government. Song Jiang is also featured as a character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great...
impersonates Marshal Su Jin to order He to come out and pay respect. Prefect He is killed and the outlaws break in and rescue Shi Jin and Lu Zhishen. Shi Jin and the Shaohua outlaws follow them back to Liangshan later.
During the battle of Dongping Prefecture
Dongping County
Dongping County is a county in the Southwestern part of Taian Prefecture of Shandong Province, China.In 2007 a remarkable series of well-preserved frescoes dating to the Western Han Period was discovered in a tomb as construction workers were excavating for a planned shopping mall...
, Shi Jin volunteers to infiltrate the city and work as a spy for the Liangshan forces, through his friendship with a prostitute called Li Ruilian who lives there. Unfortunately for him, the mistress reports him to the prefecture office. Shi Jin is arrested and thrown into prison. He is rescued only after the outlaws defeat Dong Ping
Dong Ping
Dong Ping is a character from the epic Chinese novel The Water Margin. He is nicknamed "General of Double Spears" and ranks 15th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes.-Background:...
and capture Dongping Prefecture.
Campaigns and death
After the Grand Assembly, Shi Jin becomes one of the Eight Tiger Cub Vanguard Generals of the Liangshan cavalry. He follows the heroes on their campaigns against the LiaoLiao Dynasty
The Liao Dynasty , also known as the Khitan Empire was an empire in East Asia that ruled over the regions of Manchuria, Mongolia, and parts of northern China proper between 9071125...
invaders and rebel forces after the outlaws have been granted amnesty by the emperor. He proves himself to be a valiant warrior in battle and makes contributions by defeating several enemies during these campaigns.
During the Fang La
Fang La
Fang La was a rebel leader who lived during the Song Dynasty. He is also featured as one of the antagonists and nemesis of the 108 Liangshan heroes in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.-Biography:...
campaign, Shi Jin makes a major achievement by slaying the enemy general Shen Gang during the battle of Runzhou
Runzhou District
Runzhou is a county-level city administered by Zhenjiang in Jiangsu Province.To the east of Runzhou lies the Grand Canal and Jingkou district with Zhenjiang New District to the souheast. The district has an area of 132.68 sq km. By the end of 2004, the total population was 237,100 people....
. Subsequently, he is assigned to lead the attack on Yuling Pass in Muzhou, which is guarded by Pang Wanchun
Pang Wanchun
Pang Wanchun is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Pang Wanchun is one of the military generals serving under the rebel leader, Fang La, one of the antagonists and enemy of the 108 Liangshan outlaws...
. Shi Jin is killed by a single arrow fired by Pang Wanchun during the battle. Shi Jin's death is dramatic as it marks the first appearance of Pang Wanchun in the novel, as well as serving as a platform for Pang to display his skill in archery.
See also
- List of Water Margin minor characters#Shi Jin's story for a list of supporting minor characters from Shi Jin's story.