Wang Xifeng
Encyclopedia
Wang Xifeng is one of the principal characters in the classic Chinese
novel
Dream of the Red Chamber
. A not-so-well educated upper-class woman with finesse, she is also known as "Peppercorn Feng" (鳳辣子) or "Hot Pepper". She is a niece of Lady Wang
and is married to Jia Lian, the eldest grandchild of Grandmother Jia
(hence, she is related to Baoyu
by blood and by marriage). As such she plays a significant role in the day-to-day running of the Rongguo household; in fact, she is the de facto
holder of the household's purse. She is the most powerful woman of the Jia Clan, after Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang
. She is also worldly, tactful, able to sweettalk Grandmother Jia and the other powerful ladies within the family, while controlling the servants with an iron fist. However her husband Jia Lian does not treat her kindly, and is often caught womanizing outside.
Xifeng, or Sister Feng (Feng Jie), is well-known in the novel both for her great capability as well as her almost-venomous character; when a poorer member of the Jia family once showed interest in her, she tricked him repeatedly into "rendezvous" which turned out to be a trap, and eventually got the offending man killed (Chapters 11 and 12). Yet she is without doubt the most capable woman, if not the most capable character, within the novel; impartial and harsh in her discipline, she is hailed by her niece-in-law Qin Keqing as "a hero amongst womenfolk". She can be kindhearted towards rustic folks like Granny Liu
, yet capable of great cruelty when her power is challenged, such as engineering the suicide
of her husband's concubine Second Sister You, whom she hated.
She has a daughter, her only child by Jia Lian, Jia Qiaojie
, who is named by Granny Liu.
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
Dream of the Red Chamber
Dream of the Red Chamber
Dream of the Red Chamber , composed by Cao Xueqin, is one of China's Four Great Classical Novels. It was composed in the middle of the 18th century during the Qing Dynasty. It is considered to be a masterpiece of Chinese vernacular literature and is generally acknowledged to be a pinnacle of...
. A not-so-well educated upper-class woman with finesse, she is also known as "Peppercorn Feng" (鳳辣子) or "Hot Pepper". She is a niece of Lady Wang
Lady Wang
Lady Wang is a character in the classic Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber. She is the wife of Jia Zheng, and mother of Jia Zhu , Jia Yuanchun and Jia Baoyu...
and is married to Jia Lian, the eldest grandchild of Grandmother Jia
Grandmother Jia
Grandmother Jia , née Shi, so often also called Dowager Shi or simply the Dowager, is a major character in the Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber. She is the daughter of Marquis Shi of Jinling. She is also Baoyu and Daiyu's grandmother and the oldest and most respected authority of the Jia...
(hence, she is related to Baoyu
Jia Baoyu
Jia Baoyu is the principal character in the classic Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber.- Introduction :The first chapter describes how one piece of stone was left over from when the heaven was repaired by the Goddess Nüwa...
by blood and by marriage). As such she plays a significant role in the day-to-day running of the Rongguo household; in fact, she is the de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
holder of the household's purse. She is the most powerful woman of the Jia Clan, after Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang
Lady Wang
Lady Wang is a character in the classic Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber. She is the wife of Jia Zheng, and mother of Jia Zhu , Jia Yuanchun and Jia Baoyu...
. She is also worldly, tactful, able to sweettalk Grandmother Jia and the other powerful ladies within the family, while controlling the servants with an iron fist. However her husband Jia Lian does not treat her kindly, and is often caught womanizing outside.
Xifeng, or Sister Feng (Feng Jie), is well-known in the novel both for her great capability as well as her almost-venomous character; when a poorer member of the Jia family once showed interest in her, she tricked him repeatedly into "rendezvous" which turned out to be a trap, and eventually got the offending man killed (Chapters 11 and 12). Yet she is without doubt the most capable woman, if not the most capable character, within the novel; impartial and harsh in her discipline, she is hailed by her niece-in-law Qin Keqing as "a hero amongst womenfolk". She can be kindhearted towards rustic folks like Granny Liu
Granny Liu
Granny Liu is a character in Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber. She is an elderly country rustic and a distant relative of Lady Wang through "joining families" and marriage ....
, yet capable of great cruelty when her power is challenged, such as engineering the suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
of her husband's concubine Second Sister You, whom she hated.
She has a daughter, her only child by Jia Lian, Jia Qiaojie
Jia Qiaojie
Jia Qiaojie is a character in the Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber. She is the only child of Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng. She remains a child throughout much of the novel...
, who is named by Granny Liu.