Xie Bao
Encyclopedia
Xie Bao is a fictional character in the Water Margin
, one of the Four Great Classical Novels
of Chinese literature
. He ranks 35th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Twin-tailed Scorpion".
tall, with a round face and a dark complexion. He sports a pair of flying yaksha
tattoos on his legs and dresses in a similar manner to his older brother Xie Zhen
. He has a reputation for being brave and daring. He can travel in harsh conditions, scale mountains and climb dangerous cliffs. He is highly skilled in martial arts and carries a bronze forked spear as his weapon. He is nicknamed "Twin-tailed Scorpion".
). Once, the magistrate orders them to hunt a ferocious tiger within three days. On the third night, the brothers track down the tiger and fire poisoned arrows at it. The wounded tiger falls off the cliff and lands in the backyard of Squire Mao's residence. The brothers go to claim the tiger but Squire Mao has already sent his servants to bring the dead tiger to the magistrate to claim his reward. He accuses them of attempting to rob him and the brothers are arrested and imprisoned. Mao bribes the magistrate to sentence the brothers to death.
The jailer Yue He
is a relative of the Xie brothers' cousin-in-law Sun Li and he goes to seek help from Sun. Sun Li, Sun Xin, Gu Dasao
, Zou Run
and Zou Yuan
raid the prison and succeed in rescuing the Xie brothers. They kill Squire Mao and his family for revenge and flee to Liangshan Marsh
to join the outlaw band there.
Xie Bao follows the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao
invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. During the Fang La
campaign, the Xie brothers offer to scout the enemy territory of Black Dragon Ridge. They disguise themselves as hunters and scale the mountain but are discovered by enemy soldiers, who attempt to capture them with hooks. Xie Zhen attempts to free himself but fails and falls to his death while Xie Bao is killed by the boulders and other debris thrown down by the enemy.
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 35th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Twin-tailed Scorpion".
Background
The Water Margin describes Xie Bao as seven chiChi (unit)
The chi is a traditional Chinese unit of length, approximately equal to one foot. Its length is derived from the length of human forearm and has first appeared during the Shang Dynasty approximately 3000 years ago. Since then it has spread to and adopted by other East Asian cultures, such as...
tall, with a round face and a dark complexion. He sports a pair of flying yaksha
Yaksha
Yaksha is the name of a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, who are caretakers of the natural treasures hidden in the earth and tree roots. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist mythology. The feminine form of the word is ' or Yakshini .In Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist mythology,...
tattoos on his legs and dresses in a similar manner to his older brother Xie Zhen
Xie Zhen
Xie Zhen is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 34th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Double-headed Serpent".-Background:...
. He has a reputation for being brave and daring. He can travel in harsh conditions, scale mountains and climb dangerous cliffs. He is highly skilled in martial arts and carries a bronze forked spear as his weapon. He is nicknamed "Twin-tailed Scorpion".
Jailbreak
The Xie brothers are the best hunters in Dengzhou (in present-day ShandongShandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
). Once, the magistrate orders them to hunt a ferocious tiger within three days. On the third night, the brothers track down the tiger and fire poisoned arrows at it. The wounded tiger falls off the cliff and lands in the backyard of Squire Mao's residence. The brothers go to claim the tiger but Squire Mao has already sent his servants to bring the dead tiger to the magistrate to claim his reward. He accuses them of attempting to rob him and the brothers are arrested and imprisoned. Mao bribes the magistrate to sentence the brothers to death.
The jailer Yue He
Yue He
Yue He is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 77th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 41st of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Iron Whistle".-Background:...
is a relative of the Xie brothers' cousin-in-law Sun Li and he goes to seek help from Sun. Sun Li, Sun Xin, Gu Dasao
Gu Dasao
Gu Dasao is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. She ranks 101st of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 65th of the 72 Earthly Fiends...
, Zou Run
Zou Run
Zou Run is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 91st of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 55th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Single-horned Dragon".-Background:...
and Zou Yuan
Zou Yuan
Zou Yuan is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 90th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 54th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Forest Emerging Dragon".-Background:...
raid the prison and succeed in rescuing the Xie brothers. They kill Squire Mao and his family for revenge and flee to Liangshan Marsh
Mount 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...
to join the outlaw band there.
Becoming an outlaw
The Xie brothers join Sun Li and they act as spies for Liangshan during the battle with the Zhu Family Village. They help the Liangshan forces capture the village by causing chaos inside. They become leaders of the Liangshan infantry after the Grand Assembly.Xie Bao follows the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao
Liao 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 they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. 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, the Xie brothers offer to scout the enemy territory of Black Dragon Ridge. They disguise themselves as hunters and scale the mountain but are discovered by enemy soldiers, who attempt to capture them with hooks. Xie Zhen attempts to free himself but fails and falls to his death while Xie Bao is killed by the boulders and other debris thrown down by the enemy.
See also
- List of Water Margin minor characters#Xie brothers' story for a list of supporting minor characters from Xie Bao's story.