scarlet heart

1.1

Footnotes

1. 1704 AD.

2. elder sister

3 Orig. 侧福晋

‘ce fujin’. ‘Fujin’ is the Manchurian word for wife or madam. ‘Ce’ means ‘side.’ ‘Ce fujin’ is ‘the wife who

dwells in the side room’. In comparison to regular concubines, being a ‘Ce fujin’ is still a highly regarded position in the household as both 嫡福晋 ‘di fujin’ (First wife) and ‘ce fujin’ are officialised by the Ministry of Rites, and their names are added to the royal book. You also can have more than one ‘ce fujin’.

4 Original word used: 亲王

‘Qin Wang.’ The ‘Prince’ (Qin Wang) here is not the same as being called a prince by birthright, but rather, it could be translated as “Prince of the first rank” or “Prince of the blood.” It is a peerage title granted to male

descendants in the royal family, and is the highest rank in the Qing peerage system. The first 4 ranks are usually given solely to direct male descendants of the Emperor, though exceptions are found. There are a total of 12 ranks for the imperial line. Because it’s an official title, I will be using Prince here with an upper case P.

5 Original word used: 阿哥

‘A’Ge’. In the Qing royal family, a young prince who has not yet been bestowed any title is known as A’Ge. Most of the time, the princes are not referred to by their actual first name (not even by the Emperor himself) but rather, their number then the word A’Ge. So as the 8th son, Yinsi is known as the Eighth A’Ge. I will continue to use the word prince (with a lower case p) here rather than A’Ge for easier reading.

6 多罗贝勒 

‘duo’luo’bei’le’, often shortened to ‘Bei’le’, is a peerage title that can be bestowed to those within the royal

family. It is the third rank in the Qing peerage system for the imperial line.

7 All of Kangxi’s sons had the word ‘Yin’ in it. Yongzheng’s brothers all had to change this word to ‘Yun’ in their names to avoid taboo when Yongzheng became Emperor.

8 Orig. 选秀女 ‘xuan xiu nu’, literally means to choose (‘xuan’) an elegant female (xiu nu). Xiu Nu is basically a title given to preparative concubines to the Emperor. An event to choose these future concubines is held every 3 years. All Manchurians under the banner system have to send their unmarried daughters to this event when they are of age. Girls who are not chosen are usually arranged to marry men in the Imperial family, notable noblemen or sons of high ranking officials.

9 Refers to their father’s second concubine.

10 Lingshan is the highest mountain in Beijing.

11吉祥 ‘ji’xiang’ is a standard greeting one of lower status uses to greet people with higher status in court. The word literally mean auspicious and can be translated as, ‘I wish good fortunes, prosperity and happiness to you”.

12 Not company as in business company but company as in a unit of an army. A company usually is comprised of 3-5 platoons of men.

13 Orig. word: “Ge-Ge” (格). 

A Manchurian word for young mistress, or lady. It is a title you would call an unmarried noblewoman (or before they are bestowed an official title by the Emperor) above a certain rank. It does not mean princess like it is often used in Chinese dramas and novels. Before they are given titles, daughters of the Emperors are referred to as “gong zhu” (公主), as the Manchurians have adopted certain Ming customs after they established control over China. Therefore, as a noblewoman, Ruoxi is considered a “Ge’Ge”.

14 Younger sister

15 Orig. 月白色

‘yue bai se’, literally moon white colour. The colour “moon white” is not what people usually assume as a

very bright, and pure white color. The ancient Chinese actually viewed the moon as being white with a blue tint. Thus ‘yue bai se’ is really a colour that is a very pale blue.