Zhao Min
Encyclopedia
Zhao Min, birth name Minmin Temür (敏敏特穆儿), noble title Shaomin Princess (邵敏郡主), is one of the two female lead characters in Jin Yong's wuxia
novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. She is originally named "Zhao Ming" (趙明) in the first edition of the novel, and the Chinese character "Min" (敏) in her birth name and nobility title used to be "Ming" (明). Jin Yong describes her appearance as "naturally elegant and graceful, with a bright countenance." (瀟灑飄逸，容光照人)
. Her older brother is Köke Temür
. As a child, Zhao Min is ambitious and full of vigour, eager to take on duties that are traditionally done by men in the male-dominant society of her time. Her father, a military general, is appointed by the emperor to eradicate the rebel organization Ming Cult
and bring order to the wulin
. Zhao Min helps her father with her wit and intelligence.
Zhao Min makes her first appearance in the story by using the "Ten Fragrances Tendon-weakening Powder" (十香軟筋散) to poison several pugilists from the six major orthodox sects in the wulin, including the "Seven Heroes of Wudang
" and Abbess Miejue of the Emei Sect
. They are captured by Zhao Min and her men, and are imprisoned in Wan'an Monastery. As the six sects have recently come to a truce with the Ming Cult, Zhao Min intends to lure Zhang Wuji
, new leader of the cult, into a trap and capture him too. Zhang Wuji travels to Green Willow Mountain Manor to meet Zhao Min, without knowing her true identity. When Zhao Min attempts to poison Zhang Wuji with the powder, Zhang Wuji sees through her plans and stops her through frolicking and romantic moments in an underground chamber.
Zhao Min also improves her martial arts prowess by tricking the captured pugilists into displaying their skills, lying that she will set them free if they can defeat her men, while secretly noting down their movements and learning them. Despite standing on opposing grounds with Zhang Wuji, she gradually falls in love with her rival and asks him to let her to follow him on his adventures, as part of her three conditions in freeing the captured pugilists. On Divine Serpent Island, Zhao Min is wrongly accused by Zhang Wuji of murdering Yin Li, and robbing him of the Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. Actually, the one responsible is Zhou Zhiruo
, who has stolen the secret from the weapons and framed Zhao Min for it. When Zhang Wuji encounters Zhao Min later, he wants to kill her but refrains from doing so, because he has fallen in love with her.
As the story progresses, the romantic relationship between Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min deepens, even though they are entangled in a love triangle with Zhou Zhiruo. When Zhang Wuji decides to marry Zhou Zhiruo, Zhao Min appears and disrupts the wedding, stating that her second condition (when she agreed to free the captured pugilists) is that Zhang cannot marry Zhou. Zhang Wuji rejects the request initially, but accepts later when Zhao Min tells him that she knows the whereabouts of his godfather Xie Xun. Zhou Zhiruo hates Zhao Min and she attacks Zhao with the "Nine Yin White Bone Claw", but Zhang Wuji saves Zhao.
By the end of the novel, Zhang Wuji finally realises that Zhao Min is his true love and he tells Zhou Zhiruo about it. The couple decides to retire from the jianghu for a reclusive life after Zhang Wuji mistakenly believes that his subordinates are planning to kill him to seize power. In the last chapter, Zhao Min tells Zhang Wuji that her third condition is for him to help her paint her eyebrows.
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 The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. She is originally named "Zhao Ming" (趙明) in the first edition of the novel, and the Chinese character "Min" (敏) in her birth name and nobility title used to be "Ming" (明). Jin Yong describes her appearance as "naturally elegant and graceful, with a bright countenance." (瀟灑飄逸，容光照人)
Biography
Zhao Min is the daughter of Chaghan Temür, the Ruyang Prince (汝陽王) of the Yuan DynastyYuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
. Her older brother is Köke Temür
Köke Temür
Köke Temür , also known as Wang Baobao , was a Han-Naiman general of the Yuan Dynasty. His mother was the daughter of a Mongolian prince while his father was an ethnic Han Chinese with the surname Wang. Before he was given the Mongolian name by the Yuan court in the early 1360s, he was known by his...
. As a child, Zhao Min is ambitious and full of vigour, eager to take on duties that are traditionally done by men in the male-dominant society of her time. Her father, a military general, is appointed by the emperor to eradicate the rebel organization Ming Cult
Ming Cult
The Ming Cult is a fictional cult and martial arts sect based on the actual Gnostic religion Manichaeism. It plays an important role in Jin Yong's The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber of all wuxia fiction works. It is also briefly mentioned in The Legend of the Condor Heroes as well...
and bring order to the wulin
Jianghu
The jianghu is the milieu, environment, or sub-community, often fictional, in which many Chinese wuxia stories are set.In modern Chinese culture, jianghu is commonly accepted as an alternative universe coexisting with the actual historical one in which the context of the wuxia genre was set...
. Zhao Min helps her father with her wit and intelligence.
Zhao Min makes her first appearance in the story by using the "Ten Fragrances Tendon-weakening Powder" (十香軟筋散) to poison several pugilists from the six major orthodox sects in the wulin, including the "Seven Heroes of Wudang
Wudang Sect
The Wudang Sect is a fictional Chinese martial arts sect featured in several works of wuxia fiction. It is one of the most famous and recognised orthodox and righteous sects in the jianghu. Its home base is in the Wudang Mountains...
" and Abbess Miejue of the Emei Sect
Emei Sect
The Emei Sect is one of the leading orthodox Chinese martial arts sects in the jianghu in several works of wuxia fiction. Its home base is on Mount Emei in Sichuan...
. They are captured by Zhao Min and her men, and are imprisoned in Wan'an Monastery. As the six sects have recently come to a truce with the Ming Cult, Zhao Min intends to lure Zhang Wuji
Zhang Wuji
Zhang Wuji is the fictional protagonist of the wuxia novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber by Jin Yong.-Early life:Zhang was born on Ice Fire Island to Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu. He is named by his godfather, Xie Xun, in memory of Xie's deceased son, Xie Wuji...
, new leader of the cult, into a trap and capture him too. Zhang Wuji travels to Green Willow Mountain Manor to meet Zhao Min, without knowing her true identity. When Zhao Min attempts to poison Zhang Wuji with the powder, Zhang Wuji sees through her plans and stops her through frolicking and romantic moments in an underground chamber.
Zhao Min also improves her martial arts prowess by tricking the captured pugilists into displaying their skills, lying that she will set them free if they can defeat her men, while secretly noting down their movements and learning them. Despite standing on opposing grounds with Zhang Wuji, she gradually falls in love with her rival and asks him to let her to follow him on his adventures, as part of her three conditions in freeing the captured pugilists. On Divine Serpent Island, Zhao Min is wrongly accused by Zhang Wuji of murdering Yin Li, and robbing him of the Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. Actually, the one responsible is Zhou Zhiruo
Zhou Zhiruo
Zhou Zhiruo is one of the two female lead characters in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. Jin Yong describes Zhou's physical appearance as "beautiful, pure and free of worldly traits" .-Biography:...
, who has stolen the secret from the weapons and framed Zhao Min for it. When Zhang Wuji encounters Zhao Min later, he wants to kill her but refrains from doing so, because he has fallen in love with her.
As the story progresses, the romantic relationship between Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min deepens, even though they are entangled in a love triangle with Zhou Zhiruo. When Zhang Wuji decides to marry Zhou Zhiruo, Zhao Min appears and disrupts the wedding, stating that her second condition (when she agreed to free the captured pugilists) is that Zhang cannot marry Zhou. Zhang Wuji rejects the request initially, but accepts later when Zhao Min tells him that she knows the whereabouts of his godfather Xie Xun. Zhou Zhiruo hates Zhao Min and she attacks Zhao with the "Nine Yin White Bone Claw", but Zhang Wuji saves Zhao.
By the end of the novel, Zhang Wuji finally realises that Zhao Min is his true love and he tells Zhou Zhiruo about it. The couple decides to retire from the jianghu for a reclusive life after Zhang Wuji mistakenly believes that his subordinates are planning to kill him to seize power. In the last chapter, Zhao Min tells Zhang Wuji that her third condition is for him to help her paint her eyebrows.
External links
Zhao Min on Baidu BaikeBaidu Baike
Baidu Encyclopedia is a Chinese language collaborative Web-based encyclopedia provided by the Chinese search engine Baidu. Like Baidu itself, the encyclopedia is heavily self-censored in line with government regulations....