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Hua Xiren (simplified Chinese: 花袭人; traditional Chinese: 花襲人; pinyin: Huā Xírén, rendered Aroma in David Hawkes' translation and Pervading Fragrance in Chi-chen Wang's translation), originally called Zhenzhu, is a major fictional character from the classic 18th century Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber. She is the chief maid of Jia Baoyu, the novel's protagonist. Her surname Hua means "Flower" and her given name literally means "assail people". Her given name is chosen by Baoyu and is borrowed from a line of poetry.
Sold by her poor parents to the Jia family, Xiren is portrayed as highly intelligent, diligent, and thoughtful, and all of her masters — Grandmother Jia, Shi Xiangyun, and Baoyu — are fond of her, as are most of her colleagues. In contrast to her partner Qingwen, Xiren is often seen as an upholder of repressive feudal values (especially by Marxist critics),[1] and as such, whether she usually acts out of genuine kindness or self-interest has been a matter of intense academic debate.
- ^ Edwards, Louise P. (2001). Men and Women in Qing China: Gender in the Red Chamber Dream. University of Hawaiʻi Press. pp. 17–18. ISBN 0-8248-2468-7.