[Mainland Chinese Web Drama 2020] Three Lives Three Worlds The Pillow Book 三生三世枕上书

[triplesung]

1 minute ago, Ninky said:

She was a maid at Tai chen for 400 years. Her love for him spanned over 2000 years before their official fated meeting at Bai Qian’s wedding.

400 years is even longer than 200 . Their timeline sometimes (always) confuses me. Mathematics is not my forte.

This made me remember the 200 wedding dress DH made for FJ during that time  But more than anything, I want to see all those dresses. 

[chsaf]

4 minutes ago, triplesung said:

400 years is even longer than 200 . Their timeline sometimes (always) confuses me. Mathematics is not my forte.

This made me remember the 200 wedding dress DH made for FJ during that time  But more than anything, I want to see all those dresses. 

Me too I wanna see the pretty dresses 

[Ninky]

57 minutes ago, Megan said:

Regarding the situation after Dong Hua meets GG, what do you think he was thinking of when Gun Gun said FJ said he had no Father. I know Dong Hua was sad. And I am so glad he isn’t angry with Feng Jiu. But what was he thinking? Beyond the expected sadness that Feng Jiu really did want him out of her life. Why did he blame himself for making them suffer? Technically i thought they were doing fine. The only thing wrong was that there were no other family members to reunite with. Mother and Son did not meet the rest of the fox clan for 200 years, that’s gotta be sad on events like Chinese New Year or the mid autumn festival.

Both the book and the show glossed over the hardship she must have suffered carrying a three year pregnancy.

 

She stayed there for 200 tears and BGG was 197 years old at the end of those 200 years. 

 

Its basically one trimester a year. Three years is a long time to carry a pregnancy to term. During those years, deep down inside, she still yearned for Di Jun. I don’t believe her love for him had lessened in that time in any way whatsoever.
 

And I believe she would have wished for him to be by her side during the birth. Nine-tailed foxes are known for their difficult pregnancies and birth.

 

And as the boy grew and looked more and more like his father with each passing day, and at times have mannerisms that remind her of him. How could she not have felt the heartpain?

 

And as @MayanEcho has mentioned, they kept to themselves as she did not want mortals to suspect what they are. They have to move constantly as neither mother or son ages ( in the case of BGG, he grows very slowly every year when every other human child would have outgrown him

fairly quickly) . What a lonely life is that? 
 

While she may appear normal in the day to most people, some nights must have been agony for her especially before BGG was born. Who knows what silent tears she may have shed.

 

Bai Gun Gun was frequently made fun of because he had no father. He came home and asked his mother about his father. In the book, the stuff she was sunning fell onto her foot because she was taken aback by her son’s question, her foot hurt but she gritted her teeth and told BGG that immortals can have children without a father.

 

Bai Gun Gun told his Dad in Ideal Father what his mother told him, that’s when DH told BGG its his fault that mother and son had to suffer. 
 

DH is not stupid. He had no parents so he knows exactly what it is like to be all alone when you are at your most vulnerable. In the book, he once told Feng Jiu that when he first came into the world, he was quite weak and almost got ripped apart by wild wolves. 
 

This is why DH knew that she must have suffered.
 

1) She went to the mortal world alone and pregnant.

2) Gave birth and raised a child on her own for 200 years.

3) Lonely as she has to keep her and her child’s identity a secret.

4) Deep down in her heart, she pines for her “lost” love.

5) Carried a deep misunderstanding about the man in your heart for 200 years.

 

Both of them suffered. It is not about who suffered more or who suffered less. I feel they both suffered just as much as each other in that time. 
 

At least 200 years later, they got their Happy Ever After! They both would have learnt to make the most of each and every second of their eternal life. In the end, that is what matters most. 
 

Dong Hua has always underestimated Feng Jiu partly due to her age. Its part of the reason why he was a little shocked that she kept and raised their child by herself. Most people would not have the tenacity or depth of love to do this. Yet, she did. He would have felt sorry and sad that he was not there when she needed him most once again.

 

In contrast, Aranya and Shen Ye did not have that chance. They live only that one lifetime like we do but Shen Ye wasted that chance and was hoping for a do-over but it was never going to be the same whether he succeeded or not.

 

Long post that contains a lot of my insight but I hope this helps!

[MayanEcho]

23 minutes ago, triplesung said:

400 years is even longer than 200 . Their timeline sometimes (always) confuses me. Mathematics is not my forte.

This made me remember the 200 wedding dress DH made for FJ during that time  But more than anything, I want to see all those dresses. 

 

FJ and DH were like two parallel lines which will not ever meet at any point. The lost fate for Aranya and Shen Ye gave the conditions so that FJ and DH would finally see each other and eventually unite. (Sorry, I couldn't resist, after an earlier online reunion with former block mates and reminiscing our punishing daily maths )

 

24 minutes ago, chsaf said:

Me too I wanna see the pretty dresses 

 

More than the 200 beautiful dresses, those works of love of DH for FJ might have been the only reason that gave him hope he will see FJ again.

[Megan]

6 minutes ago, Ninky said:

the book, he once told Feng Jiu that when he first came into the world, he was quite weak and almost got ripped apart by wild wolves. 

I don’t remember that part. When it came to Dong Hua’s childhood, I mostly remember him fighting back.

[Ninky]

3 minutes ago, Megan said:

I don’t remember that part. When it came to Dong Hua’s childhood, I mostly remember him fighting back.

In the chinese version it was there when they were talking about zi he’s parents. Dong Hua had a very lonely childhood, even when Zi He’s parents took pity on him and raised him, they did not love him and disliked him due to his odd silver hair.

 

He fought a lot in his youth as he was a pretty solitary person and did not want to appear weak to deter bullies. He knows loneliness best, trust me.

 

That’s why Feng Jiu’s love touched him so deeply. No one has ever truly cared, protected or loved him - except her.

[MayanEcho]

9 minutes ago, Ninky said:

 

DH is not stupid. He had no parents so he knows exactly what it is like to be all alone when you are at your most vulnerable. In the book, he once told Feng Jiu that when he first came into the world, he was quite weak and almost got ripped apart by wild wolves. 

 

Thanks for this @Ninky, as this isn't in the translated version. I presume this was why he was adopted by Zhi He's parents.

[Megan]

3 minutes ago, Ninky said:

In the chinese version it was there when they were talking about zi he’s parents.

Um...you mean like episode or book?

[Ninky]

3 minutes ago, Megan said:

Um...you mean like episode or book?

Book

[Ninky]

8 minutes ago, MayanEcho said:

 

Thanks for this @Ninky, as this isn't in the translated version. I presume this was why he was adopted by Zhi He's parents.

It is why he was adopted. Book goes further and says even though they fed and clothed him out of pity, they didn’t like or love him due to his strange silver hair.

 

Our friend had Mr Lonely as a bestie for a long long time.

[Aari sky]

19 minutes ago, Ninky said:

In the chinese version it was there when they were talking about zi he’s parents. Dong Hua had a very lonely childhood, even when Zi He’s parents took pity on him and raised him, they did not love him and disliked him due to his odd silver hair.

 

He fought a lot in his youth as he was a pretty solitary person and did not want to appear weak to deter bullies. He knows loneliness best, trust me.

 

That’s why Feng Jiu’s love touched him so deeply. No one has ever truly cared, protected or loved him - except her.

Damn!! Now I want to read the officially translated version of pillow book so I can get to know all the missing details..

Hope TQ will decide to publish pillow book Intentionally like she did with peach Blossom.. it would be great if ur team (also hamster) can be the official translators

[Megan]

When you think about it, Dong Hua definitely paid his debt to his foster parents. They raised him with normal care and no love. Dong Hua raised their Daughter as a spoilt princess...not sure how he felt about her though. What do you think Dong Hua feels about his foster Sister? Does he treat her only as an obligation? Does he think of her as real family, since technically he did raise her.

oh dear...now I’m worried Gun Gun would have turned out like Zhihe if Dong Hua had raised him. Under Feng Jiu, GG became a momma’s boy, wanting to spend time with her and caring for her.

as for Zhihe, since Dong Hua raised her. She is an adult now...it’s time for Dong Hua to finish his debt to his foster parents by marrying her out of his household. Debt officially over. It would be her husband’s turn to look after Zhihe.

[Ninky]

Found the exact chinese quote for that part:

 

“我小时候无父无母，刚化生时灵气微弱差点被虎狼分食，知鹤的双亲看我可怜将我领回去抚养，对我有施饭之恩。”

Excerpt from
三生三世 枕上书
唐七公子

“I did not have a mother or father when I was little. When I was born, my spiritual energy was weak and I was almost ripped apart for a meal by tigers and wolves. Zhi He’s parents took pity on me and took me home to raise, and I owe them the gratitude of kindly meals.”

Excerpt from

Three Lives Three Worlds, The Pillow Book

Tang Qi Gong Zi

 

(that’s tang qi’s full pen name)

 

Not sure why Hamster missed this, it is quite important to his story.

[MayanEcho]

29 minutes ago, Ninky said:

Found the exact chinese quote for that part:

 

“我小时候无父无母，刚化生时灵气微弱差点被虎狼分食，知鹤的双亲看我可怜将我领回去抚养，对我有施饭之恩。”

Excerpt from
三生三世 枕上书
唐七公子

“I did not have a mother or father when I was little. When I was born, my spiritual energy was weak and I was almost ripped apart for a meal by tigers and wolves. Zhi He’s parents took pity on me and took me home to raise me, and I owe them the gratitude of meals.”

Excerpt from

Three Lives Three Worlds, The Pillow Book

Tang Qi Gong Zi

 

(that’s tang qi’s full pen name)

 

Not sure why Hamster missed this, it is quite important to his story.

 

The translation by Hamster is like this at PB1, p266

 

Donghua dazed out and at length replied, “I was a parentless child. In the beginning when I first sprang forth from the Blue Sea, I didn't have enough fairy energy and was at the mercy of wild beasts. Zhihe's parents brought me home in sympathy and raised me up out of good grace. Ninety-thousand years later, just before they passed away, they finally conceived Zhi'he. Since they entrusted her to me, of course I had to care for her...”

[Ninky]

25 minutes ago, MayanEcho said:

 

The translation by Hamster is like this at PB1, p266

 

Donghua dazed out and at length replied, “I was a parentless child. In the beginning when I first sprang forth from the Blue Sea, I didn't have enough fairy energy and was at the mercy of wild beasts. Zhihe's parents brought me home in sympathy and raised me up out of good grace. Ninety-thousand years later, just before they passed away, they finally conceived Zhi'he. Since they entrusted her to me, of course I had to care for her...”

I translated it closer to the chinese version. Di Jun speaks in simple clear words, not so formal like hamster’s translation. And 化生 iisn’t Sprang forth either. It means transformative birth so it simply means he was conceived and born from heavenly essences. So it is simply translated as “born”.

 

Read our blog article on how immortals are born for greater clarity.

 

I think Hamster might have decided to paraphrase it to make him sound more “kingly” however, Dong Hua does always use simple, clear words when speaking. At least that is how the chinese version felt like, more akin to his personality, unlikely to mince words or use formal

language in his interaction with Feng Jiu especially.

[MayanEcho]

1 hour ago, Aari sky said:

Damn!! Now I want to read the officially translated version of pillow book so I can get to know all the missing details..

Hope TQ will decide to publish pillow book Intentionally like she did with peach Blossom.. it would be great if ur team (also hamster) can be the official translators

 

Anybody but Toland to translate. There'll be not enough tofu!  

[Ninky]

11 minutes ago, MayanEcho said:

 

Anybody but Toland to translate. There'll be not enough tofu!  

The thing about translation is if you miss the mark and use the wrong choice of words, the meaning and feel of the scene will change drastically.

 

For example, using the closer chinese meaning at the part when Dong Hua talks about being almost ripped apart like a meal by tigers and wolves feels a lot different to Hamsters “at the mercy of wild beasts” since it is a more vivid description as per Tang Qi’s words. 
 

Note that the meaning is the same but it does not feel the same emotionally.
 

That also helps you understand why the couple pitied him and raised him despite not liking him at all :(. That’s why he specifically said the kindness they showed towards him came in the form of kindly meals and not anything more (no real love was given).

[MayanEcho]

38 minutes ago, Ninky said:

I translated it closer to the chinese version. Di Jun speaks in simple clear words, not so formal like hamster’s translation. And 化生 iisn’t Sprang forth either. It means transformative birth so it simply means he was conceived and born from heavenly essences. So it is simply translated as “born”.

 

Read our blog article on how immortals are born for greater clarity.

 

I think Hamster might have decided to paraphrase it to make him sound more “kingly” however, Dong Hua does always use simple, clear words when speaking. At least that is how the chinese version felt like, more akin to his personality, unlikely to mince words or use formal

language in his interaction with Feng Jiu especially.

 

I agree that Hamster went for the more formal tone, likely due to DH as emperor. In the series, most of the misunderstanding between DH and FJ were over things left unsaid or unanswered. That scene when they meet again after 200 years is an example. Otherwise, DH is very direct and concise when he talks, without the vinegar with FJ.

[MayanEcho]

4 minutes ago, Ninky said:

The thing about translation if you miss the mark and use the wrong choice of words, the meaning and feel of the scene will change drastically.

 

For example, using the closer chinese meaning at the part when Dong Hua talks about being almost ripped apart like a meal by tigers and wolves feels a lot different to Hamsters “at the mercy of wild beasts” since it is a more vivid description as per Tang Qi’s words. 
 

Note that the meaning is the same but it does not feel the same emotionally.
 

That also helps you understand why the couple pitied him raised him despite not liking him at all :(. That’s why he specifically said the kindness they showed towards him came in the form of kindly meals and not anything more (no real love was given).

 

Wild beasts is vague, whereas specifying which creatures want to devour him packs more punch.

 

I assume his foster parents' home was nearby or also in Bihai Cangling?

 

DH and FJ are so alike when it comes to gratitude. They don't shirk in paying back. 

[Megan]

12 minutes ago, Ninky said:

That also helps you understand why the couple pitied him and raised him despite not liking him at all :(. That’s why he specifically said the kindness they showed towards him came in the form of kindly meals and not anything more (no real love was given).

What about shelter?