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while I understand why the place names in cql had to be translated the way they were, most of the english versions just do not have the same poetic and nuanced vibe of the original chinese and in this essay (thread) I will--
1. 乱葬岗 Burial Mounds - one of the biggest culprits/victims of this trend
乱 luàn - to be messy, haphazard. also used to describe your mind being disturbed: 乱了心神 - lit. "your heart's senses are messy". ties in with the idea that demonic cultivation disrupts wwx's peace +
乱 luàn - to be messy, haphazard. also used to describe your mind being disturbed: 乱了心神 - lit. "your heart's senses are messy". ties in with the idea that demonic cultivation disrupts wwx's peace +
+ and that it is this sense of chaos that he experienced when he was first thrown there
葬 zàng - to be buried. along with 乱 it conveys a sense of irony, and suggests that it's not that ppl have been buried here, it's that they have died here and their bodies are strewn about +
葬 zàng - to be buried. along with 乱 it conveys a sense of irony, and suggests that it's not that ppl have been buried here, it's that they have died here and their bodies are strewn about +
+ and ties in with 死无葬身之地 "to die with no place for your body to be buried", which is how all these dead ppl here are. except now we are ironically suggesting they have been "buried" here when they clearly haven't, they've just died here or had their bodies thrown here +
+ and finally, 岗 găng - this does mean mound, or small hill, but it is also the word in 岗位 which is like a "post" (like a job or a position someone holds). the choice of this rather than a more conventional 山 shān ties in w the feeling of this being the stronghold that wwx +
+ stakes his life and reputation on, the final "post" that he has chosen to hold, that he will fulfill because it is his duty.
so, 乱葬岗 - just 3 chars but they convey such a powerful image of meaningless slaughter, but also of duty & righteousness. "burial mounds" could never
so, 乱葬岗 - just 3 chars but they convey such a powerful image of meaningless slaughter, but also of duty & righteousness. "burial mounds" could never
2. 云深不知处 Cloud Recesses - the most poetic, and by far my fave, place name in cql
CR is actly not a terrible trans - the chinese means "place that is unknown cos the clouds are so dense" - but the sense of poetry & melody is just impossible to capture in another language +
CR is actly not a terrible trans - the chinese means "place that is unknown cos the clouds are so dense" - but the sense of poetry & melody is just impossible to capture in another language +
+ when I first heard 云深不知处 I was immediately struck by how poetic and unlike conventional place names it sounded, so I did some research and turns out!! it's literally a line from a 唐 Tang dynasty poem, 《寻隐者不遇》 (pictured below) +
+ it's a short poem, only 20 characters, in which the narrator asks a child abt the whereabouts of some unspecified person, and the child replies that this person is picking herbs in the mountains, in a place that they don't know of specifically because the clouds are so dense +
+ the poem is abt looking for someone and not being able to find them, because they've kind of disappeared into the mists, and well if that isn't a gorgeous image, especially in the context of lwj wanting to bring wwx back to CR to hide him... idk what to tell u man +
+ it also gives the Lan sect this air of mystery, alongside their intellectualism for naming their HQ smth so poetic and high falutin, alongside again the feeling of wanting to be separate from the mess of worldly affairs (similar to the meaning of 忘机 wangji and 避尘 bichen) +
+ finally, here's some art for this poem (the words on the side/top are the poem in full, 云深不知处 is the final phrase). aren't these just the most beautiful & apt images for the Lan sect mountains?
"cloud recesses" is fine but it's nothing compared to "云深不知处"
"cloud recesses" is fine but it's nothing compared to "云深不知处"
3. 不净世 Unclean Realms - a couple of people have asked me abt this and tbh, idk if it has any literary/historical meaning. but here is my take based on my understanding of the language~
不净 bùjìng - this does mean "unclean", however not just in a physical sense +
不净 bùjìng - this does mean "unclean", however not just in a physical sense +
+ there is a phrase 居心不净 which means to harbour ill intents or have an ulterior motive, but the lit trans is "to have uncleaniness in your heart"
so this /could/ be a reference to the corruption of the sabre spirits and the tendency for the nie family to 走火入魔 +
so this /could/ be a reference to the corruption of the sabre spirits and the tendency for the nie family to 走火入魔 +
+ i.e. to lose their senses and develop smth "unclean" in their heart
however, put together w 世 shì - this means "realms" in a quite broad sense, like most just a city or town but the whole world, or universe. the same word as 人世 "human/mortal realm" +
however, put together w 世 shì - this means "realms" in a quite broad sense, like most just a city or town but the whole world, or universe. the same word as 人世 "human/mortal realm" +
+ so it could be a comment on the corruption and evil of the world that we live in, rather than saying that the nie HQ itself is dirty (this is a very nmj view of the world tbh)
but it could also be a tongue in cheek joke abt how the nie family were descended from butchers +
but it could also be a tongue in cheek joke abt how the nie family were descended from butchers +
+ a profession often seen as "unclean" on account of all the blood etc.
all three seem possible, and anw it's such a nie thing to be like "lmao u called us dirty so we are reclaiming it, we're not ashamed, but also btw here is our snarky comment on how this whole world is dirty"
all three seem possible, and anw it's such a nie thing to be like "lmao u called us dirty so we are reclaiming it, we're not ashamed, but also btw here is our snarky comment on how this whole world is dirty"
side note this draws an interesting contrast between 云深不知处 cloud recesses v. 不净世 unclean realms
the former is abt hiding away from the messiness of the world, abt rising above and detaching from the complications of the mortal realm
whereas the latter embraces +
the former is abt hiding away from the messiness of the world, abt rising above and detaching from the complications of the mortal realm
whereas the latter embraces +
+ the messiness and dirtiness of the human world and kinda gets all up in it
which again exemplifies the distinction between the Lans and the Nies, both the sects as a whole and the individuals in it, and their approach to a lot of things
much to think about~
which again exemplifies the distinction between the Lans and the Nies, both the sects as a whole and the individuals in it, and their approach to a lot of things
much to think about~
on 乱葬岗 someone has very helpfully pointed out that this is also a generic term for "mass grave" 
it's not quite the same as what that means in english, as it's not that a lot of bodies were buried in a pit or smth, it's more the idea of bodies + https://twitter.com/starkjeon/status/1316663171709497344?s=19
it's not quite the same as what that means in english, as it's not that a lot of bodies were buried in a pit or smth, it's more the idea of bodies + https://twitter.com/starkjeon/status/1316663171709497344?s=19
+ strewn abt haphazardly, often due to a battle or massive fight having taken place there, or just because it's a wilderness where ppl bury unclaimed bodies etc. that's why this phrase is used, because it's abt the chaos of death & the irony of calling it a place of "burial" 
