Dinghai Character and Glossary

Since there are a lot of terms in this novel, we've compiled some important terminologies + little notes in case you're getting confused. Everything is arranged according to the chapter it first appeared. CTRL + F if you want to quickly find something~ Also, if we miss any or you have something to ask, please do tell and we'll add it right away!

This glossary is not complete and more things will be added soon.

Last Update: Chapter 60

TABLE OF CONTENT

TIMELINE
CHARACTERS
PLACES
ARTIFACTS
TERMINOLOGY
KEY EVENT
TRIBES
XIANG SHU'S TITLES
THE EIGHT SHADOW GENERALS

TIMELINE

This novel was set during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, in which the conflict between the Hans (Jin) and the Hus (Qin) was reaching its climax. It started in the year 379, the fourth year of Jin Taiyuan, though the references went way back to the Han Dynasty.

CHARACTERS

Chapter 1

陈星 Chen Xing = Lovely MC. An exorcist that wields the Heart Lamp. 16 at the start of the novel.
朱序 Zhu Xu = Governor of Liangzhou, in charge of defending Xiangyang.
谢安 Xie An = A minister of the Hans who gave Chen Xing a document to help him. Actual appearance: Chapter 48

Chapter 2

项述 Xiang Shu = The one with many names. ML. 20 at the start of the novel.
天魔 Mara = The Divine Devil from the prophecy that would soon be awakened.
Fu Jian = Leader of the Hus (Qin) inside the Great Wall (the Five Barbarians). Actual appearance: Chapter 10

Chapter 4

Murong Chong = Fu Jian's lover (sort of). Handsome (by Fu Jian). Nicknamed Phoenix (also by Fu Jian). Actual appearance: Chapter 26
Xiang Shu (Dog) = A dog Chen Xing took in.

Chapter 5

冯千钧 Feng Qianjun = Another squad member.

Chapter 7

Sima Wei = One of the eight princes who died during the War of the Eight Princes and got revived.
The Masked Man = Mysterious dude who made chaos in Longzhong and somehow revived Sima Wei.

Chapter 9

Yuwen Xin = MC's childhood friend.
拓跋焱 Tuoba Yan = Princess Qinghe's cousin. A Mounted Regular Attendant. Has a crush on MC? 18 at the start of the novel.

Chapter 10

Jiantou = Fu Jian's other name.
述律空 Shulü Kong = Xiang Shu's other name.

Chapter 11

Shulü Wen = Xiang Shu's father. Actual appearance: Chapter 37
Princess Qinghe = Murong Chong's sister. Fu Jian's concubine.

Chapter 12

Wang Meng = Fu Jian's prime minister. A Han. Already died before the novel started.
Chen Zhe = Chen Xing's father.

Chapter 13

Feng Qianyi = Feng Qianjun's brother.

Chapter 19

Kjera = Mysterious dude who transformed Youduo and Xiang Shu's father into living corpses.

Chapter 29

车罗风 Che Luofeng = Xiang Shu's Anda.

Chapter 32

Xiang Yuyan = Xiang Shu's mother. A Han. Actual appearance: Chapter 58
Nadoro = The Akele's newborn prince. Chen Xing helped his delivery. Named by Xiang Shu.

Chapter 33

Zhou Zhen = Che Luofeng's lover. Dead. Mixed-race of Han and Rouran. Actual appearance: Chapter 41
Youduo = The Akele's oldest prince who became a living corpse. Was first killed by Che Luofeng.

Chapter 35

肖山 Xiao Shan = Wolf boy. Mixed-race of Han and Xianbei. Wang Zhaojun's descendant.

Chapter 37

陆影 Lu Ying = Deer papa of Xiao Shan.
Chiyou = THE BIG BOSS, SUPPOSEDLY...

Chapter 38

烛阴 Zhuyin = The name of the Dragon God who fell in Carosha. Based on a real mythical beast with the same name.
Shi Hai = Kjera's real (?) name.
Zhang Liu = An exorcist who came 300 years ago to Carosha and took the Dinghai Pearl. Actual appearance: Chapter 58 (in a flashback)

Chapter 40

Shi Mokun = Tiele's current leader.

Chapter 48

百里伦 Baili Lun = CX’s Master. He said that he was an assassin who was the recipient of the Chen family’s grace.

Chapter 51

王子夜 Wang Ziye = One of Kjera's vessel.
谢道韫 Xie Daoyun = Xie An's niece. A doctor.
顾青 Gu Qing = FQJ's lover.
周翌 Zhou Yi = ...I don't remember who, sorry.
温哲 Wen Zhe = Owner of some other bank.

Chapter 56

吴骐 Wu Qi = Provincial official of Kuaiji

Chapter 60

Wen Che = Wen Zhe's original identity. Used to be a Protector guarding Xin Yuanping.
Xin Yuanping = Exorcist and Wen Che's Fujun who was turned into a jiao T_T

Chapter 64

Sima Yao = Current Emperor of Jin.
Pu Yang = A descendant of exorcists who worked under Sima Yao.

Chapter 118

Huleishan = The best horse in the world.

PLACES

Chapter 1

Xiangyang City = Where Chen Xing met Xiang Shu for the first time.
Divine Land/Shenzhou = Old name for China.
Hanzhong = CX’s hometown.

Chapter 2

Central Plains = The area on the lower reaches of the Yellow River which formed the cradle of Chinese civilization.
Mt. Hua = Chen Xing's home mountain.

Chapter 4

Chang'an City = Fu Jian's capital city.
Mai City = Where Chen Xing met Feng Qianjun for the first time.

Chapter 5

Dongzhe Bank Joint Venture = Xiang Shu stole money from here. Located in Mai City.
Longzhong = Where Sima Wei's tomb was located and where the masked man first appeared.

Chapter 8

Weiyang Palace = Fu Jian's main residence.

Chapter 9

Jinyang City = Chen Xing's hometown.

Chapter 10

Dengming Palace = Palace where Fu Jian read and amended memorials to the throne. Where Fu Jian first appeared.

Chapter 13

Songbai Residence = A place where Chen Xing thought would have some info regarding the Silence of All Magic. 300-year-old ruins of Chang'an's Exorcism Department was located here.
Xifeng Bank = Same location as above. Owned by the Feng Family.

Chapter 23

Ahfang Palace = Another Fu Jian's residence in Chang'an.

Chapter 26

Chi Le Chuan = Where the 16 Hu tribes lived beyond the Great Wall.
Yin Mountains = A mountain range where Chi Le Chuan is located.

Chapter 28

Carosha = Ancient Xiongnu's burial ground. A place where the dragon god once fell.
Erchilun = Carosha's name in Tiele language.

Chapter 32

塞北 Saibei/Saiwai = Refers to the area north of the Great Wall where nomadic tribes lived.
Barkol Lake = A big lake in the north area where the Consort first met Xiang Shu's mother.

Chapter 34

Karakorum = An ancient city Chen Xing passed through when he was on his way to Carosha.
Longcheng = Once was Xiongnu's capital before being attacked by Wei Qing. Another name for Karakorum.

Chapter 42

Huhebashige Peak = Place where CX was taken captive by Che Luofeng. Is the highest peak of Huhebashi Mountain, a part of Lang mountain range, which is also a part of the bigger Yin mountain range.
Huanmo Palace = Chiyou's Palace.

Chapter 45

平壤 Pyongyang = A place CX visited when he got kidnapped by Sima Wei.

Chapter 59

高丽 Goryeo = the Korean kingdom that Pyongyang was part of

Others

Guanzhong = “Lands within the passes,” refers to the area where the Han lived.
Jiangnan = Southern part of Yangtze River.
Hulunbuir
Mt. Helan
Jiankang = Jin's capital.

ARTIFACTS

Chapter 1

Heart Lamp = Chen Xing's magic artifact.

Chapter 13

森罗万象 Senluo Wanxiang = Feng Qianjun's sabre, also a magic weapon. Able to control woods and plants. Was forged from two weapons, Senluo & Wanxiang.

Chapter 18

阴阳鉴 Yin Yang Mirror = A magic artifact from 300 years ago. Able to make a world inside the mirror using the same technique as ‘stone rubbing'.

Chapter 20

定海珠 Dinghai Pearl = Magical artifact which Chen Xing believed was connected to the disappearance of all magic.

Chapter 32

Four Elemental Rings = Was given by the Akeles to Xiang Shu when they asked for help in delivering the baby.

Chapter 35

苍穹一裂 Cangqiong Yilie = Xiao Shan's pair of claws. Was said to be taken from the fallen dragon's claws.

Chapter 41

鹿鸣杖 Deer Cry Staff = Made from Lu Ying's horns. Able to command living corpses.
狰鼓 Zheng Drum = A drum which was said to be made from the fur of Zheng, a mythical animal.

Chapter 50ish

落魂钟 Luohun Bell = Bell that can steal two of the three souls of people. Was owned by Xiang Shu's mother.

Chapter 58

潮汐轮 Tide Ring = 时光如海，岁月如潮，接下来，咱们须得觅一处洞天福地，吸纳天地灵气，其后再择一处布阵，催动珠中这枚对应天地脉的光轮逆转，时光便得以倒流，因果也得以重新开始

Chapter 59

离魂花/离魂花粉 = Lihun Flower/Lihun Pollen = Pollen that can make people forget. First appearance: Chapter 58; First named: Chapter 59

Chapter 60

黑暗宝灯 = Hypothetical alternate form of the Heart Lamp, if it gets refined with resentment instead.

Others

不动如山 Acala Blade = Xiang Shu's weapon. Name revealed on Chapter 50. Sometimes called ‘Sword of Wisdom' because it was said to be owned by Acala, one of the Wisdom Kings. Found inside the Yin Yang Mirror. The sheath was found in the bank. HAS 6 FORMS (named in Ch. 63). Nine Syllables of Tao were engraved on its body.
- 智慧剑 Sword of Wisdom = Default
- 蚀月弓 Moon Eclipse Bow = Chapter 37
- 降魔杵 Demon-Slaying Staff = Chapter 42
- 捆妖绳 Yao-Binding Rope = Chapter 54
- 大日金轮 Golden Sun Ring = Chapter 54
- 金刚箭 Golden Arrows = Chapter 54
沧浪珠 Canglang Pearl
天罗扇 Tianluo Fan
驺虞幡 Zouyu Banner
白虎幡 White Tiger Banner

MYTHICAL ANIMALS

Chapter 40

狈 Bei = A legendary animal that was said to have short forelegs and long hind legs. It needed to crawl just to walk, because of that, it always rode a wolf.

Chapter 41

狰 Zheng = A mythical animal in Chinese mythology, first recorded in Classis of Mountain and Sea. Resembles a scarlet panther, but has five tails and a horn, as well as a roar which sounds as if something hits a rock.

Chapter 60

蛟 Jiao = A mythical snake creature that was said to control floods, mostly in smaller rivers and streams (because the dragons took all the large bodies of water). It resembled a dragon without horns.

Others

白虎 White Tiger
驺虞 Zouyu

TERMINOLOGY

Chapter 3

Iuppiter = The star that gave Chen Xing his fortune. His fate was also connected to this star. It was said it would leave the orbit when Chen Xing reached 20, meaning, Chen Xing would die by then.

Chapter 6

Yao = Supernatural monsters, spirits, demons, or beings. Japanese called it ‘Yokai'.
Drought Fiend = A type of yao that was associated with droughts. Apparently, corpses that didn't rot for a long time would turn into drought fiends.

Chapter 11

Ancient Chi Le Covenant = What the Hus inside Chi Le Chuan were called as a group.
紫卷金授 Golden Conferment of Purple Scroll = A ritual one must have before claiming oneself an emperor. In short, the soon-to-be emperor had to wait for the Great Chanyu to come from the North. He would then and confer a scroll to the Emperor marked with the blood of the various tribes, with parchment bound with a gold ribbon to express loyalty and allegiance of all the tribes both within and beyond the Great Wall.

Chapter 14

三魂七魄 Three Huns and Seven Pos = An ancient soul dualism tradition, it is believed that every living human has both a hun (spiritual, ethereal, yang) soul which leaves the body after death, and also a po (corporeal, substantive, yin) soul which remains with the corpse of the deceased. Also called Yin and Yang Souls.
- Three huns consist of: (Chapter 58)
  - 天魂 spiritual hun = If the spiritual hun is lost, the person will die. If the other two are lost, the person will not immediately die.
  - 地魂 earth hun = Mainly controls external emotions and connections.
  - 人魂 human hun = Control memories.
- It’s said that the three huns go to different places after death; the spiritual hun joins the heavens or is dissipated; the earth hun returns to the afterlife to go through the process of rebirth; the human hun lingers in the cemetery around its ancestral grave.

Chapter 19

九字真言 The Nine Syllables of Tao = Most often referred to as the Taoist Origin. It is a string of nine words used in Taoist sorcery and incantations to expel spirits, ghosts, demons, wild animals, poisonous insects and protect from dangers while going into untamed forests and mountains.

Chapter 32

Mountain Ghosts = How the Akeles called Drought Fiends.

Chapter 41

Fusheng = 浮生is a term in Daoism which literally translated to ‘fleeting/floating/superficial/transient life'. One of the most important books which covered this subject was written by Zhuang Zi. It basically means that ‘human's life starts empty and vacant, and thus, it is transient and temporary'. This is one of the passages written in his book: It is said that peacefulness, solitude, emptiness, and wu wei are the foundation of heaven and earth and the supremacy of virtue, upon which sainted men rest their minds. It is said that sainted men […] They do not dream while sleeping; they do not worry while wakening. In life, they are floating; in death, they are resting.

KEY EVENT

Chapter 2

The Silence of All Magic = An event that took place 300 years ago, where all mana in the world suddenly disappeared overnight, making exorcists lose their power.

Chapter 3

War of the Eight Princes = A series of civil wars between eight kings/princes of Jin Dynasty, happening from AD 291 - 306.

Chapter 32

衣冠南渡 South Crossing of the Yiguans = The first large-scale southward migration of the Central Plains civilization from the Yellow River Basin to the Yangtze River Basin during the Jin Dynasty. 衣冠 lit. means ‘clothes and crowns' and it symbolizes the intellectuals. Because ordinary families had no resources to migrate, most of the ones who did migrate were those from major families or government officials, hence the name.

Chapter 51

Disaster of Yongjia

HU TRIBES

Five Hus

Di (Clan: Fu)
Jie
Qiang
Xianbei (Clan: Yuwen, Murong, Tuoba)
Xiongnu

Sixteen Tribes

Tiele (Clan: Shulü)
Xirong (Clan: Fu)
Rouran
Loufan
Shiwei
Akele
Gaoche
Lushui
Northern Jie
Wuheng

(XIANG SHU'S) MANY NAMES

Chapter 1

Protector Martial God = Literally means ‘Defender of the Buddhist Law' and in here, their purpose was to protect exorcists during their exorcisms and ensure that they wouldn't be disturbed. The Protector was to-be Chen Xing's best friend and the one who would always be there for him.

Chapter 10

Shulü Kong = Xiang Shu's Hu name.
Great Chanyu = Chanyu, short form for Chengli Gutu Chanyu was the title used by the nomadic supreme rulers of Inner Asia for eight centuries and was superseded by the title "Khagan" in 402 CE. The title was used by the ruling Luandi clan of the Xiongnu during the Qin dynasty (221-206 BCE) and Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE).

Chapter 11