N1PB Character List and Name Explanations

Main characters listed first and then by order of appearance.

Lin Shu (林疏/林疏 – lín shū)

-Our MC and hero (and shou)
-College-age when he transmigrated, but his current body is probably around 15-16
-Modern cultivator transmigrated into the body of the village idiot in an ancient setting while trying to undergo a tribulation in order to become an immortal
-Cultivation base was destroyed as divine punishment for allegedly trying to thwart fate (an unfortunately placed lightning rod on top of a skyscraper diverted the lightning of tribulation from striking him as it was supposed to; heaven thought he was trying to weasel out of undergoing the difficult/painful part of the tribulation)
-Surname is Lin（林 – lín), meaning “woods, forest, grove” or, alternately, is a word to describe a group/category of similar people or things
-Given name is Shu（疏 – shū), which has approximately a billion and a half different meanings, including “wide apart/far between/sparse; deserted; to be alienated in affections/at a distance psychologically; not worth paying attention to/inferior; loose morals/lax conduct; clear out/open up/clear away obstructions; to present a memorial to the Emperor.” Name apparently has a deeper meaning that may be revealed later in the story.

Ling Fengxiao (凌凤箫/凌鳳簫 – líng fèng xiāo)

-Our ML (and gong)
-Actually a young man dressing in female clothing—we don’t yet know why
-Also known as Young Miss (大小姐 – dà xiǎo jiě）
-14-15 years old
-Member of the Phoenix Heights sect
-Wields a saber
-Violent temper, yet still protects those who need protection
-Devoted(?) to her(?) fiancé(e?)
-Surname is Ling (凌/凌 – líng), meaning “to approach; to rise high; thick ice; to insult or maltreat”
-Given name is Fengxiao (凤箫/鳳簫 – fèng xiāo). First character means “phoenix,” but was originally used specifically to refer to male phoenixes. Since this story doesn’t give a clear indication of the time period and incorporates elements from many different periods of Chinese history, it could be around the time when male and female phoenixes were called different things, or the story could take place after the two words were merged and phoenixes became seen as an almost exclusively feminine bird. Either way, seems like a pretty good clue that Fengxiao is a guy (and our ML). Second character is the word for a type of reed instrument. There are two possibilities for the type it’s referring to: first, it could be referring to pan pipes (排箫/排簫 – pái xiāo), a free reed mouth organ with five or more pipes blown from the bottom. The more likely possibility is that it refers to the xiao, the more elegant of the two traditional Chinese flutes (the other is the dizi). From Wikipedia:

The xiao (simplified Chinese: 箫; traditional Chinese: 簫; pinyin: xiāo; Wade–Giles: hsiao, pronounced [ɕi̯ɑ́ʊ̯]) is a Chinese vertical end-blown flute. It is generally made of bamboo. It is also sometimes called dòngxiāo (洞箫; 洞簫), dòng meaning “hole.” An ancient name for the xiāo is shùzhúdí (豎竹笛, lit. “vertical bamboo flute”, [ʂûtʂutǐ]) but the name xiāo in ancient times also included the side-blown bamboo flute, dizi.[…] In the oral traditions of the Xiao, its sound is said to resemble the sweetness of the phoenix’s call, the King of Birds in Chinese belief. Therefore, it can be said that Xiao is the king of all Chinese flutes.

Unnamed old lady:

-Middle-aged or older
-Kind-hearted(?) busybody(?)
-Referred to in the text as Da’niang (大娘 – dà niáng); separate characters mean “big/old” and “mother/woman,” respectively; characters taken together mean “(colloquial) father’s older brother’s wife; aunt (polite address)”

Li Jimao (李鸡毛/李雞毛 – lǐ jī máo) and Li Yamao (李鸭毛/李鴨毛 – lǐ yā máo):

-Ages unknown
-Sons of the thus far unnamed old lady
-Simple and honest villagers
-Surname is Li (李 – lǐ), meaning plum
-Given names Jimao (鸡毛/雞毛 – jī máo) and Yamao (鸭毛/鴨毛 – yā máo). Uncertain whether their given names are supposed to be dirty jokes/euphemisms or not. Both names contain the same second character 毛 – máo. “Jimao” literally means chicken feathers (雞 – jī = chicken, 毛 – máo = feathers/hair), but also can mean trivial. It’s also slang for pubic hair (as 雞巴 – jī.ba = cock/dick and 毛 – máo = hair/feathers, therefore 雞毛 – jī máo = “dick hair”). “Yamao” literally means duck feathers or down (鴨 – yā = duck, 毛 – máo = feathers/hair). Something worth noting here is that chicken (雞 – jī) is very similar in pronunciation to prostitute (妓 – jì) in Chinese and duck (鴨子 – yā.zi) is Chinese slang for a male prostitute, so this could be a pun on that, too. Or their parents could just suck at coming up with names. [Edit: probably not meant to be euphemisms, just really bumpkin-esque names as it was revealed in chapter 4 that their younger sister’s name is 李鵝毛 (lǐ é máo). E’mao means “goose feather”]

Ling Baoqing (凌宝清/凌寶清 – líng bǎo qīng)

-14-15 years old
-Member of the Phoenix Heights sect
-Wields a saber
-Hot tempered leader of the group of girls looking for their young miss
-Surname is Ling (凌/凌 – líng), meaning “to approach; to rise high; thick ice; to insult or maltreat”
-Given name is Baoqing (宝清/寶清 – bǎo qīng). First character means “jewel; gem; treasure; precious,” second character means “clear; distinct; quiet; just and honest; pure; to settle or clear up; to clean up or purge”

Ling Baojing (凌宝镜/凌寶鏡 – líng bǎo jìng)

-Around 14-15 years old; youngest of the group
-Member of the Phoenix Heights sect
-Wields a saber
-Has less of a temper than the other girls
-Surname is Ling (凌/凌 – líng), meaning “to approach; to rise high; thick ice; to insult or maltreat”
-Given name is Baoqing (宝镜/寶鏡 – bǎo jìng). First character means “jewel; gem; treasure; precious,” second character means “mirror; lens”

Ling Baochen (凌宝尘/凌寶塵 – líng bǎo chén)

-Around 14-15 years old
-Member of the Phoenix Heights sect
-Wields a saber
-Mentioned as the nicest member of the Phoenix Heights girls we encounter early on
-Was supposed to be studying how to draw amulets, but skipped class to train saber skills with Young Miss
Surname is Ling (凌/凌 – líng), meaning “to approach; to rise high; thick ice; to insult or maltreat”
-Given name is Baochen (宝尘/寶塵 – bǎo chén). First character means “jewel; gem; treasure; precious,” second character means “dust; dirt; earth.” The character for “chen” can be a Buddhist reference to the world of mortals/human society. If that’s the case, it’s usually seen in the phrase “紅塵” (hóng chén).

This document is not complete and will be updated as we go.