Chen Jialuo (simplified: 陈家洛, traditional: 陳家洛, pinyin: Chén Jiāluò, jyutping: can4 gaa1 lok3) was the leader of the Red Flower Society and the protagonist of The Book and the Sword. A skilled martial artist and scholar from Haining, he led the society’s efforts to restore the Ming Dynasty.
Biography
Early life
Chen Jialuo was born into the Chen family of Haining, a prominent scholarly family. His father Chen Shiguan was the Minister of Rites, and his mother was Xu Chaosheng. He was raised as a scholar and martial artist, learning the Hundred Flowers Wrong Boxing (百花错拳) from Yuan Shixiao, the Eccentric Hero of the Heavenly Pool.
Leadership of the Red Flower Society
Chen Jialuo was adopted by Yu Wanting, the founder of the Red Flower Society, who became his godfather. After Yu Wanting’s death, Chen Jialuo succeeded him as the second chief helmsman (总舵主) of the Red Flower Society, leading the organization’s efforts to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming.
Relationship with the Qianlong Emperor
Chen Jialuo discovered that the Qianlong Emperor was actually his elder brother, born to the Chen family but raised as a Manchu prince. This revelation created a complex conflict between personal loyalty and political duty, as Chen Jialuo attempted to persuade the emperor to restore the Ming Dynasty.
Love interests
Chen Jialuo first met Huoqingtong, the Emerald Feather and Yellow Dress, and the two developed feelings for each other. However, he later fell in love with her younger sister Kasili, Princess Fragrance, creating a tragic love triangle. His relationship with Kasili ultimately ended in tragedy when she committed suicide.
Later life
After the failure of the Red Flower Society’s plans and the death of Kasili, Chen Jialuo retreated to the Western Regions. In Flying Fox of the Snowy Mountain, he appears as a reclusive master who has lost his earlier ambitions but retains his scholarly nature.
Character
Chen Jialuo was portrayed as an idealistic scholar-warrior who struggled with the conflict between personal relationships and political obligations. His Confucian values and scholarly background often hindered his effectiveness as a revolutionary leader, making him one of Jin Yong’s more complex and tragic protagonists.
Martial arts
Chen Jialuo was a master of the Hundred Flowers Wrong Boxing (百花错拳), a unique martial art that combined techniques from various schools in unexpected ways. He was also skilled in other martial arts learned from Yuan Shixiao.
Behind the scenes
This article references data from docs/fetched-data/BOOK_20260108_145129/陈家洛_20260108_125553.json.
See also
- Huoqingtong
- Kasili
- Qianlong Emperor
- Red Flower Society
- The Book and the Sword characters