Xuzhu (pinyin: Xū Zhú, jyutping: Heoi3 zuk1, simplified: 虚竹, traditional: 虛竹) is one of the three male protagonists in Jin Yong’s Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. He took on the secular name of Xuzhuzi when he left monastic life.
He was a humble monk at Shaolin Order with a simple and honest personality, known for his excellent memory.
He had thick brows, big eyes, upturned nostrils, ears that stuck out, and thick lips. To top it off, he lacked eloquence and was poor at expressing himself. Despite his unattractive appearance, his personality was quite the opposite. He was a loyal and kind person who treated others sincerely.
Xuzhu entered the monastic life at a young age. He left the mountains with his shifu to distribute invitations, marking the beginning of his journey that would alter his life forever.
Xuzhu’s strange encounters gave him martial art abilities that made him one of the most powerful martial artists ever, including Carefree School’s Tianshan Plum-plucking Hand and Tianshan Six Yang Palms from the Tianshan Child Granny, as well as her feared Mark of Life and Death, and the Eighteen Palms of Dragon-subduing and Dog-beating Staff techniques from Xiao Feng.
His journey also led him to become the third-generation leader of the Carefree School, master of Lingjiu Palace, and Prince Consort of Western Xia. After encountering Xiao Feng and Duan Yu, he became sworn brothers with them.
Biography
Xuzhu became a monk at Shaolin Order as a child and grew up a devout Buddhist.
He started his martial arts training at the age of twenty-two, and even then only mastered basic skills like the Arhat Fist and Weituo Palm.
Entering the jianghu
When he was twenty-four, he accompanied his shifu Huilun down the mountains to distribute invitations to heroes in the jianghu to attend the Hero’s Meet on Shaolin’s grounds on Songshan.
The Murong clan was to display their unique ability to instantly copy and use an opponent’s techniques against them for the Double Ninth Festival.1
Xuzhu was captured along with a group of senior Shaolin monks by the Constellation School. He saved Duan Yanqing the Overflowing Evil, leader of the Four Evils, from certain death, and the latter taught him a skill that allowed him to transmit messages through sound.
Becoming Wuyazi’s successor
He unwittingly solved Su Xinghe’s Zhenlong weiqi array set up by the latter’s shifu. Wuyazi, head of the Carefree School, set up the Zhenlong2 weiqi game to search for a successor.
Thus, Wuyazi took Xuzhu in as a secret disciple. First, Wuyazi removed Xuzhu’s Shaolin martial arts training. Then, he imparted his lifetime Xiaoyao neigong cultivation of seventy years to Xuzhu, and made him the third zhangmen3 of Carefree School.
Meeting Tianshan Child Granny
Xuzhu stumbled upon the leaders Thirty-Six Clans and Seventy-Two Islands who plotted against Tianshan Child Granny of the Lingjiu Palace. He bravely intervened to rescue her.
To escape the pursuit of her mortal enemy Li Qiushui, they decided to hide in the Western Xia and sought shelter in the ice cellar of Li Qiushui’s stronghold. During their journey to Western Xia, Child Granny taught Xuzhu the Tianshan Plum-plucking Hand.
During their time in hiding, Tianshan Child Granny continuously pressured Xuzhu to learn martial arts and forced him to join the Carefree School and to severe his ties with Shaolin. First, she coerced Xuzhu to break his celibacy, but he refused. So, she placed a young and naked woman named Dream Maiden beside Xuzhu during the night, and he finally succumbed and became intimate with her.
Tianshan Child Granny decided to teach Xuzhu the Tianshan Six Yang Palms to deal with Li Qiushui. However, Xuzhu was unwilling to assist in killing, so she planted the Mark of Life and Death in him and taught him how to counter it. She also imparted the Tianshan Six Yang Palms to him.
Second leap in his inner energy cultivation
When Li Qiushui barged into the ice cellar and to kill Tianshan Child Granny, Xuzhu unwittingly used the second move, Yang Spring Snow, the seventh move, Three Layers of Yang Pass, and the Heavenly Tune of Yang Song against Li Qiushui.
When Tianshan Child Granny fought Li Qiushui in a battle of inner energy, Xuzhu inadvertently got between the two of them and absorbed their inner energy. This resulted in him having a hundred over years of immense inner energy from three Carefree School experts.
Tianshan Child Granny also passed the position of head of Lingjiu Palace to him. In the palace, he became sworn brothers with Xiao Feng, the Liao Empire’s King of the Southern Region, and Duan Yu, Prince of the Dali Kingdom.
Besides martial arts, Xuzhu also learned basic medical skills from Tianshan Child Granny and later mastered medical techniques from the Lingjiu Palace’s medical books. Prior to that, he had learned medical skills from his Carefree School senior Su Xinghe. Thus he became a highly skilled healer.
Expulsion from Shaolin Order
After dealing with the matters in Lingjiu Palace, Xuzhu decided to return to Shaolin Temple where he encountered the Wisdom King4 Jiumozhi from the Tubo Dalun Temple.5 challenging the Shaolin monks. Xu Zhu rose to the challenge.
Jiumozhi used the Prajñā Palms6 and Xuzhu dispelled the power of the attack using Carefree School’s Tianshan Six Yang Palms and the Temple Gate Defence move7 from the Skanda Palms. Jiumozhi struck with the Qiankun Mendicant Palms8 and Xuzhu dodged. Jiumozhi had anticipated where he would dodge to and hit Xuzhu’s shoulder with his Greater Vajra Palms.9 He did not expect that Xuzhu was protected by Beiming Vital Qi.
Jiumozhi used seven Shaolin epic feats in a row, Haunting Shadow Legs, Pattra Finger Technique, Firebrand Dao Technique, Formless Supreme Wisdom Finger, Worry Cleansing Finger, and Nirvana Claws,10 and Indra Claws.11
Xuzhu was unable to ward off the blows. He could not even use the Skanda Palms but used the Black Tiger Heart Snatcher move from Arhat Fists. He only used this single move, but the power in the move kept increasing.
Jiumozhi used the Dragon Claw Technique to capture Xuzhu, but Xuzhu used Carefree School’s Tianshan Plum-plucking Hand to seize his wrist instead. Jiumozhi’s kept striking with Flame Blade using his right hand, but Xuzhu countered with the Tianshan Six Yang Palms.
Suddenly, Jiumozhi unsheathed a dagger and swung it so fast that even the Tianshan Plum-plucking Hand could not seize it. The dagger stabbed Xuzhu and the Four Blades of Lingjiu Palace, Mei,[^Mei] Lan,[^lan] Ju,[^ju] and Zhu[^zhu] suddenly appeared to lend a hand. Xuzhu had used Shaolin martial arts to battle for a long time before finally defeating Jiumozhi with a Carefree School move, and thus defended Shaolin’s reputation.
However, he had learnt martial arts from another faction without permission, and was expelled from Shaolin as punishment. He took the name Xuzhuzi as his secular name.
The Shaolin Gathering
During the Shaolin Gathering on Shaoshi Mountain, Xiao Feng was besieged by Murong Clan leader Murong Fu, Constellation School founder Ding Chunqiu, and the Beggars’ Guild leader Zhuang Juxian.
Xuzhu lured Ding Chunqiu away and engaged in a fierce battle with him using the Tianshan Plum-plucking Hand and the Tianshan Six Yang Palms. The two fought fiercely, and it was difficult to tell who had the upper hand.
After a long battle, Xuzhu subdued Ding Chunqiu with the Mark of Life and Death and the latter was then sent to Shaolin Order’s Discipline Hall to undergo reform.
The Constellation School then submitted to Lingjiu Palace, a fitting vengeance for the murder of their former zhangmen, Wuyazi.
Revelation of his birth
After willingly accepting the disciplinary rod at Shaolin, the scars on Xuzhu’s back revealed his true identity. Ye Erniang recognized him as her lost son. Xiao Yuanshan then disclosed that Xuzhu’s father was none other than Xuanci, the Abbot of Shaolin and Mastermind Senior who caused the tragedy of Xiao Feng’s family.
Overwhelmed with guilt, Xuanci accepted two hundred strikes from the disciplinary rod, which led to his death. Ye Erniang, overcome with emotion, took her own life. Thus, Xuzhu, having finally discovered his true parents, lost them both in the same moment.
Western Xia wedding
When the King of Western Xia held a selection for a royal consort for the Princess of Yinchuan, Duan Yu was under his father’s command to marry the princess.
Though Xuzhu merely intended to accompany his sworn brother, he discovered that the princess was Dream Maiden, the woman he shared an intimate moment with in the ice cellar. They eventually got married and he became the Royal Consort of the Western Xia.
Rescue in the Liao Empire
When Xiao Feng was imprisoned in the Liao Empire, Xuzhu led his disciples of the Lingjiu Palace with Duan Yu to rescue their sworn brother.
Xuzhu later inherited the martial arts of the Beggars’ Guild from Xiao Feng, who entrusted him with the responsibility of passing on these techniques to the next leader of the Beggars’ Guild once the Guild had chosen the candidate.
Xuzhu returned to Lingjiu Palace with his companions after returning from Liao.
Personality and traits
At his core, Xuzhu embodies honesty and kindness, traits shaped by his upbringing in Shaolin Temple. He was deeply influenced by the monks in Shaolin Temple since childhood.
A devout Buddhist, he adhered to all religious rules and regulations, displaying a gentle and considerate nature. His most distinctive characteristic is his steadfast maintenance of these virtuous qualities even after leaving monastic life.
Though he breaks his Buddhist vows through circumstances often beyond his control, he never loses his fundamental compassion and straightforward nature.
Modesty and Simplicity
At the beginning of his journey, after descending from Shaolin Temple, Xuzhu was forthright in explaining that he was allowed to leave the monastery not because of his martial arts prowess, but because there were too many invitations and needed as many monks as possible to deliver them.
Despite rising to positions of great power—becoming leader of both the Carefree School and Lingjiu Palace—Xuzhu maintains his humble demeanor. He shows no interest in power or status, accepting these roles out of duty rather than ambition.
His approach to martial arts reflects this modesty; even after becoming one of the most powerful fighters in the martial world, he maintains a respectful and unassuming attitude.
Loyalty and Honor
Xuzhu demonstrates unwavering loyalty to those he considers friends or family. This is particularly evident in his relationship with his sworn brothers, Xiao Feng and Duan Yu.
His sense of honor extends beyond personal relationships—when he learns of his true parentage, he accepts responsibility for his heritage while still maintaining his individual moral principles.
Practical Wisdom
Though often described as slow-witted early in his life, Xuzhu possesses a practical wisdom that serves him well. His responses to complex situations are characterized by straightforward thinking and moral clarity rather than cunning or calculation. This simplicity often proves more effective than the sophisticated schemes of others.
Conflict Resolution
Notably, Xuzhu prefers peaceful resolutions when possible. Even after mastering powerful martial arts, he is reluctant to use them for violence.
When forced to fight, he typically seeks to subdue rather than destroy his opponents, as demonstrated in his handling of Ding Chunqiu with the Life-Death Talisman rather than killing him.
Martial arts abilities
As a Shaolin disciple, Xuzhu trained in the Arhat Fists and Veda Palms for self-defence.
However, after he inadvertently solved the weiqi array set up by Wuyazi, he acquired the latter’s profound Carefree School neigong skills, Beiming Power and Lesser Formless Art. Wuyazi then imparted his seventy years of Carefree neigong cultivation, resulting in a leap in Xuzhu’s inner energy.
His adventures led to him helping the Tianshan Child Granny, who taught him Carefree School martial arts to protect them. These included the powerful martial arts Tianshan Plum-plucking Hand and Tianshan Six Yang Palms, and the fearsome skill Mark of Life and Death.
When Li Qiushui and the Child Granny were locked in a battle of inner energy, Xuzhu accidentally got in the way and absorbed their inner energy. This resulted in Xuzhu having an immense amount of inner energy accumulated over a hundred over years by three Carefree School experts.
Xuzhu discovered numerous exquisite martial arts depictions on the wall at the back of Lingjiu Palace after he became the head of the Palace. These contained advanced Carefree School skills that Xuzhu started learning.
After he was rescued from the Liao Empire, Xiao Feng entrusted Xuzhu with the task of passing on the Beggars’ Guild martial arts to the next leader of the Beggars’ Guild once the Guild had chosen the candidate. He passed Xuzhu the Eighteen Palms of Dragon-subduing and Dog-beating Staff Technique.
Lesser Formless Art
Originally a Daoist practice, the Lesser Formless Art (小无相功 – Xiǎo wúxiàng gōng) was a Carefree School neigong technique known for its tremendous power. The profound art emphasised formlessness as its core principle.
Unlike Buddhist martial arts focusing on “no form, no appearance,” this art allowed its practitioner to adapt and replicate any martial technique witnessed. Without revealing any fixed pattern, it made the user’s moves impossible to predict.
Like the Duan Clan’s Spirit Blade of Six Meridians, the Lesser Formless Art also involved blood and qi circulation within the body, primarily focusing on training the small finger and the heart meridian of the Lesser Yin system.
It was challenging to distinguish between the Spirit Blade of Six Meridians and the Lesser Formless Art based on their appearances.
The Lesser Formless Art was extremely powerful when mastered to the pinnacle. However, the word Lesser in its name implied that it was just a lower level of Daoist neigong. While it was an effective Daoist technique, it did not unleash the full potential of Daoist martial arts.
Li Qiushui learnt this skill from her shifu Xiaoyaozi. She later passed it on to Wuyazi, who then imparted it to Xuzhu.
Mark of Life and Death
The Mark of Life and Death (生死符 – Shēngsǐfú) was one of the top sneak attacks. By reversing the flow of true qi with alcohol or water, the wielder can turn the vigorous yang energy into cold yin energy. This causes the true qi emitted from the palms to be colder than ice, naturally solidifying any liquid held in the hand.
Those who had been marked with this technique were said to be unable to live or die as they became controlled by the one who marked them. The mark was formidable. The marked person must take itch relief pills regularly to alleviate the unbearable pain and itchiness.
Without the pills, the symptoms would worsen each day. Taking the pills would cause them to subside after about 81 days, only to increase again after that period. The only way to remove the mark was through the use of Tianshan Six Yang Palms and following the medical scriptures of Lingjiu Palace to understand the concepts of yin, yang, emptiness, and solidness.
Thus, the Mark of Life and Death was considered one of the top sneak attacks in the world and anyone marked by it was forced to submit to the Tianshan Child Granny or suffered an excruciating death.
Tianshan Plum-plucking Hands
The Tianshan Plum-plucking Hands (天山折梅手 – Tiānshān shémeí shoǔ) was one of the top Carefree School feats. Despite only consisting of six sets of moves, three palm strikes and three grappling techniques, it encompassed the essence of the Carefree School’s martial arts. The moves had numerous variations, included ultimate techniques for swords, knives, whips, spears, claws, grappling, axes, and other weapons.
Although each moves only consisted of twelve seven-word sentences, the eighty-four words were tongue twisters. Every seven level tones12 were followed by seven oblique tones.13 The wording and phonetic patterns of the mnemonic contradicted with the principles of breathing and rhyming. It was actually a technique that required balancing true qi.
After Xuzhu became the head of Lingjiu Palace, he used the formidable Tianshan Plum-plucking Hands to twice and displayed how extraordinary a skill it was.
Another remarkable aspect of Tianshan Plum-plucking Hands was its ability help the user escape from adverse situations despite staggering odds. The feat required a strong neili14 as foundation, and its effectiveness increased as one’s neigong15 grew.
In terms of power, the Tianshan Plum-plucking Hands was on par with the formidable Eighteen Palms of Dragon-subduing. In terms of ingenuity of palm techniques, the Hands was unparalleled.
The art was considered boundless—as the practitioner’s inner power and understanding grew, any new martial technique encountered could be incorporated into these six basic routines. As Tianshan Child Granny explained, “This art can never be fully mastered. As your internal energy grows and your experience broadens, any martial technique in the world can be naturally incorporated into these six routines.”
Tianshan Six Yang Palms
The Tianshan Six Yang Palms (天山六阳掌 – Tiānshān liùyáng zhǎng) was a powerful palm technique and one of the most profound Carefree School martial art. It is unknown how many moves it had, but the Tianshan Child Granny taught Xuzhu nine moves.
The technique was carved on the wall at the back of Lingjiu Palace where more moves could have been recorded. However, Xuzhu did not learn more from the carvings than what the Tianshan Child Granny imparted to him, but only enhanced his understanding of the moves he knew.
The movements of technique were light and graceful. Despite appearing elegant and refined, each move was vicious and struck at the enemy’s vital points. Such was its power that it could easily lift heavy objects. Yet, the moves were fluid and flowed freely.
The Tianshan Six Yang Palms was used to remove the Mark of Life and Death. Xuzhu unwittingly learnt these moves when the Tianshan Child Granny taught him how to use the mark.
Since Xuzhu refused to learn the technique when she offered, she secretly taught him the moves when she imparted him the Mark of Life and Death. She painstakingly broke down the moves and explained every subtle changes and ingenuity when she did so.
Known moves include the second move White Snow in Sunny Spring, the seventh move Three Folds of Yang Pass,16 and Cheerful Songs in Heaven.
Arhat Fists
The Arhat Fists (罗汉拳 – Luóhàn quán) was the first technique Shaolin disciples learnt. The skill was inspired by the poses that eighteen Arhats17 took, hence the name.
The moves included blocking, pressing, charging, evading, pointing, lifting, pressing down, hooking, scooping, and throwing. Leg techniques focused on leaping, rolling, sweeping, and bouncing.
The Arhat Fists required coordination between the upper and lower body, with footwork adapting to hand movements. The body moved with flexibility and many changes. When striking, it was important to seizing and protecting the core, balancing between strength and pliancy.
A key mantra in Arhat Fists was, “Excellence in the Arhat Fists is found within the three rights.”
These were the right hand positions, the right body posture, and the right horse stance. The three rights were vital to maintaining stability and a key fundamental to martial arts training.
Skanda Palms
The Skanda Palms (韦陀掌 – Weītuó zhǎng) was the second technique Shaolin disciples learnt. Skanda is the guardian of Buddhist monasteries.18 Like the Arhat Fists, it was the most basic Shaolin Order martial art that set solid foundations.
Eighteen Palms of Dragon-subduing
Xiao Feng imparted Xuzhu feats reserved for the Beggars’ Guild leadership with the instructions to pass it on to the next Beggars’ Guild chief after a successor had been selected.
When Xiao Feng taught Xuzhu the Twenty-Eight Palms of Dragon-subduing, they agreed that the last ten moves were overly complicated. Thus, they refined technique and merged the essence of these ten moves into the eighteen moves, the Eighteen Palms of Dragon-Subduing.
Xuzhu combined the principles he had mastered to refine the Eighteen Palms, distilling their essence from the original twenty-eight moves. These included Confucian philosophy of the balance of power, the Daoist concepts of formlessness and adaptability, his Shaolin foundation of rigid strength, and Carefree School techniques of using soft to overcome hard.
Through this synthesis, Xuzhu became one of the rare martial artists who successfully integrated seemingly contradictory martial principles into a harmonious whole.
Dog-beating Staff Technique
The Dog-beating Staff Technique (打狗棒法 – dágǒu bàngfǎ) was passed down through generations of beggars in the Beggars’ Guild. It was light and agile, with subtle changes and exquisite moves. The wielded staff’s elegance like a graceful, dancing dragon belied its stunning speed.
The technique had eight sets of moves, including tripping, cleaving, entangling, jabbing, thrusting, leading, sealing, and rotating.
Although the martial arts was only passsed down to Beggar’s Guild chiefs, Xiao Feng made an exception as the Guild had no suitable leader, tasking Xuzhu to pass it on once the next leader was selected.
Though the Dog Beating Staff technique was difficult, it was not beyond someone who had mastered the Tianshan Plum-plucking Hands and Six Yang Palms. With his foundation in the Lesser Formless Art and exceptional memory, Xuzhu was able to master the technique within just over an hour.
Relationships
Xuzhu unexpectedly became disciple to Wuyazi and leader of the Carefree School. At Western Xia’s ice cellar, he met Princess Li Qinglu, though he knew her then only as Dream Maiden. Their destined romance began in those frozen chambers, though they would not meet again until the Western Xia marriage competition.
He became sworn brothers with Xiao Feng and Duan Yu at Lingjiu Palace, forming a brotherhood that would endure through battles and upheavals.
At the Shaolin Gathering, he discovered his true parentage—son of Shaolin Abbot Xuanci and the notorious Ye Er’niang—though this revelation brought more sorrow than joy as both parents perished shortly after.
Xuanci
Xuzhu’s biological father was the Abbott of Shaolin, though neither knew of their relationship until the Shaolin Gathering. Their connection was revealed tragically by Xiao Yuanshan, leading Xuanci to accept two hundred disciplinary strikes out of guilt for his past actions and violations of monastic rules. He died from these strikes before father and son could develop a real relationship.
Ye Erniang
His mother Ye Erniang the Savage Evil was the second of the Four Evils. She recognised him by a birthmark during the Shaolin gathering. Upon their reunion, she was overcome with grief at their years of separation.
After Xuanci’s death, she took her own life, leaving Xuzhu to lose both parents moments after discovering his true parentage.
Li Qinglu
Initially known to Xuzhu as Dream Maiden during the ice cellar incident, the Princess of Yinchuan later became his wife.
Xuzhu’s relationship with Li Qinglu began under unusual circumstances engineered by the Tianshan Child Granny to force him to break his vow of celibacy. She saw it as the way to make him leave Shaolin Order to join the Carefree School. The Child Granny had kidnapped Li Qinglu and placed her stark naked in the ice cellar with Xuzhu. Using his body to keep her warm, Xuzhu succumbed to her and they became intimate.
They parted with Xuzhu only knowing her as Dream Maiden. When he accompanied his sworn brother Duan Yu to Western Xia for the latter’s marriage competition to become the Royal Consort of the Western Xia, he met her again and discovered that she was the Princess of Yinchuan.
Their love blossomed at their reunion and ended in marriage. Li Qinglu returned to Tianshan with Xuzhu where they retired together at Lingjiu Palace.
Huilu
Huilu was his Shaoli Order shifu who taught him the Shaolin foundation martial arts. Though Xuzhu was not a particularly gifted student, Huilu showed patience in teaching him the fundamental Arhat Fist and Weituo Palm techniques.
Wuyazi
After Xuzhu accidentally solved his weiqi formation, Wuyazi recognized him as worthy successor to the Carefree School. He transferred his lifetime of martial arts mastery to Xuzhu and appointed him the school’s third leader.
Though their time together was brief, Wuyazi’s legacy lived on through Xuzhu’s mastery of the school’s techniques.
Tianshan Child Granny
A complex relationship that began when Xuzhu saved the Tianshan Child Granny from assassination by the Thirty-Six Cave Masters and Seventy-Two Islands Masters.
Though she manipulated him into breaking his monastic vows and forced him to learn techniques through the Mark of Life and Death, she ultimately respected his character enough to make him her successor at Lingjiu Palace. She taught him several signature techniques including the Tianshan Plum Blossom Hand and Six Yang Palm.
Since the Child Granny was Wuyazi’s junior, she was Xuzhu’s martial aunt.
Xiao Feng
The eldest of the three sworn brothers, Xiao Feng deeply impressed Xuzhu with his righteous character and heroic bearing.
Their brotherhood was formed at Lingjiu Palace, and Xuzhu remained loyal to him through various trials. Before his final battle, Xiao Feng entrusted Xuzhu with the Eighteen Palms of Dragon-Subduing and Dog-Beating Staff Technique, showing his complete trust in his sworn brother’s character.
Duan Yu
As the youngest of the sworn brothers, Duan Yu shared a close friendship with Xuzhu based on their similar straightforward natures.
Xuzhu often accompanied and protected Duan Yu, including during the Western Xia marriage competition. Their bond remained strong despite the complications that arose when Xuzhu married Princess Li Qinglu.
Behind the Scenes
The character of Xuzhu represents Jin Yong’s exploration of Buddhist themes and the conflict between religious discipline and human nature. His name itself carries symbolic meaning—“Xu” (empty) and “Zhu” (bamboo) suggesting both Buddhist emptiness and natural purity.
The character of Xuzhu represents Jin Yong’s exploration of Buddhist themes and the conflict between religious discipline and human nature. His gradual breaking of the three major Buddhist precepts—against killing, eating meat, and maintaining celibacy—creates a complex examination of formal religious doctrine versus innate morality.
Scholars note that while circumstances force him to violate these precepts, he maintains his fundamental compassion and ethical nature, suggesting that true virtue exists beyond formal religious rules. His journey from humble monk to powerful sect leader while maintaining his essential goodness presents an interesting contrast to typical wuxia power fantasies.
Scholars have noted that Xuzhu’s journey from humble monk to powerful sect leader while maintaining his essential goodness presents an interesting contrast to typical wuxia power fantasies. His repeated breaking of Buddhist precepts while retaining Buddhist virtues creates a complex examination of formal religion versus innate morality.
Character Evaluation
Xuzhu’s experiences are filled with contradictions. He abandons the discipline he has followed since childhood, learns martial arts he doesn’t want to learn, kills people he doesn’t want to kill, and accepts power he doesn’t want to accept.
While these experiences might seem like gifts or fantastic adventures to others, they are significant tests for Xuzhu. However, he eventually finds liberation from these tests and gains unprecedented wisdom. For Xuzhu, true liberation may come from breaking free from monastic rules and his identity as a monk, aligning with his true nature.
Chen Mo, Jinology scholar: Xuzhu’s suffering also provided him with an opportunity to rediscover himself. The challenges and experiences he faced allowed him to explore a previously unknown way of life and offered him a chance to actively choose and rediscover his true self.
Pan Hong, Jinology scholar: Xuzhu is the last of the three protagonists introduced in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. Unlike the bold and unrestrained Xiao Feng or the lively and lovely Duan Yu, he doesn’t stand out at all. He seems inconspicuous, as if he’s just a supporting character who happened to be there to fetch water.
In terms of appearance, Xuzhu is neither tall and imposing like Xiao Feng nor refined and handsome like Duan Yu. On the contrary, he has thick eyebrows and big eyes, and some might even say he is “ugly.” He is not skilled in rhetoric and often speaks in verses, which reveals his kind and somewhat conservative personality.
Cao Zhengwen, scholar of Chinese literature and wuxia fiction:[^caozhengwen] It became impossible for Xuzhu to find pure contentment in the mortal world. On life’s stage of confusion and suffering, he became a monk who was no longer truly a monk.
Ni Kuang:, author: Xuzhu is an incredibly endearing character. His simple-mindedness is entirely different from that of Duan Yu.
Portrayal
 Felix Wong in the 1982 film and 1984 TV series |  Frankie Lam in the 1994 film |
 Louis Fan in the 1997 TV series |  Gao Hu (Chinese) in the 2003 TV series |
 Han Dong in the 2013 TV series |  Zhang Tianyang (Chinese) in the 2021 TV series |
External Links
- Xuzhu on Wikipedia
- Xuzhu on Baidu Baike (Chinese)
Footnotes
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重阳节 – Chóng Yáng Jié. Literally double nine festival. A traditional Chinese festival celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. According to the Book of Changes, nine is a yang number and the ninth day of the ninth month is said to have double yang. See Wikipedia. ↩
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珍珑 – zhēnlóng. A weiqi terminology that refers to a clever and ingenious strategy or formation in weiqi. ↩
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掌门 - zhǎngmén. Literally managing faction. The leader of a martial arts faction. ↩
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明王 – Míngwang. A Wisdom King or Vidyārājas. Jiumozhi’s nickname was Mahācakra (大轮明王 – Dàlún Míngwáng) after one of the Eight Great Wisdom Kings. See Wikipedia. ↩
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吐蕃 – Tǔbō. The best-known medieval Chinese name for Tibet. See Wikipedia. ↩
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般若掌 – Bānruòzhǎng. Prajñā is a Buddhist term that means the understanding of the true nature of phenomena. See Wikipedia. ↩
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托钵掌 – Tuōbōzhǎng. Tuobo meanings relying on alms to survive. See Wikipedia. ↩
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大金刚拳 – Dàjīngāngquán. Dajinggang refers to vajra, the ritualistic weapon and tool used in Hinduism and Buddhism. See Wikipedia. ↩
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寂灭爪 – Jìmiè zhuǎ. Jimie is used in Buddhism to refer to Nirvana. See Wikipedia. ↩
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因陀罗爪 – Yīntuóluó zhuǎ. Yintuoluo or Indra is the king of Devas. See Wikipedia. ↩
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内力 – neìlì. Inner power. The exertion or power of one’s inner qi. ↩
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内功 – neìgōng. Inner cultivation. One’s ability to control and manipulate one’s own internal qi flow. See Wikipedia. ↩
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阳关三叠 – Yángguān sāndié. Yang Pass, literally Sun Gate, is a mountain pass near Dunhuang, Gansu. See Wikipedia. ↩
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罗汉 – luóhàn. Arhats are those who have achieved enlightenment in Buddhism. See Wikipedia. ↩
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韦陀 – Weītuó. Weituo refers to Skanda, a guardian of Buddhist monasteries. See Wikipedia. ↩