An Tong  安童  servant in the Chen household

Aoguang/Aolian  敖廣/敖蓮  Dragon King of the South Seas

Bao Si  褒姒  concubine of King You of Zhou

Beiji Xuantian Shangdi  北極玄天上帝  High God of the Dark Heaven of the Northern Bourne

Bi Gan  比干  loyal minister and uncle of Shang king Zhou Xin, who carved open his chest to see if his heart was distinctive

Bo Yi  伯夷  eldest son of King Wen of Zhou

Cai Xiang  菜襄  became Duanming Scholar Cai and the prefect who built Luoyang Bridge

Cao Zijian  曹子建  (192–232) celebrated poet of the late Han dynasty and the state of Wei in the Three Kingdoms period

Chang E  嫦娥  goddess of the moon

Chen (Miss)  陳  sworn sister of Chen Jinggu

Chen Chang  陳昌  Chen Jinggu’s father

Chen Danai  陳大奶  Great Nurturess Chen, another title of Chen Jinggu

Chen Jinfeng  陳金鳳  maidservant of Wang Shenzhi’s wife; became concubine of Wang Yanjun, who made her queen, then empress of Min, in 935

Chen Jinggu  陳靖姑  the protagonist of this story, who became the Lady of Linshui

Chen Kuangsheng  陳匡勝  older fellow clansman of Chen Jinfeng

Chen Ping  陳平  strategist who served as chancellor in the early Western Han dynasty

Chen Ruren  陳孺人  Chen Jinggu’s title as Liu Qi’s wife

Chen Shouyuan  陳守元  cousin of Chen Jinggu and Daoist master

Cheng Bin  程斌  military commissioner of Gongchen

Chongfu Linshui Furen  崇福臨水夫人  one of Chen Jinggu’s titles

Chunjiao  春嬌  daughter of Wu Shan; molested by the Ravine Demon

Cinnabar Cloud Great Sage  丹霞大聖  Danxia Dasheng

Danxia Dasheng  丹霞大聖  Cinnabar Cloud Great Sage

Deng Ying  鄧英  protects children at the Bridge of a Hundred Flowers

Dragon King of the South Seas   敖廣/敖蓮  Aoguang/Aolian

Gao  高  of the Birthing Basin at the Bridge of a Hundred Flowers

Gao Teng  高騰  an attendant gentleman of the Ministry of Rites

Gao Ying  高英  daughter of Gao Teng

Ge (Madame)  葛  Chen Jinggu’s mother

Great Nurturess Chen  陳大奶  Chen Danai; one of Chen Jinggu’s titles

Great Protectors Wang and Yang   王楊二太保  Wang Yang er tai bao; leaders of the five divisions of the spirit soldiers

Guan Gong  關公  a general in the Three Kingdoms period

Guanyin  觀音  Chinese goddess of mercy

Gui Lang  歸郎  another name for Gui Shouming

Gui Shouming  歸守明  responsible for the women’s quarters; lover of Chen Jinfeng and the White Snake

He (Madame)  何  Jiang Shanyu’s mother

High God of the Dark Heaven of the Northern Bourne  北極玄天上帝  Beiji Xuantian Shangdi

Hong  洪  minister of education

Huang  黃  one of the two guardian generals of Mount Lü

Huiji jingang  穢跡金剛  “Vajra being of impure traces”

Jiang Hudan  江虎但  another name for Jiang Shanyu

Jiang Hupo  江虎婆  another name for Jiang Shanyu

Jiang Qing  江清  father of Jiang Shanyu

Jiang Shanyu  江山育  Jiang Mountain Birth, one of Chen Jinggu’s sworn sisters

Kui Ge  魁哥  another name for the Ravine Demon

Laozi  老子  Daoist divinity periodically incarnated in the world

Li (Aunt)  李  a member of Chen Kuangsheng’s household

Li (Madame)  李  mother of Liu Qi

Li Sanjie  李三姐  one of Chen Jinggu’s sworn sisters

Li Sanniang  李三娘  alternative name for Li Sanjie

Li Shan Laomu  棃山老母  “Old Mother of Pear Mountain,” teacher of Jiang Shanyu

Li Tong  李侗  (1093–1163), called Great Master Li Tongren 李童仁宗師 in chapter 1

Li Wu  李五  criminal who crossed Luoyang Bridge

Li Xin  李信  Palace Army official

Liang Hao  梁灝  scholar under whose fingernail Pure Yang Lü hid

Liangnü 良女 or Longnü 龍女  granddaughter of the Dragon King, acolyte of Guanyin

Lin (Madame)  林  Yang Shichang’s mother

Lin Bashu  林八叔  go-between for Chen Jinggu and Liu Qi’s marriage

Lin Chen  林忱  father of Lin Jiuniang

Lin Jiuniang  林九娘  one of Chen Jinggu’s sworn sisters

Lingtong Sansheren  靈通三舍人  temple name of Chen Jinggu’s son

Linshui Furen  臨水夫人  Lady of Linshui; title of Chen Jinggu

Liu Bang  劉邦  founder of the Han dynasty

Liu Cong  劉聰  Chen Jinggu’s son

Liu Qi  劉杞  Chen Jinggu’s husband

Liu Shi  劉氏  wicked principal wife of Wang Yanbin

Liu Tong  劉通  Liu Qi’s father and Jinggu’s father-in-law

Liu Xianniang  劉仙娘  wife of Python Celestial Spirit King

Liu Yong  劉邕  poet famous for dissipation

Liu Yuan  柳源  companion of Zhang Sha at Mount Lü

Liu Yuanfu  劉元富  commander in chief of Min’s army

Liu Zunli  劉遵禮  cultivated the Way in the mountains; brother of Liu Xianniang

Lü Chunyang  呂純陽  another name for Lü Dongbin

Lü Dongbin  呂洞賓  famous Daoist master of the Pure Yang tradition

Ma (Miss)  馬  sworn sister of Chen Jinggu

Ma Lang fu  馬郎婦  wife of Mr. Ma, avatar of Guanyin

Ma Yuanshuai  馬元帥  Marshal Ma

Mang Tian Shen Wang  蟒天神王  Python Celestial Spirit King

Meng Wei  孟威  regional military commissioner of Yanhe

Mengyu  夢餘  “Dream Remnant,” a perfected butterfly spirit

Mo Shuqi  磨叔淇  infamous for eating the excretions of little boys

Nanhai Guanyin  南海觀音  another name for Guanyin

Nanhai Guanyin Dashi Cihang Pudu Tianzun  南海觀音大士慈航普渡天尊  Great Being Guanyin of the South Sea, the Compassionate Sailing Universal Savior Celestial Worthy

Old Mr. Wang  老汪  father of the young man who disappeared on the day of his wedding

Ou (Miss)  歐  sworn sister of Chen Jinggu

Pan An  潘安  courtesy name of Pan Yue 岳, a poet renowned for his good looks

Perfected Lord Xu  許真君  Chen Jinggu’s teacher

Ping Wang  平王  King Ping of Warring States Chu

Pure Yang Lü  呂純陽  Lü Chunyang

Python Celestial Spirit King  蟒天神王  Mang Tian Shen Wang

Qitian Dasheng  齊天大聖  Sun Wukong, hero of Journey to the West

Qiu (Madame)  邱  wife of Wu Shan

Ravine Demon  張坑鬼  Zhangkeng Gui

Rock Press Women  石夾夫人  Shijia furen, the sworn sisters of Chen Jinggu

Ruan (Miss)  阮  sworn sister of Chen Jinggu

Shancai  善才  Sudhanakumara, acolyte of Guanyin

Shen (Madame)  沈  wife of Yang Shichang

Sheng Tao  盛韜  young actor carried off by the White Snake; became assistant to Chen Shouyuan, Daoist master at the court

Shi Zhen  石震  father of the Rock Press Women

Song (Madame)  宋  wife of Xue Wenjie

Song Yu  宋玉  famous poet of the Warring States period

Sun Wukong  孫悟空  hero of Journey to the West

Tang Sai’er  唐賽兒  woman White Lotus rebel general

Teng (Prince)  騰  Tang prince whose painting of a butterfly came to life

Ucchusma see Huiji jingang

Wang Cheng Xiao’er  王成小二   see Wang Xiao’er

Wang Jin  汪金  father of dead woman whose soul is retrieved and inserted in Madame Shen’s body

Wang Jipeng  王繼鵬  son of Wang Yanjun

Wang Jitu  王繼圖  son of Wang Yanhan (here called Yanshu); led a rebellion and was executed

Wang Jixiong  王繼雄  son of Wang Yanbing and prefect of Jianzhou

Wang Lian  王憐  new name adopted by Wang Yanjun, according to the text

Wang Lin  王璘  new name adopted by Wang Yanbin, according to the histories

Wang Mojie  王摩詰  drew water that produced the sound of the tide

Wang Renda  王仁達  turreted boat commander

Wang Shengui  王審邽  brother of Wang Shenzhi

Wang Shenzhi  王審知  revered ruler of Min

Wang Wei  王維  famous Tang poet-painter

Wang Xiao’er  王小二  vegetable seller nicknamed Elder Brother Scallion; transformed into Liu Qi, Jinggu’s future husband

Wang Yanbin  王延彬  second son of Wang Shenzhi and younger brother of Wang Yanshu; prefect of Quanzhou Prefecture in Fujian; actually the son of Wang Shengui

Wang Yanbing  王延稟  eldest adopted son of Wang Shenzhi

Wang Yanhan  王延翰  actual name of Wang Yanshu; eldest son of Wang Shenzhi

Wang Yanjun  王延鈞  second son of Wang Shenzhi

Wang Yanshu  王延輸  eldest son of Wang Shenzhi; arrogant and cruel, he proclaimed himself king of Min against the emperor’s wish; his name was actually Yanhan

Wang Yanzheng  王延政  second son of Wang Shenzhi

Wang Zhaojun  王昭君  famous beauty of the Han dynasty sent to marry the chief of the Xiongnu

Wang Zhixian  王至賢  a general in the army of Min

Wei Huacun  魏華存  matriarch of Mount Mao

Wen  溫  (name) a libationer

Wen Chang  文昌  god of literature

Wen Ji  文姬  Xiang Yu’s concubine

Wu Shan  吳善  father of Chunjiao, who was molested by the Ravine Demon

Wu Yaoqin  吳瑤琴  Minister of Education Hong’s granddaughter

Wu Zui  吳最  court calligrapher

Xi Shi  西施  one of the four beauties of ancient China

Xi Wangmu  西王母  Queen Mother of the West

Xiang Yu  項羽  hegemon king of Chu

Xie Kai  謝開  a woodcutter

Xu (Miss)  許  sworn sister of Chen Jinggu

Xu Jiulang  許九郎  Xu Zhenjun

Xu Sun  許遜  Xu Zhenjun

Xu Xiake  徐霞客  famous Ming dynasty traveler

Xu Zhenjun  許真君  master of Mount Lü and teacher of Chen Jinggu

Xuanwu  玄武  Dark Warrior

Xue Wenjie  薛文傑  cruel minister of Wang Lian, the ruler of Min

Yan (Madame)  岩  mother of Rock Press Women

Yan (Madame)  閻  wet nurse

Yang  楊  one of the two guardian generals of Mount Lü

Yang Bao  楊寶  a scholar of the Han who rescued a yellow bird

Yang Chun  楊春  brother of young woman who is sexually possessed by the Ravine Demon

Yang Shichang  楊世昌  his wife and home were usurped by the Ravine Demon

Yang Zihua  楊子華  drew a horse that neighed

Yao (Madame)  姚  wife of Yang Chun, whose sister was sexually vampirized by the Ravine Demon

Yaoqin  瑤琴  daughter of Wu Taishou, the son-in-law of Minister of Education Hong

Yuan Gao  袁誥  older clansman of Yuan Guangzhi

Yuan Guangzhi  袁廣智  studied the deviant arts at Mount Mao; led rebellion

Yuan Ying  元嬰  prince of Teng

Yunchang  雲長  alternative name for Guan Gong

Zeng (Miss)  曾  sworn sister of Chen Jinggu

Zhang Da  張達  capital security officer

Zhang Daoling  張道陵  Celestial Master

Zhang Liang  張良  brilliant tactician who helped to found the Han dynasty

Zhang Ren  張任  Wang Yanbing’s messenger

Zhang Sha  張沙  student from Fuqing who studied at Mount Lü

Zhang You  張繇  drew a dragon that could fly

Zhangkeng Gui  張坑鬼  Ravine Demon

Zhao Feiyan  趙飛燕  one of the beauties of ancient China

Zhaohui Chongfu Linshui Furen  召慧崇福臨水夫人  one of Chen Jinggu’s titles, Exalted and Blessed Lady of Linshui Palace Who Illuminates and Grants Favors

Zhaojun  昭君  one of the four beauties of ancient China

Zhen Feng  真封  censor

Zhenwu  真武  True Warrior

Zhong Kui  鍾馗  famous queller of demons

Zhou Yuan  鄒淵  vice minister of the Military Bureau

Zhu Wen  朱溫  Tang dynasty man whose father usurped his wife

Zhu Wenzheng  朱文正  a general in the army of Min

Zhu Xi  朱熹  leading Neo-Confucian philosopher

Zhuangzi  莊子  celebrated, eccentric Warring States philosopher

Zhuge Kongming  諸葛孔明  prime minister noted for great wisdom during the Three Kingdoms period

Zikong  自空  name given to Li Shan Laomu, “the Old Mother of Mt. Li”

Zou (Miss)  鄒  daughter of Zou Huai

Zou Huai  鄒淮  secretary of the Bureau of Military Affairs