#三尊

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Some 3zun 三尊 meta

I analyze 3zun’s oath of fraternity and compare it against Liu/Guan/Zhang’s in Romance of the Three Kingdoms

I explain the public and personal reasons for their alliance

Some notes before we begin:

I previously covered the brotherhood oath ceremony in the CQL subs critique, but now I’m back with an Actual Essay™️ because I find the whole thing endlessly fascinating
I’ll be referencing both CQL and novel canon. Note that the full dialogue from the sworn brotherhood ceremony only appears in CQL and not the novel
I’ll only be covering the conception of the sworn brotherhood, and not the events that followed their oath
I reference Luo Guanzhong’s 罗贯中 Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Ro3K) 三国演义 a little, but you don’t need to know much about it to read the post
All translations will be by me, unless stated otherwise
The text from the oath that I’ll be translating is in 文言文 (Classical Chinese), so most expressions are not used in modern speech/writing
This post will contain spoilers

Ok so! I was fascinated by the brotherhood oath ceremony when I saw it in Episode 23 of CQL. The dialogue and symbolism in that particular scene immediately reminded me of the famous oath between Liu Bei 刘备, Guan Yu 关羽, and Zhang Fei 张飞 in Ro3K.

A little bit of background on Ro3K

Ro3K is one of the 4 great classic novels of Chinese literature
It details the battles and political intrigue between rival warlords from three feuding states, Shu Han 蜀汉, Cao Wei 曹魏, and Dong Wu 东吴
Ro3K’s Liu Bei swore an oath of fraternity with two of his closest generals, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Later in the story, he would rise to become the ruler of Shu Han
Liu/Guan/Zhang became sworn brothers to protect their people from the Yellow Turban Rebellion and restore the glory of the Han dynasty
Liu Bei and his sworn brothers loved each other deeply

So how exactly did 3zun’s ceremony compare to that of the Ro3K trio?

Let’s take a look at their vows, which were a sacred covenant sworn before the heavens. For this reason, they had to be taken as seriously and as literally as possible.

3zun’s vows in CQL went as follows:

上报仙门，下安黎庶，天地同证，如有异心，千夫所指，天人共怒

And the vows of the Ro3K trio went as follows:

虽然异姓，既结为兄弟，则同心协力，救国扶危；上报国家，下安黎庶；不求同年同月同日生，只愿同年同月同日死；皇天后土，实鉴此心，背义忘恩，天人共戮

The vows are largely the same, but there are a few key differences. Let’s break them down!

虽然异姓，既结为兄弟，则同心协力，救国扶危

The Ro3K trio have an extra line at the beginning:

虽然异姓，既结为兄弟，则同心协力，救国扶危

“Even though we have different family names, we unite as brothers, and align our hearts towards the common goal of protecting our country from threats”.

This was an acknowledgement of the different family origins of each member of the Ro3K trio. None of them were nobly born. Liu Bei, though distantly related to an emperor, was reportedly a shoemaker by trade. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were a door guard and butcher respectively.

However, they all had a common interest in suppressing the rebellion. The act of setting their differences aside to unite in brotherhood was thus an apt expression of their chivalry, honor, and loyalty.

Though 3zun expressed similar sentiments at their own oath-taking post-Sunshot, this line was conspicuously missing from their pledge.

异姓 in the context of the Ro3K trio’s vows means “different family origins”. However, 异 can also be taken to mean “abnormal” or “odd”.

For 3zun, this line would only have drawn unwanted attention to their differences in terms of status. Though Jin Guangyao had just been publicly acknowledged by his father, it was still common knowledge that he was illegitimate. Had 3zun spoken this line, it would have been seen as a veiled criticism of Jin Guangyao’s low birth. It would have sullied his newly-minted glory, and further undermined 3zun’s union as a whole.

Second, moving on to the phrase 则同心协力 / “aligning our hearts to a common purpose”.

Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen were already clan leaders at the time of the oath, and they had to put the well-being of their respective clans first. At some point, these personal obligations would likely have gotten in the way of their commitment to a common cause.

Also, unlike the Ro3K trio, each member of 3zun had their own personal reasons for taking the oath (more on this later)!

上报国家，下安黎庶 / 上报仙门，下安黎庶

The Ro3K trio swore to 上报国家，下安黎庶, while 3zun swore to 上报仙门，下安黎庶. The only difference here is 国家 (“country”) vs 仙门 (loosely, “cultivation society”).

This line means “we serve and are accountable to our country/cultivation society, and we take care of the bustling masses (i.e. the common people)”.

不求同年同月同日生，只愿同年同月同日死

The Ro3K trio had this iconic couplet in their vows:

不求同年同月同日生，只愿同年同月同日死

“We do not have to be born on the same year, month, or day, as long as we die on the same year, month, and day”.

It’s a beautiful line, and it aptly illustrates the deep respect and regard between Liu Bei and his sworn brothers. The subtext is “let not any one of us live without the others”. It’s so obviously missing from 3zun’s vows, and here’s why.

First, 3zun’s oath had started out on a rocky note. The Sunshot Campaign was over, and Jin Guangyao had been hailed as a war hero for his deeds in Buyetian. But the three men had just been involved in an ugly altercation in Wen Ruohan’s abandoned throne room. Lan Xichen had barely managed to stop Nie Mingjue from killing Jin Guangyao for his murder of the Nie disciples.

With the shadow of animosity so fresh on their minds, it’s unthinkable that 3zun would have truly wanted to share the honor of dying on the same day. Theirs was not a brotherhood born out of reciprocal love and common interests, but political necessity and personal ambition.

Second, as I’ve mentioned above, they each had their duties to their respective clans. Such a promise was impractical, and would have been immensely difficult to fulfill.

Third, given the three’s high standing in cultivation society, the upheaval to the political landscape would have been enormous if they had truly died on the same day.

// cw: blood, bodily fluids consumption

Fun fact: a lot of modern-day triads and secret societies use this line in their loyalty ceremonies to bind their members to the gangs for life. In TV dramas, it’s common to see rituals where each recruit sheds a drop of blood into a common bowl, which would then be passed around the circle for everyone to imbibe. Psychologically, this ensures the gang members’ commitment, which in turn prevents them from betraying each other to rival organizations or law enforcement.

皇天后土，实鉴此心，背义忘恩，天人共戮 / 天地同证，如有异心，千夫所指，天人共怒

The Ro3K trio ended their pledge with this line:

皇天后土，实鉴此心，背义忘恩，天人共戮

In contrast, 3zun ended theirs with

天地同证，如有异心，千夫所指，天人共怒

On a superficial level the general meaning is largely similar, but there are some subtle differences in tone and interpretation.

Here’s a (loose and fast) phrase-by-phrase translation:

Ro3K trio

皇天后土: as witnessed by heaven and earth
实鉴此心: and honest reflection of our hearts
背义忘恩: if we betray each other or show ingratitude
天人共戮: may we be smited by both heaven and the people

3zun

天地同证: let heaven and earth bear witness
如有异心: if one of us came to harbor different intentions
千夫所指: may he be condemned by everyone (in the cultivation world)
天人共怒: and suffer the anger of both heaven and the people

The first important difference is the emphasis on the basis of condemnation. For the Ro3K trio, it was 背义忘恩 (betrayal and ingratitude).

An act of betrayal would have gone against the Confucian standard of gentlemanly conduct. Even if it hadn’t been explicitly stated in their vows, it would still have been universally understood that such behavior was undesirable and deserving of punishment.

On the other hand, for 3zun, the basis for condemnation was 异心 (differing intentions). Though 异心 had a negative connotation, it was still considered a gray area in the context of the pledge. Realistically speaking, there was nothing wrong with each member of 3zun acting in their own clan’s interests.

But Nie Mingjue was already suspicious of Jin Guangyao because of their history. And Lan Xichen was intent on preserving harmony between the other two, as a consequence.

The result? A pledge to keep each other in line; an assurance that no one of them would take advantage of the other two in pursuit of their private ambitions.

Second, the inclusion of the phrase 千夫所指 in 3zun’s vows is also telling — it implies “may (the offender’s) deeds be known to all (so he may be universally condemned)”. This line expressed the need to make any infractions publicly known, for the sake of vindication and justice.

This was in line with Nie Mingjue’s personal philosophy and upright morals, and his reputation as a 江湖好汉 (righteous warrior). As evident from his condemnation of the Wen stragglers, he strongly believed in a singular good-evil dichotomy, and in the need for wrongdoing to be met with appropriate and absolute punishment.

Such a phrase would not have been necessary for the Ro3K trio. As the leaders of Shu Han, they needed to present a united front to their troops by endeavoring to resolve their quarrels in private. The public exposure of any misdeeds, even for the sake of justice, would have exposed their weaknesses. This was especially pertinent because of the twin threats of Cao Wei and Dong Wu on the horizon.

The third difference lay in the degree of the collectivistic nature of the consequences. The Ro3K trio’s pledge was all-encompassing. Each person was responsible for the conduct of the other two. The failure of one would be taken as the failure of all. In other words, they would all suffer the same punishment 天人共戮, regardless of which one of them broke the faith.

3zun’s pledge reads slightly differently. 如有异心 and the subsequent lines imply that only the person who diverged from the others would suffer the consequences. It was an interesting balance, and one that signaled an unequal distribution of power from the outset.

Bonus: the setting of the oath-taking

The Ro3K trio famously took their oath in a peach garden 桃园三结义. The symbolism here is heavy: peaches represented paradise, immortality, and prosperity. The peach garden was thus an auspicious location for a pledge. It helped set the stage for the longevity of the brotherhood, and for the success of Liu Bei’s military and political campaign.

In contrast, 3zun took their vows on the bones of Qishan, on a hilltop overlooking Buyetian. Standing above Wen Ruohan’s former seat of power represented their desire to rebuild and rise above his negative influence. However, Qishan provided a tainted foundation to the beginning of 3zun’s relationship, signaling their struggles ahead to rebuild and live in harmony with each other.

So, why did 3zun swear the oath? It seems unthinkable that they would have wanted to become sworn brothers, considering the deception and animosity that had plagued their relationship from the beginning.

Let’s take a look at both their public reasons and individual motivations.

Public reasons

We’ll start with the public reasons.

First, the union was a celebration of the finest warriors of the Sunshot campaign.
Second, it promised close diplomatic relations between the three clans, and signaled to everyone that there would be a powerful alliance in place to protect them from future despots.
Third, it provided assurance to the rest of the cultivation world that the three strongest clans (Qinghe Nie, Gusu Lan, and Lanling Jin) would effectively be on equal footing with each other. They would have the political and moral grounds for keeping each other in check, which would vastly reduce the possibility of one of them seizing too much power.

The sworn brotherhood was supposed to be a signal of unity between the strongest clans in the Sunshot alliance. Yet, there were some important people who had been excluded from it. Let’s take a look at the reasons.

Excluded: Jiang Cheng

I’ve covered this briefly in the Jiang Cheng meta post, and I’ll go over it again. It was never explicitly mentioned in canon, but the exclusion of Jiang Cheng was very likely due to his close relationship with Wei Wuxian.

Though Wei Wuxian had catalyzed the alliance’s victory against Qishan Wen, his unorthodox methods were widely regarded with fear and suspicion. And instead of condemning his behavior to allay the concerns of the other clans, Jiang Cheng continued to indulge and celebrate him.

The advent of 3zun would have provided the cultivation world with a concerted means of placing pressure on Jiang Cheng to keep Wei Wuxian in check. If Wei Wuxian chose to unleash his unnatural abilities against everyone, Yunmeng Jiang would have had to confront the combined might of the other three clans.

Excluded: Jin Zixuan

It seems unthinkable that they excluded Jin Zixuan from the union, seeing that he was the only legitimate heir to Lanling Jin, and that he was on equal footing with Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen. And yet, it made perfect sense.

For Jin Zixuan, joining Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen in brotherhood (in place of Jin Guangyao) would have been politically detrimental to his career as the future clan leader of Lanling Jin.

At the time of the oath, Jin Zixuan was the son of the incumbent Chief Cultivator, Jin Guangshan. Joining the sworn brotherhood would have placed him in an overly deferential position to Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen, who were both his elders. He would have had to address them as 大哥 “da-ge” and 二哥 “er-ge”, and respectfully accept their judgement and advice, even if he disagreed.

At some point, he would have been inevitably torn between his duty to his sworn brothers, and his filial obligations to his father and clan. Joining 3zun would therefore have been a lose-lose situation for him.

Next, let’s look at each of 3zun’s personal reasons for swearing the oath.

Nie Mingjue’s personal reasons

I’m guessing that Nie Mingjue would have needed very little convincing to enter the sworn brotherhood arrangement.

His relationship with Lan Xichen was straightforward — they were already friends to begin with.

On the other hand, we can’t say the same for Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao. Jin Guangyao was rising too rapidly through the ranks of the cultivation world for Nie Mingjue’s comfort. Plus, he was doing so by forming questionable alliances (e.g. with Xue Yang) and by constantly latching on to people who were more powerful than him (e.g. Lan Xichen, Wen Ruohan, and his own father, Jin Guangshan).

Nie Mingjue had always admired Jin Guangyao’s talent, up until the moment in which he had witnessed him using Qishan Wen sword techniques. That had been the turning point in their otherwise mutually respectful relationship.

On the other hand, Jin Guangyao had also risked blowing his cover to keep Nie Mingjue alive during his failed infiltration of Buyetian.

However, let’s not forget that Nie Mingjue had not wanted to be spared. He thought it dishonorable; a coward’s way out.

Jin Guangyao had a good grasp of Nie Mingjue’s values. He needed the higher moral ground. As such, he was keenly aware that Nie Mingjue would feel reluctantly indebted to him for his mercy, as unwanted as it was.

As a result, Nie Mingjue harbored a conflicting mix of mistrust, resentment, and grudging gratitude towards Jin Guangyao. Joining the sworn brotherhood thus served a dual purpose for Nie Mingjue. One, it provided him with a convenient means to keep an eye on Jin Guangyao. Two, it was a means for him to publicly acknowledge Jin Guangyao for sparing his life.

Furthermore, Nie Mingjue likely felt protective towards Lan Xichen. As evident from the heated exchange in Wen Ruohan’s throne room, Nie Mingjue was thoroughly convinced that Lan Xichen was being manipulated by Jin Guangyao. Swearing the oath thus provided Nie Mingjue with the opportunity to remain close to Lan Xichen, so that he would be better able to protect him.

As Wei Wuxian rightly speculated in chapter 49:

算起来，过往他那些战役中，多少都借助了孟瑶通过蓝曦臣传递来的情报。他依然觉得金光瑶是不可多得的人才，有心引他走回正途。而金光瑶已不是他的下属，结拜之后，才有身份和立场督促他，就像督促管教他的弟弟聂怀桑。

“In the midst of the war, (Nie Mingjue) had been heavily reliant on the secret reports that Meng Yao had been sending to Lan Xichen. He still thought that Jin Guangyao was a rare talent, and he intended to put him on the correct path. Furthermore, Jin Guangyao was no longer his subordinate. After taking the oath, he would regain the authority to keep an eye on him, just like how he kept a close eye on his younger brother, Nie Huaisang.”

Jin Guangyao’s personal reasons

First; it was a strategic move. If we know Jin Guangyao, we know that he was very good at big-picture thinking and forward planning. He had a clear, detailed plan for advancing to the topmost ranks of cultivation society. Joining Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen in brotherhood was just the first step for him.

One of the 36 Stratagems is 远交近攻 (keeping allies at a distance and enemies close), which Jin Guangyao deployed to maximum effect.

Jin Guangyao had already laid plans on how he would proceed after Jin Guangshan’s passing. He was well aware that Jin Zixuan would succeed Jin Guangshan as clan leader. To him, both these men presented potential obstacles to his success. Jin Guangyao knew that he would always be left on the sidelines under Jin Zixuan’s reign, and that Jin Zixuan’s future children would take precedence over him in all aspects of courtly life.

The 3zun brotherhood provided Jin Guangyao with the opportunity to build his reputation and gain a foothold in society, outside the confines of his lowly position in the Jin family.

In the cultivation world, Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen were widely regarded as shining examples of virtue and courage. Jin Guangyao knew that publicly aligning himself with them would raise his pedigree by a significant amount.

Should his future in Lanling Jin become unstable, or should he fall out of favor with Jin Guangshan or Jin Zixuan, he would be able to count on support from his sworn brothers, who made for powerful external allies.

Second; on diplomacy. Jin Guangyao also foresaw the possibility of Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen moving against him.

Naturally, he couldn’t allow that. Joining them in their oath was therefore a defensive move; a way of strengthening his diplomatic relations with two of the other strongest clans. If this sounds familiar, it’s because it’s a common real-world political strategy — the act of using diplomacy in bilateral (in this case, trilateral) relations as a form of deterrence.

Third; on power and influence. Jin Guangyao knew that Nie Mingjue was suspicious of him, and he needed to win him to his side for his support. However, such an endeavor would have been impossible without Lan Xichen to maintain the peace. By keeping both of them close and cementing his place as a valued member of the trio, Jin Guangyao would be able to play to their respective needs. In doing so, he would make himself indispensable to both of them.

Broadly speaking, Jin Guangyao was also envisioning his future as the Chief Cultivator, or minimally, as the clan leader of Lanling Jin. In order to sway future political decisions in his favor, he needed to be able to influence Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen on a personal level. To Jin Guangyao, the intimacy of the sworn brotherhood provided the perfect solution to this difficulty.

And fourth, the prospect of the sworn brotherhood probably allowed Jin Guangyao to experience familial belonging for the first time in his life. Where he had once been shunned and insulted, he was now intentionally included, recognized, and viewed as an equal. It was as good a reason to join as any.

Lan Xichen’s personal reasons

Of the three, Lan Xichen probably stood to benefit the least from the sworn brotherhood, at least on an individual level.

He was already close to both Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao. His reputation in the cultivation world was solid, and he did not need the intervention of the other two to strengthen it. Other than some help to rebuild his family home, which had been destroyed in the war, he also did not necessarily need any financial resources or military support.

Why, then, did he do it?

Lan Xichen had witnessed firsthand how strife and disharmony had torn his own family apart — first in the wedge between his parents, and later between his father and the rest of the clan.

As such, he prided himself on being a peacemaker and mediator. He saw it as his responsibility to mend relationships and bring people together. Case in point: after Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji had both been beaten for scuffling past curfew, he went out of his way to encourage their friendship by allowing Wei Wuxian to visit the cold pond.

Lan Xichen loved both Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao. It pained him to see them in opposition with each other. He didn’t understand why Nie Mingjue was suspicious of Jin Guangyao, who had always appeared to be hard-working, intelligent, and self-sacrificing. Likewise, he couldn’t comprehend why Jin Guangyao always seemed to draw Nie Mingjue’s ire, seeing that Nie Mingjue tended to treat people fairly, and was quick to appreciate competent behavior.

On a broader level, Lan Xichen also needed them to set their differences aside so that the sworn brotherhood could serve its intended purposes. These included establishing closer relations between their clans for economic and military benefits, and maintaining a strong overseeing unit to ensure peace in the cultivation world at large.

The sworn brotherhood thus provided Lan Xichen with the moral authority to act as mediator for his sworn brothers. By virtue of their newly-established relationship, his personal interests naturally became theirs as well.

When Jin Guangyao appeared to be earnest about learning the qin scores to ease Nie Mingjue’s condition, Lan Xichen considered it a significant victory. It both reinforced the harmony that the cultivation world so desperately needed in the aftermath of war, and it also eased the doubt in his heart.

Final thoughts

The lines in 3zun’s pledge did not necessarily foreshadow the failure of their sworn brotherhood. Taken on their own, the vows could have provided a strong foundation for 3zun to embrace their differences and come to a position of mutual respect. It’s only when we contrast their relationship with that of the Ro3K trio do we see their shortcomings.

This is perhaps an unpopular opinion, but I believe that each member of 3zun had an equal part to play in the deterioration of the brotherhood.

Nie Mingjue could have taken a more empathetic position with Jin Guangyao, and tried harder to understand why certain concepts such as achievement and status meant so much to him.
Lan Xichen could have taken a step back instead of forward, and critically evaluated his individual relationships with the other two men.
And finally, Jin Guangyao could have kept better faith in his sworn brothers, and refrained from taking advantage of them in his quest for recognition and belonging.

It’s worth mentioning that the Ro3K trio had their fair share of disagreements while alive. Also, in a tragic twist of fate, they did not eventually die on the same year, month, or day, as they had sworn. Guan Yu died defending one of Liu Bei’s territories. Shortly after, Zhang Fei was killed by his own men. Later, Liu Bei himself died of illness and heartbreak.