Sun Xin (Water Margin)

Last updated
Sun Xin
Water Margin character
First appearanceChapter 49
Nickname"Little Yuchi"
小尉遲
Rank100th, Number Star (地數星) of the 72 Earthly Fiends
Scout leader of Liangshan
OriginTavern owner
Names
Simplified Chinese 孙新
Traditional Chinese 孫新
Pinyin Sūn Xīn
Wade–Giles Sun Hsin

Sun Xin is a fictional character in Water Margin , one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Little Yuchi", he ranks 100th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 64th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Contents

Background

Tall and strong with shiny eyes, Sun Xin is the younger brother of Sun Li, garrison commandant of Dengzhou (登州; in present-day eastern Shandong). Sun Li is nicknamed "Sick Yuchi" as he resembles the Tang dynasty general Yuchi Gong in looks although they definitely differ in complexion as Sun's is pale, and also in that one of his favourite weapons is a steel club. That nickname spilled over to Sun Xin, who is called "Little Yuchi", The Sun brothers' ancestral home is in Qiongzhou (瓊州; present-day Hainan).

Sun Xin's wife is Gu Dasao, a cousin of the hunter brothers Xie Zhen and Xie Bao. The couple run an inn in Dengzhou (登州; in present-day eastern Shandong), not far from the rural home of the Xies.

Prison raid in Dengzhou

Gu Dasao receives news from the jailer Yue He of Dengzhou prison, whose sister is married to Sun Li, that Xie Zhen and Xie Bao have been jailed and might be murdered. The Xies have smashed up the house of one Squire Mao after failing to find a tiger they shot that had fallen into the old man's garden. In fact, the squire had sent the tiger to the prefecture office to claim reward.

Gu consults with Sun Xin, who enlists the help of the outlaws Zou Yuan and Zou Run. Gu is worried that her brother-in-law Sun Li would stand in their way. So she pretends to be ill and gets Sun Li to visit her. When Sun appears, the couple threaten him to decide either to join them or fight them. Sun reluctantly signs on to their plan. With the help of Yue He, the group break into the prison and free the Xie brothers. They then flee to join the outlaws of Liangshan Marsh.

Battle against the Zhu Family Village

Before going up to the stronghold, Sun Li volunteers to infiltrate the Zhu Family Manor, which Liangshan has failed to take in two offensives. As Sun Li has learnt combat from the same teacher as Luan Tingyu, the martial arts instructor of the village, he wins the confidence of the Zhus. Sun Xin, together with his wife, Zou Yuan, Zou Run, the Xie brothers and Yue He, goes on a rampage inside the manor, taking it by surprise, when Sun Li gives his signal. The fall of the Zhu Family Manor is a huge contribution of the group before their acceptance into Liangshan.

Campaigns and later life

Sun Xin and his wife are put in charge of an inn which acts as a lookout of Liangshan after 108 Stars of Destiny came together in what is called the Grand Assembly. The couple participate in the campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces in Song territory following amnesty from Emperor Huizong for Liangshan.

Sun Xin and Gu Dasao survive the campaigns. Although conferred the title Martial Gentleman of Grace (武奕郎), he does not want to serve the government and returns to Dengzhou with his wife and his brother, where he lives as a commoner.

Related Research Articles

Hua Rong

Hua Rong is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Little Li Guang", he ranks ninth among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny.

Yan Qing

Yan Qing is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Langzi", he ranks last among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny.

Li Ying (Water Margin)

Li Ying is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the four great classical novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Striking Hawk", he ranks 11th among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny.

Xie Zhen is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Double-headed Serpent", he ranks 34th among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny.

Xie Bao is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Twin-tailed Scorpion", he ranks 35th among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny.

Shi Xiu is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Daredevil Third Brother", he ranks 33rd among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny.

Hu Sanniang is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Ten Feet of Blue", she ranks 59th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 23rd among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Sun Li is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Sick Yuchi", he ranks 39th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and third among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Yue He is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Iron Whistle", he ranks 77th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 41st among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Gu Dasao is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Female Tiger", she ranks 101st among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 65th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Xiao Rang is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Sacred Handed Scholar", he ranks 46th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and tenth among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Shi Qian is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Flea on a Drum", he ranks 107th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 71st among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Du Xing is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Demon Face", he ranks 89th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 53rd among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Zou Yuan is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Forest Emerging Dragon", he ranks 90th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 54th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Zou Run is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Single Horned Dragon", he ranks 91st among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 55th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Wang Ying is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Stumpy Tiger", he ranks 58th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 22nd among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

<i>The Water Margin</i> (1998 TV series)

The Water Margin is a 1998 Chinese television series adapted from Shi Nai'an's classical 14th-century novel of the same title. It was produced by CCTV with Zhang Jizhong as producer. It was first broadcast in China in January 1998. The series also featured action choreography by Yuen Woo-ping.

<i>All Men Are Brothers</i> (TV series)

All Men Are Brothers is a 2011 Chinese television series adapted from Shi Nai'an's 14th century novel Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. The series is directed by Kuk Kwok-leung and features cast members from mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The series was first broadcast on 8TV in March 2011 in Malaysia.

<i>Outlaws of the Marsh</i> (TV series)

Outlaws of the Marsh is a Chinese television series adapted from Shi Nai'an's classical 14th century novel Water Margin. It was first broadcast on Shandong TV in China in 1983, and was not completed until 1986. The series was one of the earliest television dramas with an ancient China setting to be produced in mainland China. It was divided into different parts, each focusing on the story line of a certain character. Widely regarded as a classic in mainland China, the series won a Golden Eagle Award.

References