"You know, I saw the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and I didn't
see any tigers or dragons. Then I realized, it's because they're crouching and
hidden."--Steve Martin
卧虎藏龙
The unwieldy title of the film in English* refers to the two main characters of the
novel, Lo and Jen.
The full name of the
bandit, Lo, (played by
Chang Chen in the movie) is Luo Xiao Hu. His name means "Little
Tiger." The Hidden Dragon is Jen, (
Zhang Ziyi)-- her full name, Yu Jiao Long, means "
Jade Charming Dragon."
The title is also a Chinese proverb. An old poem that described
some rocks looking like tigers and tree roots looking like dragons
led to the phrase indicating a situation in which there might
be unique or extraordinary people hidden in unexpected places, amidst ordinary people.
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is
a common expression, which reminds us never to underestimate the
mysteries, the potent characters that lie beneath the surface of
society. -Ang Lee
The Tale of Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon was introduced as a
1941 serial for a
Qingdao newspaper, later it became the fourth novel in Wang Dulu's
Crane - Iron Pentalogy. In the novel, neither Li Mu Bai nor Jen die. They will both appear in the 5th novel,
Iron Knight, Silver Vase.
* in
Mandarin, it's only four syllables:
Wo Hu Cang Long
Sources: Leigh Melton. "CTHD - Title Meaning." 16 December 2000. <alt.asian-movies> (20 June 2001)
<hybang@home.com> "Re: CTHD - Title Meaning." 19 December 2000. <alt.asian-movies> (20 June 2001)
"Crane - Iron Pentalogy - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - The Novel." 2000. <http://www.monkeypeaches.com/CTHD-F-Novel.html>
"The Novel of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon." <http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/Tigerstory.htm> 20 June 2001.
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