Glossary / Reputation
Reputation in Chinese: 31 Terms and Their English Renderings
What people say about a character when they are not in the room.
31 terms
| Chinese | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 杀伐果断 | Decisive in Killing | Saying yes when killing is needed, and not lingering over it afterwards. Praise in this genre, not criticism. |
| 心狠手辣 | Ruthless | Willing to do the ugly thing and pay the ugly price. Usually a warning, occasionally admiration. |
| 睚眦必报 | Repays Every Slight | The smallest offence gets settled in full. The reputation that keeps strangers polite. |
| 护短 | Shields His Own | His people may be wrong; outsiders may not touch them. The default temperament of every sect elder. |
| 恩怨分明 | Clear on Debt and Gratitude | Kindness repaid, injury repaid, both in full. About the highest praise jianghu ethics has. |
| 记仇 | Holds a Grudge | Keeps the account open for decades. In a world where people live for centuries, that is a real threat. |
| 低调 | Low Profile | Not showing what you have. A survival strategy in any sect where talent gets poached or removed. |
| 名声 | Reputation | The invisible currency that arrives before you do. Often worth more than a realm. |
| 口碑 | Word of Mouth | What people say about you when you are not in the room. Decides who will trade with you. |
| 声名狼藉 | Name in Ruins | A reputation so bad that nobody will stand next to you in public. |
| 众矢之的 | Target of All | The one everybody is allowed to hit. Usually the price of a sudden rise in status. |
| 立威 | Establishing Authority | One public act of force intended to end all future arguments. |
| 凶名 | A Fearsome Name | Reputation for violence. Functions as armour until someone tests it. |
| 恶名 | Notoriety | The negative version. In this genre, sometimes a compliment. |
| 威名 | Renown | The positive version. Bought with a public fight. |
| 赫赫威名 | Towering Renown | The amplified version. Used for old enemies before they are introduced. |
| 名声在外 | Known Far and Wide | The phrase that precedes a meeting with someone who has heard of you. |
| 名扬四海 | Famous Across the Four Seas | Larger again. Usually used ironically about a minor character. |
| 籍籍无名 | Unknown | Nameless. Where every protagonist starts, and where most stay. |
| 名声大噪 | Sudden Fame | Achieved in one public fight. Brings attention and enemies in equal measure. |
| 恶名昭彰 | Infamous | The fullest negative. Used of sects more often than people. |
| 臭名远扬 | Notorious Far Away | The comic version. Used when the character does not deserve it. |
| 杀人如麻 | Kills Like Hemp | Killed uncountably. The idiom for a body count nobody kept track of. |
| 护犊子 | Protects the Calf | The warmer version. Used of masters who defend hopeless disciples. |
| 六亲不认 | Disowns All Kin | Cut off everyone. Used for ascetic characters and for those who have been betrayed. |
| 众叛亲离 | All Betray Him | The isolation. Usually the low point before a comeback. |
| 德高望重 | Elder of Great Virtue | The description for a sect head who is not the villain. Increasingly rare in the genre. |
| 威望 | Prestige | The standing that makes an order obeyed without argument. |
| 名头 | Title | A name with weight behind it. Used as a noun in arguments. |
| 靠名头吃饭 | Living on the Name | Relying on reputation instead of ability. Said with contempt. |
| 自损名头 | Damaging Your Own Name | Losing face in public. The event that starts a feud. |
Judgement words need to land as judgements, not as descriptions. Terms follow the free cultivation novels at cultivationnovel.com.
Source: cultivationnovel.com · Cultivation Glossary