Lin Daiyu’s Physical and Mental Dilemnd Tragic Metaphors from the Perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Based on an Interdisciplinary Analysis of Dream of the Red Chamber

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-577-5_26How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Dream of the Red Chamber; Lin Daiyu; TCM Metaphor; Holism of Body and Spirit; Internal Injury Caused by Seven Emotions; Tragic Fate

Abstract

In Dream of the Red Chamber, the scenes depicting Lin Daiyu’s use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) serve as multidimensional metaphors, integrating TCM’s mind-body theory, character psychology, temporal constraints, and the author’s artistic vision. Supported by TCM theories of the holistic nature of the body and spirit, as well as the idea that internal injury is caused by the seven emotions, this paper analyzes the physical manifestations and psychological projections of Lin Daiyu’s congenital insufficiency. It does so by examining core medicines and prescriptions, such as Renshen Yangrong Wan (Ginseng Nutritive Decoction in Pill Form) and Tianwang Buxin Dan (Heavenly King Tonifying Heart Pellet), as well as bird’s nest. The paper explores the catalytic effects of emotional disorders, a dependent living environment, and feudal ethical constraints on her physical and mental health. It also reveals the inevitability of fate and temporal tragedy embodied in TCM symbols. The research indicates that Lin Daiyu’s history of TCM usage reveals a trajectory of coordinated physical and mental collapse, characterized by physical depletion, psychological depression, and social oppression. The failure of medicine to cure her predicament stems from the conflict between her emotional pursuits and temporal constraints, offering a new perspective for interdisciplinary interpretations of classical literary characters.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Hiahan Ma
AU  - Snor Bayazidi
AU  - Hengning Shao
AU  - Yang Shao
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
TI  - Lin Daiyu’s Physical and Mental Dilemnd Tragic Metaphors from the Perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Based on an Interdisciplinary Analysis of Dream of the Red Chamber
BT  - Proceedings of the 2026 5th International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities and Arts (SSHA 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 261
EP  - 267
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-577-5_26
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-577-5_26
ID  - Ma2026
ER  -