Quick Answer: Who Is Jia Baoyu?
Jia Baoyu (贾宝玉, Jiǎ Bǎoyù) is the young protagonist of Dream of the Red Chamber (红楼梦, Hónglóu Mèng). He is born with a piece of jade in his mouth. He grows up in the wealthy Jia household, where his closeness to two cousins brings personal affection and family expectations into conflict.[1]
- His bond with Lin Daiyu (林黛玉, Lín Dàiyù) has a counterpart in the novel’s supernatural opening.[1]
- His jade and the gold lock worn by Xue Baochai (薛宝钗, Xuē Bǎochāi) carry inscriptions that Ying’er reads as a pair.[3]
- The printed ending takes him through marriage, an examination and departure from the family.[4][5][6][8]
The jade matters both as a physical object and as something the people around Baoyu have to interpret.
Baoyu has a place in the family before he is old enough to choose it. The novel gives him a piece of jade at birth, a father who expects him to study and a garden where he would rather spend his time.
What the Jade and Gold Lock Mean
The piece Baoyu wears is called the Numinous Jade (通灵宝玉, Tōnglíng Bǎoyù). At his first meeting with Lin Daiyu, he asks whether she has jade of her own. When she says no, he throws his down. Daiyu’s lack of a matching object makes his privilege look arbitrary to him.[2]
Chapter 8 gives the object a different role. Xue Baochai turns it over and reads the inscriptions. Her maid Ying’er points out that they sound like a pair with the words on Baochai’s gold lock. The scene lets readers hear the idea of a match taking shape in conversation, in the presence of the two people it might bind.[3]
Life in the Garden and the Family’s Expectations
The Grand View Garden (大观园, Dàguānyuán) gives Baoyu space to write poetry and spend time with his cousins. Its social world also includes his attendants, such as Xiren and Qingwen. His father wants him to prepare for the civil service examinations. The two pursuits imply different adult lives: one is tied to the garden’s friendships, the other to service and the family’s future.[1]
What Happens to Jia Baoyu
In Chapter 97, Baoyu marries Baochai while expecting Daiyu. Daiyu dies around the time of the wedding. In Chapter 119, he takes the provincial examination and places seventh. By the time his result reaches home he has already disappeared. Chapter 120 describes a final encounter with his father before Baoyu goes away.[4][5][8]
This is the ending of the 120-chapter printed edition first published in 1791. The surviving early manuscripts do not extend beyond eighty chapters, and the authorship of the final forty remains disputed.[6]
Baoyu on the Opera Stage
In the opera by Bright Sheng and David Henry Hwang, first performed in San Francisco in 2016, Baoyu appears as Bao Yu. The production foregrounds his ties to Dai Yu and Bao Chai. Viewers can compare how the stage version stages the relationships among the three characters with how Chapter 8 lets them unfold through a small exchange over two objects.[3][7]
FAQs About Jia Baoyu
Why is Baoyu called Precious Jade?
The name Baoyu (宝玉, Bǎoyù) means precious jade, fitting the object the novel places in his mouth at birth.[1]
Do Baoyu and Daiyu marry?
In the 120-chapter printed edition, he marries Xue Baochai.[4][6]
Does Baoyu pass the examination?
In Chapter 119 of the printed edition, he places seventh in the provincial examination. His family receives the news after he has disappeared.[8]
Sources
[1] Ann Waltner, University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing. Jia Baoyu
[2] Dream of the Red Chamber. Chapter 3, Chinese text
[3] Dream of the Red Chamber. Chapter 8, Chinese text
[4] Dream of the Red Chamber. Chapter 97, Chinese text
[5] Dream of the Red Chamber. Chapters 119 and 120, Chinese text
[6] Ann Waltner, University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing. Controversy Over the Last 40 Chapters
[7] San Francisco Opera. Dream of the Red Chamber production announcement
[8] Dream of the Red Chamber. Chapter 119, Chinese text