Quick Answer: Who Is Li Kui?
Li Kui (李逵, Lǐ Kuí) is an outlaw in Water Margin (水浒传, Shuǐhǔ Zhuàn). He is known as the Black Whirlwind (黑旋风, Hēi Xuànfēng) and Iron Ox (铁牛, Tiěniú). He begins as a jail attendant and later ranks among the leading members of the band at Liangshan (梁山, Liángshān).[1][3]
- In Jiangzhou, Dai Zong introduces him to Song Jiang (宋江, Sòng Jiāng).[1]
- On the journey home, he meets an impostor who uses his name and later loses his mother at Yi Ridge.[2]
- The 120-chapter version ends his story with a final visit to Song Jiang.[4]
The two nicknames remain recognizable in later portrayals, including a Japanese woodblock print.[5]
Before he meets Song Jiang, Li Kui already knows the man by reputation. On his way home later, he finds another man trading on his own name. Both scenes show what a name can do before the person arrives.
From Jiangzhou to Liangshan
In Chapter 38, Dai Zong brings Li Kui upstairs to meet Song Jiang. He introduces him as a jail attendant and gives both nicknames. Once Li Kui knows who the visitor is, his blunt questioning turns into a deferential greeting. The encounter gives his later loyalty a beginning in personal admiration.[1]
Chapter 71 places him twenty-second in the full roster of the 108 Liangshan heroes. His position there is associated with the Star of Killing (天杀星, Tiānshā Xīng). The roster assigns him a place in the collective story as well as retaining his familiar nickname.[3]
The Impostor and the Journey Home
In Chapter 43, Li Gui (李鬼, Lǐ Guǐ) tries to pass himself off as the Black Whirlwind. Li Kui initially spares him and gives him silver after hearing him plead that he has a mother to support. The appeal works because Li Kui is on his way to collect his own mother.[2]
While he is fetching water at Yi Ridge, tigers kill her. The episode recalls the tiger encounter of Wu Song, but Li Kui’s confrontation follows a personal loss. His grief gives the scene a different purpose.[2]
Li Kui’s Loyalty in the Long Ending
In Chapter 120, Song Jiang fears that Li Kui will rebel again after his death. He poisons him to prevent it. Li Kui’s last response is to affirm his loyalty. The leader brings about the death of a man who still addresses him as a brother.[4]
The Black Whirlwind on Stage and in Print
Kang Jinzhi’s play Li Kui Carries Thorns gives him another plot in which he misjudges Song Jiang and must answer for the accusation. The play builds its story around the follower’s willingness to challenge his own leader.[6]
A woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, dated about 1827 to 1830 by Princeton University Art Museum, names him the Black Whirlwind and Iron Ox. It belongs to the same Japanese series as the portrait of Hua Rong. The different names and poses help distinguish the characters within the series.[5]
FAQs About Li Kui
Are Iron Ox and Black Whirlwind the same person?
Both names refer to Li Kui. Dai Zong uses them when he introduces him in Chapter 38.[1]
Is Li Gui another name for Li Kui?
Li Gui is a different character who borrows Li Kui’s nickname to intimidate travelers in Chapter 43.[2]
Where does Li Kui rank among the Liangshan heroes?
He is twenty-second in the final roster in Chapter 71.[3]
Источники
[1] Water Margin. Chapter 38, 120-chapter text
[2] Water Margin. Chapter 43, 120-chapter text
[3] Water Margin. Chapter 71, 120-chapter text
[4] Water Margin. Chapter 120, 120-chapter text
[5] Princeton University Art Museum. Li Kui, the Black Whirlwind, also known as Iron Ox, by Utagawa Kuniyoshi
[6] Kang Jinzhi. Li Kui Carries Thorns, Chinese Classical Drama Database