Shen Wei's promise

[china_shop]

At the very end of episode 4, the Envoy meets with Chu Shuzhi to debrief about the face-stealer case. There's a flashback to Ye Olde Haixing Era, and then in present day Shen Wei thinks:

(Revised subs) Once a promise is made, even mountains must move. I promised you, for the sake of the people, for the sake of peace on Haixing, even if it is an endless struggle apart, I will go on.{I will advance.}

(Orig subs) Once a promise is made, even mountains can't get in our way. What I've promised you, for the sake of the people, for the sake of Haixing's peace, even if I have to shoulder burdens whilst moving backward, I will advance forward.

(foxghost on tumblr)
A vow is set in stone
Ten thousand mountains can’t stand in my way
I made you a promise
Even if my burden is heavy and I walk an eternity alone
I would never go back on our agreement


That last one omits "为了天下苍生，为了海星和平", which is the "for the whole world, for the peace of Haixing" part. Taking that line into account, anyone have a theory/speculation about what promise Shen Wei is referring to here?

(Thanks to trobadora for the Foxghost link.)

Comments

[trobadora]

Oooh, thank you for posting this question!

(I think you have a typo in your html, because the foxghost link isn't working?)

[china_shop]

Oops! Fixed now -- thanks!

(And doh, I just remembered I made screencaps to post with this...)

[trobadora]

Not too late to include them! Screencaps are always good. :D

[china_shop]

Done! :-)

I love that he's clenching his hands as he thinks about the promise.

[trobadora]

I love details like that. ♥ ♥ ♥

[qikiqtarjuaq]

I kind of figured it was part of the same promise he made to wait for Kunlun. They had talked about how even if he had the choice, he would continue to perform his duties, because that was the kind of person he is. And Kunlun had also asked him not to be upset with him if he disappears without a word, only know that they'll meet again.

So IMO it's not a single explicit conversation they had where Shen Wei promised this, but just something that Shen Wei feels he owes Kunlun and Kunlun's expectations of him.

[china_shop]

I kind of figured it was part of the same promise he made to wait for Kunlun.

Wait, did Shen Wei promise to wait for Kunlun? *has completely forgotten this*

The other things you mention both came from Kunlun, not from Shen Wei, and the "even if it's not what you want, you'll keep fighting" explicitly cuts off Shen Wei's articulating his own desires. But I think Shen Wei does acquiesce to Kunlun's advice/characterisation of him there, and maybe you're right and that's it. I haven't come up with anything that fits better.

I'm probably being overly literal about the whole promise/vow thing. :-)

I do feel like if Zhao Yunlan heard the lines quoted in the post, he would headdesk repeatedly at the idea of Shen Wei promising to shoulder all the burdens on his own for eternity. That's like the exact opposite of what Zhao Yunlan wants!

Thanks! :-)

[qikiqtarjuaq]

Well, he never really says anything out loud. But 10,000 years later in one of the trailers, he does say "Remember that we promised to meet again." So it's my own pet theory that while Shen Wei never says it out loud, he makes a lot of silent promises to Kunlun. When Kunlun says they'll definitely meet again, Shen Wei is all: *immediately marks all the future dates on his calendar for next date with Kunlun* And when Kunlun looks so admiringly at Shen Wei while talking about his dedication to duty, Shen Wei automatically places more value on those traits beyond the importance he already placed on them.

I do feel like if Zhao Yunlan heard the lines quoted in the post, he would headdesk repeatedly at the idea of Shen Wei promising to shoulder all the burdens on his own for eternity. That's like the exact opposite of what Zhao Yunlan wants!

I really wish they had more time to talk things out after they came out of the time travel thing. I wanted more of Zhao Yunlan realizing what had happened, why Shen Wei pined at him like that from the start, and just cuddling Shen Wei until all his Kunlun abandonment issues went away.

[china_shop]

But 10,000 years later in one of the trailers, he does say "Remember that we promised to meet again."

He says that in episode 1 while looking at ZYL's personnel file, but when I put the hard subs through Google translate (that fine, 100% reliable tool!), it gives me:

I hope you still remember
We have an appointment

Which is different from "we promised to meet." (Disclaimer: It's entirely possible a) I captured the lines wrong, since I was doing image capture, and/or b) Google translate is not, in fact, 100% trustworthy. ;-p)

ETA: *total facepalm* You're a Chinese speaker, aren't you? I feel so idiotic about quoting Google translate at you. /dork ... Does what he says actually indicate a mutual promise?

So it's my own pet theory that while Shen Wei never says it out loud, he makes a lot of silent promises to Kunlun.

Mmm, or promises to himself about Kunlun? Idk. I don't know if he'd think of them as vows. Maybe he would...

I really wish they had more time to talk things out after they came out of the time travel thing.

Yes! So much yes! To talk things out, and also to fuck! ;-)

[qikiqtarjuaq]

Haha, 有约 is literally "we have an appointment" but also has underlying significance to it in that when you say it this way, it's fairly formal. So it is to me, a promise to meet. Although I guess you could argue that Shen Wei speaks formally in general, so it's not as significant as if someone more modern says it.

(Fun fact: 有约 is also another way of saying "we have a date.")

[china_shop]

Ahh, so it's a bit like 약속 in Korean -- promise, appointment, pledge, etc, -- with added formality. Thanks! :-)

So, but is there anything there that says it was a mutual promise? I'm very hazy about pronouns in Chinese. I'm just wondering if it could be Shen Wei thinking something along the lines of, "I hope you remember you promised that we'd meet again." (Which is what we actually see in the scenes in the past.)

(I don't even know why I'm quibbling about this! Again with the taking vows/promises too literally, I expect. /o\)

(Fun fact: 有约 is also another way of saying "we have a date.")

Ha! Awesome! :-D

[qikiqtarjuaq]

Hmm, in Episode 1, the line is "I hope you remember, we have a date." I feel like mutual agreement is implied, but Shen Wei was so eager back then, he probably considers it a given he'd be there with bells on if Kunlun gave him a date to meet. :P

[china_shop]

*nodnodnod* Thanks! :-)

[sakana17]

I love this thread, having just rewatched the Kunlun episodes. I have nothing substantial to add but had to interlope because:

When Kunlun says they'll definitely meet again, Shen Wei is all: *immediately marks all the future dates on his calendar for next date with Kunlun*

makes me smile so much! I can picture it, too. Shen Wei pulls out a small black leather-bound ye olde ancient appointment book from his voluminous black robes and starts marking all future dates. At first with pencil but no, that could be erased, so from another hidden pocket he produces his handy travel-sized ye olde ancient brush and ink set.

And when Kunlun looks so admiringly at Shen Wei while talking about his dedication to duty, Shen Wei automatically places more value on those traits beyond the importance he already placed on them.

Ohhhh, I love this idea!

[qikiqtarjuaq]

Ahahaha, I'm laughing so hard at the idea of his appointment book that's just like "Date with Kunlun" every day, and occasionally "Menace the Regent."

[solo]

Ohh, great to see foxghost's translation! I've been puzzling over this passage.

Nothing to add regarding what it means, though, I read it in a similar way to qikiqtarjuaq.

[umadoshi]

Shen Wei was so eager back then, he probably considers it a given he'd be there with bells on if Kunlun gave him a date to meet. :P

*melts*

[clevermanka]

I'm so glad people weighed in on this, because I've wondered about that promise, too.

[clevermanka]

One of my favorite things about this fandom is its ability to take something absolutely heartbreaking and make it hilarious. <3

[trobadora]

So it's my own pet theory that while Shen Wei never says it out loud, he makes a lot of silent promises to Kunlun.

Oh! I like that interpretation a lot. ♥

And when Kunlun looks so admiringly at Shen Wei while talking about his dedication to duty, Shen Wei automatically places more value on those traits beyond the importance he already placed on them.

You know, I don't think Zhao Yunlan reinforcing those traits changed Shen Wei's actions much (or at all), because Zhao Yunlan is right that Shen Wei would always already have done what needs doing. But Kunlun's obvious approval and admiration may have made it easier for him, bolstering him?

I really wish they had more time to talk things out after they came out of the time travel thing

Seriously! I wanted them to have time to deal with the aftermath properly ...

[trobadora]

(Fun fact: 有约 is also another way of saying "we have a date.")

:D :D :D

[china_shop]

*nodnod* It seems to be the best answer. (I will get over finding it slightly unsatisfying eventually, no doubt. ;-)

[china_shop]

:-D

[qikiqtarjuaq]

Yes. I think Shen Wei's always had that personality of valuing his duty/honor/others above his own life. But in moments of doubt, I like the idea of him drawing on Kunlun's approval/admiration and steadfast belief in him as another source of strength.

And sigh! Yes, if only they could have had a good talk. And by good talk I mean Zhao Yunlan wrecking Shen Wei and giving him all the praise and reassurances.

[trobadora]

Heh. I'd be more interested in Zhao Yunlan second-guessing himself afterwards and wondering if he did/said the right things, and Shen Wei reassuring him. *g*

(Both. Both would be good. But I'd really love more ZYL angst ... There isn't nearly enough of it in this fandom!)

[qikiqtarjuaq]

Consider: Zhao Yunlan going out of his way to praise and reassure Shen Wei because he's feeling guilty at how long Shen Wei waited for him, and second-guessing everything he said that might have unintentionally made a much bigger impact on young Shen Wei than he anticipated.

And then Shen Wei, sensing his tension and the unusual intensity of Zhao Yunlan's reactions, turns around and reassures him that Shen Wei has no regrets.

[trobadora]

YES PLEASE. THIS. SO MUCH.

(The time loop has warped me; now I want everything to go in loops like that! :D)