--- title: "Xianxia, Wuxia and Cultivation Terms in Chinese: A Glossary With Pinyin, From 修仙 to 元婴" description: "58 xianxia, wuxia and cultivation terms in Chinese: 修仙, 丹田 and 渡劫, the realms from 炼气 and 筑基 to 金丹 and 元婴, 江湖 and 宗门, 轻功 and 法宝, and the web fiction genres, each with pinyin, its meaning and sound." canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-xianxia-terms" author: "Mandarin The Wild" --- Free · 58 terms # Xianxia and wuxia terms in Chinese [Print as flashcards](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-flashcards?level=mine&words=%E6%AD%A6%E4%BE%A0%20%E4%BB%99%E4%BE%A0%20%E7%8E%84%E5%B9%BB%20%E4%BF%AE%E7%9C%9F%20%E8%80%BD%E7%BE%8E%20%E9%87%8D%E7%94%9F%20%E7%A9%BF%E8%B6%8A%20%E7%B3%BB%E7%BB%9F%20%E9%87%91%E6%89%8B%E6%8C%87%20%E6%89%93%E8%84%B8%20%E9%9C%B8%E9%81%93%E6%80%BB%E8%A3%81%20%E4%BF%AE%E4%BB%99%20%E4%BF%AE%E7%82%BC%20%E4%BF%AE%E4%B8%BA%20%E5%A2%83%E7%95%8C%20%E7%81%B5%E6%B0%94%20%E7%81%B5%E6%A0%B9%20%E4%B8%B9%E7%94%B0%20%E7%BB%8F%E8%84%89%20%E7%9C%9F%E6%B0%94%20%E5%86%85%E5%8A%9B%20%E9%97%AD%E5%85%B3%20%E8%B5%B0%E7%81%AB%E5%85%A5%E9%AD%94%20%E5%BF%83%E9%AD%94%20%E6%B8%A1%E5%8A%AB%20%E5%A4%A9%E5%8A%AB%20%E9%A3%9E%E5%8D%87%20%E5%A4%A9%E9%81%93%20%E7%82%BC%E6%B0%94%20%E7%AD%91%E5%9F%BA%20%E9%87%91%E4%B8%B9%20%E5%85%83%E5%A9%B4%20%E5%8C%96%E7%A5%9E%20%E6%B1%9F%E6%B9%96%20%E6%AD%A6%E6%9E%97%20%E9%97%A8%E6%B4%BE%20%E5%AE%97%E9%97%A8%20%E5%AE%97%E4%B8%BB%20%E6%8E%8C%E9%97%A8%20%E9%95%BF%E8%80%81%20%E5%BC%9F%E5%AD%90%20%E6%95%A3%E4%BF%AE%20%E9%81%93%E5%8F%8B%20%E6%AD%A3%E9%81%93%20%E9%AD%94%E9%81%93%20%E9%AD%94%E5%A4%B4%20%E5%86%85%E5%8A%9F%20%E8%BD%BB%E5%8A%9F%20%E5%89%91%E6%B3%95%20%E6%8E%8C%E6%B3%95%20%E5%BF%83%E6%B3%95%20%E7%A7%98%E7%B1%8D%20%E5%BE%A1%E5%89%91%20%E6%B3%95%E5%AE%9D%20%E6%B3%95%E5%99%A8%20%E7%81%B5%E7%9F%B3%20%E4%B8%B9%E8%8D%AF%20%E7%82%BC%E4%B8%B9) Speed ## Genres and tropes wǔ武xiá侠 martial arts chivalry (genre, as in wuxia novels) xiān仙xiá侠 xianxia (fantasy genre about immortals and martial heroes) xuán玄huàn幻 xuanhuan; Chinese fantasy (genre of web fiction) xiū修zhēn真 (fiction) to cultivate immortality (Taoist cultivation in fantasy novels) dān耽měi美 boys' love (BL) fiction and comics chóng重shēng生 rebirth (web fiction genre) chuān穿yuè越 to time-travel xì系tǒng统 system jīn金shǒu手zhǐ指 unfair advantage (in fiction) dǎ打liǎn脸 to be proven wrong; to contradict someone's claims bà霸dào道zǒng总cái裁 domineering CEO (romance stereotype) ## Cultivation xiū修xiān仙 to cultivate immortality (in Taoism and fantasy fiction) xiū修liàn炼 cultivation (in fantasy fiction) xiū修wéi为 (in fantasy fiction) cultivation level; power level jìng境jiè界 realm; level líng灵qì气 spiritual energy (in fantasy and Daoism) líng灵gēn根 (fiction) spiritual root (aptitude for cultivation) dān丹tián田 dantian (point below the navel where qi gathers) jīng经mài脉 meridians; energy channels zhēn真qì气 vital energy; true qi nèi内lì力 (martial arts) inner strength bì闭guān关 to go into seclusion (for meditation or study) zǒu走huǒ火rù入mó魔 to go wrong in one's practice (martial arts, qigong) xīn心mó魔 inner demons dù渡jié劫 (fiction) to undergo a heavenly tribulation (to advance in cultivation) tiān天jié劫 heavenly tribulation (cultivation fiction) fēi飞shēng升 to ascend to heaven (as an immortal) tiān天dào道 the way of heaven; natural law ## The realms liàn炼qì气 Qi Refining (first stage of cultivation in xianxia fiction) zhù筑jī基 (fiction) Foundation Establishment (cultivation stage) jīn金dān丹 golden core (in xianxia fiction) yuán元yīng婴 Nascent Soul (cultivation stage) huà化shén神 (fiction) Deity Transformation (a cultivation stage in xianxia stories) ## The martial world jiāng江hú湖 the world of itinerant martial artists and outlaws wǔ武lín林 martial arts world mén门pài派 sect; school (of martial arts etc.) zōng宗mén门 sect (in fantasy fiction) zōng宗zhǔ主 sect leader; head of a clan zhǎng掌mén门 head of a martial arts school or sect zhǎng长lǎo老 elder dì弟zǐ子 disciple; pupil sǎn散xiū修 (fiction) independent cultivator (not in a sect) dào道yǒu友 fellow Taoist; fellow cultivator zhèng正dào道 the right way; the correct path mó魔dào道 (fiction) demonic cultivation mó魔tóu头 devil; fiend ## Skills and treasures nèi内gōng功 internal martial arts; internal exercises (of breath and organs) qīng轻gōng功 (martial arts) art of lightness (leaping and running effortlessly) jiàn剑fǎ法 swordsmanship; sword technique zhǎng掌fǎ法 palm technique (martial arts) xīn心fǎ法 mental technique; secret method (martial arts) mì秘jí籍 secret manual (of martial arts etc.) yù御jiàn剑 to wield a flying sword (xianxia) fǎ法bǎo宝 magic weapon fǎ法qì器 (fiction) magic artifact líng灵shí石 (fiction) spirit stone dān丹yào药 elixir; (Taoist) pill of immortality liàn炼dān丹 to make elixirs of immortality (Taoist alchemy) ## What is the difference between wuxia and xianxia? 武侠 (wǔxiá) is martial heroes in a human world, the 江湖 (jiānghú) of wandering fighters, sects and feuds. 仙侠 (xiānxiá) adds immortals and magic: its heroes cultivate, 修仙 (xiūxiān), to become immortal. 玄幻 (xuánhuàn) is the wider fantasy genre, with worlds that need not be Chinese at all. ## What are the cultivation realms in order? The order many novels share starts with 炼气 (liànqì), Qi Refining, then 筑基 (zhùjī), Foundation Establishment, 金丹 (jīndān), Golden Core, 元婴 (yuányīng), Nascent Soul, and 化神 (huàshén), Deity Transformation. Higher realms differ from one novel to the next. ## What does 江湖 mean? Literally rivers and lakes: the world of wandering martial artists and outlaws outside the law and the court. People still say it of any world with its own rules, like business: 人在江湖，身不由己, in the jianghu you can’t always do as you like. ## What do 闭关 and 走火入魔 mean? 闭关 (bìguān) is going into seclusion to cultivate, often for years in a novel; today people also say it of shutting themselves away to study. 走火入魔 (zǒuhuǒ rùmó) is cultivation gone wrong, a qi deviation, and in everyday speech being obsessed. ## What are the titles of address in xianxia novels? 师父 (shīfu) is your master, 师兄 (shīxiōng) and 师姐 (shījiě) the disciples who joined before you, 前辈 (qiánbèi) anyone senior, and 道友 (dàoyǒu), fellow cultivator, a stranger on the same path. Our Chinese honorifics page has them all with sound. ## Can I read web novels in Chinese? Yes, and they are a good way to read a lot: the same terms come back on every page. Our free Chrome extension shows the pinyin and meaning of any word you point at on a Chinese web page, so you can read raw chapters and keep the words you meet. ## Can’t hear it? Play uses your device’s Mandarin voice. Edge, Chrome and Safari have one; a browser with none plays each character in our recorded voice instead. ## More for reading Chinese novels - [Chinese honorifics](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-honorifics) - [Chinese martial arts and weapons](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-martial-arts) - [Names from Chinese mythology](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-mythology-names) - [Read Chinese web pages with the extension](https://mandarinthewild.com/extension) Terms, pinyin and meanings from our own dictionary; the order of the realms is the one most novels share.