Each entry lists English, Chinese characters, pinyin, and a one-line meaning. Bookmark this page and use Ctrl/Cmd+F while playing The Scroll of Taiwu — quick lookups beat memorizing jianghu vocabulary before your first blood feud or forbidden manual. For Taiwu-specific proper nouns, prefer the in-game Baixiao Manual (百晓册) when this glossary and the game disagree.
How to use this glossary
While playing
Hear a sect or cultivation term twice? Search here before pausing for a full article.
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Growing list
We add entries as patches, new Culture articles, and community questions ship.
Game & title
| English | Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Scroll of Taiwu | 太吾绘卷 | Tàiwú Huìjuàn | International title vs Chinese title — “Taiwu painted scroll” |
| Taiwu clan | 太吾氏 | Tàiwú shì | Mysterious bloodline you inherit as successive heirs |
| Beyond the Dome | 天幕心帷 | Tiānmù Xīnwéi | v1.0 complete edition subtitle (2026) — ground-up system rebuild |
| EA Classic | 抢先体验经典版 | qiǎngxiān tǐyàn jīngdiǎn bǎn | Steam TEST branch preserving pre-v1.0 Early Access build |
| Baixiao Manual | 百晓册 | Bǎixiǎo Cè | v1.0 in-game lore encyclopedia — primary canon for proper nouns |
| ConchShip Games | 螺舟工作室 | Luózhōu Gōngzuòshì | Hangzhou developer of The Scroll of Taiwu |
| Hereditary enemy | 世仇 / 宿敌 | shìchóu / sùdí | Clan-scale vendetta spanning generations — long-arc story pressure |
| Generational inheritance | 世代传承 | shìdài chuánchéng | Playing multiple heirs; consequences can pass between lives |
Jianghu & wuxia society
| English | Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wuxia | 武侠 | wǔxiá | Martial chivalry fiction genre — heroes, manuals, vendettas |
| Jianghu | 江湖 | jiānghú | “Rivers and lakes” — wandering martial world outside official careers |
| Martial sect | 门派 | mén pài | Martial-arts school with manuals, hierarchy, and reputation |
| Knight-errant | 侠客 | xiákè | Freelance fighter living by personal honor codes |
| Youxia | 游侠 | yóuxiá | Wandering outlaw-hero archetype; bounty and justice fantasy |
| Blood feud | 血仇 | xuèchóu | Deadly family or clan vendetta — violence expected across years |
| Grudge / debt (pair) | 恩怨 | ēnyuàn | Grievance (yuan, 怨) and owed kindness (en, 恩) together |
| Face | 面子 | miànzi | Public dignity; losing it can force duels or revenge |
| Alliance | 结盟 | jiéméng | Formal tie between characters, clans, or factions |
| Successor / heir | 传人 | chuánrén | One who receives techniques, duties, and debts from predecessors |
| Lineage / clan | 宗族 | zōngzú | Extended family as social and moral unit across generations |
Martial arts & the body
| English | Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martial technique | 武功 | wǔgōng | Fighting skill or move set — often named like poetry |
| Secret manual | 秘籍 | mìjí | Forbidden or prized training text — theft and rivalry engine |
| Internal skill | 内功 | nèigōng | Breath-and-meridian training beneath visible techniques |
| Meridian | 经脉 | jīngmài | Energy pathways in martial-body lore; combat can target them |
| Vital point | 穴位 | xuéwèi | Pressure points — Taiwu's body-part combat echoes this culture |
| Body-part combat | 部位打击 | bùwèi dǎjī | Turn-based strikes to specific limbs and organs — game design + wuxia body map |
| Orthodox path | 正道 | zhèngdào | Socially approved martial or spiritual practice; sect reputation |
| Demonic cultivation | 邪道 | xiédào | Forbidden practice — v1.0 path converting enemy essence into techniques |
| Inner energy | 内力 / 真气 | nèilì / zhēnqì | Cultivated power inside the body — fuel for advanced moves |
Myth, strange tales & beings
| English | Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic of Mountains and Seas | 山海经 | Shān Hǎi Jīng | Ancient bestiary and sacred geography — mood for strange creatures |
| Records of the strange | 志怪 | zhìguài | Literary tradition of supernatural short tales |
| Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio | 聊斋志异 | Liáozhāi Zhìyì | Pu Songling's famous Qing zhiguai collection |
| Yaoguai | 妖怪 | yāoguài | Supernatural being — marks otherness, not always evil |
| Demon / mara | 魔 | mó | Destructive or corrupt supernatural force; heavy taboo |
| Ghost | 鬼 | guǐ | Restless dead; haunting and justice themes |
| Tianmu | 天幕 | tiānmù | “Heavenly canopy” — v1.0 mythic layer term; see spoiler articles for plot |
| Santu | 三途 | sāntú | “Three paths” — underworld / demon-road motif in v1.0 marketing |
Daily life & sandbox play
| English | Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Village | 村落 | cūnluò | Settlement you can build and manage — hearth-level sandbox play |
| Cricket fighting | 斗蛐蛐 | dòuqūqū | Traditional pastime — folk-game layer in Taiwu's jianghu life |
| Seasonal cycle | 季节变化 | jìjié biànhuà | Day/night and weather across the world map (v1.0) |
| Roguelike conflict | 类 Rogue 冲突 | lèi Rogue chōngtū | Run-based tension layered on generational saga — marketing label |
| Painted scroll | 绘卷 | huìjuàn | Illustrated chronicle — title metaphor for your clan saga |
Game-original sects (examples)
Taiwu's fifteen sects are fiction. These two were publicly highlighted in v1.0 materials as rewritten arcs — check the Baixiao Manual for full lists.
| English | Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emei sect | 峨眉派 | Éméi Pài | Game martial school — shares a name with famous real-world wuxia tradition; not a 1:1 copy |
| Jieqing sect | 界青派 | Jièqīng Pài | Taiwu-original sect; v1.0 rewritten storyline per official copy |
Concepts from our primers
| English | Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genre tradition | 类型传统 | lèixíng chuántǒng | How wuxia stories usually work — our Culture label |
| Myth & folk source | 神话民俗来源 | shénhuà mínsú láiyuán | Texts and beliefs the game echoes — Shan Hai Jing, zhiguai, cults |
| Taiwu fiction | 太吾原创虚构 | Tàiwú yuánchuǎng xūgòu | Clan, sects, and plot invented for this game |
| Strange tale | 志怪故事 | zhìguài gùshì | Episodic uncanny encounter — fox spirits, tests, disguises |
Missing a term? Tell us in article comments — we expand this glossary as The Scroll of Taiwu Culture grows. For game-vs-tradition tables, watch for our Quick Reference article (Phase 2).
Finished the primers? See What to Read (and Watch) for books and films — or revisit The Taiwu Bloodline for generational play.