“You and your sister are limbs of the same body, equals and opposites,” Mama said, and it isn’t until years later that Shangqi begins to understand what that means.
She was born to be the bringer of life and joy, like the warmth of the summer she is named after, but he left her freezing on that mountain top, and for ten years, he burns with the rage of guilt he directs at himself.
After, she teases that it is only fitting that he joins the most elite, noble group of warriors on the planet while she still operates in the shadows; the only difference for her from before is that the shadows work for her now.
He is up and she is down. She upholds the past while he fights the forces of the future. He is breath and she is death. Light and dark, they both shape the world.
up 上 = shang; down下 = xia
shang 尚 can mean ‘even, yet, still’, but can also be formed into gaoshang高尚 noble, lofty
qi 气 is associated with air, breath, lifeforce, but also manner, spirit, anger
xia 夏 means summer; also name of an ancient dynasty
ling 灵 can mean agile, intelligent, quick, or spirits, spiritual, (departed) soul
lingqi灵气 can refer to having a spiritual quality/atmosphere (in a place)
Shangqi (尚气) & Xialing (夏灵)
“You and your sister are limbs of the same body, equals and opposites,” Mama said, and it isn’t until years later that Shangqi begins to understand what that means.
She was born to be the bringer of life and joy, like the warmth of the summer she is named after, but he left her freezing on that mountain top, and for ten years, he burns with the rage of guilt he directs at himself.
After, she teases that it is only fitting that he joins the most elite, noble group of warriors on the planet while she still operates in the shadows; the only difference for her from before is that the shadows work for her now.
He is up and she is down. She upholds the past while he fights the forces of the future. He is breath and she is death. Light and dark, they both shape the world.