New TL - introduction!

Hello,

It's been almost a year since I began this translation (September 22, 2020)! That's amazing. When I began this, I didn't know anything about Anglophone danmei fandom. I was purely translating this for my own fun, and was very surprised when people started reading it upon completion. Looking back, there are many things I would've done differently. While I am really glad that I have been able to share Copper Coins with more people, I constantly strive to improve. Now that I've spent some more time in danmei fandom, I would like to update my translation to a standard with which I would be personally satisfied. However, this is going to take much longer, so I hope that's alright. 

The JJWXC raws are here. Please support Musuli if you can! The novel is very cheap to buy; this guide tells you how to use JJWXC.

This is still a fan translation! Please do not reupload or steal. All rights go to Musuli and to JJWXC.

Retranslations are no longer allowed. If you have already begun a retranslation, please pause it until I have finished this new full version, and then restart based on the revised translation.

Every time a new chapter goes up, the original translation will be archived privately so as to avoid any confusion.

If you have any questions I'm on twitter @huxiyi. You can call me JQ.

My lovely betas are Rogue @martyrsdaughter, Jay @tongzhi_, Miriam @_detectorist, and E @northofallmusic!

You can find a glossary here. It will be periodically updated when new chapters include new terms.

Some info about the novel: 

Chinese title: 铜钱龛世 Tong2 Qian2 Kan1 Shi4 ; literally, "copper coins niches world" or "world of copper coin niches"

English title: Copper Coins ; I originally called this Copper Coin Niches but I see that the fandom has already called it Copper Coins, so I will be using this from now on.

Author: Musuli

Chapters: 102, + 1 extra

Total character count in Chinese: 394,113

Original publication dates: October 2016 - May 2017

Audio drama adaptation: here.

Musuli's original blurb:

In the twenty-third year of the Tianxi era, a rumor spread that the all-powerful, all-knowing Guoshi [Great Priest] was suddenly struck by a calamity, and had no choice but to go into seclusion to cultivate. Yet the common people secretly celebrated this. In the winter of the same year, a stranger arrived in Ningyang County, Huizhou Prefecture. The newcomer's Dharma name was Xuanmin, and although he was missing all of his memories he was skilled and well-practiced in the geomantic feng shui arts. On his first day in Ningyang, Xuanmin unapologetically entered a possessed home, and encountered Xue Xian in that home, whom he picked up and took away with him. 

From then on, Xue Xian, who had previously challenged the heavens above and shaken the earth below, gained a new life objective –– how to get this expressionless bald donkey to kick the bucket and go to Hell?

Xue Xian: When you're unhappy, that makes me happy; when you pass away, I'll die of laughter.

Xuanmin: ...

The Gong is a lofty, calm dashi [great master] (a fake one) and the Shou is belligerent and unreasonable (and stupid).

A summary from me:

It's about the disembodied soul of a dragon who's looking for his lost body, as well as the people who were responsible for maiming him; he meets a mysterious demon-slaying monk with amnesia who only knows that he's looking for someone; maybe they fall in love idk. It's set in 11th century China and the magic is based on geomancy (feng shui).

Key characters:

Xue Xian 薛闲 

Surname Xue1; given name Xian2, which means idle. 

Xue Xian is the Shou.

Xuanmin 玄悯

This is a Buddhist monk's Dharma name, meaning that it is a mononym: there is no surname. This is why it is written as one word, not two.

Xuan1 means dark or mysterious; Min3 means mercy or pity. 

Xuanmin is the Gong.

Jiang Shining 江世宁

Surname Jiang1; given name Shi4 Ning2. Shi4 means world. Ning2 means peace. 

Lu Nianqi [Lu Twenty-Seven] 陆廿七

Surname Lu4; given name Nian4 Qi1, which means twenty-seven. 

As is discussed briefly in the novel itself, many cultures used to avoid giving small children "nice" names in case it's a bad omen that curses them to die early (see "How to train a dragon"). A child would normally be given a real name later on in life, but the Lus were orphaned before this could occur.

Lu Shijiu [Lu Nineteen] 陆十九

Surname Lu4; given name Shi2 Jiu3, which means nineteen. 

Shitou Zhang [Stone Zhang] 石头张

Surname Zhang1; nickname Shi2 Tou, which means stone.

Tongdeng 同灯

This is a Buddhist monk's Dharma name, meaning that it is a mononym: there is no surname. This is why it is written as one word, not two.

Tong2 means together or similar; Deng1 means light or lantern.

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As always, you can comment on this ongoing new translation, or get in touch with me on Twitter. Happy reading! 

Love,

JQ