I. The Etymology of Identity
The genesis of my nomenclature begins with my given Chinese name: Runcheng (润程).
The character Run (润) implies moistening, enriching, or gentle elegance; Cheng (程) signifies a journey or a standard. When Anglicizing this, I sought a name that preserved both the phonetic root and the semantic essence. I chose Runnel, a word denoting a small stream or brook. It flows naturally from "Run," capturing the water radical implies in the original Chinese, and shares the initials RC (Runnel Cheung).
From Runnel, a philological chain reaction occurred:
- Phonetic Evolution: "Runnel" bears a striking acoustic resemblance to the Chinese transliteration Rangnuo (让诺).
- The Courtesy Name: Consequently, I adopted "Rangnuo" as my Zi (courtesy name), styling myself the "Layman Rangnuo" (让诺居士).
- The French Connection: Transliterated into French, Rangnuo becomes Jeanot. This happy accident fits perfectly, as the diminutive suffix suggests a perennial youthfulness—mirroring my own appearance, which often belies my actual age.
The Architecture of the Studio: "Xiangruo"
The construction of my studio's name, Xiangruo Zhai (襄若斋), is a play on logograms. The traditional characters for Rangnuo are 讓諾.
- By excising the "Speech" radical (言) from Rang (讓), we are left with Xiang (襄).
- By excising the "Speech" radical (言) from Nuo (諾), we are left with Ruo (若).
Thus, "Rangnuo" (Yielding and Promising) transforms into "Xiangruo" (Assisting and Complying). This subtraction of "speech" symbolizes a shift from spoken virtue to silent action.
II. The Philosophical Justification
Below are the annotated translations of the Classical Chinese texts justifying these names. You can read the original version of Jeanot Collection at Library: Classics
Text A: Preface to the Jeanot Collection
(Original: 《让诺集·让诺集序》)
Original Text: “夫名者，天地之符契；文者，星斗之经纬。余以己西名“让诺”二字署集…… 故曰：让者，仁之兵戈，智之甲胄。…… 故诺者，非唇齿轻碰之语，实血脉奔涌之誓。…… 吾斋名“襄若”，刈除言旁，非效金人缄口，实慕“天何言哉”之化育。……让非懦弱，乃蓄雷霆于渊默；诺非轻许，实寄泰华于毫末。……”
Translation:
Names are the tally-bonds between Heaven and Earth; writings are the warp and weft of the constellations. I have signed this collection with my Western name, "Rangnuo" (Jeanot), not merely to harmonize Western phonetics with the Six Directions, but to forge a pair of jades to illuminate my inner heart.
On "Rang" (Deference/Yielding): The virtue of Rang is like the spring rain, moistening all things in silence. In antiquity, Emperor Shun cultivated Mount Li and thrice retreated before the aggression of Danzhu; Tai Bo fled to Wu, deferring the throne so completely that he effaced his traces from the ancestral temple. Yet, observing the I Ching image of "Mountain within the Earth" (Humility), and the Book of Songs praising the "Elegant Gentleman," we perceive that to retreat is not cowardice—it is to possess a capacity that can swallow the cosmos. Thus, I say: Deference is the weaponry of Benevolence and the armor of Wisdom.
On "Nuo" (Promise/Assent): The meaning of Nuo is like a gnomon or a standard—resounding and true. A single promise from Ji Bu was valued by the men of Chu above a hundred catties of gold; the fidelity of Fan Shi, traversing a thousand miles to keep an appointment, engraved the pact of "chicken and millet" onto the annals of life and death. A Promise is not the light collision of lips and teeth; it is an oath surging through the blood.
The Synthesis: When these two characters are joined, it is like the oscillation of Yin and Yang generating the myriad phenomena. Rang is the winding water encircling the stone; Nuo is the sturdy pine anchoring the cliff. Confucius praised Qu Boyu, saying: "When the state has the Way, he serves; when it lacks the Way, he rolls up his principles and hides them in his bosom"—this is the Promise concealed within Deference. Yu Rang swallowing charcoal to disfigure himself, keeping faith with a fallen lord—this is Deference contained within a Promise.
I have named my studio "Xiangruo," shearing away the radical for "speech." I do not seek to emulate the silence of the Bronze Statue, but rather to aspire toward the silent transformative power of the Cosmos—as the Sage asked, "Does Heaven speak?"
In this collection, whether discussing history or chanting of objects, I seek to advance by retreating, and to contain the solid within the void. If the reader can discern the ambition of the Leviathan and the Roc within my Deference, and feel the sincerity of bronze and stone within my Promise, then I may, like Tao Qian, "seek no deep understanding," yet drain three great goblets of wine in content.
Text B: Record of the Xiangruo Studio
(Original: 《让诺集·襄若斋志》)
Original Text: “襄若者，余号“让诺”刈除言旁所得。襄者，助也，若者，顺也。余尝思君子处世，当以谦襄万物，虚怀若谷；顺天应时，若水之处下。…… 斋跨屋三、四重檐，若云梯接霄汉。…… 尤忆玄冬呵冻誊《阳阿》，砚冰初化时，墨色尤见哀泪。…… 每当暮霭垂檐，紫藤筛月，父母与余及麻璆共聚襄若斋三层书案前。……”
Translation:
"Xiangruo" is derived from my alias "Rangnuo" by pruning the verbal radical. Xiang (襄) signifies assistance; Ruo (若) implies compliance. I have often reflected that a gentleman should assist the myriad things with humility, his heart as empty as a valley, and comply with the seasons of Heaven, positioning himself below like water.
The studio spans the third and fourth eaves of the house, resembling a cloud-ladder reaching toward the Milky Way. Each morning, when the casements are opened, fresh dew from the wisteria dampens my sleeves; amidst the purple clouds shading the window, the downy feathers of turtledoves are occasionally revealed—a natural brocade screen.
The Third Floor (The Archive): This is the locus of books and composition. The shelves are lined with volumes ranging from primers on prosody to the Anthology of Literature (Wen Xuan), arranged like the terraced ridges of spring fields. On the western desk lie seals carved from Qintian stone; one bears the seal-script for "Rangnuo," another "Xiangruo Zhai," carved during my sojourn in Qufu. Seeing them recalls the mists of the River Si. Most precious is a sandalwood box containing mementos from Yenching University and letters from my dear friend Mr. Zhou; though years have passed, the fragrance of the stationery endures.
The Fourth Floor (The Atrium): Ascending the spiral stair, one reaches the place where the brush is wielded. In the clear daylight, wind chimes answer the murmuring doves. I recall copying the Yang A rhapsody in the dead of winter, breathing upon my frozen hands; as the ice in the inkstone first melted, the color of the ink seemed to weep with sorrow. The room opens onto a glass pavilion. On rainy nights, brewing tea with my student Xu, we would gaze at Lake Luoma: amidst the broken silver of the icy mirror, fishing lights appeared like the Galaxy pouring downwards.
The Gathering: Whenever evening mists hung from the eaves and the wisteria sifted the moonlight, my parents, myself, and our cat, Ma Qiu (麻璆), would gather before the desk. My father, holding a celadon tea cup, would ask about my studies. My mother, pausing her pen, would smile and say: "When you learned to walk, you fell and rose by yourself; today's bottleneck is but a stone step." Ma Qiu, curled on the chair, would tap my palm with his tail, as if mocking my hesitation.
Such were the nights from the Awakening of Insects to the Start of Summer. Ma Qiu accompanied my reading like a shadow, and my difficulties vanished like ice melting in a spring creek. Alas! The objects in this studio, whether dust-laden or claw-marked, all possess the zest of life. Exhausted from night reading, hearing only the copper clepsydra rubbing against the vine shadows on the paper window, I feel this body has transcended into the time of the Ancients.
III. L'Alter Ego Aristocratique
Ce fragment représente une extension ludique de mon identité, née d'une plaisanterie affectueuse et développée avec l'aide de l'intelligence artificielle.
Son Excellence, Monsieur le Vicomte René Gilles Rinelle von Leutstetten de Provence, Chevalier de l'Ordre du Saint-Michel. (Abrégé en : Rinelle de Provence)
Voici l'exégèse de ce titre baroque :
- Vicomte (Le Titre) : Un titre de noblesse intermédiaire, ni trop haut ni trop bas. Il fait écho à mes loisirs tels que le golf et l'équitation, tout en symbolisant mon apparence éternellement juvénile (« l'enfant noble »). Il reflète également un certain statut que j'occupe au sein de diverses communautés en ligne.
- René (Le Prénom) : Signifie littéralement « celui qui est né de nouveau » (Renaissance).
- Gilles (Le Second Prénom) : Signifie « le jeune chevreau » ou, par extension étymologique liée à l'égide (aigis), « le porteur de bouclier ». Cela symbolise la prudence, la protection et une certaine innocence.
- Rinelle (Le Patronyme) : Le nom de famille principal de ce personnage. C'est une variation phonétique directe de mon nom anglais, Runnel.
- von Leutstetten (La Lignée Germanique) : La particule
vonconnecte le personnage à une ascendance allemande imaginaire. Leutstetten est un véritable lieu près de Munich, situé au bord d'un lac. Cela fait écho à la réalité de ma résidence : une demeure de style villégiature allemande au bord de l'eau. - de Provence (Le Fief Français) : La particule
derattache le titre à une terre française. La Provence incarne mon attachement sentimental profond pour cette région et mon admiration pour l'école mathématique française. C'est le « port d'attache » spirituel et l'identité finale de ce personnage. - Chevalier de l'Ordre du Saint-Michel (La Décoration) : Une référence aux « chevaliers de l'esprit ». Cela représente un anoblissement non par le sang, mais par le savoir, la culture et l'intellect.