Xue Pan (Chinese: 薛蟠; Pinyin: Xūe Pán) is a secondary character in the classic Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber. He is a ne'er-do-well lout who is guilty of the killing of a man over a beautiful slave girl, Zhen Yinglian, who is renamed as Xiangling (Lotus). He has the manslaughter case done over with money, then escapes to the capital from Jinling.
He is the elder brother of Xue Baochai and the son of Aunt Xue. Pan was also a local bully in Jinling City, where the Xues came from. He is a total opposite of Baochai, who is tactful and cultivated, though he has genuine respect for his sister. He is on the other hand tactless and uncouth, and mixes around with bad company. He eventually marries a shrew, Xia Jin'gui, who causes much misery to Aunt Xue, Baochai, Xiangling and himself.
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Famous quotes containing the word pan:
“When Pan sounds up his minstrelsy;
His minstrelsy! O base! This quill,
Which at my mouth with wind I fill,
Puts me in mind, though her I miss,
That still my Syrinx’ lips I kiss.”
—John Lyly (1553–1606)