Beyond Cloudfall: Chart of Tropes
The following are tropes that can be found within the myth. Here is a table that shows the split between Chinese and Western mythology, as well as Chinese and cultural tropes, which include tropes from both Chinese and Western pop culture.
Reincarnation
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Central in Chinese Buddhist and Daoist traditions; not central to modern Western traditions that are more influenced by Christianity.
Evil dragon who corrupts humans via desires
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✅
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Distinctly Western trope. (e.g. Christian eschatology.)
Fallen dragon who becomes demonic
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❌
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Dragons in Chinese mythology who "fall" due to corruption (e.g. turning into demonic or vengeful beings).
Dragon who hoards treasure
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Predominantly Western, e.g. Smaug and medieval European dagon myths.
Dragon who represents apocalypse
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✅
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Exclusively Western (e.g. Revelation’s dragon)
Fallen dragon who is redeemed
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❌
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Found in xianxia/xuanhuan, especially when they’re overcoming corruption
Demonic dragons
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✅
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Exists in both.
Demons who represent the balance of chaos and yin/yang (light/darkness)
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In Daoism and xianxia/xuanhuan demons can represent yin/yang, chaos, and natural balance.
Yin/Yang fated pair
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Specific to Daoism and Chinese mythology; does not exist in the West.
Fate decreed ____. (enemy, lover, path) Specifically using the xianxia/wuxia/xuanhuan/ Daoist term “命中注定" (ming zhong zhu ding)
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A common trope found in xianxia/xuanhuan/wuxia and Chinese literature concerning karmic destiny. Straight out of Daoism.
Soul bonding and transference
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✅
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In xianxia/xuanhuan/wuxia, this trope involves shared spiritual cultivation or life essence. Has become popular in the West in recent years via werewolf lore and fandom.
Demonic corruption due to vengeance, demonic energy, etc.
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Exists in both. In the West, they demonstrate this via the Faust myth.
Harbinger of doom prophecy
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Super common in xianxia and Chinese culture; also common in the West.
Heavenly punishment （天罚 tianfa） Also known as 天道惩罚 (tiandao chengfa)， 天雷 (tianlei)， 天怒 (tiannu)， 天谴 (tianqian)
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Can be found in just about every single xianxia story. Divine retribution for defying cosmic order. They actually use the term 天罚 (tianfa) in the myth. (Note: Divine retribution or God’s punishment in the Bible is written explicitly as 上帝的惩罚 shangdi chengfa in Chinese.)
Heavenly god (天神 tianshen)
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Unique to Chinese cosmology and xianxia, where gods oversee natural and spiritual order. Non-Chinese gods would usually be represented as just 神 (shen God) not Heavenly god.
Frenzy due to too much demonic/yin energy
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In xianxia/xuanhuan, this is influenced by Daoist cosmology. Western shows like Supernatural that feature demons might demonstrate aspects of this as well.
Primordial chaos
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A Daoist concept (混沌 hundun) representing the chaotic energy of the universe before creation; exists in Greek mythology as “khaos”
Magical mark/seal that transfers shared experience/history
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Specific to xianxia/xuanhuan/wuxia.
Shared reality in soul realm
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Specific to xianxia/xuanhuan/wuxia, related to shared spiritual or soul cultivation.
Eternal promise (till the end of time, across lifetimes)
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Rooted in Chinese reincarnation and karmic cycles; no Western parallel.
Fighting against fate
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Common in both: xianxia/xuanhuan/wuxia rebellion against heaven (逆天 nitian) and Western themes of defying destiny.
Soul scattering, shattering, or dissipation at death, represented by particle dissipation
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Super xianxia/xuanhuan trope that occurs in a LOT of xianxia stories. Also occurs in some wuxia.
Immortal curse that leads to resurrection
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Present in Xianxia/xuanhuan/wuxia (e.g., cultivation fails) and Western undead lore (e.g., vampires, liches). Sylus’s resurrection happens off-camera, but we know it clearly happens.
Soulbound shared realms and realities
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Xianxia/wuxia/xuanhuan-specific, tied to shared/dual cultivation or spiritual essence.
Demonic ruler
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Both have powerful demonic overlords (Xianxia/xuanhuan/wuxia: 魔王; Western: Lucifer or Sauron-like figures).
Dragons who eat human souls
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A Western trope; Chinese dragons do not usually consume souls.
Making a deal with a demon
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Predominantly Western but sometimes borrowed in Xianxia/xuanhuan (e.g., demonic bargains for power).
Offering soul to a demon
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Rooted in Western Faustian bargains, but can appear in xianxia/xuanhuan as demonic contracts.
Judgment Day/Doomsday
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✅
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Exclusively Western, tied to Christian eschatology (Book of Revelations).
Demons that can become incorporeal and specifically control red and black mist
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Very, very specific to Chinese xianxia/xuanhuan dramas. Can be seen in Till the End of the Moon, Love Between Fairy and Devil, The Last Immortal, and many more.
Golden spiritual power
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This is seen in virtually almost every single xianxia. Celestial or immortal spiritual power is often represented as gold strands, gold threads. In the West, this can be seen in depictions of angels.
Demonization due to hatred and/or grief and/or resentment
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This happens in Till the End of the Moon, The Last Immortal, and The Legend of Shen Li
Dragons that plunder cities/villages
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More commonly depicted in the West
The Chosen One
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✅
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Seen in Chinese culture via Heaven’s Will; seen in the West via magic or fate or prophecy or a curse
(Note: the above may be missing some tropes; these are just the ones I noticed and had time to include! This is a work in progress document so feel free to offer any suggestions and I’m happy to add to this chart and/or make corrections.)
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