Editing Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (section)

==Themes and interpretations==
===Title===
The title "''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon''" is a literal translation of the [[Chengyu|Chinese idiom]] "臥虎藏龍" which describes a place or situation that is full of unnoticed masters. It is from a poem of the ancient Chinese poet [[Yu Xin]] (513–581) that reads "暗石疑藏虎，盤根似臥龍", which means "behind the rock in the dark probably hides a tiger, and the coiling giant root resembles a crouching dragon".<ref name="title">{{cite web|url=http://www.zdic.net/c/7/172/385491.htm|title=Chinese Dictionary – Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon|access-date=27 June 2013|archive-date=3 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203011537/http://www.zdic.net/c/7/172/385491.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The title also has several other layers of meaning. On one level, the Chinese characters in the title connect to the narrative that the last character in Xiaohu and Jiaolong's names mean "tiger" and "dragon", respectively. On another level, the Chinese idiomatic phrase is an expression referring to the undercurrents of emotion, passion, and secret desire that lie beneath the surface of polite society and civil behavior,<ref name="dilley" /> which alludes to the film's storyline.

=== Gender roles ===
The success of the Disney animated feature ''[[Mulan (1998 film)|Mulan]]'' (1998) popularized the image of the Chinese woman warrior in the west.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Cai |first=Rong |date=2005-09-12 |title=Gender Imaginations in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the Wuxia World |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/186805 |journal=Positions: East Asia Cultures Critique |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=441–471 |doi=10.1215/10679847-13-2-441 |s2cid=145605168 |issn=1527-8271 |access-date=15 June 2020 |archive-date=12 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812114304/https://muse.jhu.edu/article/186805 |url-status=live }}</ref> The storyline of ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'' is mostly driven by the three female characters.<ref name=zh>{{cite journal |journal=廣播與電視 |year=2005 |volume=24 |pages=93–120 |title=臥虎藏龍「藏」了什麼?從女性主義電影理論「男性凝視」觀點談武俠電影新類型 |author=曾武清 |language=zh }}</ref> In particular, Jen is driven by her desire to be free from the gender role imposed on her,<ref>{{cite journal |title= I Am the Invincible Sword Goddess: Mediatization of Chinese Gender Ideology through Female Kung-Fu Practitioners in Films|author1=Mie Hiramoto |author2= Cherise Shi Ling Teo|journal=Societies|year= 2014|volume= 4|issue=3|pages= 477–505|doi=10.3390/soc4030477|doi-access=free }}</ref> while Shu Lien, herself oppressed by the gender role, tries to lead Jen back into the role deemed appropriate for her.<ref name=zh/> Some prominent martial arts disciplines are traditionally held to have been originated by women, e.g., [[Wing Chun]].{{fact|date=October 2023}} The film's title refers to masters one does not notice, which necessarily includes mostly women, and therefore suggests the advantage of a female bodyguard.

===Poison===
[[Poison]] is also a significant theme in the film. The Chinese word "毒" (''dú'') means not only physical poison but also cruelty and sinfulness. In the world of martial arts, the use of poison is considered an act of one who is too cowardly and dishonorable to fight; and indeed, the only character who explicitly fits these characteristics is Jade Fox. The poison is a weapon of her bitterness<ref>Fairlamb, Horace L. "Romancing the Tao: How Ang Lee Globalized Ancient Chinese Wisdom", ''symploke'' vol. 15, No. 1-2 (2007), p. 196.</ref> and quest for vengeance: she poisons the master of Wudang, attempts to poison Jen, and succeeds in killing Mu Bai using a poisoned needle. In further play on this theme by the director, Jade Fox, as she dies, refers to the poison from a young child, "the deceit of an eight-year-old girl", referring to what she considers her own spiritual poisoning by her young apprentice Jen. Li Mu Bai himself warns that, without guidance, Jen could become a "poison dragon".

===China of the imagination===
The story is set during the [[Qing dynasty]] (1644–1912), but it does not specify an exact time. Lee sought to present a "China of the imagination" rather than an accurate vision of Chinese history. At the same time, Lee also wanted to make a film that Western audiences would want to see.<ref>{{Cite web|title=东方美学下的"武侠"之道新境界——评电影《卧虎藏龙》 - 中国知网|url=https://kns.cnki.net/KCMS/detail/detail.aspx?dbname=CJFDPREP&filename=SHIT201910059|access-date=2020-06-15|website=kns.cnki.net|archive-date=15 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615055222/https://kns.cnki.net/KCMS/detail/detail.aspx?dbname=CJFDPREP&filename=SHIT201910059|url-status=live}}</ref> Thus, the film is shot for a balance between Eastern and Western aesthetics. There are some scenes showing uncommon artistry for the typical martial arts film such as an airborne battle among wispy bamboo plants.<ref name="dilley" />