Editing Jianghu (section)

== Evolving interpretations of the term ''jianghu'' ==
The meaning of the term ''jianghu'' has evolved over the course of Chinese history, but usually refers to the martial arts world of ancient China.<ref>{{cite web|first1=friday|last1=the13th|title=Jianghu: A World of Martial Arts|url=http://www.spcnet.tv/Jianghu-A-World-of-Martial-Arts-fridaythe13th-Opinions-aID11.html|publisher=SPCnet.TV|access-date=20 July 2017}}</ref> First coined by [[Zhuang Zhou|Zhuangzi]] in the late 4th century BC, it referred to a way of life different from that of being actively involved in politics. At the time, it referred to the way of life of underachieving or maligned [[scholar-official]]s who distanced themselves from the circles of political power. In this sense, ''jianghu'' could be loosely interpreted as the way of life of a hermit.

Over the centuries, ''jianghu'' gained greater acceptance among the common people and gradually became a term for a sub-society parallel to, and sometimes orthogonal to, mainstream society. This sub-society initially included merchants, craftsmen, beggars and vagabonds, but over time it assimilated bandits, outlaws and gangs who lived "outside the existing law". During the [[Song dynasty|Song]] and [[Yuan dynasty|Yuan]] dynasties, bards and novelists began using the term ''jianghu'' in the process of creating literature covering a fictional society of adventurers and rebels who lived not by existing societal laws, but by their own moral principles or extralegal code of conduct. The core of these moral principles encompassed ''xia'' ({{zh|first=t|t=俠|s=侠|p=xiá|l=chivalry|labels=no}}), ''yi'' ({{zh|first=t|t=義|s=义|p=yì|l=righteousness|labels=no}}), ''li'' ({{zh|first=t|t=禮|s=礼|p=lǐ|l=virtue|labels=no}}), ''zhong'' ({{zh|c=忠|p=zhōng|l=loyalty|labels=no}}) and ''chou'' ({{zh|c=仇|p=chóu|l=vengeance/revenge|labels=no}}). Stories in this genre bloomed and enriched various interpretations of ''jianghu''. At the same time, the term ''jianghu'' also developed intricate interconnections with gang culture because of outlaws' mutually shared distaste towards governments.

The inclusion of martial arts as a feature of ''jianghu'' was a recent development in the early 20th century. Novelists started creating a fantasy world of ''jianghu'' in which characters are martial artists and in which the characters' enforcement of righteousness is symbolised by conflicts between different martial artists or martial arts schools and the ultimate triumph of good over evil. Martial arts became a tool used by characters in a ''jianghu'' story to enforce their moral beliefs. On the other hand, there are characters who become corrupted by power derived from their formidable prowess in martial arts and end up abandoning their morality in their pursuit of power. Around this time, the term ''jianghu'' became closely related to a similar term, ''wulin'' ({{zh|c=武林|p=wǔlín|j=mou<sup>5</sup>lam<sup>4</sup>|l=martial forest|labels=no}}), which referred exclusively to a community of martial artists. This fantasy world of ''jianghu'' remains as the mainstream definition of ''jianghu'' in modern Chinese popular culture, particularly wuxia culture.<ref>{{Cite web |title=金庸笔下的江湖恩怨 {{!}} 中国文化研究院 - 灿烂的中国文明 |url=https://chiculture.org.hk/sc/china-five-thousand-years/330 |access-date=2022-04-24 |website=chiculture.org.hk |language=en}}</ref>

=== Current interpretations of the term ''jianghu'' ===
In more martial arts-centered stories, a common aspect of ''jianghu'' is that the courts of law are dysfunctional and that all disputes and differences (within the community) can only be resolved by members of the community, through the use of mediation, negotiation, or force, predicating the need for the code of ''xia'' and acts of chivalry. Law and order within the ''jianghu'' are maintained by the various orthodox and righteous schools and heroes. Sometimes these schools may gather to form an alliance against a common foe or organization.

A leader, called the ''wulin mengzhu'' ({{zh|c=武林盟主|l=master of the wulin alliance|labels=no}}), is elected from among the schools in order to lead them and ensure law and order within the ''jianghu''. The leader is usually someone with a high level of mastery in martial arts and a great reputation for righteousness who is often involved in some conspiracy and/or killed. In some stories, the leader may not be the greatest martial artist in the ''jianghu''; in other stories, the position of the leader is hereditary. The leader is an arbiter who presides and adjudicates over all inequities and disputes. The leader is a ''de jure'' [[chief justice]] of the affairs of the ''jianghu''.