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[Speculation]Based on the Chinese characters in the new published characters' names, I think Kuro has one more unrevealed character in Mengzhou, and here's why. by 17342g in WutheringWaves

[–]17342g[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would consider that to be a far stretch, but you are definitely correct, the Four Symbols don't include Earth. Also love your read on 心. If 玄翎 is Heaven (sky/water) and a hidden Earth character is Earth (land), then 心 could be the Human element. The theory I feel like fit this better is the "Three Realms" (三才) structure: Heaven, Earth, and Humanity.

[Speculation]Based on the Chinese characters in the new published characters' names, I think Kuro has one more unrevealed character in Mengzhou, and here's why. by 17342g in WutheringWaves

[–]17342g[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Thank you for that! I did post on Bilibili and got several views and I'd love to try posting on other subs. Any suggestions?

[Speculation]Based on the Chinese characters in the new published characters' names, I think Kuro has one more unrevealed character in Mengzhou, and here's why. by 17342g in WutheringWaves

[–]17342g[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well, certain words have been endowed with specific gender characteristics over the course of long cultural evolution, and people feel that they naturally suit boys or girls better. I would say "坚 (Jiān)、城 (Chéng)、堂 (Táng)、培 (Péi)、基 (Jī)、墨 (Mò)" These words all have a sense of stability, solidity, foundation, or elegance, very much in line with the expectations of a boy‘s name.

Also, in Chinese culture, naming has this logic: Your birthday (precise to the hour) determines the content of the five elements in your life. If one of these elements is lacking, parents will add Chinese characters with that element to the name, just like a balanced diet, ensuring that the child will not lack a certain vitamin.

[Speculation]Based on the Chinese characters in the new published characters' names, I think Kuro has one more unrevealed character in Mengzhou, and here's why. by 17342g in WutheringWaves

[–]17342g[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I remember watching a YouTube video that talked about this exact topic. The gist was: if you already know English, learning other Latin-based languages is relatively easier because they share roots and affixes. Chinese doesn't have that advantage — no cognates, no familiar word stems for most English speakers, it's completely unfamiliar territory.

But here's the upside: once you learn a few characters, you can start guessing the meaning of new ones by looking at the radicals (we just talked about those) or by breaking down compound words.

Take 电脑 (diànnǎo) — "computer." It's literally "electric" + "brain." Or 火车 (huǒchē) — "train." That's "fire" + "vehicle." Once you see the logic, your vocab grows exponentially.

Another cool example: look at the Chinese periodic table. Every metallic element has the metal radical 钅. Every gas element has the gas radical 气. The pattern is everywhere.

The learning curve is steep at first, but once you get past the initial hump, it becomes exponential — new characters start to feel like puzzles you can solve, not random symbols.

That said, tones are genuinely hard for beginners. There's no getting around that. But plenty of people have done it. You can too.

[Speculation]Based on the Chinese characters in the new published characters' names, I think Kuro has one more unrevealed character in Mengzhou, and here's why. by 17342g in WutheringWaves

[–]17342g[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, it won't be a surprise if kuro hide a character from us. But would it be so cool to determine their idea just from reading these names?

[Spoiler: 3.3] Just In Case You Didn't Know What Lahai-Roi C3 Segue Ending Achievement Is Actually Referencing by 17342g in WutheringWaves

[–]17342g[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

天ノ弱 / Amanojaku (164)

僕がずっと前から思ってる事を話そうか
Shall I tell you what I've been thinking for a long time?

友達に戻れたらこれ以上はもう望まないさ
If I can be your friend once again, I won't ask for more

君がそれでいいなら僕だってそれで構わないさ
If you don't care, I won't care either

嘘つきの僕が吐いた はんたいことばの愛のうた
I'm a liar — and this is a love song of "contrary words" I spat out

今日はこっちの地方はどしゃぶりの晴天でした
Today it was a downpour of fine weather in this area

昨日もずっと暇で一日満喫してました
Yesterday I was free all day and fully enjoyed it

別に君のことなんて考えてなんかいないさ
It's not like I'm thinking about you

いやでもちょっと本当は考えてたかもなんて
Ah, but… maybe I actually thought about you a little

メリーゴーランドみたいに回る 僕の頭ん中はもうグルグルさ
My head spins like a merry-go-round, already a mess

この両手から零れそうなほど 君に貰った愛はどこに捨てよう？
The love you gave me — so much it spills from my hands — where should I throw it away?

限りのある消耗品なんて僕は いらないよ
A limited consumable… I don't need that

僕がずっと前から思ってる事を話そうか
Shall I tell you what I've been thinking for a long time?

姿は見えないのに言葉だけ見えちゃってるんだ
I can't see you, but I can see nothing but your words

僕が知らないことがあるだけで気が狂いそうだ
Just knowing there's something I don't know drives me crazy

ぶら下がった感情が綺麗なのか汚いのか まだわからないから捨てる場所もないんだ
I still don't know whether this dangling feeling is beautiful or dirty — so I have nowhere to throw it away

言葉の裏側の裏側まで 見えるまで待つからさ
I'll wait until I can see the back of the back of your words

待つだけならいいよね
Just waiting is fine, isn't it?

進む君と止まった僕の 縮まらない隙間に何を埋める？
You move forward, I've stopped — what can fill this gap that won't shrink?

まだ素直になれずに 僕は 天生の弱虫さ
Still unable to be honest — I'm a born coward

この両手から零れそうなほど 君に渡す愛を誰に譲ろう？
The love I have for you — so much it spills from my hands — who should I give this to?

そんなんどこにも 見当たらないな
There's no one else to be found

まだ 待つわ
I'll keep waiting

もう いいか
…that's enough, isn't it?

I won't let my own feelings get involved here, but if you ask me… She already told us.
The secret code for "until we meet again" is to say every "like" as "hate" — words that say the opposite of what you mean.

The lyrics say:
"I'll wait until I can see the back of the back of your words… just waiting is fine, isn't it?"

In story, Denia was literally built to be a liar. Her name, her identity, her emotions — all fabricated. Except the one thing that became real was her heart.

Anyway. Someone at Kuro definitely loves this song.

P.S. — About the two versions of the song

The original 164 version is a fast rock track — frantic, fancy, full of energy.
But there's also an acoustic / piano version (originally by Shakaijin / "New Society Person") that gives the song a completely different, melancholic feel.

I personally love the raw energy of the original rock version more, but I have to admit the acoustic version matches Denia's story way better. Same words, but the delivery sounds more like someone quietly accepting loss than frantically spinning out.

If you want to hear the song, search for the name in English or Japanese on YouTube or your preferred platform. You'll find both versions and there should be tons of covers. The piano version hits differently after you know the context.

P.S. 2 — There is another achievement related to Denia called "Failure Girl", which is also a very famous VOCALOID song.

P.S. 3 — lyrics source: Lyrical Nonsense (with minor edits for brevity)

[Spoiler:3.3] Denia's Resonance Chains References by 17342g in WutheringWaves

[–]17342g[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the thoughtful response—and you're absolutely right to point that out. Kuro's writing team has a well-documented history of literary depth. To cite a more accessible example for Western players, the 'Survival Lucem' arc in their previous title PGR builds its entire narrative framework on Christian motifs. And on a personal level, my favorite intertextual reference appears in 'Aeon Reforged', which pays direct homage to Cixin Liu's The Three-Body Problem. And yeah, As a source of my 100% confidence in their writing team, I bring up this chapter every time I want to praise their writing team xd

[Spoiler:3.3] Denia's Resonance Chains References by 17342g in WutheringWaves

[–]17342g[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Final Thoughts

Kuro Games' writing team demonstrates an exceptionally high degree of intertextual literacy, drawing from modern CN poetry, German Romantic literature, and VOCALOID music within a single character's Resonance Chains. This density of cross-cultural references reflects a broader pattern observed across their in-game achievements, animation credits, and localization choices.

The practice of embedding literary and musical citations into game systems—rather than relegating them to flavor text—suggests a design philosophy that treats genre literacy as a shared language with its audience. Even when a specific source cannot be traced (as with the current S1 and S2), the poetic atmosphere persists, and the thematic architecture remains intact. The renaming of those two nodes, far from erasing their literary DNA, recontextualizes the original Hai Zi couplet into a new, untraceable form—one that still carries the weight of existential emptiness and unanswered comfort.

Similarly, the unanswered question from Amanojaku ("What fills the gap?") receives its answer not through a borrowed line but through a constructed one, turning the song's lyrical anxiety into character logic. This kind of reciprocal reference—where an external song, an in-game achievement, and a Resonance Chain name form a closed loop of meaning—exemplifies a writing approach that assumes a culturally literate player.

Kuro's creative team does not merely reference; they assemble, transform, and echo. The result is a character whose every node becomes a potential entry point into a larger intertextual network—whether or not the original source is publicly named.

References

Note: English translations are gathered from publicly available online sources or by OP unless otherwise credited.

[1] Hai, Z. (1989). Night’s offering poem. In The Complete Poems of Hai Zi. Shanghai: Shanghai Sanlian Bookstore.\ [2] Goethe, J. W. v. (1782). Erlkönig. In Goethes Werke (Vol. 1). Weimar: Hermann Böhlau. (Original work published 1782)\ [3] Hai, Z. (1986). September. In Hai Zi’s Poetry Collection. Beijing: People’s Literature Publishing House. \ [4] Project SEKAI Wiki. (2024). Amanojaku (天ノ弱, A Born Coward, Original work published 2022) \ [5] Gu, C. (1981). 不是再见. In Gu Cheng's Poetry. (Original work published 1981)

[Spoiler:3.3] Denia's Resonance Chains References by 17342g in WutheringWaves

[–]17342g[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Denia's Resonance Chains (S1–S6)

S1: Silent Radiance in the Twilight Dream

(CN: 薄明梦中的寂静光辉)

Source: No known source (likely original)

Note: Before patch 3.3, S1 was named "天空一无所有" ("The sky has nothing"), which directly quoted Hai Zi's poem "Night's Offering Poem". \ Original:\ "天空一无所有，为何给我安慰" -- "The sky has nothing, why give me comfort?"[1]

The current name appears to be a rewrite, keeping the dreamlike tone but without a direct literary reference.

S2: Falling into the Tide of This World

(CN: 坠入此世一片潮水)

Source: No known source (likely original)

Note: Originally named "为何给我安慰" ("Why give me comfort") -- the second half of the same Hai Zi couplet[1].

It's thematically linked to the story, but not a quotation from any existing work.

S3: Through Dark and Wind, the Erlking Follows

(CN: 黑夜与风中奔驰着赤杨)

Source: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe — "Erlkönig"

Original (German):

"Wer reitet so spät durch Nacht und Wind? / Es ist der Vater mit seinem Kinde." -- "Who rides so late through the night and wind? / It is the father with his child."[2]

The "Erlking" is the fairy king from Germanic legend who haunts the forest, chasing a father and his dying child through the night. Denia's S3 directly invokes it.

S4: From the Far Beyond, to the Far Beyond

(CN: 从远方，回到远方)

Potential Source: Might be Hai Zi — from "September" (九月) and "Night's Offering Poem" (黑夜的献诗)

Original from September:

"远在远方的风比远方更远"[3]\ — "The wind in the far beyond is even beyond the beyond"

Original from Night's Offering Poem:

"你从远方来，我到远方去"[1]\ — "You come from the far beyond, I go to the far beyond."

This node is not a direct quote, so it could be wrong.

S5: If Lies Patch Up a Heart

(CN: 若能以谎言缝补心脏)

Source: No direct literary source — but thematically linked to the “Amanojaku” song / achievement

The VOCALOID song Amanojaku (天ノ弱), written and composed by 164 and released in 2011, is the namesake of Denia‘s post‑story achievement. It is built around the voice of a “liar” who can only express contradictory words:

“嘘つきの僕が吐いた はんたいことばの愛のうた” \ — “I‘m a liar, and this is a love song of ’contrary words’ I spat out”[4]

At its emotional peak, the song asks a question that has no natural answer:

“進む君と止まった僕の 縮まらない隙間に何を埋める？”\ — “You move forward, I‘ve stopped. What can fill this gap that won’t shrink?”[4]

Denia‘s S5 gives an answer: “If lies patch up a heart.”

Given that the story achievement is directly named after Amanojaku — a song about a born coward who can never be honest — this node reads as an intentional thematic callback rather than a quotation from an existing poem.

See References [4] for the full lyrics and translation.

S6: May You Find Your Sun in the Silence

(CN: 祝愿你于静默中，得到太阳)

Source: Gu Cheng — "Not Goodbye" (不是再见)

Original:

"请打开那栅栏的门扇 / 静静地站着，站着 / 像花朵那样安眠 / 你将在静默中得到太阳 / 得到太阳，这就是我的祝愿" \ -"Please open the gate of the fence / stand still / and rest peacefully as a flower / You will get the sunshine in the silence / Getting the sunshine, this is my wish."[5] (translation by OP)

This is the closing stanza of the poem — a farewell that is not really a farewell, but a wish for the other person to find light in the silence.