Zhongli

Zhongli (Chinese: 钟离 Zhōnglí), also known by his divine name Morax and his Adeptus name Rex Lapis, is a Wangsheng Funeral Parlor consultant who serves as the God of Contracts and Geo Archon of The Seven, presiding over Liyue. After faking his death during the last Rite of Descension, he has now stepped down from public rule and left the governance of Liyue in the hands of humanity.

Along with Venti, he is one of The Seven's two remaining original members and the oldest of The Seven. He is the Prime of Adepti and was alive during the era of the unified civilization. During the Archon War, he founded the nation of Liyue, and eventually defeated all other gods in the region, earning him the title of Geo Archon.

Prior to his retirement, Zhongli descended in his Exuvia form as Rex Lapis during the annual Rite of Descension to give guidance to his people for a prosperous year. After realizing that it was time for him to step down, he concocted a plan to fake his death during the annual Rite of Descension ceremony, and set up a test in collaboration with the Fatui, to see if his people had the capability to self-govern the nation. After deeming the results satisfactory, he has now taken on the identity of a mortal man residing in Liyue Harbor. He currently works as a consultant for Wangsheng Funeral Parlor under Hu Tao.

Profile

The currencies that flow through this land are my flesh and blood.
For thus did I become the guarantor of the people's hard work, wisdom, and future.
This is the trust I have placed in them. Betray it, and you taint my blood.

—Morax, Prithiva Topaz Gemstone

Rex Lapis is the God of Contracts, Commerce, and the Warrior God — among many other names. He was the Geo Archon and is the oldest of The Seven, and possibly being one of the oldest gods at over six thousand years old. He is shrouded in a plethora of legends; both true and exaggerated, often depicting him as an all-conquering, powerful deity. As one the Seven Archons, Zhongli possesses a seat among the Divine Thrones of Celestia, granting him access to the Geo Authority.^[4] He previously also possessed the Geo Gnosis before it was handed over to Signora as part of his contract with the Tsaritsa.^[5]

In addition to forming the geography of the region he governs, Rex Lapis defended Liyue in great battles such as the Archon War, which was waged in the area that is now Guili Plains against other gods. In one battle, he successfully defeated an ancient god known as Osial, using massive stone lances to imprison the sea god, which is now known as the Guyun Stone Forest. In another, he sealed the Earth Dragon Azhdaha under a tree in Nantianmen following the dragon's rebellion. Other beings Rex Lapis has fought and slain include the Chi that lived in Qingce Village and the god that was Xiao's former master. Orobashi also fought against him during the Archon War, but was defeated and fled into the Dark Sea.

Morax is also the source and namesake of Teyvat's currency, Mora. Morax's Gnosis was used to mint Mora at the Golden House before he retired from his position as Archon and ceded his Gnosis to the Tsaritsa.

Currently, Rex Lapis resides in Liyue Harbor as Zhongli and works as a consultant at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

Personality

Zhongli is a calm, reserved, and polite man, who holds an air of nostalgia. Whereas he is said to have a stoic demeanor for duty, Zhongli also has a sentimental side.^[6] He knows much about Liyue history and culture in part due to his time as the Geo Archon; like Venti, he has many experiences and memories, as he was a god well before The Seven even existed and one of the oldest still living in Teyvat. He holds philosophical ideas towards money and has great respect for Liyue's traditions, including those that have been forgotten or warped over time. Zhongli tends to be humble, being worried he comes off as a "bourgeois parasite."^[7]

Zhongli tends to forget about Mora in transactions, agreeing to spend large sums of it without having any Mora on hand and even taking "discounts" as granted despite being an obvious scam.^[8] He often ends up relying on his acquaintances for financial support, such as the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor or Childe. Although he works for Hu Tao, he does not like her childish behavior.^[9]

It is later revealed that Zhongli's "carelessness" stems from being the creator of Mora. With the Gnosis allowing him to create limitless Mora, he never had to worry about running low on his personal finances. Unfortunately, when he chose to live among mortals, he lacked the foresight to find an alternative for them to continue minting Mora in his absence, along with creating a retirement fund for himself. As a result, he shamelessly spends the Mora of others.

Being the reminiscent person he is, Zhongli enjoys Osmanthus wine as it was the drink he and his former Archon friends used to have when they met up in Liyue. He dislikes seafood as it reminds him of the promise he made to his people in the past when he fought a particularly annoying type of sea creature, although he does not mind eating them if they have been ground to a pulp.

Appearance

Zhongli is a tall man with fair skin, amber eyes with yellow diamond-shaped pupils and red eyeliner on the lower lids of his eyes. He has mostly short, dark brown hair with a longer fringe on the right side of his face and Geo-amber tips that glow when he uses his Elemental Skill or Elemental Burst. There is one section of his hair on the back of his head that is waist-length instead of being cut short.

The Geo Vision seen at the small of his back behaves like other characters' Visions in most gameplay; however, it is not a real Vision, and there are a select few gameplay mechanics that reflect this.

During formal events such as the Rite of Descension, Zhongli as Rex Lapis takes the form of a half-dragon, half-lin creature known as the Exuvia.^[10]

Statues of The Seven in Liyue depict him as an adult man wearing a hood and robes wrapped around his legs, holding a cube. In Yakshas: The Guardian Adepti, his back is shown, donning a white robe with a hood and wearing long, wide pants. His hands are depicted orange, with vein-like markings traveling up his arm. He has long, dark brown hair tied back into a long ponytail, with the rest being style in wind-swept fashion. His hair fades into a bright amber at the ends of his rattail.

The Rex Incognito series claims he changes forms frequently depending on the situation (having appeared in the form of different men and women throughout history) but always has bright amber eyes in any form he takes. This is assumedly the trait that follows him throughout all of his forms, however Zhongli hints that Rex Lapis has a "true appearance."^[11]

According to Xiao, the statues Rex Lapis used to seal Chi in Qingce Village were made in his likeness.^[12] These appear to have a similar head to his exuvia, with a more humanoid torso and arms.

History

Background

The Lord of Geo, Heaven's Star, was born more than six thousand years ago,^[13] during the era of Teyvat's unified civilization. During this time, he met Zibai, the ruler of Lang-Gan and envoy of the Three Moons. Zibai was impressed with his strength in spite of him not belonging to the Angelic race, and so challenged him to a duel. When she arrived to their designated meeting place, he demonstrated usage of the art of Tri-Factor Excision, by which one could excise one's Three Deadly Selves, and subequently taught her how to perform the technique herself.^[14]

After the war of funerary flame, he became known under the name of Rex Lapis. In public folklore of the time before the Archon War, he is described as having descended down upon the land, after which he lowered the tides and raised Mt. Tianheng.^[15] He was close with Guizhong, the God of Dust, and they formed a settlement for their people in Guili Plains, which was named after them.^[16] He was also on good terms with Marchosius and Madame Ping. However, after the Archon War broke out, Guizhong perished in a battle that laid waste to Guili Plains and Dihua Marsh. Afterwards, Rex Lapis moved their people south of Mt. Tianheng, to the place that is now Liyue Harbor.

To protect his new city, Rex Lapis formed a contract with the adepti to defend the harbor as he continued waging war against his many enemies. Baqiu,^[17] Chi, Osial, and Xiao's former master were defeated by his hand, while Havria, too gentle for this brutal period, was slain by her own people. The survivors of Sal Terrae were spread throughout Liyue, many of them coming to Liyue Harbor. At some point, he befriended a massive dragon and gave it sight, who became a lifelong friend, but the dragon eventually deteriorated from "erosion" and he was forced to seal his old friend away underneath Nantianmen.^[18]

Morax defeated numerous gods during his time, such as Chi and Osial. Many were sealed underground, where their physical bodies decomposed and became one with the earth. Their souls, however, were immortal; their desire for revenge and lust for life seeped into the earth, resulting in miasmas, plagues, monster attacks, and other such calamities. To quell these disturbances, Morax summoned the Yakshas to aid him in battle, endlessly subduing the ancient gods.^[19][20] One of these yakshas, an illuminated beast that was enslaved by a bloodthirsty god, was defeated by Morax, who gave him the name Xiao, who swore loyalty to him.

Near the end of the Archon War, Morax came into conflict with the mistress of Chenyu Vale. Morax was victorious, but in a final attempt to defeat him, the mistress attempted to flood Bishui River, prompting her Adepti servants, Lingyuan, the Herblord, and Fujin, to rebel against her and ultimately seal her away.^[21][22]

After the Archon War ended, Ganyu signed a contract with Morax to help protect Liyue Harbor, its people, and their wellbeing. This is fulfilled via her role as the General Secretary of the Liyue Qixing, which was established shortly after the Archon War (roughly 2000 years ago)

The Seven would dine together in Liyue. Morax also met Baal's kagemusha, Beelzebul, during one of these meetings. Two millennia later, only Morax and Barbatos remained as the original Archons amongst The Seven. The other five later died from varying causes and were replaced.

Morax's level of involvement in the cataclysm 500 years ago is currently unknown, but he is aware of how greatly it affected the Tsaritsa.^[23] An unknown party later made a contract with him in which he would not disclose the truth of the incident to anyone who might ask.^[24]

In the more recent past, a xiezhi adeptus that had campaigned with Morax for many years approached the archon to discuss his plans to marry a mortal woman beforehand. Morax was not only fine with it, but also contributed to the couple's wedding gift. The couple would later have a daughter, Yanfei.^[25] The xiezhi would eventually gift his daughter with a steelyard balance, said to be a treasure once given to him by Morax himself and could be used to measure the value of all things.^[26]

Present Day

In the Archon Quest Rite of Descension in Chapter I: Act I - Of the Land Amidst Monoliths, Rex Lapis is purportedly assassinated during the titular Rite, and his vessel — known as the Exuvia — was taken away to the Golden House by the Liyue Qixing.

In the Archon Quest Chapter I: Act III - A New Star Approaches, it turns out that he took on the form of Zhongli and instigated most of the events of the chapter with the aid of the Tsaritsa and her envoy, Signora. This was designed to be a test to see if Liyue was ready to move on without his protection, as he intended to retire from his position as the Geo Archon. Having not to have to use his Gnosis to personally intervene had things gone wrong, he handed it over for delivery to the Tsaritsa as part of his contract with her, which he called "the contract to end all contracts."

At some point prior to the Rite of Parting — but after handing his Gnosis over — Morax used an ancient adepti art to inform the Liyue Qixing through Ningguang that he was still alive, but had chosen to step down as the Geo Archon, thus dissuading suspicion placed upon the Traveler for his "murder," and to later confirm this to his fellow adepti (although Madame Ping realized this beforehand).^[27][28] He left the matter of the official explanation of his death up to the Qixing.^[5] He would later join the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor as a consultant. Unfortunately, he had forgotten to create a reserve fund for himself, and without his Gnosis, Mora circulation would be halted until a solution could be found.

After the Osial incident, Zhongli accompanies the Traveler and two "archaeologists" (Kliment and Wanyan) to discover the truth about Havria. During the trip, Zhongli gives both a contract but they end up breaking it out of greed and a desire to learn the truth respectively. The Traveler recovers Havria's relics and Zhongli takes them to the Guyun Stone Forest to dispose of them to the ocean.^[29]

Later on, Azhdaha would attempt to break free from his prison. The attempt also released the dragon's more benevolent side, which possessed a human called Kun Jun. They set out to find missing miners, eventually discovering them attempting to break Azhdaha's seal from the outside. They were unable to stop the miners and were teleported to Azhdaha's domain, where the ancient dragon attempted to get revenge on Morax. Fortunately, Kun Jun intervened at a critical moment, allowing the Traveler and Zhongli to defeat Azhdaha. Zhongli tells a story to the Traveler after the battle, and recalling their encounter with Dainsleif, asks him about Khaenri'ah. Zhongli declines to tell them about it, having signed a contract with an unknown party to not talk about it, instead telling them that they would discover it themselves during their journey across Teyvat.^[30]

When the Traveler, Paimon, Yelan, Xiao, Yanfei, Kuki Shinobu and Arataki Itto attempted to escape from the hidden space underneath The Chasm, Xiao was able to save everyone but himself. In the final moment, Zhongli intervened, saving Xiao from certain death.^[31]

Following Cloud Retainer's decision to live in Liyue Harbor as Xianyun, she unexpectedly met with Zhongli acting as an items appraiser for Shaozu regarding some goods she was selling for living funds. After an awkward moment, Zhongli vouched for Xianyun's items in order to ease Shaozu's doubts about the two possibly working to swindle him of his Mora. As he left for the bank to arrange payment, Zhongli spoke with Cloud Retainer, remarking on and appreciating humanity's growth.^[32]

Zhongli would later accompany Hu Tao to Qiaoying Village, where they met with Furina. He knew of her origins and the events that happened in Fontaine, but avoided talking about it for Furina's own benefit. When she and the Traveler began talking about Neuvillette, Zhongli stated that he had not seen him, as he had gone to fetch tea for the two ladies. The Traveler deduces that Zhongli had intentionally avoided Neuvillette, though they also feigned ignorance for him. He would later bid farewell to Furina, Navia and Clorinde before Hu Tao asked him if he was okay, seeing that he spoke less than usual.^[33]

In another Lantern Rite, Zhongli witnessed Hu Tao's attempt to purify the border between life and death to prevent fetor from spreading in the nation. Fortunately, she was rescued by the Traveler, who took on the cost and was unaffected due to their status as a Descender. As the city celebrated the festivities, he went to his adepti friends at Mt. Aocang, explaining to Mountain Shaper what Hu Tao's name meant.^[34]

Zhongli later learned that the Traveler had brought the Frost Moon back to Teyvat during the events of Nod-Krai's quest series. This caused him to realize that an old acquaintance of his could be released. Knowing that the Traveler would visit Liyue during the Lantern Rite, he began to look for the acquaintance's personal effects at an exhibition. The Traveler found him, and after touching one of these items, met with a strange woman in a mysterious space. Seeking answers, Zhongli explained that the eclipse everyone was talking about was actually the original "moon" that was there before the Frost Moon, and when people made wishes, it would cause an eclipse. He explained that with their assistance, they could bring Zibai back to life if they could fuse her soul back. Since they could not meet with Ziju, he tasked them with finding Zizhi, while he would look for Ziqiao. The Traveler then asked if he was the one who preserved her soul's essence. He was hesitant to do so, but the Traveler pressed him and he revealed that the avatar of Time had done so, who they realized was Istaroth. He warned them that they had until the night of the festival to do so, or she would perish for good.^[35] Zhongli located Ziqiao, sending a stone stele to Mt. Aocang to inform the Traveler of his location. When they arrived, they discovered that he had entrusted Ziqiao to them to bring her around Liyue Harbor. Ultimately, Ziqiao agreed to relinquish her soul, allowing them to revive Zibai. He was pleased to see her again and told the Traveler that it could potentially take a while for her to recover her senses.

Trivia

• Zhongli is one of the characters with ornaments that glow. While wearing his default outfit, Hermit of Mortal Life, when Zhongli's Elemental Burst is ready, the amber gemstone on his chest will glow along with his Vision.
• During Spices From the West, Zhongli politely declines all seafood, including Fragrant Grilled Tiger Fish and Fragrant Mondstadt Grilled Fish. However, this makes him one reason that the canonicity of playable characters' preferences during Spices From the West is questionable. His Character Story That Which Rises From the Sea indicates that he only dislikes tentacled seafood and will happily eat even tentacled seafood that has been cut into small pieces. Zhongli's Character Story 1 also heavily implies that he has eaten Fullmoon Egg, which uses both cut and whole Shrimp. It therefore does not make sense that Zhongli declines even Grilled Tiger Fish and Mondstadt Grilled Fish, which are small portions^[36] of cut fish.
  • The other reason that the canonicity of characters' preferences during Spices From the West is questionable is Ganyu: Ganyu is a vegetarian, and as expected, her voice-over when declining dishes specifies meat as the reason for declining. However, Ganyu also declines meatless dishes in line with veganism instead, which does not match her voice-over.
• Zhongli features a long ponytail, a deeply rooted Chinese symbol of social status.
• Zhongli has scales on either side of his robe which represent the emperor's power and adaptability.
• Zhongli's design contains references to the 12 symbols of sovereignty, introduced in the zhou dynasty and exclusively worn by the emperor.
• Zhongli may be one of, if not the, oldest gods in Teyvat, at over six thousand years old.
• In the Teyvat Travel Guide - Liyue, the author, Alice, names Zhongli as her companion during her travels to that region.
• According to Xiangling, Zhongli's palate is extremely precise; he could distinguish the kind of salt she used in her dish from a single bite.^[37]
• Zhongli likes listening to Iron Tongue Tian, the storyteller at Third-Round Knockout.
• On the Wangshu Inn Bulletin Board, one anonymous message is likely Zhongli's.
• Zhongli is the first character whose Story Quest Chapter name did not derive from his Constellation.
• Zhongli is also the first character whose in-game Profile and Story sections change depending on Archon Quest completion; before completing the Archon Quest Chapter I: Act III - A New Star Approaches, his "Vision" is listed as Geo (and his Story section shows Vision, albeit locked until Act 3 is completed), while his constellation is labeled "???" After completing it, "Vision" changes to "Gnosis" on both his Profile and Story menus, while his constellation is revealed.
• Zhongli's Chinese voice actor (彭博) is one of the directors of Genshin Impact's Chinese voice actors.^{[Note 1]}
• Zhongli was heavily foreshadowed to be Morax before the confirmation in Archon Quest Chapter I: Act III - A New Star Approaches:
  • Zhongli is extremely knowledgeable about money, government, and Liyue's traditions and history. He even remembers customs and traditions that have been watered down, forgotten, and lost to time — as if he was there himself.
  • When he asks the Traveler and Paimon to retrieve the Cleansing Bell from Madame Ping for the Rite of Parting, Zhongli uncharacteristically refuses to join them. Madame Ping says that an "old friend" gave her the Bell and that, since they have come to borrow it, this friend must have "decided to take matters into their own hands." She also makes it no secret that she is an adeptus — which means Zhongli must be much older than his apparent age would suggest.^[38]
  • After retrieving the Cleansing Bell, the Traveler has the option to ask Zhongli either if he knows Madame Ping, or if he is an adeptus. He confirms the former and fails to answer the latter.^[38]
  • Zhongli is shown throughout the story to have several similarities to Venti, the Anemo Archon Barbatos:
    • Zhongli states that a friend from Mondstadt would always bring him a few bottles of Dandelion Wine when they visited.^[39] Dandelion Wine is Venti's favorite drink.
    • Zhongli's appearance is similar to that of the Statues of The Seven in Liyue, much like how Mondstadt's Statues resemble Venti. The symbol on his jacket also matches the symbol on Rex Lapis' statues. Although the Geo Archon wears a hood on his statues which covers most of his hairstyle, it's apparent that Zhongli and the Archon share the same bangs.
    • Zhongli's hair fades from black to amber, similar to how Venti's hair turns to blue-green at the ends of his braids. This was a stronger point during Version 1.0 when most of the characters who had ombres in their hair were known or theorized to be more than ordinary humans or had subtler ombres that were not as noticeable as those of Venti and Zhongli. With the release of more clearly human characters with ombres in their hair as well as the Raiden Shogun with a much subtler ombre, this point is no longer a strong point for deducing Archon identities going forward, though they may still follow the pattern.
    • In the Version 1.1 trailer,^[40] it is apparent that the tip of his ponytail glows when using his skills, a feature that Venti also has.
  • The Rex Incognito book series implies that Rex Lapis has amber eyes no matter what shape he takes, a feature that Zhongli also has.
    • Later on in the Fleeting Colors in Flight event, Zhongli remarks that "there was not quite so much ostentatious shapeshifting as the book would have you believe."^[41]
  • Zhongli calls Rex Lapis' "corpse" an "Exuvia." The word "exuvia" refers to the outer skin molted by some creatures as a new exoskeleton grows in.^[42]
    • During the Rite of Descension, Ivanovich states that "he heard" the Exuvia which Rex Lapis "appears as" during formal events, is a "celestial cross between two of Liyue's celestial creatures" (which the Chinese version specifies to be a dragon and qilin). This suggests that the Exuvia is only one of potentially several forms Rex Lapis can appear in.
      • This information was one of the many circulating Liyue during the Rite that can be either true or false since the information was something Ivanovich "only heard about," and as during the Rite, Zhongli was also stated to be the God of the Stove, which was proven wrong during the Moonlight Merriment event. It is also revealed in dialogue from Zhongli's Story Quest, Historia Antiqua Chapter: Act I - Sal Flore that even famous Liyue archaeologists had inaccurate information about Rex Lapis, and the whole quest itself revolved around further inaccurate information about Rex Lapis.
  • The World Quest Treasure Lost, Treasure Found and the book Stone Tablet Compilations: Vol. I both state that the Guili Plains (归离原 Guīlí-yuán) are named after the God of Dust (归终 Guīzhōng) and the Geo Archon himself. Neither Morax nor Rex Lapis fit into this name, but Zhongli (钟离 Zhōnglí) would.
  • Several stories claim that the Geo Archon uses polearms, such as in Teyvat Travel Guide - Liyue and Diary of Roald the Adventurer: Guyun Stone Forest, which is also Zhongli's weapon of choice.
  • Although he has some difficulty, Zhongli manages to repair the Guizhong Ballista, which was constructed by the adepti. Later, Keqing and a detachment of Millelith are found investigating the repairs, as getting it working within a single night should have been impossible for a mortal.
• Like Venti, Zhongli reveals his identity as the Geo Archon when he deems it prudent to do so. As such, many, if not all, of the adepti are aware of Rex Lapis's guise as Zhongli,^[43][44][45] and he appeared as Zhongli in front of Signora and Childe when acting as Rex Lapis. However, unlike Venti, Zhongli's mannerisms have caused several people to compare him to Rex Lapis^[46] or outright become suspicious of his nature.^[44][47]
• Zhongli is one of the few currently playable characters who acknowledges (or even seems to be aware) that the Traveler is from another world, presumably because of his status as an Archon.
• In his Collected Miscellany trailer, Zhongli can be seen fighting in the Realm of Clouds, a domain created by the adepti to hold the artifacts Guizhong collected.
• The Chinese Teyvat Food Notes entry celebrating his birthday gave a real-life recipe for Zhongli's special dish, Slow-Cooked Bamboo Shoot Soup. The real-life version takes two hours to simmer, and the recipe doesn't count prep time.
  • In the blog post's story, Zhongli quotes three idioms from the Xiang Dang book in the Analects, a collection of sayings and ideas attributed to the Chinese philosopher Confucius. The passages he quotes are about doing things in their proper way and order, particularly in regard to food and dining habits.^[48] The quoted idioms are:
    • 食不厌精，脍不厌细 Shí bù yàn jīng, kuài bù yàn xì, "When he ate he was not averse to refined rice, nor to finely minced meat."^[49]
    • 肉割不正，不食 Ròu gē bù zhèng, bù shí, "Nor would he eat food [meat] that was not properly sliced."^{[49][Note 2]}
    • 席不正，不坐 Xí bù zhèng, bù zuò, "If a mat was not straight, he would not sit on it."^[49]
  • He also tells the Traveler that the dish relates to the Six Ritual Jades.
• Zhongli also appears in the Teyvat Food Notes' blog post for Adeptus' Temptation, in which he supervises the preparation of the dish. During the cooking process, he and Xingqiu sneak a taste of the lean meat taken from the chicken and duck used for the soup stock, much to Xiangling's chagrin.^[50]
• Zhongli shares his Chinese Voice Actor with Dvalin.
• Zhongli wields the Vortex Vanquisher in his portrait art.
• Zhongli actually uses a combination of his equipped weapon and "stone spears" during his Normal Attack sequence, switching between the two as he attacks. He is currently the only playable character with this specific trait.
  • Zhongli can also be seen wielding one of these stone spears in his Wish artwork.
• There are mysterious markings on his statue that have not yet been translated, although they do bear some resemblance to somewhat-eroded modern Liyue writing.
• In the last part of the quest Three Poignant Perfumes, it was shown that he likes the smell of Fate's Yearning Perfume, the one which was preferred by mature women.
• Japanese voice actor Maeno Tomoaki (前野智昭) is the husband of Mavuika's Japanese voice actress, Komatsu Mikako (小松未可子).
  • During Mavuika's first Character Event Wish, Tomoaki livestreamed himself rolling for his wife's character until he got all six Constellations.

Aliases and Titles

• Zhongli is known by these aliases or titles:
  • Morax (divine name)^[51]
  • Rex Lapis^{[Note 3]}
  • Geo Archon
  • God of Contracts
  • Prime of Adepti^[52]
  • Warrior God^[52]
  • God of History^[53]
  • God of Wealth^[53]
  • God of Commerce^[53]
  • The Groundbreaker^[53]
  • Deus Auri^[54]
  • The Lord of Geo, Heaven's Star^[55][56]
  • Mr. Mo^[57]

Etymology

• His constellation, Lapis Dei, is Latin for "The Stone of God." It follows the same pattern as Venti's constellation, Carmen Dei.
• Zhongli's design was likely inspired by Zhongli Quan (钟离权/鍾離權), one of the Eight Immortals — a group of eight legendary xian (仙 xiān) in Daoist mythology.
  • The figure is said to have possessed a large magical fan that can resurrect the dead, as well as alchemical powers, which he used to transmute stones and base metals into gold and silver to save people from poverty.
  • In the game's Chinese text, the adepti are known as 仙 xiān.
  • In literature,^[58] it is said that Zhongli Quan enjoyed writing poetry of wine, once wrote the phrase "Most leisurely guy under the heaven, Zhongli Quan" (「天下都散漢鍾離權」),^{[Note 4][Note 5]} self-mockingly acknowledging that he's the most "relaxed" and "leisurely" person on this earth.
• The name Zhongli (钟离/鍾離 Zhōnglí) is derived from the State of Zhongli (Chinese: 钟离国/鍾離國 Zhōnglíguó). After the state was destroyed, its descendants called themselves either the 钟离/鍾離 Zhōnglí or 钟/鍾 Zhōng surname, making it one of the origins of these surnames.^[59]
• The first character of Zhongli's name in Simplified Chinese, 钟, may cause much ambiguity and confusion. 钟 is the simplified form of two different Traditional Chinese characters, 鍾 and 鐘, which have two different meanings.
  • There is also a Simplified Chinese character 锺 which can be used as the simplified form of 鍾 when used as a surname. This has only been made an official simplified form for the surname in these past few years, so it may not be commonly used. Strictly, it should only be used for the surname Zhong (钟 or 锺/鍾 Zhōng).
  • To make matters even more confusing, in Taiwan and Singapore, a fourth Chinese character, 鈡, is occasionally used instead of either 鍾 or 鐘.
  • Both 钟 or 锺/鍾 Zhōng and 钟离/鍾離 Zhōnglí exist as surnames in Chinese.
  • Based on the official localization of his name in Traditional Chinese and Japanese, his name should be 鍾離. However, as a result of the above ambiguity, his name is sometimes incorrectly rendered as 鐘離 even among Traditional Chinese players. The confusion may also stem from the pun below.
• The name "Zhongli" is a pun that can signify him stepping down from his position as Rex Lapis. 钟/鍾 Zhōng in Zhongli is homophonous with the word for 钟/鐘 zhōng, "clock" in Chinese and they are even written the exact same way in Simplified Chinese. 离/離 Lí is the common word for "leaving" or "away." The name can therefore be taken to mean "off the clock" or "time of leaving/departure."
  • The Li in Liyue (璃 Lí) is a word for precious stone (usually referring to lapis lazuli) or glass.^[60] The word itself contains Zhongli's li (离 lí), with an extra radical to its left (𤣩). This radical resembles the word 王 wáng meaning "king." Zhongli's li (离 lí) dropping off the 王 may be symbolic of him stepping down from his reign over Liyue. This analysis only applies to the Simplified Chinese version of his name.
    • This would also imply that Liyue's name carries a secondary meaning: "The Month of the King's Departure," which bears striking similarity to the pun on Zhongli's name ("time of departure").
  • Zhongli's li (离/離 lí) additionally was used as the archaic form of 魑 chī which refers to a mythical creature, such as a mountain demon or a mountain beast, which may or may not be a cryptic statement alluding to Rex Lapis being an adeptus.
• The name used in Zhongli's sixth constellation, Chrysos, is known as the spirit of gold in Greek mythology.
• In The Lesser Key of Solomon, Morax is the 21st demon and a president of hell, ruling over thirty (or thirty-two according to other authors) legions of demons. He teaches astronomy and other liberal sciences, and gives good and wise familiars that know the virtues of all herbs and precious stones. He is depicted both as a man with the head of a bull, and a bull with the head of a man.
• Rex Lapis’ Chinese title, 岩王帝君 Yánwáng Dìjūn, "Imperial Sovereign Rock King; Rock King Sovereign" includes the honorific title 帝君 dìjūn, "sovereign," typically added to the names of Daoist deities.^[61] His Chinese honorific title, 岩王爷 Yánwáng-yé, "King Rock" may be derived from the King Yan (Chinese: 阎王爷 Yánwángyé, "Grandfatherly King Yan").
  • 岩 is the Chinese term used for the Geo element in Genshin. Therefore, 岩王帝君 Yánwáng Dìjūn can also be translated as “Geo King Sovereign”.
  • "Rex Lapis" is thus thematically tied to the Chinese theme of the Liyue region and its Adepti (who are Taoist immortals), contrasting the Ars Goetia theme of his name "Morax."
• Two of Morax's titles, "God of Wealth and Prosperity" and "Warrior God" are ascribed to Kubera and Vaiśravaṇa, two names for the deity who leads the yakshas in Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist mythology.
• Morax's quote "Ones who break their contracts shall suffer the Wrath of the Rock" (Chinese: 食言者当受食岩之罚 "Those who break their promises shall be punished by being swallowed by rocks") also doubles as a pun in the original Chinese text — 食言 shíyán, "break their promises" is a homophone of 食岩 shí yán, "swallowed by rocks."

Notes

Other Languages

References