Proud, sharp-tongued maid of 贾宝玉 in 红楼梦 and the finest needlewoman of his household. Ill, she sits up all night mending his peacock-feather cloak; later Lady Wang drives her out and she dies young.
'Qingwen mends the fur coat' is a famous scene from Dream of the Red Chamber.
Tips
culture
Chapter 52 is titled 勇晴雯病补雀金裘, 'Brave Qingwen mends the peacock cape while ill'. After her death Baoyu mourns her in 《芙蓉女儿诔》, 'Eulogy for the Hibiscus Maiden'.
memory
Her fate-verse opens 霁月难逢，彩云易散, 'a clear moon after rain is rarely met, bright clouds soon scatter'. Both images point to her name: 霁 is the sky clearing, like 晴, and 雯 means patterned clouds.
