In chapter 37 Tanchun explains the name: Daiyu lives in the bamboo-shaded
潇湘馆 and weeps easily, like
娥皇 and
女英, the consorts of
舜, whose tears are said to have spotted the bamboo by the Xiang River, the
湘妃竹. Tanchun teases that Daiyu's tears will one day spot the bamboo too.