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Emperor Qin Shi Huang
In reality, Einstein was a brilliant physicist best known for formulating the theory of relativity. In the novel, he makes two appearances. First, though Einstein become a much-hated figure in the Cultural Revolution, Ye Zhetai remembers stories of the great scientist’s earlier visit to China. Rather than engaging in theoretical conversation, Einstein was preoccupied with more human problems (like starvation) that he encountered on the ground. Second, Wang Miao meets a computer-generated version of Einstein in his final trip through the Three-Body game—and here, too, Einstein despairs, focusing not on science’s possibilities but on its limits.
Albert Einstein Quotes in The Three-Body Problem
The The Three-Body Problem quotes below are all either spoken by Albert Einstein or refer to Albert Einstein . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 19 Quotes
“The big moon. When I was little it was still hot. When it rose to the middle of the sky, I could see the red glow from the central plains. But now it's cold…Haven't you heard about the great rip?”
“No. What's that?”
Einstein sighed and shook his head. “Let's not speak of it. Forget the past. My past, civilization’s past, the universe’s past—all of it too painful to recall.”
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In his final time playing the Three Body game, Wang encounters a computer-generated version of Albert Einstein, who explains “the great rip”: a few years prior, Trisolaris’s three suns had crashed into the planet, ripping it in half. Now, what once had been part of the populated, lively planet is “the big moon,” a dead mass in the sky that reminds everyone of “the past” they are trying so desperately to forget. In one sense, therefore, the large moon in the sky is a physical embodiment of the lasting effects of trauma—at every moment, the residents of Trisolaris are confronted Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Per
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Albert Einstein Character Timeline in The Three-Body Problem
The timeline below shows where the character Albert Einstein appears in The Three-Body Problem. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1. The Madness Years
...Lin, onstage. Shao has turned against her husband, and she berates him for teaching Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity because it is “anti-dialectical” and therefore against communism. While Shao humiliates him,...
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In reality, though, Shao’s father (a wealthy, prominent scholar in pre-revolutionary China) met Einstein in person, a meeting he considered the definitive moment of his life. Rather than discussing...
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Chapter 19. Three Body: Einstein, the Pendulum Monument, and the Great Rip
Wang realizes that the violinist is actually Einstein, and the two men begin to talk. Einstein hints at an event called “the great...
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Wang tries to enter the UN building, but Einstein tells him that no one is inside. Instead, Wang realizes that everyone is gathered behind...
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