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King Zhou
King Wen is a computer-generated character in the Three-Body game, likely based on the historical King Wen who served in King Zhou’s court. Using the ancient Chinese oracle the I Ching, he makes the game’s first prediction of the sun’s movement. When Wen’s guess is proven incorrect, Zhou has him executed.
King Wen Quotes in The Three-Body Problem
The The Three-Body Problem quotes below are all either spoken by King Wen or refer to King Wen . 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 7 Quotes
King Wen now pointed at Wang, his eyes sparkling. “Now you know the goal of this game: to use our intellect and understanding to analyze all phenomena until we can know the pattern of the sun's movement. The survival of civilization depends on it.”
“Based on my observations, there is no pattern to the sun’s movement at all.”
“That's because you do not understand the fundamental nature of the world.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
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Explanation and Analysis:
As he nears the end of his first round of the Three Body video game, Wang learns his goal as a player: to “know the pattern of the sun’s movement.” The fact that this knowledge is critical to civilization’s survival suggests a larger statement of the purpose of science—namely, scientific discovery and experiment is essential to the continuation of human history and development. For a novel so grounded in the legacy of Cold War nuclear standoff, in which science is seen to threaten humanity as much as save it, the video game thus provides a new (and opposing) perspective. But 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. Perferendis consectet
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King Wen Character Timeline in The Three-Body Problem
The timeline below shows where the character King Wen appears in The Three-Body Problem. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 7. Three Body: King Wen of Zhou and the Long Night
...two men approach and introduce themselves. One of the men explains that he is King Wen of the Warring States Period, while the other introduces himself as Wen’s Follower. Wang is...
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Wang suggests that rather than using the sand clock, King Wen and Follower could just tell time by the sun. Wen is shocked by this idea,...
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...the sky, surprising him. Because the three men are not speaking to each other much, Wen flips the sand clock up and down, speeding up the passage of time in the...
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...Follower declares that living in a Chaotic Era is like “walking through hell,” and King Wen decides that the only option is to dehydrate Follower.
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...from his body, until his form has “lost its shape like a melting candle.” King Wen picks up Follower and asks Wang to carry him to their destination, explaining that when...
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The two men continue along their path, and game time speeds up. Eventually, King Wen notices two flying stars in the sky and he celebrates: two flying stars always heralds...
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As Wen predicted, a Stable Era has begun. Wen explains that during a Chaotic Era, all of...
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...he realizes it is actually the sound of many giant pendulums swinging in the air. Wen shows Wang the thick walls of King Zhou’s palace, explaining that these walls allow him...
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King Wen then presents his own calculation, which relies on the ancient Chinese oracle, The I Ching,...
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Eventually, the sun rises at the beginning of what Wen has predicted will be a prolonged Stable Era. Zhou gives the order to rehydrate, and...
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Eight days later, however, the sun does not rise—Wen was wrong, and the Stable Era is already over. Zhou gives the order to dehydrate,...
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