When I write about the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages, I usually use the terms Jīndān Zhēnrén and Yuányīng Zhēnjūn. The reason is simple: Jīndān and Yuányīng are widely recognized terms in cultivation circles. Most readers instantly know that Jīndān means Golden Core and Yuányīng means Nascent Soul when we're talking about cultivation stages.
Another reason is that these terms have a nice ring to them and remain consistent with how authors usually write them in Chinese texts, like 金丹真人 and 元婴真君. Keeping the original Chinese alongside the title preserves authenticity and feels natural in the cultivation genre.
This logic also extends to other formal, culture-specific titles. For example:
Fózǐ (佛子 - Buddha Son): This is a special title within Buddhist cultivation sects, not just a description.
Dàrén (大人 - Great Person): This is a key honorific in the Underworld/ghost cultivator hierarchy, used to address someone of a much higher rank and cultivation stage.
I write these with tone marks to signal that they are official titles within the world of the novel, much like Zhēnrén or Zhēnjūn.
However, for other cultivation stages, I prefer to use the English translations instead, such as Divine Soul Zūnzhě or Unity Zūnshàng. Unlike Golden Core and Nascent Soul, these stages aren't as universally fixed or "generic" across novels. Many translations also lean toward using the English terms rather than the Chinese names.
To make it easier and clearer for readers—especially those who might be less familiar with the original Chinese—I've decided to stick with the English versions for these less common stages. This way, the meaning is more accessible without losing the respect and flavor of the original titles.
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For higher realms above Nascent Soul, I'll mostly stick with English translations for the stage name + formal title.
For the Immortal realm and higher, I'll handle them differently:
-Cultivation stage references will use pinyin without tones. Examples:
Dixian (Earth Immortal)
Jinxian (Golden Immortal)
Daluo Jinxian (Great Luo Golden Immortal)
-When cultivation stage used as titles will use pinyin with tones, just like the lower realms. For example:
Xiāndì (Immortal Emperor)
Tiānxiān (Heavenly Immortal)
Jīnxiān (Golden Immortal)
-When combined with a name, the name stays tone-less, while the title carries tones. For example:
Zi Mo Xiāndì → "Zi Mo" (character name, no tones) + Xiāndì (title, with tones).
-If Immortal realm and higher stages also have titles for cultivation stages, I'll write them the same way as Jīndān Zhēnrén and Yuányīng Zhēnjūn — fully in pinyin with tones. The titles themselves will always remain in pinyin with tones.
So in short:
Cultivation Stage Reference → Tianxian, Jinxian, Xuanxian (no tones)
When Used As Title → Xiāndì, Tiānxiān, Jīnxiān (with tones)
Name + Title Format → Zi Mo Xiāndì (name no tones, title with tones)
This format will stay consistent throughout the story. For the Immortal realms, I won't be using English translations for the titles, only pinyin as shown above.
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["Hand this jade slip to the family stationed here. This is the order of the Eastern Immortal King."]
The reason why I Use "Immortal King" Instead of "Xianwang" in here is to create a clear distinction between two related but separate concepts:
"Xianwang" is a Level of Power: This is the name of the cultivation stage. I preserve the original pinyin here to keep the authentic flavor of the xianxia genre.
"Immortal King" is a Title of Office. When a character who is a Xianwang also governs one of the five domains of the Immortal Realm, they hold a political office. Using the English title "Immortal King" immediately signals to the reader that this is about governance, command, and political authority, not just personal cultivation strength.
This approach follows my principle in translation: preserve the original term for cultural or technical concepts (like Xianwang), but we translate formal titles (like Immortal King) to make their function instantly clear in English.
In essence, "Xianwang" is who they are in terms of power, while "Immortal King" is the job they do.