Pan Jinlian
"Jin Ping Mei" takes its name from the three central female characters—Pan Jinlian (, whose given name means "Golden Lotus"); Li Ping'er (, literally "Little Vase"), a concubine of Ximen Qing; and Pang Chunmei (, "Spring plum blossoms"), a young maid who rose to power within the family. Chinese critics see each of the three Chinese characters in the title as symbolizing an aspect of human nature, such as "mei" (), plum blossoms, being metaphoric for sexuality.