Zhongli/Lore

==Personality==
Zhongli is a calm, reserved, and polite man, who holds an air of nostalgia. Whereas he is said to have a stoic demeanor for duty, Zhongli also has a sentimental side.YouTube: The Birth of a Dragon: A Behind the Scenes Look At the Creation of Azdaha | Genshin Impact (Timestamp: 4m 0s) He knows much about Liyue history and culture in part due to his time as the Geo Archon; like Venti, he has many experiences and memories, as he was a god well before The Seven even existed and one of the oldest still living in Teyvat. He holds philosophical ideas towards money and has great respect for Liyue's traditions, including those that have been forgotten or warped over time. Zhongli tends to be humble, being worried he comes off as a "bourgeois parasite."
Zhongli tends to forget about Mora in transactions, agreeing to spend large sums of it without having any Mora on hand and even taking "discounts" as granted despite being an obvious scam. He often ends up relying on his acquaintances for financial support, such as the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor or Childe. Although he works for Hu Tao, he does not like her childish behavior.
It is later revealed that Zhongli's "carelessness" stems from being the creator of Mora. With the Gnosis allowing him to create limitless Mora, he never had to worry about running low on his personal finances. Unfortunately, when he chose to live among mortals, he lacked the foresight to find an alternative for them to continue minting Mora in his absence, along with creating a retirement fund for himself. As a result, he shamelessly spends the Mora of others.
Being the reminiscent person he is, Zhongli enjoys Osmanthus wine as it was the drink he and his former Archon friends used to have when they met up in Liyue. He dislikes seafood as it reminds him of the promise he made to his people in the past when he fought a particularly annoying type of sea creature, although he does not mind eating them if they have been ground to a pulp.
==Appearance==
Zhongli uses the tall male model. He has fair skin, amber eyes with yellow diamond-shaped pupils and red eyeliner on the lower lids of his eyes. He has mostly short, dark brown hair with a longer fringe on the right side of his face and -amber tips that glow when he uses his Elemental Skill or Elemental Burst. There is one section of his hair on the back of his head that is waist-length instead of being cut short.
Zhongli's form appears to be the same as the one he uses as an Archon, as seen in his Statues of The Seven and various cinematics that show him as an Archon.
The Geo Vision seen at the small of his back behaves like other characters' Visions in most gameplay; however, it is not a real Vision, and there are a select few gameplay mechanics that reflect this.
In , Zhongli as Rex Lapis appeared as a brown and amber Chinese dragon with gold accents known as the Exuvia.
==Summary==
On the surface, Zhongli currently serves as a consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. He works under "The Director," Hu Tao, and seems to be well-versed in an abundance of subjects. This has earned him the respect of Liyue's citizens, granting him the label of an old-fashioned gentleman. However, this knowledge did not come from thin air. Zhongli is in truth the latest mortal vessel of the Geo Archon, Morax, also known as Liyue's overlord and protector: Rex Lapis. He now wanders the streets of Liyue, as he "ought to be here to witness its rise and fall."
To the people of Liyue, their Archon carries many titles: the Geo Archon, the God of Contracts, the God of History, the Lord of Rock, the Groundbreaker, and the Warrior God among them. Having lived for over 6000 years, Zhongli has first-hand experience with much of Teyvat's history. He has presumably witnessed many of Teyvat's events, such as the cataclysm, the creation of the Chasm, and the fall of Aria, Sonnet and Canon. Nonetheless, he is most known for his cold-blooded participation in the Archon War, and his founding of Liyue.
Around the beginning of the Archon War, Zhongli was the co-ruler of the prosperous Guili Assembly alongside the God of Dust, Guizhong, and the adepti. However, their combined forces could not stop the tides of war from taking the life of Guizhong. During a certain battle, despite their efforts and the aid of the adepti, Guizhong was overpowered by the opponent and the Guili Assembly was destroyed. After a massive flood swept through the area 3700 years ago, Zhongli was forced to move his people south of Mt. Tianheng and established Liyue Harbor, where it stands to this day.
In present time, Zhongli has handed over his gnosis and with it, he has lifted the heavy weight of rulership he has borne for millennia. As the gnosis is now in Fatui possession, Zhongli is no longer inclined to act as Archon. He now spends his time reminiscing and enjoying the mortal experience. However, it is not to be believed that his story is even close to being over yet.
==Official Introduction==
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Consultant
Wangsheng Funeral mysterious consultant. Handsome, elegant, and surpassingly learned.
Though no one knows where Zhongli is from, he is a master of courtesy and rules. His grasp of Liyue's traditions is superior to that of any scholar. From his seat at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, he performs all manner of rituals. Proper clothing, auspicious timing, locations and appliances, observances and regulations, all such things can be left in his hands without a care.
But though he is a man of such particularity, he never has a Mora to his name. Trade requires capital, and transport demands payment, and yet Zhongli has no such thing on him — for in the end, someone else will always foot the bill.
He will attend the most celebrated performances, and be accompanied by the loveliest thrushes. His behavior is immaculate in every way, save for the matter of money. Those around him have long gotten used to his eccentricities, and do not take this matter to heart. If you ask him, he will say: "Is that so? I don't recall anyone ever taking issue with me concerning money."
Money for goods — that is the norm. How could someone living in this world not comprehend its fundamental truths?
Has the passage of too many years eroded his sense of mortal trivialities? Or does he see his voyage through this world as though it were a stroll amongst the clouds?
==Character Stories==
==Altered Character Story==
After completing , Zhongli's Character Story 5 is altered to the following version.
==Namecard==
==Constellation==
==Quests and Events==
==Character Trials==
==Character Mentions==
==Mail==
==Trivia==
* Zhongli is one of the characters with ornaments that glow. 
* During Spices From the West, Zhongli politely declines all seafood, including Fragrant Grilled Tiger Fish and Fragrant Mondstadt Grilled Fish. However, this makes him one reason that the canonicity of playable characters' preferences during Spices From the West is questionable. His Character Story That Which Rises From the Sea indicates that he only dislikes tentacled seafood and will happily eat even tentacled seafood that has been cut into small pieces. Zhongli's Character Story 1 also heavily implies that he has eaten Fullmoon Egg, which uses both cut and whole Shrimp. It therefore does not make sense that Zhongli declines even Grilled Tiger Fish and Mondstadt Grilled Fish, which are small portions of cut fish.
** The other reason that the canonicity of characters' preferences during Spices From the West is questionable is Ganyu: Ganyu is a , and as expected, her voice-over when declining dishes specifies meat as the reason for declining. However, Ganyu also declines meatless dishes in line with instead, which does not match her voice-over.
* Zhongli features a long ponytail, a deeply rooted Chinese symbol of social status.
* Zhongli has scales on either side of his robe which represent the emperor's power and adaptability.
* Zhongli's design contains references to the 12 symbols of sovereignty, introduced in the zap dynasty and exclusively worn by the emperor.
* Zhongli may be one of, if not the, oldest gods in Teyvat, at over six thousand years old.
* In the Teyvat Travel Guide - Liyue, the author, Alice, names Zhongli as her companion during her travels to that region.
* According to Xiangling, Zhongli's palate is extremely precise; he could distinguish the kind of salt she used in her dish from a single bite.
* Zhongli likes listening to Iron Tongue Tian, the storyteller at Third-Round Knockout.
* On the Wangshu Inn Bulletin Board, one anonymous message is likely Zhongli's.
* Zhongli is the first character whose Story Quest Chapter name did not derive from his Constellation.
* Zhongli is also the first character whose in-game Profile and Story sections change depending on Archon Quest completion; before completing the , his "Vision" is listed as Geo (and his Story section shows Vision, albeit locked until Act 3 is completed), while his constellation is labeled "???" After completing it, "Vision" changes to "Gnosis" on both his Profile and Story menus, while his constellation is revealed.
* Zhongli's Chinese voice actor () is one of the directors of Genshin Impacts Chinese voice actors.The Chinese Version 1.1 stream on October 30, 2020, had the voice actresses on stream call him "director," then teased him about not knowing future plot details despite being an "assistant director."
* Zhongli was heavily foreshadowed to be Morax before it was confirmed with the release of A New Star Approaches in Version 1.1:
** Zhongli is extremely knowledgeable about money, government, and Liyue's traditions and history. He even remembers customs and traditions that have been watered down, forgotten, and lost to time — as if he was there himself.
** When he asks the Traveler and Paimon to retrieve the Cleansing Bell from Madame Ping for the Rite of Parting, Zhongli uncharacteristically refuses to join them. Madame Ping says that an "old friend" gave her the Bell and that, since they have come to borrow it, this friend must have "decided to take matters into their own hands." She also makes it no secret that she is an adeptus — which means Zhongli must be much older than his apparent age would suggest.
** After retrieving the Cleansing Bell, the Traveler has the option to ask Zhongli either if he knows Madame Ping, or if he is an adeptus. He confirms the former and fails to answer the latter.
** Zhongli is shown throughout the story to have several similarities to Venti, the Anemo Archon Barbatos:
*** Zhongli states that a friend from Mondstadt would always bring him a few bottles of Dandelion Wine when they visited. Dandelion Wine is Venti's favorite drink.
*** Zhongli's appearance is similar to that of the Statues of The Seven in Liyue, much like how Mondstadt's Statues resemble Venti. The symbol on his jacket also matches the symbol on Rex Lapis' statues. Although the Geo Archon wears a hood on his statues which covers most of his hairstyle, it's apparent that Zhongli and the Archon share the same bangs.
*** Zhongli's hair fades from black to amber, similar to how Venti's hair turns to blue-green at the ends of his braids. This was a stronger point during Version 1.0 when most of the characters who had ombres in their hair were known or theorized to be more than ordinary humans or had subtler ombres that were not as noticeable as those of Venti and Zhongli. With the release of more clearly human characters with ombres in their hair as well as the Raiden Shogun with a much subtler ombre, this point is no longer a strong point for deducing Archon identities going forward, though they may still follow the pattern.
*** In the Version 1.1 trailer,YouTube: Version 1.1 "A New Star Approaches" Official Trailer it is apparent that the tip of his ponytail glows when using his skills, a feature that Venti also has.
** The Rex Incognito book series implies that Rex Lapis has amber eyes no matter what shape he takes, a feature that Zhongli also has.
*** Later on in the Fleeting Colors in Flight event, Zhongli remarks that "there was not quite so much ostentatious shapeshifting as the book would have you believe."Event Quest, The Stars Inscribe the Year's Wishes, Post-Quest Dialogue: Zhongli
** Zhongli calls Rex Lapis' "corpse" an "Exuvia." The word "exuvia" refers to the outer skin molted by some creatures as a new exoskeleton grows in.Wiktionary: 
*** During the Rite of Descension, Ivanovich states that "he heard" the Exuvia which Rex Lapis "appears as" during formal events, is a "celestial cross between two of Liyue's celestial creatures" (which the Chinese version specifies to be a dragon and qilin). This suggests that the Exuvia is only one of potentially several forms Rex Lapis can appear in.
**** This information was one of the many circulating Liyue during the Rite that can be either true or false since the information was something Ivanovich "only heard about," and as during the Rite, Zhongli was also stated to be the God of the Stove, which was proven wrong during the Moonlight Merriment event. It is also revealed in dialogue from that even famous Liyue archaeologists had inaccurate information about Rex Lapis, and the whole quest itself revolved around further inaccurate information about Rex Lapis.
** The and the book Stone Tablet Compilations: Vol. I both state that the Guili Plains () are named after the God of Dust () and the Geo Archon himself. Neither Morax nor Rex Lapis fit into this name, but Zhongli () would.
** Several stories claim that the Geo Archon uses polearms, such as in Teyvat Travel Guide - Liyue and Diary of Roald the Adventurer: Guyun Stone Forest, which is also Zhongli's weapon of choice.
** Although he has some difficulty, Zhongli manages to repair the Guizhong Ballista, which was constructed by the adepti. Later, Keqing and a detachment of Millelith are found investigating the repairs, as getting it working within a single night should have been impossible for a mortal.
* Like Venti, Zhongli reveals his identity as the Geo Archon when he deems it prudent to do so. As such, many, if not all, of the adepti are aware of Rex Lapis's guise as Zhongli, and he appeared as Zhongli in front of Signora and Childe when acting as Rex Lapis. However, unlike Venti, Zhongli's mannerisms have caused several people to compare him to Rex Lapis or outright become suspicious of his nature.
* Zhongli is one of the few currently playable characters who acknowledges (or even seems to be aware) that the Traveler is from another world, presumably because of his status as an Archon.
* In his Collected Miscellany trailer, Zhongli can be seen fighting in the Realm of Clouds, a domain created by the adepti to hold the artifacts Guizhong collected.
* The Chinese Teyvat Food Notes entry celebrating his birthday gave a real-life recipe for Zhongli's special dish, Slow-Cooked Bamboo Shoot Soup. The real-life version takes two hours to simmer, and the recipe doesn't count prep time.
** In the blog post's story, Zhongli quotes three idioms from the Xiang Dang book in the , a collection of sayings and ideas attributed to the Chinese philosopher Confucius. The passages he quotes are about doing things in their proper way and order, particularly in regard to food and dining habits.zdic.net: The quoted idioms are:
*** A. Charles Muller: The Analects of Confucius 
*** In the Analects, the phrase is , and is part of a longer sentence within the same passage as the quoted idiom above; the version in the Teyvat Food Notes adds 
*** 
** He also tells the Traveler that the dish relates to the .
* Zhongli also appears in the Teyvat Food Notes' blog post for Adeptus' Temptation, in which he supervises the preparation of the dish. During the cooking process, he and Xingqiu sneak a taste of the lean meat taken from the chicken and duck used for the soup stock, much to Xiangling's chagrin.HoYoverse Chinese News: 
* Zhongli shares his Chinese Voice Actor with Dvalin.
* The meteor summoned by Zhongli's Elemental Burst, Planet Befall, resembles a , specifically the six-piece burr which is also known as the "Chinese Cross."
* Zhongli wields the Vortex Vanquisher in his portrait art.
* Zhongli actually uses a combination of his equipped weapon and "stone spears" during his Normal Attack sequence, switching between the two as he attacks. He is currently the only playable character with this specific trait.
** Zhongli can also be seen wielding one of these stone spears in his Wish artwork.
* 
===Etymology===
* In demonology, Morax is the 21st demon of the Ars Goetia and a president of hell, ruling over thirty (or thirty-two according to other authors) legions of demons. He teaches astronomy and other liberal sciences, and gives good and wise familiars that know the virtues of all herbs and precious stones. He is depicted both as a man with the head of a bull, and a bull with the head of a man.
* His title, " ," is Latin for "I wander the world."
** His Chinese title, , means "leisurely wanderings in the mortal world."
* His constellation, , is Latin for "The Stone of God." It follows the same pattern as Venti's constellation, .
* Zhongli's design was likely inspired by (), one of the — a group of eight legendary () in Daoist mythology.
** The figure is said to have possessed a large magical fan that can resurrect the dead, as well as alchemical powers, which he used to transmute stones and base metals into gold and silver to save people from poverty.
** In the game's Chinese text, the adepti are known as .
** In literature,Wikisource: 宣和書譜 it is said that Zhongli Quan enjoyed writing poetry of wine, once wrote the phrase "Most leisurely guy under the heaven, Zhongli Quan" (),Chinese Paraphrase:: The most/Governor self-mockingly acknowledging that he's the most "relaxed" and "leisurely" person on this earth.
* The name Zhongli () is derived from the . After the state was destroyed, its descendants called themselves either the or surname, making it one of the origins of these surnames.:According to archaeological experts, during the Spring and Autumn period, the State of Zhongli was located in the areas of Bengbu and Fengyang in Anhui Province. It is said that today's surnames and are derived from this state.
* The first character of Zhongli's name in Simplified Chinese, , may cause much ambiguity and confusion. is the simplified form of two different Traditional Chinese characters, and , which have two different meanings.
** There is also a Simplified Chinese character which can be used as the simplified form of when used as a surname. This has only been made an official simplified form for the surname in these past few years, so it may not be commonly used. Strictly, it should only be used for the surname Zhong ().
** To make matters even more confusing, in Taiwan and Singapore, a fourth Chinese character, , is occasionally used instead of either or .
** Both and exist as surnames in Chinese.
** Based on the official localization of his name in Traditional Chinese and Japanese, his name should be . However, as a result of the above ambiguity, his name is sometimes incorrectly rendered as even among Traditional Chinese players. The confusion may also stem from the pun below.
* The name "Zhongli" is a pun that can signify him stepping down from his position as Rex Lapis. in Zhongli is homophonous with the word for in Chinese and they are even written the exact same way in Simplified Chinese. is the common word for "leaving" or "away." The name can therefore be taken to mean "off the clock" or "time of leaving/departure."
** The Li in Liyue () is a word for precious stone (usually referring to lapis lazuli) or glass.Wiktionary: The word itself contains Zhongli's li (), with an extra radical to its left (). This radical resembles the word meaning "king." Zhongli's li () dropping off the may be symbolic of him stepping down from his reign over Liyue. This analysis only applies to the Simplified Chinese version of his name.
*** This would also imply that Liyue's name carries a secondary meaning: "The Month of the King's Departure," which bears striking similarity to the pun on Zhongli's name ("time of departure").
** Zhongli's li () additionally was used as the archaic form of which refers to a mythical creature, such as a mountain demon or a mountain beast, which may or may not be a cryptic statement alluding to Rex Lapis being an adeptus.
* The name used in Zhongli's sixth constellation, Chrysos, is known as the spirit of gold in Greek mythology.
==Notes==
==Other Languages==
===Character Title: Vago Mundo===
==References==
==Navigation==
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pt-br:Zhongli/Perfil
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