by Ari & ellietheelai, January 7, 2023
115

Disclaimer:
 This article may have minor and major spoilers in the form of quotes, explanations of quotes or pictures, please skip parts (drama names are in the headers) as necessary!

Good day, MDL readers! This time, I'm back with an article co-written with Ari on our favorite quotes from Asian dramas. We opted to exclusively write about historical dramas that we had recently watched or that were our all-time favorites.

Ellie: Since I wrote this article, I've noticed that a lot of my favorite quotes are a touch depressing, as opposed to the ones that truly make you swoon. I feel as though I'm tormenting myself. ( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛) I consider a phrase to be "romantic" if I can still recall it years after I last watched the drama. Because it indicates that the storyline or scriptwriting was excellent, making it ridiculously hard to forget about.

Ari: I think I have a bit of an obsession with romance dramas. I love everything from the mood they create, the setting they show to the words that they speak and the actions they bring about. I’ve always took note of quotes that spoke to me on my profile but... an MDL profile can only be so long. I hope this article speaks to you as well and you’re able to resonate with the feelings that we felt while hearing these romantic lines!

Without further ado, let's dive right in!

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Ellie's Favorite Romantic Quotes

The Untamed

"The feeling of walking on a single-plank bridge till it's dark doesn't feel so bad."

"一条独木桥走到黑的感觉,确实不差 。"

- Lan Wang Ji

Wei Wu Xian is brought back to life through a self-sacrificing ritual. He conceals himself behind a mask and assumes the identity of his summoner. Soon he reunites with Lan Wang Ji and they start working together to solve the mysteries of the present.
Lan Wang Ji possesses a true desire to follow the right path and is stubbornly obedient to the rules of his clan. Oftentimes, he appears completely emotionless while Wei Wu Xian is the opposite: He is flexible, energetic and mischievous, caring little for rules and decorum. 

Lan Wang Ji is not good at expressing, but he remembers everything Wei Wu Xian said and did, and he cares about all of Wei Wu Xian's feelings. Likewise, Wei Wu Xian was never concerned with what other people thought of him; instead, he was only interested in how Lan Wang Ji thinks of him. 

After 16 years passed, Wei Wu Xian asked Lan Wang Ji, "But back then, did you really believe me?" Other than his family, Lan Wang Ji was the person in whom Wei Wu Xian most wished to find trust. However, there was a point when Lan Wang Ji thought that Wei Wu Xian had already damaged his temperament and lost control over his ability to manipulate resentful souls when practicing demonic cultivation. They have had a number of misunderstandings in their prior lives precisely because of these doubts. Lan Wan Ji actually regretted that he could not fully believe in Wei Wu Xian in his previous life. 

Wei Wu Xian once said, "管它熙熙攘攘阳关道,我偏要一条独木桥走到黑。" - It directly translates into “Who cares about the crowded road? I will happily walk my single-plank bridge into the dark!” This line can be depicted in a variety of ways. If you look at this sentence negatively, it suggests that even when one knows they are doing something wrong, they continue to do it for the sake of their pride. However, the story naturally presents it in a different perspective, giving the impression that Wei Wu Xian is unconcerned with the outer world and insists on adhering to the principles that he believes are correct, even if it means acting rebelliously.
So, what makes my favorite quote so special is that Wei Wu Xian believed that Lan Wang Ji had left at the time he said the line I just explained. However, he actually heard the phrase while hiding in the shadows and watching Wei Wu Xian leave. He quoted it again 16 years later just to tell Wei Wu Xian that he did not leave first and remembered it in his heart. It also implies that he believed him and is prepared to walk alongside him down the single-plank bridge into the dark (that is, taking on the scorn of the cultivation world), but they are aware in their hearts that this is the proper course of action. And that's actually not all that bad.

In this drama, we can see profound devotion everywhere, and this is one of the scenes that made it happen.


Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

"Even if we are from different worlds, I'll find you. My... Soo..."

"너와 나의 세계가 같지 않다면 내가 널 찾아갔어. 나의… 수야…"

- Wang So

When a total eclipse of the sun takes place, Go Ha Jin is transported back in time to the start of the Goryeo Dynasty of Korea during King Taejo's rule as Hae Soo. She soon befriends several of the princes and meets the ostracized 4th Prince, Wang So.
Skip this explanation if you haven't seen this drama. It is actually best to enter this drama with no prior knowledge, like I did. Just know that I had no idea that I may end up liking a Sageuk so much.

At the end, Hae Soo's heart condition continues to deteriorate. She tragically passes away soon after giving birth, wholeheartedly waiting for Wang So's visit. Before Hae Soo died, there were a lot of misunderstandings between the two of them. Wang So, who believed Hae Soo had stopped loving him, later regretted his actions for not reading the letters Hae Soo had written to him after they parted ways.

Wang So was devastated by the passing of Hae Soo. His brothers either left him shortly after or died as well. It exacerbated Wang So's loneliness, which was already distressing. He remembered the tiny things with Hae Soo as he stood alone in the empty palace at the end of the show, covering half of his face for which Hae Soo had once helped conceal scars. It was then where he said my favorite quote.

Naturally, it will be difficult to describe why this phrase holds such a special meaning for me or, to be honest, for anyone who has seen and adored this drama. Because doing so would require explaining everything that happened, starting with how they first met and all the hardship they went through together and finally, parting ways. Just like how they say it in the drama, to love is to let go. The ending shows an "everlasting" eternal love through the use of "one modern, one ancient, one pursuing, and one waiting." This quote merely serves to highlight how deeply Wang So feels for Hae Soo. Rather than waiting for fate to bring them together in the hereafter or in another lifetime, he will set out to find her.

Can someone please cue the OSTs. ;-;

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Ashes Of Love

"I don't want much in this life, just love me a little bit more every day. Day after day, month after month and year after year. I don't even care if you love me just a little bit, but only hope your love lasts forever. Will you?"

"我这一生所求不多,只要能每天多爱我一点点,日日复月月,月月复年年,年年复此生,无妨爱我淡薄,但求爱我长久 。可以吗 ?"

- Run Yu

Jin Mi has grown up into an innocent and naïve sprite who longs to see the world outside of the Flower Realm. When Xu Feng, the Fire Deity and second son of the Heavenly Emperor, accidentally lands into the Flower Realm after being attacked during his phoenix rebirth process. This is where Jin Mi's adventure and love trial begins.
Run Yu, just like his name, is as warm and gentle as jade. In the early stage, Run Yu thought that "it would be good to be a free and happy Sanxian". He also treated his brother, Xu Feng, sincerely. Run Yu said that in those years, only Xu Feng gave him warmth. Being an illegitimate child, Run Yu is always an excluded character in his family. Run Yu was powerless to stop his biological mother from being murdered by his adoptive mother. No one could help him when he tried to find someone to complain to about this issue. To his biological father, his biological mother was nothing more than a disposable being. This served as Run Yu's blackening's fuse.
 
Jin Mi believes that Run Yu loves status and power and will even conspire to harm the person he cares about the most. Run Yu has a soft spot in his heart for Jin Mi. They were also engaged ages ago. He would care for Jin Mi in secret since he was aware that Jin Mi did not love herself. He would show the unsightly scars on his body to Jin Mi because he wanted Jin Mi to know that these scars represent his most painful childhood as well as his past suffering, even if it is only for her to feel sorry for him. Jin Mi didn't fully get what Run Yu did and gave up for her. He has no one else to turn to. He is merely trying to protect himself.

Run Yu couldn't love because of his circumstances. At the moment of the quote, he finally confessed his feelings after keeping them in for so long. This quote is a mix of romantic and heart breaking. It's heart breaking because he nearly sounds like he is pleading for Jin Mi to love him back. He could manage with a little less love from Jin Mi as long as she doesn't despise him. But from another angle, the incident may be viewed as fairly romantic (still pitiful) if Xu Feng were not present. Anyway, you may argue he was successful at evoking sympathy from the audience. The most romantically sorrowful confession. Call me a masochist.


Eternal Love

"What I want... the only thing I want has always been you."

“我想要的… 我想要的至始至终不过一个你罢了 。”

- Ye Hua

Bai Qian is brought to Kunlun Mountain to become a disciple of the God of War, Mo Yuan. While studying there, a war breaks out that leads to Mo Yuan sacrificing his life to seal a demon lord. Bai Qian attempts to also sacrifice herself to re-seal the demon lord but is instead thrown to the mortal realm as Su Su.

Ye Hua is a boring gourd but he is much more proactive emotionally. Not only can he speak, but he can also act, and his will is firm.

Ye Hua was a golden lotus in his previous life, and Bai Qian cared for it for 20,000 years. They didn't seem to interact. Despite the fact that they had never met. But it was because of this fate that Ye Hua recognized Su Su in the second life. And it was their familiarity that sowed the seeds of love between them.

In the mortal world, they married because they loved each other. Perhaps Bai Qian and Ye Hua's lives would not have been so tragic if they hadn't returned to the Heavenly Palace, if they hadn't been persecuted by Su Jin and the Emperor of Heaven. She couldn't bear the marriage conferred by the Emperor of Heaven in the end, and she plunged off the Zhu Xian Terrace without hesitation.

The occurrence of Su Su jumping off Zhu Xian Terrance is a deeply ingrained memory and experience that has been sublimated. Su Su's place in Ye Hua’s heart has risen dramatically since then. When Su Su awoke as Bai Qian and ran into Ye Hua again, he approached her slowly. That is, whether it is Si Yin, Su Su, or Bai Qian, he only has one love. He is firm and dedicated.

Knowing that Bai Qian desired to resurrect Mo Yuan, instead of refusing to evade, he made every effort to resurrect Mo Yuan. By doing so, he not only fulfilled righteousness, but also let Bai Qian know that he is willing to give everything he has to complete her and love her. This is when he brought up the quote I like. Bai Qian was also moved by this sentence. And there, through acts, he earned Bai Qian's forgiveness and affection because she saw his honesty, his feelings, and true meaning as a result of his efforts.


The Blue Whisper

"Yun He. Shun De brought me ashore, I don't regret it. She's crazy and has made many mistakes. But she did one thing right, that's taking me to Flower Valley and letting me meet you."

”云禾。顺德把我带上岸,我不后悔。她是个疯子,做了很多错事。但有一件事她做得没错,就是把我带到万花谷,遇见了你 。“

- Chang Yi

Ji Yun He is a powerful and talented spiritual master living in Flower Valley. Chang Yi is a merman who appears in the Valley, courtesy of the cruel Princess Shun De. In time, she will have to make the fateful choice between the merman's freedom and her very own.
Since Chang Yi is a member of the royal line of the mermaids, his power is extremely strong, and regular people have no chance of catching him. To find someone to tame him, Princess Shun De put a lot of effort into catching a male mermaid and sending him to the Flower Valley. He was too kind and saved the drowning Princess Shun De, which is why he was seized by Princess Shun De. But in return, he was apprehended.

Ji Yun He was ultimately the only one who properly tamed Chang Yi because she is the most powerful demon master in Flower Valley. In actuality, Princess Shun De's taming techniques are also extremely ruthless. But Ji Yun He managed to tame Chang Yi while she had no other option.

Three wishes are made by the princess. The first step is to get Chang Yi to talk. The second is to get Chang Yi to drop his tail, and the third is to ensure that he never rebels against his trainer.

Giving up his tail means betrayal of the family, and he is no longer qualified to return to the sea in this life. As long as Chang Yi is unwilling, no force can make that tail disappear, but this time, for Ji Yun He, he gave up his tail and the sea because someone was threatening her life.

This quote is oh so romantic because Shun De sent him to Flower Valley, where he was tortured, whipped, gave up his tail and experienced so much suffering and hardship, but he said that was the only thing that Princess Shun De did right—because he met her there and is able to fall in love with her.

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Ari's Favorite Romantic Quotes


Love Between Fairy & Devil

"You said she's a Jinx, but you don't know she saved my life. She looks weak and delicate but you don't know how brave she is. She's the bravest woman in all the three realms. She won't bring ruin. On the contrary, only she deserves to be the moon queen of Cang Yea Sea."

"你们说她是红颜祸水,却不知道她对本座有救命之恩。你们见她如此柔弱,却不知她的英勇无畏是三界中最有胆识的女子。她不会带来灾祸,相反,唯有她才配得上当我苍盐海子民的月主。"

 - Dong Fang Qing Cang 

Image credits to baijingting
Love Between Fairy & Devil tells a story of the intertwining fates of a love that can never be between the powerful demon Dongfang Qingcang and the low-ranking fairy Orchid.
Love Between Fairy & Devil became such an obvious choice when I thought of romantic quotes because of how intensely enchanting the chemistry was between the lead characters. Our leads: Orchid is a low-ranking fairy that is unsure of the history behind her true identify and in contrast, Dong Fang Qing Cang is an all-powerful demon that rules over his own Moon Tribe.  

At the moment of this quote, The Moon Tribe were expressing discontent over Orchid becoming the "Moon Queen."  In response to this, Dong Fang defends his love for Orchid and reaffirms the fact that Orchid isn't the weakest fairy that people portray her out to be, she's in fact strong in many ways, notably her love for people. He is letting them know that she is the only one that deserves to be by his side and isn't willing to let her go.  

This is one of my favorite quotes because Dong Fang is proclaiming his love for Orchid to the world and he doesn't plan on changing it for anyone or anything.


Who Rules The World

"After I met you, my life has purpose. I don't know what my life would be like without you."

"我遇见了你,就觉得自己没白活。我不知道这世间没有你会这么样。"

 - Hei Feng Xi

Image credits to baifengxis
Who Rules The World brings together two Heroines, Bai Feng Xi and Hei Feng Xi, that are balanced in intellect and skill but total opposites in temperament. Opposites attract and the two join hands to seek justice against unseen evils.
Who Rules The World showed me that a romance doesn't need prolonged misunderstandings or scheming secondary leads to make an interesting story. Between Bai Feng Xi and Hei Feng Xi there was unspeakable trust and affection that as a viewer I enjoyed throughout.

At the moment of this quote, we get a glimpse at how much Bai Feng Xi means to Hei Feng Xi.  For much of the series, Hei Feng Xi carried two personas, which he later showed to Bai Feng Xi. With her, he can be his complete self and has a reason for being.

This is one of my favorite quotes because I could feel the need in Hei Feng Xi to let her know how much he meant to her. It was a moment that showed me he is truly grateful to have met and changed from his experience in meeting her.


Under the Power

"I can deal with him trampling me underneath his feet .. but I can't bare to see him hurt you even a little bit."

"我可以忍受他将我踩在脚底下…却见不得他伤你一分一毫。"

- Lu Yi

Image credits to zhousizshu
Under The Power sets the story in Ming Dynasty with Lu Yi, a cold high-ranking officer in the Brocade Guards and Yuan Jin Xia, a feisty female officer from the Police's 6th Division.  They immediately clash at first meeting  and find themselves regretfully crossing paths many times thereafter. While working together dislike slowly turns into blossoming love.
Under The Power remains the drama where I found my favorite couple in dramaland. Maybe I'm just a sucker for opposite attract type of couples but these two just had a way of slowly creeping into my heart.

At the moment of this quote, Lu Yi has just saved Jin Xia against one of his enemies that he'd been keeping a careful eye on.  Up until this moment, Lu Yi hadn't declared war on the villain of the drama but when Jin Xia is involved he can no longer let him sit by. Lu Yi is finally letting down his walls and realizing that his control on his emotions wanes and his sense of protection reignites when Jin Xia is involved.

This quote has to be one of my favorites because Lu Yi's character progression was the most interesting of Under The Power and you can just feel the love he has for Jin Xia.


Love Like The Galaxy

"I used to think I was unlucky, when I think it over now, I think that I must've saved up all the luck in the past in order to meet you."

"从前我中觉得我运气不好,现在想想,我觉得怕是以前的运气都存起来用来遇见你了。"

 - Niao Niao/Cheng Shao Shang

Image credits to seawherethesunsets
Love Like The Galaxy tells the story of the young Cheng Shao Shang who was left behind by her parents to fight in the war. Without a proper family figure to teach her, she has no idea what love is as she's never experienced it. She goes on a journey of understanding who she is, reconnecting with her family and unexpectedly learning what love is through the emperor's adopted son, Ling Bu Yi.
Love Like The Galaxy made me believe that love can last forever with the way that our main lead Lu Bu Yi looked at and adored Cheng Shao Shang (Niao Niao). With similar headstrong personalities, it isn't a shock that such a romance is a slowburn. With this slowburn however, I was able to appreciate the leads even more and admire their unique qualities.

At the moment of this quote, Niao Niao is expressing what Li Bu Yi means to her. From her parents abandonment, neglect from her guardians, to a couple dangerous mishaps in her journey, Niao Niao hasn't been shown the best of luck.

I loved this quote because in the second half of the series we're able to see changes in our FL's character and mindset. Niao Niao was the type of character to relish in her bad luck and believe that this is the only life that she'll ever have. With this quote, she is finally letting go of her unlucky past and starting to look towards her prospective future with someone that loves her unconditionally.


Alchemy of Souls

"You made my heart race. What you said holds a deeper meaning than I miss you. The cruel assassin has finally responded to my naïve and sincere love confession."

"떨려서. 보고 싶었다는 말보다 잡아먹히지 말라는 말이 더와닿서. 순진한 도련님의 청순한 고백에 잔인한 살수의 절박한답변이 이제야왔네."

- Jang Uk

Image credits to donqyeon
Alchemy of Souls takes place in the fictional country of Dae Ho and follows the story of the elite assassin Nak Su, who becomes trapped in the weak body of Mu Deok, and the young master of the Jang family, Jang Uk, who wants her to train him to change his destiny.
Alchemy of Souls continues to be a drama I thoroughly enjoyed because of the interesting story and amazing chemistry.

At the moment of this quote, Mu Deok has finally responded to Jang Uk's admission of love and he's happy that she's returning his feelings towards her. This quote is considered one of my favorites because Mu Deok/Nak Su had been focused on her goal of getting her power back leaving zero time for love. However her admission of feelings made me immensely happy that these two were finally getting closer to each other and I couldn't possibly find a better match for the two than each other. 

Feel free to share your favorite quotes from romance dramas below. ღ

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Toodle-oo!

P.S. I don't claim to know a lot about the dramas mentioned above. I basically wrote down my opinions. If I made any mistakes, please don't come at me, instead educate me. :')

Thank You For Reading!

Ellie & Ari


Credits: Synopsis are from MDL. GIFs are made by me; if not, there will be a direct link to their source under them. 
Edited by: devitto (1st editor)

romance kdrama cdrama eternal love romantic period drama quotes historical drama ashes of love scarlet heart ryeo the untamed scarlet heart asian drama who rules the world under the power alchemy of souls love like the galaxy the blue whisper moonlovers