Xu Xian

Xu Xian
Legend of the White Snake character
A shadow puppet from the Qing dynasty depicting Xu Xian
In-universe information
SpeciesHuman
GenderMale
OccupationTraditional Chinese medicine practitioner
SpouseBai Suzhen
ChildrenXu Shilin (son)
RelativesA sister
HomeLin'an Prefecture (modern Hangzhou)
NationalitySong China
Xu Xian
Traditional Chinese許仙
Simplified Chinese许仙
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinXǔ Xiān
Wade–GilesHsü3 Hsien1
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationHéui Sīn
JyutpingHeoi2 Sin1
Xu Xuan
Traditional Chinese許宣
Simplified Chinese许宣
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinXǔ Xuān
Wade–GilesHsü3 Hsüan1
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationHéui Syūn
JyutpingHeoi2 Syun1

Xu Xian (Chinese: 許仙), courtesy name Hanwen (漢文), is a main character of the Legend of the White Snake, one of China's four great folk tales. In some versions of the legend he is a scholar, while in others he is a physician. In earlier works such as Feng Menglong's Stories to Caution the World, he is known as Xu Xuan (Chinese: 許宣).