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Wang Miao
Shi Qiang (affectionately known as Da Shi) is a police officer in Beijing. Whereas most of the other characters in the novel have doctorates or important military credentials, Shi lacks a four-year college degree, having only gone to vocational school. Because of his different credentials, he often feels excluded or talked down to by other members of the anti-Trisolaran forces. Yet what Shi lacks in academic expertise, he more than makes up for with practical experience and an ability to think outside the box. Often, he is the only character who is able to solve complex problems, a skill he learned from trying to catch criminals. And while his behavior frequently borders on rude, he is also deeply caring and thoughtful, as can be seen in his friendship with Wang Miao. Lastly, while most of the other characters give up after learning the extent of the Trisolarans’ plans, Shi continues to approach the situation with fortitude and wit. Shi embodies the novel’s idea that life experience is just as important as theory, and that philosophical questions can get in the way of real-world solutions. As Shi puts it, “when I work at night, if I look up the sky, the suspect is going to escape.”
Shi Qiang Quotes in The Three-Body Problem
The The Three-Body Problem quotes below are all either spoken by Shi Qiang or refer to Shi Qiang . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 10
Quotes
Buddy, when I work at night, if I look up at the sky, the suspect is going to escape. […] To be honest, even if I were to look at the stars in this sky, I wouldn't be thinking about your philosophical questions. I have too much to worry about! I gotta pay the mortgage, save for the kids’ college, and handle the endless stream of cases […] You think that's not enough for me to worry about? You think I've got the energy to gaze at stars and philosophize?
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 24
Quotes
“Who was that young woman’s mother?” Wang asked.
Da Shi grinned. “Fucked if I know. Just a guess. A girl like that most likely has mother issues. After doing this for more than twenty years, I’m pretty good at reading people.”
Chapter 30
Quotes
If I tell you more, you really won't be able to sleep. Forget it. What's the point of worrying? We should learn to be as philosophical as Wei Cheng and Shi Qiang. Just do the best within your responsibility. Let's go drinking and then go back to sleep like good bugs.
Chapter 34
Quotes
Look at them, the bugs. Humans have used everything in their power to extinguish them: every kind of poison, aerial sprays, introducing and cultivating their natural predators, searching for and destroying their eggs, using genetic modification to sterilize them, burning with fire, drowning with water. Every family has bug spray, every desk has a flyswatter under it…this long war has been going on for the entire history of human civilization. But the outcome is still in doubt. The bugs have not been eliminated. They so proudly live between the heavens and the earth, and their numbers have not diminished from the time before the appearance of the humans.
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Shi Qiang Quotes in The Three-Body Problem
The The Three-Body Problem quotes below are all either spoken by Shi Qiang or refer to Shi Qiang . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 10
Quotes
Buddy, when I work at night, if I look up at the sky, the suspect is going to escape. […] To be honest, even if I were to look at the stars in this sky, I wouldn't be thinking about your philosophical questions. I have too much to worry about! I gotta pay the mortgage, save for the kids’ college, and handle the endless stream of cases […] You think that's not enough for me to worry about? You think I've got the energy to gaze at stars and philosophize?
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 24
Quotes
“Who was that young woman’s mother?” Wang asked.
Da Shi grinned. “Fucked if I know. Just a guess. A girl like that most likely has mother issues. After doing this for more than twenty years, I’m pretty good at reading people.”
Chapter 30
Quotes
If I tell you more, you really won't be able to sleep. Forget it. What's the point of worrying? We should learn to be as philosophical as Wei Cheng and Shi Qiang. Just do the best within your responsibility. Let's go drinking and then go back to sleep like good bugs.
Chapter 34
Quotes
Look at them, the bugs. Humans have used everything in their power to extinguish them: every kind of poison, aerial sprays, introducing and cultivating their natural predators, searching for and destroying their eggs, using genetic modification to sterilize them, burning with fire, drowning with water. Every family has bug spray, every desk has a flyswatter under it…this long war has been going on for the entire history of human civilization. But the outcome is still in doubt. The bugs have not been eliminated. They so proudly live between the heavens and the earth, and their numbers have not diminished from the time before the appearance of the humans.
