The Three-Body Problem

Through his work, Wang occupies an important niche in the novel. He works as a scientist developing a new type of nanomaterial. He’s a practical man whose scientific research produces actual, tangible results in the form of the material that has the potential to transform society via space elevators. His work yields a product rather than an abstract theory. While other scientists—such as the members of the ETO—operate in the abstract world, Wang is different. In comparison to Wei, for example, he can’t spend his life lackadaisically speculating on theories that will never materialize. He has a work schedule and a set of practical demands that must be met. In this way, Wang bridges the divide between abstract science of people like Wei and the practical knowledge of people like Shi. He becomes the bridge between two worlds.

In many ways, Wang is the complete opposite of Ye. She’s consumed by the abstract idea of life in the universe and her desperate desire for judgment from outside to validate her criticisms. Similarly, she’s depressed and alienated after experiencing a lifetime of trauma. Comparatively, Wang is seemingly well-adjusted. He has a family he loves, he has a set of hobbies that have garnered him praise, and he’s relatively successful in his day-to-day life. Notably, the novel provides few details about Wang’s background, seemingly because little is necessary to know. He’s simply a normal, practical man who understands his place in society and seeks to make the world a better place. Wang hasn’t undergone the traumatic experiences that shaped Ye’s life, but he listens to her story and he empathizes with her plight, showing that the world has space for understanding—even for those who haven’t experienced suffering firsthand. His life may not be shaped by trauma, but he possesses the capacity to learn and understand the ways in which it has done so to other people. Ye feels completely alienated, as though the world doesn’t understand her, so Wang’s empathy is an awkward reminder of the good people she has doomed to extinction with her message to the Trisolarans.

The credible empathy that Wang shows makes the dawning knowledge of the invasion even more painful. While Ye can comfort herself by believing in the necessity of her actions, Wang struggles to comprehend the level of human suffering that will occur. He thinks about himself, his wife, and his child, how their lives will be affected by the sudden limit placed on the potential of the human race. His mind suddenly races with the anxious imagined scenarios of suffering, fueled by his experiences of the cycles of death and by the rebirth that he witnessed as part of the Three Body game. Wang knows the scale of the task at hand, which informs his knowledge of the scale of suffering that will result. After a lifetime of academic success, the sudden declaration that he’s little more than a bug, waiting to be squashed, is terrifying. Accordingly, he’s consumed by dread. This distress at the idea of being a bug is briefly redeemed at the novel’s end when Shi reminds him that bugs manage to endure through plenty of existential threats. Despite everything thrown at them by vindictive humans, bugs have survived. This knowledge is comforting for Wang. Rather than abandon himself to alcohol and fear, he resolves to work hard to help the human civilization prepare for a battle that—even at this time—seems impossible to win. The battle itself, he realizes, will give his life meaning and purpose. Wang accepts the new status of humanity in the cosmic order and dedicates his life to helping others, even those who will need to fight long after he’s dead.

A lazy man, Wei Cheng is a self-confessed slacker who recognizes that he has a brilliant mathematical mind but simply lacks the dedication necessary to turn vast knowledge into something tangible. In this sense, he’s the complete opposite of Wang. Whereas Wang works hard to produce practical results from his scientific endeavors, Wei floats around in his abstract universe of ideas and problems that he could barely even explain to others, even if he could be bothered to do so. Furthermore, Wei’s laziness isn’t limited to his work. He accepts a marriage proposal from Shen Yufei simply because it’s convenient. She largely leaves him alone and allows him to pursue his interest in the three-body problem. Again, this contrasts with Wang, whose family is loving, attentive, and very close. The ways in which Wang and Wei contrast shows that intelligence means more than raw brain power. Wang has a social intelligence and personal drive that make him better adjusted, happier, and a more rounded character than Wei. In a novel dominated by scientists and academics, pure intellect isn’t enough to ensure happiness.

The same laziness that makes Wei an academic oddity also makes him a target. Of all the characters in the novel, he’s the likeliest to actually solve the seemingly impossible three-body problem. As such, he finds himself in a war between the various factions of the ETO. He’s too lazy to actually invest himself in the world outside his work, so he stumbles through this factional war with a complete lack of self-awareness or self-preservation. When his wife is killed in one attack, he shrugs off her death. He struggles to care about anything, from himself to his wife to his work. If Ye is completely disillusioned with humanity because of her experiences, Wei was never invested in anything enough to become disillusioned. Both possess a similar level of nihilism, but Ye’s alienation leads to action and violence, while Wei’ alienation leads to apathy and inaction. Again, Wei exists to provide a point of contrast with another character. He never solves the three-body problem, giving up all his research to Wang and exiting the novel without achieving anything.