Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu's 'Till the End of the Moon' Ranks 3rd! Top 10 Most Tragic Male Leads in Chinese Drama 'Chasing Wife Funeral Pyre', Champion Witnesses Lover's Death

In Chinese dramas, the 'chasing wife funeral pyre' trope often begins with the male lead’s misunderstanding, betrayal, or a decision he believes is right. Only after the female lead completely loses her feelings and walks away does he realize that power, pride, and even the world cannot bring back his lost love. This list compiles the 'Top 10 Most Tragic Male Leads in Chasing Wife Funeral Pyre' based on public discussions on Weibo, Douban groups, and short drama reviews, ranking characters by how frequently they were mentioned, the intensity of their pursuit, the cost they paid, and the degree of their tragic endings. Some merely apologize, others wait for years, and some grow old with white hair, still unable to win back their beloved.

10th Place: Liu Yuning and Song Zuer in 'Bent'

In 'Bent', Liu Yuning plays Wei Shao and Song Zuer plays Xiao Qiao. Bound by a family feud, they are married through a political alliance. Wei Shao initially harbors hostility toward the Qiao family and, despite gradually falling in love with Xiao Qiao, struggles to let go of his long-standing hatred. After expelling Xiao Qiao from Xindu, he learns she has left for Panyi with Liu Yan. Without verifying the truth, he assumes they eloped and even declares he will kill her to raise his banner. Only when Xiao Qiao burns the sulfur prepared by Liu Yan and prevents the flooding of Xindu does he realize she has always stood by him and that once again, he was blinded by hatred.

Audiences praise Wei Shao for being 'stubborn in speech but honest in action.' Fans describe how he internally admits his mistake but refuses to say it aloud, eventually winning back his wife through coaxing, apologies, and compromise. When he carries Xiao Qiao on his back, viewers exclaim that this once-arrogant lord has truly 'bent' for love. As the couple ends happily, his punishment is relatively light, placing him at 10th.

9th Place: Liu Xueyi and Wu Qianli in 'Spring Flower Flame'

In 'Spring Flower Flame', Liu Xueyi plays Murong Jinghe, the third prince of Dayan, and Wu Qianli plays Meilin, a girl from Qingzhou. Framed for the Qingzhou fire, Murong Jinghe secretly builds a death squad to uncover the truth, with Meilin becoming a pawn in his revenge. From mutual use, they fall in love, but only after realizing his feelings does he see the immense suffering Meilin has endured for his revenge.

Many viewers feel Murong Jinghe’s 'funeral pyre' carries a strong sense of fate. Once treating Meilin as a disposable piece, he later willingly gives up his status and marries into Qingzhou just to live a simple life with her. Fans lament the brief peace they share in Laowo Village, wishing time would stop, knowing this tranquility is fleeting. After a wedding, they briefly live as husband and wife, but Meilin ultimately dies from a deadly poison. Murong Jinghe gains legitimacy but loses the woman he loves.

8th Place: Wu Lei and Zhao Lusi in 'Starlight Splendor: Moon Rises Over沧海'

In 'Starlight Splendor: Moon Rises Over沧海', Wu Lei plays Ling Buyi, burdened by the Huo family’s blood feud, and Zhao Lusi plays Cheng Shaoshang, who lacked affection in childhood and deeply values promises. Ling Buyi loves Shaoshang deeply but never reveals his true identity or revenge plan. As their wedding nears, he secretly massacres the Ling family and completes his Huo family revenge, leaving Shaoshang—who fears abandonment most—once again abandoned, destroying her trust and their engagement.

Ling Buyi endures five years at the border, only to return and find Shaoshang emotionally closed off. In the original novel, he even kneels before her begging for reconciliation—a scene fans were furious the drama omitted, shouting, 'The male lead kneels to beg for reunion, and the director didn’t film it? Unforgivable!' He eventually wins her back, but the core of this 'funeral pyre' isn’t jealousy or misunderstanding—it’s his realization that he used 'protection' to strip Shaoshang of her right to choose.

7th Place: Cheng Yi and Yang Zi in 'Scent of Time'

In 'Scent of Time', Cheng Yi plays Yingyuan, the Heavenly Emperor, and his mortal identity Tang Zhou, while Yang Zi plays Yan Dan, the Four-Leaf Lotus. Bound by heavenly rules and duty, Yingyuan deeply loves Yan Dan but repeatedly denies his feelings. Yan Dan carves out her heart to heal him, only to be coldly rejected, eventually jumping off the Bridgeless Bridge and wandering the Night Forget River for years. Yingyuan later descends to find her, erasing her memories and severing emotional ties to send her into reincarnation, resetting their love to zero.

Viewers summarize Yingyuan’s love story as 'hurting your wife is fun at first, but chasing her becomes a funeral pyre.' In the mortal world, he becomes Tang Zhou and falls in love with Yan Dan again, finally expressing his feelings freely, but must endure her wariness and rejection. Fans say Yingyuan suppresses himself for dozens of episodes, only daring to apologize to Yan Dan near the story’s end, humbly begging, 'Don’t let go of me.' The once-proud emperor finally falls into the funeral pyre he lit himself.

6th Place: Mark Chao and Yang Mi in 'Eternal Love'

In 'Eternal Love', Mark Chao plays Ye Hua, the Crown Prince of the Nine Heavens, and Yang Mi plays Bai Qian, the Fox Empress of Qingqiu, and her mortal form Su Su. To protect Su Su, Ye Hua chooses to hide the truth and keep distance. Under pressure from the heavenly clan, he fails to truly protect her and even personally removes Su Su’s eyes under the Heavenly Ruler’s coercion. Believing Ye Hua never loved her, Su Su jumps from the Zhu Xian Terrace after giving birth, regains her Bai Qian identity, and later drinks the memory-erasing potion, voluntarily wiping all memories of Ye Hua.

Only after losing Su Su does Ye Hua realize his supposedly well-intentioned arrangements left her isolated and hurt. Viewers criticize, 'Ye Hua’s way of protection is truly unacceptable,' noting his biggest mistake was never letting Su Su know they were facing challenges together. Later, he pursues the memory-lost Bai Qian, enduring her coldness and facing her fury when she regains her eyes and memories. This is one of the earliest representative 'funeral pyres' in xianxia dramas.

5th Place: Eddie Lau and Ying Er in 'Endless Mountains, Evening Snow'

In 'Endless Mountains, Evening Snow', Eddie Lau plays Mo Shaoheng, and Ying Er plays Tong Xue. Mo Shaoheng initially falls for Tong Xue without knowing her identity, only to discover she is his enemy’s daughter. His love twists into control, revenge, and harm. He forcefully keeps her close while masking his true feelings with coldness, only gradually letting go of hatred when Tong Xue suffers great harm, choosing to arrange her escape.

Back then, audiences called him 'Mo the Beast' while praising his restraint as 'textbook-level su points.' The most iconic funeral pyre scene is Mo Shaoheng freeing Tong Xue and leaving his true feelings in his phone. Only after she leaves does Tong Xue open the phone to see the delayed 'I love you'—but they’ve already missed the chance to reconcile. The most heartbreaking part is that just as Mo Shaoheng learns how to love, the only choice left is to let go.

4th Place: Wallace Huo and Zhao Liying in 'The Journey of Flower'

In 'The Journey of Flower', Wallace Huo plays Bai Zihua, the senior immortal of Changliu, and Zhao Liying plays Hua Qian Gu, whose fate is tied to him. Knowing Hua Qian Gu is his 'life-and-death tribulation,' Bai Zihua still takes her as a disciple but suppresses his feelings under the weight of the world, sect rules, and their master-disciple status. Hua Qian Gu endures soul-severing nails, the Pool of No Love, and exile to the wilderness for him, yet he never acknowledges her love, ultimately killing her himself with the Minsheng Sword.

Many viewers watched the drama just to see Bai Zihua pay the price, admitting, 'I just wanted to see Hua Qian Gu curse Bai Zihua.' Before dying, Hua Qian Gu forces him to admit his feelings and curses him in the name of a god to live forever without aging or dying, completely breaking Bai Zihua. Though the drama ends with Mo Yan sacrificing his life to save Hua Qian Gu, and the memory-lost her living with Bai Zihua, the cost of killing his beloved with his own hands makes this one of the most iconic funeral pyres in xianxia dramas.

3rd Place: Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu in 'Till the End of the Moon'

In 'Till the End of the Moon', Luo Yunxi plays Tan Taijin, and Bai Lu plays Li Susu and Ye Xiwu. Li Susu travels back 500 years to stop Tan Taijin from becoming the demon god who destroys the world. Born without emotional threads, Tan Taijin doesn’t understand human feelings but gradually develops love and dependence through living with Ye Xiwu. When Ye Xiwu sacrifices her immortal essence to remove the evil bone from his body and falls to her death from the city wall, he finally experiences the pain of loving and losing.

Viewers describe Tan Taijin as 'tortured to death,' with some saying this drama 'made the chasing wife funeral pyre feel real.' After Ye Xiwu’s death, he holds her body in uncontrollable grief, then waits 500 years by the Youming River for his lover. Finally reuniting with Li Susu, he still faces her hatred and distrust, ultimately sacrificing himself for the peace of the three realms. This funeral pyre spans 500 years, and by the time they finally understand each other, all that remains is a parting of life and death.

2nd Place: Nicky Wu and Liu Shishi in 'Scarlet Heart'

In 'Scarlet Heart', Nicky Wu plays the Fourth Prince Yin Zheng, and Liu Shishi plays Ma’ertai Ruoxi, a modern woman reborn in the Qing Dynasty. They fall in love amid palace struggles, but after Yin Zheng ascends the throne, suspicion, power, and old grudges cause him to lose Ruoxi. Unable to bear the oppression and killings of the Forbidden City, Ruoxi finally leaves the palace and marries the Fourteenth Prince, hoping for freedom in her final days.

The cruelest twist is Ruoxi’s final letter, begging to see Yin Zheng one last time. Though delivered to the palace, the handwriting on the outer envelope causes a misunderstanding, and Yin Zheng leaves it unopened. Viewers still collapse every time they rewatch, lamenting, 'Fourth Lord never got to see Ruoxi’s final face.' Upon learning of her death, he clutches her ashes and weeps bitterly.