Regarding the appellation of "Jiro", we can know from The Journey to the West that Ruan Xiaowu is Jiro, probably because the Ruan brothers believe in ghosts and gods, and Ruan Xiaowu is as fierce as Jiro. And "short-lived" does not mean that Ruan Xiaowu is short-lived, but that Ruan Xiaowu "lets others be short-lived".
It can be seen from here that Ruan Xiaowu in the Water Margin is an unflattering and fierce figure. His meaning of "making others short-lived" reveals the vacillation of the ruling position in the Northern Song Dynasty. Ruan Xiaowu, a representative of the peasant uprising, was forced by the situation to resist the feudal dynasty. It is precisely because of the limitations of farmers that Ruan Xiaowu joined the Liangshan team and followed Song Jiang and others to "do justice for heaven". But the ending about him was tragic.
Brief introduction of Ruan Xiaowu
Ruan Xiaowu, ranked 29th in Liangshan, is also the fifth leader of the eight water armies in Liangshan. Moreover, it ranks second among the three Ruan brothers, and there is also a nickname called "short-lived Jiro".
He grew up in a small village by the sea and made a living by fishing. Robbed the birthday gang in Huangnigang, fled back to the water margin because of the pursuit of the loyalist, and defeated He Tao with his brothers. Gao Qiu led the army to encircle Liangshan, and Ruan Xiaowu fought bravely in the water. He and Tong Wei are stationed in the northeast water village of Liangshan.