diff --git a/jsonpath_ng/jsonpath.py b/jsonpath_ng/jsonpath.py
index db17a18..550b52c 100644
--- a/jsonpath_ng/jsonpath.py
+++ b/jsonpath_ng/jsonpath.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+from typing import List, Optional
 import logging
 from itertools import *  # noqa
 from jsonpath_ng.lexer import JsonPathLexer
@@ -20,7 +22,7 @@ class JSONPath:
     JSONPath semantics.
     """
 
-    def find(self, data):
+    def find(self, data) -> List[DatumInContext]:
         """
         All `JSONPath` types support `find()`, which returns an iterable of `DatumInContext`s.
         They keep track of the path followed to the current location, so if the calling code
@@ -99,11 +101,21 @@ def wrap(cls, data):
         else:
             return cls(data)
 
-    def __init__(self, value, path=None, context=None):
-        self.value = value
+    def __init__(self, value, path: Optional[JSONPath]=None, context: Optional[DatumInContext]=None):
+        self.__value__ = value
         self.path = path or This()
         self.context = None if context is None else DatumInContext.wrap(context)
 
+    @property
+    def value(self):
+        return self.__value__
+
+    @value.setter
+    def value(self, value):
+        if self.context is not None and self.context.value is not None:
+            self.path.update(self.context.value, value)
+        self.__value__ = value
+
     def in_context(self, context, path):
         context = DatumInContext.wrap(context)
 
@@ -113,7 +125,7 @@ def in_context(self, context, path):
             return DatumInContext(value=self.value, path=path, context=context)
 
     @property
-    def full_path(self):
+    def full_path(self) -> JSONPath:
         return self.path if self.context is None else self.context.full_path.child(self.path)
 
     @property
@@ -193,7 +205,7 @@ class Root(JSONPath):
     The root is the topmost datum without any context attached.
     """
 
-    def find(self, data):
+    def find(self, data) -> List[DatumInContext]:
         if not isinstance(data, DatumInContext):
             return [DatumInContext(data, path=Root(), context=None)]
         else:
@@ -692,7 +704,7 @@ def _find_base(self, datum, create):
         for index in self.indices:
             # invalid indices do not crash, return [] instead
             if datum.value and len(datum.value) > index:
-                rv += [DatumInContext(datum.value[index], path=self, context=datum)]
+                rv += [DatumInContext(datum.value[index], path=Index(index), context=datum)]
         return rv
 
     def update(self, data, val):
diff --git a/jsonpath_ng/lexer.py b/jsonpath_ng/lexer.py
index bc86488..7d84ed6 100644
--- a/jsonpath_ng/lexer.py
+++ b/jsonpath_ng/lexer.py
@@ -64,7 +64,9 @@ def tokenize(self, string):
     t_ignore = ' \t'
 
     def t_ID(self, t):
-        r'[a-zA-Z_@][a-zA-Z0-9_@\-]*'
+        # CJK: [\u4E00-\u9FA5]
+        # EMOJI: [\U0001F600-\U0001F64F]
+        r'([a-zA-Z_@]|[\u4E00-\u9FA5]|[\U0001F600-\U0001F64F])([a-zA-Z0-9_@\-]|[\u4E00-\u9FA5]|[\U0001F600-\U0001F64F])*'
         t.type = self.reserved_words.get(t.value, 'ID')
         return t
 
diff --git a/jsonpath_ng/parser.py b/jsonpath_ng/parser.py
index d3d6c63..d049a8f 100644
--- a/jsonpath_ng/parser.py
+++ b/jsonpath_ng/parser.py
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ def __init__(self, debug=False, lexer_class=None):
                                     start = start_symbol,
                                     errorlog = logger)
 
-    def parse(self, string, lexer = None):
+    def parse(self, string, lexer = None) -> JSONPath:
         lexer = lexer or self.lexer_class()
         return self.parse_token_stream(lexer.tokenize(string))
 
diff --git a/requirements-dev.txt b/requirements-dev.txt
index ccdfca6..fb1680c 100644
--- a/requirements-dev.txt
+++ b/requirements-dev.txt
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
 tox
 flake8
+pytest
diff --git a/tests/test_jsonpath.py b/tests/test_jsonpath.py
index f1f27de..abd105e 100644
--- a/tests/test_jsonpath.py
+++ b/tests/test_jsonpath.py
@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 import copy
 
 import pytest
-
+from typing import Callable
 from jsonpath_ng.ext.parser import parse as ext_parse
 from jsonpath_ng.jsonpath import DatumInContext, Fields, Root, This
 from jsonpath_ng.lexer import JsonPathLexerError
 from jsonpath_ng.parser import parse as base_parse
+from jsonpath_ng import JSONPath
 
 from .helpers import assert_full_path_equality, assert_value_equality
 
@@ -166,12 +167,26 @@ def test_datumincontext_in_context_nested():
     update_test_cases,
 )
 @parsers
-def test_update(parse, expression, data, update_value, expected_value):
+def test_update(parse: Callable[[str], JSONPath], expression: str, data, update_value, expected_value):
     data_copy = copy.deepcopy(data)
     update_value_copy = copy.deepcopy(update_value)
     result = parse(expression).update(data_copy, update_value_copy)
     assert result == expected_value
 
+    # inplace update testing
+    data_copy2 = copy.deepcopy(data)
+    update_value_copy2 = copy.deepcopy(update_value)
+    datums = parse(expression).find(data_copy2)
+    batch_update = isinstance(update_value, list) and len(datums) == len(update_value)
+    for i, datum in enumerate(datums):
+        if batch_update:
+            datum.value = update_value_copy2[i]
+        else:
+            datum.value = update_value_copy2
+        if isinstance(datum.full_path, (Root, This)): # when the type of `data` is str, int, float etc.
+            data_copy2 = datum.value
+    assert data_copy2 == expected_value
+
 
 find_test_cases = (
     #
diff --git a/tests/test_parser.py b/tests/test_parser.py
index df22d0b..20d140b 100644
--- a/tests/test_parser.py
+++ b/tests/test_parser.py
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@
     # Atomic
     # ------
     #
+    ("😀", Fields("😀")),
+    ("你好", Fields("你好")),
     ("foo", Fields("foo")),
     ("*", Fields("*")),
     ("1", Fields("1")),