{"id":1512,"date":"2025-05-03T01:11:44","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T17:11:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/?p=1512"},"modified":"2025-04-26T13:32:32","modified_gmt":"2025-04-26T05:32:32","slug":"the-four-classic-chinese-novels-discover-the-%e4%b8%ad%e5%9b%bd%e5%9b%9b%e5%a4%a7%e5%90%8d%e8%91%97","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/1512","title":{"rendered":"The Four Classic Chinese Novels \u2014 Discover the \u4e2d\u56fd\u56db\u5927\u540d\u8457"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Zhang<\/a><\/p>\n

Introduction and Origin “Four Classic Chinese Novels”<\/h4>\n

The Four Classic Chinese Novels (\u4e2d\u56fd\u56db\u5927\u540d\u8457 ; Zh\u014dnggu\u00f3 S\u00ec D\u00e0 M\u00edngzh\u00f9) refer to the four Chinese long novels Water Margin<\/strong> (\u6c34\u6d52\u4f20 ; Shu\u01d0 H\u01d4 Zhu\u00e0n), Romance of the Three Kingdoms<\/strong> (\u4e09\u56fd\u6f14\u4e49 ; S\u0101n Gu\u00f3 Y\u01cen Y\u00ec), Journey to the West<\/strong> (\u897f\u6e38\u8bb0 ; X\u012b Y\u00f3u J\u00ec), and Dream of the Red Chamber<\/strong> (\u7ea2\u697c\u68a6 ; H\u00f3ng L\u00f3u M\u00e8ng), written by Shi Nai\u2019an, Luo Guanzhong, Wu Cheng\u2019en, and Cao Xueqin respectively.<\/p>\n

To trace the origin of the term \u201cFour Classic Chinese Novels,\u201d we must first mention the \u201cFour Masterpieces (\u56db\u5927\u5947\u4e66 ; S\u00ec D\u00e0 Q\u00ed Sh\u016b).\u201d The concept of the \u201cFour Masterpieces\u201d emerged in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, referring collectively to four long novels of the Ming dynasty: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Journey to the West, and The Plum in the Golden Vase (\u91d1\u74f6\u6885 ; J\u012bn P\u00edng M\u00e9i). During the late Ming period, in the Tianqi and Chongzhen years, these four books were often mentioned together by novel critics. In the early Qing dynasty, Li Yu (\u674e\u6e14 ; L\u01d0 Y\u00fa) clearly proposed the concept of the \u201cFour Masterpieces.\u201d In the preface he wrote for the Lianghengtang edition of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he said: \u201cI once heard that Feng Ziyou of Wu Jun praised and named the Four Masterpieces under Heaven as Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Journey to the West, and The Plum in the Golden Vase. I also admire his praise as quite fitting.\u201d After Li Yu, \u201cFour Masterpieces\u201d became a common term in novel criticism.<\/p>\n

\"Zhang<\/a>
The Plum in the Golden Vase \u91d1\u74f6\u6885, Source: Baike Baidu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After Dream of the Red Chamber (\u7ea2\u697c\u68a6) by Cao Xueqin was published in the mid-Qing dynasty, The Plum in the Golden Vase (\u91d1\u74f6\u6885) was gradually replaced by it, and the commonly accepted term \u201cFour Classic Chinese Novels\u201d slowly formed. Among them, Romance of the Three Kingdoms (\u4e09\u56fd\u6f14\u4e49) represents historical and romantic novels, Water Margin (\u6c34\u6d52\u4f20) represents heroic tales, Journey to the West (\u897f\u6e38\u8bb0) represents novels of gods and demons, and Dream of the Red Chamber (\u7ea2\u697c\u68a6) represents emotional or social life novels.<\/p>\n

Today, some publishers compile these four novels into one published series under the title \u201cFour Classic Chinese Novels Series.\u201d After the founding of China (\u65b0\u4e2d\u56fd), the People’s Literature Publishing House was also the first to publish these four novels.<\/p>\n

The Four Classic Chinese Novels are masterpieces in the history of Chinese literature and are valuable treasures of world cultural heritage. Their status in world literary history is difficult to compare absolutely, as each holds extremely high literary and artistic achievements. Their profound depictions and deep thoughts have been acknowledged by generations of readers. The stories, scenes, and characters have had a deep impact on the thinking, values, and worldview of the Chinese people, and they can be called the four great pillars in the history of Chinese literature.<\/p>\n

1. Water Margin\u300a\u6c34\u6d52\u4f20\u300b<\/h5>\n
\"Zhang<\/a>
Source: Baike Baidu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Water Margin (\u6c34\u6d52\u4f20 ; Shu\u01d0 H\u01d4 Zhu\u00e0n) is a long novel written by Shi Nai\u2019an (\u65bd\u8010\u5eb5 ; Sh\u012b N\u00e0i’\u0101n) at the end of the Yuan and beginning of the Ming dynasty (existing editions mostly attribute the work to Shi Nai\u2019an, Luo Guanzhong, or both). It is the first chapter-style novel in Chinese history written in the vernacular language (\u767d\u8bdd\u6587 ; b\u00e1i hu\u00e0 w\u00e9n).<\/p>\n

\"Zhang<\/a>
Shi Nai\u2019an \u65bd\u8010\u5eb5, Source: Baike Baidu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The entire book tells the grand tale of the 108 Liangshan heroes, led by Song Jiang, who rose against corrupt officials and traitors. It covers the rise of the Liangshan forces in the marshes, their acceptance of amnesty from the Song dynasty, and their subsequent battles to defend the Song.<\/p>\n

Water Margin (\u6c34\u6d52\u4f20) is one of the Four Classic Chinese Novels. Since its publication, it has had a major impact on society and became a model for Chinese novel writing in later generations. It is one of the most widely spread and popular Chinese novels, also known for its epic qualities and deep influence on Chinese narrative literature and even across East Asia.<\/p>\n

2. Romance of the Three Kingdoms\u300a\u4e09\u56fd\u6f14\u4e49\u300b<\/h5>\n
\"Zhang<\/a>
Source: Baike Baidu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Romance of the Three Kingdoms (\u4e09\u56fd\u6f14\u4e49 ; S\u0101n Gu\u00f3 Y\u01cen Y\u00ec) (also known as Sanguozhi Yanyi \u300a\u4e09\u56fd\u5fd7\u6f14\u4e49\u300bor Sanguozhi Tongsu Yanyi \u300a\u4e09\u56fd\u5fd7\u901a\u4fd7\u6f14\u4e49\u300b) is a chapter-style historical romance novel written by Luo Guanzhong (\u7f57\u8d2f\u4e2d ; Lu\u00f3 Gu\u00e0nzh\u014dng) at the end of the Yuan and beginning of the Ming dynasty. It is a literary adaptation based on Records of the Three Kingdoms (\u4e09\u56fd\u5fd7) by Chen Shou (\u9648\u5bff ; Ch\u00e9n Sh\u00f2u), with annotations by Pei Songzhi (\u88f4\u677e\u4e4b ; P\u00e9i S\u014dngzh\u012b), and incorporates folklore and legends about the Three Kingdoms period. Together with the other three works, it is known as one of the Four Classic Chinese Novels.<\/p>\n

\"Zhang<\/a>
Luo Guanzhong \u7f57\u8d2f\u4e2d, Source: Baike Baidu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The novel is an artistic re-creation by Luo Guanzhong based on Three Kingdoms stories passed down through folk tales (\u8bdd\u672c ; hu\u00e0 b\u011bn), opera (\u620f\u66f2 ; x\u00ec q\u01d4), and legendary stories from the Song and Yuan periods. Its foundation lies in Records of the Three Kingdoms (\u4e09\u56fd\u5fd7) by Chen Shou of the Jin dynasty, and the annotations by Pei Songzhi of the Southern Song dynasty.<\/p>\n

The content of the novel is broadly divided into five main parts:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The Yellow Turban Rebellion,<\/li>\n
  2. The chaos caused by Dong Zhuo,<\/li>\n
  3. The rivalry among warlords,<\/li>\n
  4. The balance of power between the Three Kingdoms, and<\/li>\n
  5. The reunification by the Jin dynasty.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    It portrays nearly a century of historical turmoil from the end of the Eastern Han to the beginning of the Western Jin. Its focus is on war stories, including the political and military conflicts among warlords and the major states: Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. Eventually, Sima Yan unified the three kingdoms and founded the Jin dynasty.<\/p>\n

    This novel reflects various conflicts and social upheavals of the Three Kingdoms period, capturing significant historical changes and presenting legendary heroes who shook the world.<\/p>\n

    Since its completion, many editions have circulated, including the famous Jiajing Renwu (\u5609\u9756\u58ec\u5348 ; ji\u0101 j\u00ecng r\u00e9n w\u01d4) edition from the Ming dynasty. In the late Ming and early Qing, Mao Zonggang (\u6bdb\u5b97\u5c97 ; M\u00e1o Z\u014dngg\u01ceng) re-edited the chapters, refined the language, and replaced poems and prose. The Mao Zonggang edition is considered the highest-quality and most widely spread version.<\/p>\n

    Romance of the Three Kingdoms is the first chapter novel in Chinese literary history, a pioneer of historical romance, and a long novel of humanistic value. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was even called \u201cthe number one book for scholars.\u201d Since publication, it has inspired countless artistic and cultural works. Its influence is so great that the \u201cartistic truth\u201d it conveys is often seen as more real than historical fact.<\/p>\n

    Authorship Controversy<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Like many other chapter-style novels (\u7ae0\u56de\u5c0f\u8bf4 ; zh\u0101ng hu\u00ed xi\u01ceo shu\u014d) that are the product of multiple generations\u2019 contributions, the authorship of Romance of the Three Kingdoms remains debated among scholars. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the public tended to believe that Luo Guanzhong was the author. However, some also claimed Wang Shifu was the writer. This claim has never been definitively proven, and the view that Luo Guanzhong is the author remains the most widely accepted.<\/p>\n

    Since the 1980s, academic circles have seen new opinions rejecting Luo Guanzhong\u2019s authorship. The debate between \u201cpro-Luo Guanzhong\u201d and \u201canti-Luo Guanzhong\u201d factions continues today.<\/p>\n

    The exact date of completion is also debated. However, certainly, the novel is not the result of a single author’s effort, but the outcome of oral transmission and development over a long period among various communities, especially the common people. The number of contributors is incalculable. Even if one person compiled the final version, they were just one of many contributors to the work\u2019s creation.<\/p>\n

    Based on existing literary records and printed versions, it is concluded that Romance of the Three Kingdoms was not widely printed and distributed until the mid-Ming dynasty when its social influence also began to manifest.<\/p>\n

    3. Journey to the West\u300a\u897f\u6e38\u8bb0\u300b<\/h5>\n
    \"Zhang<\/a>
    Source: Baike Baidu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Journey to the West (\u897f\u6e38\u8bb0 ; X\u012b Y\u00f3u J\u00ec) is the first romantic novel of gods and demons (\u795e\u9b54\u5c0f\u8bf4 ; sh\u00e9n m\u00f3 xi\u01ceo shu\u014d) in the form of a chapter-style long story in ancient Chinese history. The earliest known edition is the Newly Carved and Illustrated Large Character Edition of Journey to the West (\u65b0\u523b\u51fa\u50cf\u5b98\u677f\u5927\u5b57\u897f\u6e38\u8bb0), published in the 20th year of the Wanli era (1592) by Shide Hall in Jinling, which did not name the author.<\/p>\n

    According to the Huai\u2019an Gazetteer (\u6dee\u5b89\u5e9c\u5fd7), which states \u201cWu Cheng\u2019en is the author of Journey to the West,\u201d figures such as Lu Xun (\u9c81\u8fc5 ; L\u01d4 X\u00f9n) and Dong Zuobin (\u8463\u4f5c\u5bbe ; D\u01d2ng Zu\u00f2b\u012bn) identified Wu Cheng\u2019en (\u5433\u627f\u6069 ; W\u00fa Ch\u00e9ng’\u0113n) as the true author.<\/p>\n

    \"Zhang<\/a>
    Wu Cheng\u2019en \u5433\u627f\u6069, Source: Baike Baidu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    The novel mainly tells the story of the birth of Sun Wukong, his apprenticeship under Patriarch Bodhi, his havoc in the Heavenly Palace, and his eventual meeting with Tang Sanzang, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, and the Dragon Horse, embarking together on a pilgrimage to the West to obtain scriptures. Along the journey, they encounter various hardships and demons, undergo 81 trials (\u4e5d\u4e5d\u516b\u5341\u4e00\u96be), and ultimately reach the Western Pure Land, meet the Buddha, and become five holy beings.<\/p>\n

    The novel was inspired by the real historical event of \u201cXuanzang\u2019s Journey to the West\u201d and was artistically enriched by the author to reflect social life during the Ming dynasty.<\/p>\n

    Journey to the West is a classic of the gods-and-demons genre and a pinnacle of long romantic literature in ancient China. Together with the other three novels, it is one of the Four Classic Chinese Novels.<\/p>\n

    Since publication, Journey to the West has widely circulated, with numerous versions appearing. In the Ming dynasty, there were six printed editions; in the Qing dynasty, seven printed and handwritten versions, and thirteen editions were known only from records.<\/p>\n

    After the Opium War (\u9e26\u7247\u6218\u4e89), many Chinese classical works were translated into Western languages. Journey to the West gradually became known in Europe and America and has been translated into English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Sign Language, Esperanto, Swahili, Russian, Czech, Romanian, Polish, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and others.<\/p>\n

    4. Dream of the Red Chamber\u300a\u7ea2\u697c\u68a6\u300b<\/h5>\n
    \"Zhang<\/a>
    Source: Baike Baidu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Dream of the Red Chamber (\u7ea2\u697c\u68a6 ; H\u00f3ng L\u00f3u M\u00e8ng) is a chapter-style long novel from ancient China, one of the Four Classic Chinese Novels. The circulating version has a total of 120 chapters. The first 80 chapters are generally attributed to Qing dynasty author Cao Xueqin (\u66f9\u96ea\u82b9 ; C\u00e1o Xu\u011bq\u00edn), while the remaining 40 chapters were written by an unknown author and compiled by Cheng Weiyuan (\u7a0b\u4f1f\u5143 ; Ch\u00e9ng W\u011biyu\u00e1n) and Gao E (\u9ad8\u9e57 ; G\u0101o \u00c8).<\/p>\n

    \"Zhang<\/a>
    Cao Xueqin \u66f9\u96ea\u82b9, Source: Baike Baidu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    The novel is set against the rise and fall of four great families\u2014Jia (\u8d3e ; Ji\u01ce), Shi (\u53f2 ; Sh\u01d0), Wang (\u738b ; W\u00e1ng), and Xue (\u859b ; Xu\u0113)\u2014and uses the perspective of Jia Baoyu (\u8d3e\u5b9d\u7389), an aristocratic young man, to tell the tragic love and marriage story involving Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu (\u6797\u9edb\u7389), and Xue Baochai (\u859b\u5b9d\u9497). It depicts the lives of women in the inner chambers, presenting the beauty and tragedy of true humanity, and serves as an epic that illustrates the beauty of women and various aspects of life in ancient Chinese society from different angles.<\/p>\n

    Dream of the Red Chamber exists in two main versions: \u201cChengben (\u7a0b\u672c)” and \u201cZhiben (\u8102\u672c)”. Chengben is the printed version compiled by Cheng Weiyuan, while Zhiben is the handwritten version annotated by Zhi Yanzhai over various periods. Zhiben became the foundation of Chengben.<\/p>\n

    Dream of the Red Chamber is a highly influential novel worldwide, an encyclopedia of feudal Chinese society, and a grand work embodying traditional culture. The author wrote with the intention of \u201cspeaking generally about love and recording real events,\u201d following consistent logic and events, avoiding old patterns, and using a fresh, unique approach to achieve remarkable artistic accomplishments. Its distinctive writing style\u2014\u201chiding the truth and preserving false words\u201d\u2014deeply inspires future readers and sparks extensive speculation. Since the 20th century, the novel’s profound thoughts and outstanding artistic achievements have given rise to a specialized academic field called Redology, the study of Dream of the Red Chamber.<\/p>\n

    And, let us conclude before we finish…<\/h4>\n

    \"Zhang<\/a><\/p>\n

    The Four Classic Chinese Novels\u2014Water Margin (\u6c34\u6d52\u4f20), Romance of the Three Kingdoms (\u4e09\u56fd\u6f14\u4e49), Journey to the West (\u897f\u6e38\u8bb0), and Dream of the Red Chamber (\u7ea2\u697c\u68a6)\u2014are not only pillars of classical literature reflecting the richness of Chinese culture but also deeply influential in the development of world literature. Each of these works, with distinct themes and styles, offers profound insight into social life, moral values, and human struggles in the context of history, mythology, or personal experience.<\/p>\n

    Water Margin (\u6c34\u6d52\u4f20) portrays heroism and the fight against injustice; Romance of the Three Kingdoms (\u4e09\u56fd\u6f14\u4e49) reflects historical upheaval and political strategy; Journey to the West (\u897f\u6e38\u8bb0) takes readers on a spiritual journey full of challenges; and Dream of the Red Chamber (\u7ea2\u697c\u68a6) presents deep emotions and social dynamics in feudal China. These works not only offer captivating stories but also introduce various perspectives on values, morality, and life across different social strata.<\/p>\n

    As literary works are translated into many languages and studied to this day, they are an integral part of China\u2019s priceless cultural heritage, continuously influencing global literature, philosophy, and art. With diverse themes and rich depictions, these novels have established themselves as major milestones in the literary history of China and the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Introduction and Origin “Four Classic Chinese Novels” The Four Classic Chinese Novels (\u4e2d\u56fd\u56db\u5927\u540d\u8457 ; Zh\u014dnggu\u00f3 S\u00ec D\u00e0 M\u00edngzh\u00f9) refer to...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":1522,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[1056,1042,1052,1050,1048,1046,1044,1054,1049,1043,1055,1047,1045,1057,1051,1053],"class_list":["post-1512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-culture","tag-dream-of-the-red-chamber","tag-four-classic-chinese-novels","tag-journey-to-the-west","tag-luo-guanzhong","tag-romance-of-the-three-kingdoms","tag-shi-nai-an","tag-water-margin","tag-wu-cheng-en","tag-1049","tag-1043","tag-1055","tag-1047","tag-1045","tag-1057","tag-1051","tag-1053"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1512"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1512\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}