【Learn Chinese】Classical Chinese Novels

China’s Four Great Classical Novels (四大名著 sìdàmíngzhù) deserve a place in any discussion of Chinese literature (文学 wénxué). These massive classical novels are epic in scope and extremely lengthy.
Anyone who plans to spend time in China should gain at least a passing familiarity with the content of each as they continue to be referenced throughout Chinese popular culture today. For example, the Monkey King (孙悟空 Sūnwùkōng), hero of Journey to the West, is the subject of countless modern movies and cartoons.

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三国演义 Sānguóyǎnyì) is a sweeping historical novel that covers a period of nearly 100 years and features almost 1,000 different characters. The work is generally attributed to a Ming dynasty writer called Luo Guanzhong.
The novel is set during the chaotic period that spanned the end of the Han dynasty (202 BCE–220 CE) and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 CE). It focuses on the exploits of various feudal lords who were either trying to restore or replace the Han dynasty. Although the story has been fictionalized and romanticized, it is largely based on actual historical events and people.
Many of the historical figures who play major parts in this novel, including Cao Cao (曹操 Cáo Cāo), Liu Bei (刘备 Liú Bèi) and Zhuge Liang (诸葛亮 Zhūgé Liàng) are still household names in modern China. In fact, many common sayings reference these characters. For example, Cao Cao is portrayed as an unsavory, somewhat evil character in the novel and so today, the common saying 说曹操,曹操到 (shuō Cáo Cāo, Cáo Cāo dào) is used to mean “speak of the devil.”

A Dream of Red Mansions
A Dream of Red Mansions (红楼梦 Hónglóumèng), also called Dream of the Red Chamber, is another prominent classical Chinese novel. Written by Cao Xueqin in the mid-18th century, this massive, semi-autobiographical tale charts the decline of a formerly wealthy and influential family. Scholars assert that the decline of this fictional family is meant to mirror the decline of the Qing dynasty.
The novel features a large cast of characters, many of whom are female, that hail from a variety of social classes. The novel also contains many details about everyday life and the social hierarchies that existed at the time. Therefore, it provides a fascinating window into 18th-century Chinese society.
A Dream of Red Mansions is a popular subject of study among scholars in China today, so much so that there is a special field, called Redology, devoted to the topic.

Journey to the West
Journey to the West (西游记 Xīyóujì) is a Ming-era novel said to have been written by Wu Cheng’en. It is a romanticized account of the real-life pilgrimage of the Tang dynasty monk Xuanzang, who spent 17 years traveling from China to India and back in search of authentic Buddhist scriptures.
Journey to the West presents a fictionalized account of Xuanzang’s epic journey. In the novel, he makes the pilgrimage with the help of three disciples including a talking monkey (the beloved Monkey King), a former water monster known as Sha Wujing and a talking pig called Zhu Bajie. Throughout their travels, the characters are repeatedly accosted by various demons who they must find ways to outwit.
Journey to the West and the Monkey King character have proved enduringly popular, not just in China, but throughout Asia. This novel has even been called “the most popular literary work in East Asia.”

The Water Margin
The Water Margin (水浒传 Shuǐhǔzhuàn), also called Outlaws of the Marsh, rounds out China’s collection of great classical novels. It was written in vernacular Chinese some time in the 14th century by Shi Nai’an.
Set in the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127 CE), the book tells the story of a band of 108 outlaws who live in Liangshan Marsh, Shandong Province. The outlaws defeat Song government troops during a great battle, after which they are granted amnesty and recruited to fight against various groups of rebels and invaders.
The story is based on popular folktales about the real-life bandit Song Jiang, who led an armed uprising against the Song dynasty.