Comes from the term "Four Great Books".
As far as I know personally, the first person to rank popular novels was Jin Shengtan. According to him, he planned to review six scholarly books at that time, "Zhuangzi", "Li Sao", "Historical Records", "Du" "Poetry", "Water Margin" and "The Romance of the West Chamber". During the Kangxi period of the later Qing Dynasty, Mao Zonggang and his son named the revised Three Kingdoms "The First Book of Talented Scholars - Romance of the Three Kingdoms" under the pseudonym of Jin Shengtan (the fact that they relied on Jin Shengtan's name rather than someone earlier can also explain some problems). At that time, there was a saying of the "Four Wonderful Books of the Ming Dynasty", and its introduction must have been a commercial method of booksellers (booksellers at least played a role in promotion); later, The Red Chamber replaced The Jin Ping Mei as one of the "Four Wonderful Books of the Ming and Qing Dynasties" , the Four Wonderful Books have now been finalized. The "Four Great Masterpieces" are the modern term for the "Four Great Books", and the time is naturally not too early.
Therefore, the current reference to the "Four Great Classics" (Four Great Books) must have appeared after "A Dream of Red Mansions" was written.
But some people have verified that the term "Four Wonderful Books" should have been established in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.
Li Yu once wrote a preface to the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" published by Zuitian Jingtang: "Feng Menglong also has the title of four great books, namely Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Journey to the West and Jin Ping Mei. ..." It can be seen that By the end of the Ming Dynasty, Feng Menglong had already proposed the Four Great Wonders. Li Yu accepted his statement and published it as the "No. 1 Wonderful Book" in the Three Kingdoms. It was probably at the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty that the "Four Great Wonders" were proposed. The method has become quite established and popular.
But no matter what, the term "Four Wonderful Books" is the original term of "Four Great Classics", and this should be confirmed.
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"A Dream of Red Mansions"
"A Dream of Red Mansions" has endless descriptions and endless passages. It is truly a wonderful book through the ages!
"A Dream of Red Mansions" is the most famous and widely circulated among ancient Chinese novels, has the largest number of readers, and is the most widely published. Since the publication of this classic masterpiece, critics have come up in droves with divergent opinions, and it has naturally formed a The most important thing is the red school. People are still publishing, reading, and studying "Dream of Red Mansions". This is the eternal charm of this classic literary masterpiece, and this is the immortal value of this classic literary masterpiece. Masters of traditional Chinese painting from the north and south spent two years carefully creating 350 color traditional Chinese paintings. The artist accompanied the text with pictures, some describing moods, some expressing scenes, some thick ink, or meticulous outlines, artistically reproducing the rich social life and vivid characters in the original work.
"Journey to the West"
Wu Chengen's mythological novel "Journey to the West" is magnificent in scale, with twists and turns in the plot, vivid language, and the use of romantic creative techniques. It is extremely rich in imagination. A treasure in ancient Chinese novels. "Four Classic Paintings by Famous Painters: Journey to the West" invited more than 40 famous painters, including Dai Dunbang and Zhao Hongben, to paint 240 Chinese paintings with high artistic value, which are either bold and rough, or simple and beautiful. The paintings include humans, gods, demons, monsters, mountains, etc. Water, flowers, insects, birds, beasts, etc. are colorful. The painting methods may be meticulous sketching or freehand brushwork. The style may be bold and rough, or simple and beautiful. The techniques are outline, rendering, contrasting, splashing ink, vivid and colorful. It shows the most exciting scenes in the novel. The text adds elegance to the painting, and the painting adds unique charm to the text. The pictures and text are alternately blended together.
"Water Margin"
Shi Naian's novel "Water Margin" contains extremely vivid life scenes and colorful characters. Water Margin 108 will have different identities and temperaments. , is a wonderful flower in ancient Chinese novels. The text of "Four Classic Paintings by Famous Painters - Water Margin" incorporates 293 traditional Chinese paintings, which were jointly painted by 41 famous traditional Chinese paintings such as Dai Guobang, He Youzhi, and Chen Baiyi. The painters painted vivid life scenes with their skillful hands. , the characters and plots are vivid and have profound meaning.
"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms"
In the history of Chinese literature, perhaps there is no work that can attract so many readers for a long time like "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". For hundreds of years, She has been passed down from generation to generation by almost the entire nation. Reading, it can be said that "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" has been deeply rooted in every corner of our national life. "Four Classic Paintings by Famous Painters: The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is composed of 35 masters of painting, including Dai Guobang, Chen Baiyi, and Dai Honghai, who painted 292 traditional Chinese paintings with colorful brushes. The painters have different styles and schools, either meticulous, like a needle and thread, or freehand, like flowing clouds and flowing water, all in one go. They colorfully display the grand war scenes and numerous characters during the Three Kingdoms period, reaching the level of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" It is the pinnacle of painting creation and also demonstrates the unique style of traditional Chinese painting, an undiscovered treasure of China. Especially some of the most popular and famous chapters, such as the friendship in Taoyuan, Fengyi Pavilion, Discussing Heroes over Cooking Wine, Three Visits to Thatched Cottage, Thousand Battles with Confucian Scholars, Borrowing Arrows from a Thatched Boat, Seven Captures of Meng Huo, etc., are brilliant.
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The story of the Three Kingdoms was quite popular among ancient Chinese folk. It was put on the stage in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and more than 30 kinds of Three Kingdoms plays were performed in the Jin and Yuan Dynasties. During the Zhizhi period of the Yuan Dynasty, "Quanxiang Three Kingdoms Zhi Ping Hua" published by the Yu family of Xin'an appeared. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Luo Guanzhong synthesized folk legends, operas and scripts, combined with historical materials from Chen Shou's "Three Kingdoms" and Pei Songzhi's notes, and based on his personal understanding of social life, he created "The Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms". The earliest extant edition is from Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty. Published in 1999, it is commonly known as the "Jiajing edition" and has 24 volumes. During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, Mao Lun and Mao Zonggang and his son revised the historical events, added and deleted text, and revised it into the 120-chapter version of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" that is currently in use today.
There are many versions of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", mainly including: "The Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms" printed by Hongzhi of the Ming Dynasty, with simple words and simple content; In 2000, this book was most widely circulated in society. It has been reprinted and published many times by People's Literature Publishing House.
Author
Luo Guanzhong (between 1330 and 1400), famous as Huhai Sanren, was a popular novelist in the Ming Dynasty. His birthplace is said to be Taiyuan (today's Shanxi), and another is to be Qiantang (today's Hangzhou, Zhejiang), which cannot be confirmed. According to legend, Luo Guanzhong once served as the secret agent of Zhang Shicheng, a peasant uprising army in the late Yuan Dynasty. In addition to "The Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms", he also wrote popular novels such as "The Chronicles of the Sui and Tang Dynasties" and dramas such as "The Legend of Zhao Taizu, Dragon and Tiger". In addition, a considerable number of people believe that the last thirty chapters of "Water Margin" were also written by him.
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p>Author
There are generally three views on the author of "Water Margin":
The entire book was written by Luo Guanzhong.
Co-written by Shi Naian and Luo Guanzhong.
The entire novel was written entirely by Shi Naian. This view is the most familiar.
The first theory has been proposed as early as the Ming Dynasty. Some people who support this view believe that Shi Naian is a fabricated person and does not exist in reality.
Those who hold the second view also have the following two opinions:
Some of them believe that the first seventy chapters of "Water Margin" were written by Shi Naian, and the later chapters were written by Shi Naian. Chapter 30 is written by Luo Guanzhong.
The Ming Dynasty's "Baichuan Shuzhi" said that "Water Margin" is "the original version of Shi Naian of Qiantang, compiled by Luo Guanzhong." In other words, it was mainly written by Shi Naian, and compiled and edited by Luo Guanzhong. This view is influential in academia.
Another view is that "Water Margin" is a cumulative mass creation. Undoubtedly, Shi Naian referenced, borrowed and absorbed a lot of materials during the creation process, including historical books, notes and some complete novels. , opera works or some fragments thereof, but Shi Naian’s creative work cannot be obliterated.
Shi Naian (1296-1370) was a Chinese novelist.
The author of "Water Margin", one of China's four great classics. Born in Jiangsu Province, he is a native of Baijuchang, Xinghua. There is some controversy about the accuracy of his biographical information, and there is also a theory that this person has not been found. The main reason is that the author of Water Margin has always been controversial. One test shows that the book was not written by Shi Naian at all, but by Luo Guanzhong. In the TV series "Water Margin" shot by CCTV, the authors were written as Shi Naian and Luo Guanzhong.
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Controversy about the author in academic circles
The author of Journey to the West is generally believed to be Wu Chengen of the Ming Dynasty. All versions of "Journey to the West" published today are signed by Wu Cheng'en. However, since the publication of "Journey to the West", there has been controversy over its author.
The various versions of "Journey to the West" circulated in the Ming Dynasty were not signed. Wang Xiangxu of the Qing Dynasty proposed in the "Book of Journey to the West" that "Journey to the West" was written by Qiu Chuji in the Southern Song Dynasty. After this view was put forward, most literati in the Qing Dynasty agreed. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, people such as Ji Yun and others began to doubt this theory, believing that "Journey to the West" contains many descriptions of the customs and customs of the Ming Dynasty, and that Qiu Chuji was from the last generation of the Southern Song Dynasty (from the dynasty before the Ming Dynasty); in addition, "Journey to the West" The Huai'an dialect of Jiangsu is used in many places, but Qiu Chuji has been active in North China throughout his life and has never lived in Huai'an. There were also Taoist priests and literati from the Ming and Qing dynasties who believed that "Journey to the West" was a book for Taoist priests to refine alchemy.
During the Republic of China, Lu Xun, Hu Shi and others inferred that Wu Chengen of Huai'an was the author of the novel "Journey to the West" based on what was recorded in the "Huai'an Prefecture Chronicles" during the Tianqi period of the Ming Dynasty, and based on previous discussions. This has become a conclusion.
In the late Republic of China, since the founding of the People's Republic of China, especially after 1980, research on the author of "Journey to the West" has gradually become a hot topic. Scholars continue to question Wu Chengen's authorship. The reason is that the writing of "Journey to the West" is never mentioned in the extant poems and articles of Wu Cheng'en and his friends; secondly, the "Journey to the West" written by Wu Cheng'en in "Huai'an Prefecture" does not indicate that it is a romance or a barnyard official, but usually At this time, Romance and Barnyard Officials were not included in the local annals; thirdly, "Journey to the West" written by Wu Chengen was included in the geography category (i.e. geography category) in the "Qianqingtang Bibliography" written by Huang Yuji, a scribe of the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, some people have re-proposed that "Journey to the West" was written by Qiu Chuji, or by his disciples and successors. There are also very few scholars who argue that "Journey to the West" was written by Li Chunfang, the "Qingci Prime Minister" of the Ming Dynasty. However, due to the sparse and far-fetched evidence, most scholars do not agree with this theory. On the other hand, the arguments proving that Wu Chengen is the author of "Journey to the West" seem to be more numerous and more convincing. The main ones are: 1. Wu Chengen's personal situation is completely consistent with the characteristics of the creator of "Journey to the West". Second, it provides more reasonable explanations for various doubts that are consistent with the actual situation. The third, and most convincing, is the study of dialects in various texts of Journey to the West. After 1980, research in this area made breakthrough progress, proving almost irrefutably that Wu Chengen was the author of "Journey to the West". (For related research, please refer to Liu Xiuye's works and Yan Jingchang's "Journey to the West" Poetry Rhythm and Author Issues)
So it is now generally believed that religion was prevalent in the Ming Dynasty, and it is related to the Tang Dynasty Master Xuanzang's journey to the West to learn Buddhist scriptures. Biographies, legends and other religious legends and folk stories are widely circulated in society. It was under this social and cultural background that Wu Chengen used the above-mentioned biographies, legends and stories as materials to create the novel "Journey to the West" we see today. 》.
After Wu Chengen's re-conception, organization and writing, compared with the previously circulated biographies, legends, stories and commentaries, the novel "Journey to the West" is not only much richer in content, the storyline is more complete and rigorous, and the characters are more vivid. It is lively and full, the imagination is more colorful, and the language is simple and accessible. More importantly, the novel "Journey to the West" has reached unprecedented heights in terms of ideological and artistic realm. It can be said that he is a master of all things.
Wu Chengen (about 1504-about 1582), named Ruzhong, was born in Sheyangshan, and was a native of Huai'an, Jiangsu.
Wu Cheng'en was about 40 years old before he was able to make up for one year old Gongsheng student. He went to Beijing to wait for an official position, but was not selected. Because his mother's hometown was poor, he became a Changxing County magistrate. He was eventually falsely accused and was demoted two years later. He "went home" and made a living by selling literature in his later years. He lived to be nearly 80 years old.
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Please see: Red Learning
In the early 20th century, the question "Who is the author of Dream of Red Mansions?" once caused a debate in Chinese academic circles, and this debate still exists today. It can be roughly divided into two theories: first, the Dream of Red Mansions was written by Cao Xueqin; second, the author of Dream of Red Mansions was someone else.
As for the Dream of Red Mansions itself, it is said in the first chapter: The real author of this story is no longer known. It was copied, reviewed, added and deleted several times by Cao Xueqin. Generally speaking, it is a mainstream view that Cao Xueqin is the author of this book.
Cao Xueqin (?1715?1716?1724?1725?—?1763?1764?), whose given name was Zhan, whose courtesy name was Mengruan, and whose nicknames were Xueqin, Qinpu and Qinxi. His ancestral home is Liaoyang. The ancestors were originally Han Chinese, and later became flag-registered and became Zhengbai Banner. A famous writer in the Qing Dynasty of China. The author of the classic "A Dream of Red Mansions".
Gao E (about 1738 - about 1815), a Manchu, was a writer of the Qing Dynasty. The other word is Lanshu, and the other word is Yunshi. His ancestral home is Tieling, Liaoning. He is the author of 40 sequels to "A Dream of Red Mansions".