四大名著 英文版

四大名著 英文版 No.1 The Dream of Red Chamber Once upon a time the goddess Nv Gua level several thousands pieces of stone to repair the damage post of heaven. One extra stone that did not fit and as discard at the foot of a mountain. This ethereal stone discover a lovely but frail but celestial camp by the river of the spirits in the west. Everyday it watered the plants with sweet dew the plant nourished by the dew took essence of heaven and earth. After centuries of polishing the stone took on human forms and descended to earth and becoming the hero and heroin of the dream of the red chamber a complex brilliant and profound drama. Among the Chinese classics the dream of the red chamber has been most widely red and studied by the general public and scholars its conception in the later part of the 18th century. Besides its mythical beginning more then 400 human characters come to life in the Jia palace throughout the one hundredth and twenty chapters of this book. They vividly and realistically unveil a pure world and the spiritual world and the love and hatred and the good and evil desiccant and consonant. For over one hundredth years the dream of the red chamber has attracted millions of people from all walks of life. It especially appeals to young people because the entire antagonist in the story is young as well. The book is a masterpiece due to its vast repertoire and reservoir of artistic achievements the bound philosophy of life simultaneously coupled with a compelling love story. The hero of the dream of the red chamber is the human form of the discard ethereal stone. He was born holding a precious stone in his mouth and so named Bao Yu precious stone. He is the lifeblood of the Jia family protagonist of the love story and preacher of the philosophy of life. The main plot of the novel is the entangle love triangle among Bao Yu the imperial stone Xian Yu the transform celestial plant and Dai Yuthe destine earthly love possessing the gold medallion with an inscription matching the one on the precious stone from the couple. The secondary plot evolves around the rise and decline of the Jia family. A series of events of characters unfold around these two plots the detailed and structured analysis of the entwined relationships among the novels innumerous characters. Enable the readers to get a thrall understanding of the rise and decline of a prominent family and a taste of love and hatred joy and sorrow and reunion and separation. The author Cao Xue-qin was born in the early part of the 18th century during the period of emperor Kong Xi and died in the 27th year of reign of emperor Chin in the Ching dynasty. Historical research reveals that the personal experiences of the authors bare striking similarities to the events setting of this novel. Bao Yu is protagonist was a pampered child who faced high expectations he took no interest in fame or wealth but rather indulged himself in the company of androgen of female playmate from both high and low classes. He proclaimed that girls are creatures of water and that he could feel that freshness and cleanliness. Whereas men are the beams of slim he was overwhelmed by turbulence and filthiness merely by catching a sight of them. This is not a casual remark dropped by our hero. Indeed his whole life from his thoughts and feelings to his expressions and demeanor evolved around his contempt for fame and wealth His devotion to love and soul and his conspicuous opposition to patriarchal tradition. The author successfully portrays many distinct female characters beaming with talent pose innocents and grace. Each drawing her own crowd the most important character other the leading male role of Bao Yu are twelve young ladies known as the twelve beauties of the imperial mausoleum. One of the distinct characteristics of this book is the great esteem given to women. In this book even those chambermaids with rather low social status are given distinctive and unforgettable personalities. Being upright passionate loyal capable and efficient, Worth mentioning are the poem that the characters every count event. The author's literary feats enable him to weave poetry in the pros and bleat personality and talent by presenting their inner woes. In a reflection of cultural and spiritual life of his time these poems for shadow the future developments of the plot as well as the fate of the books characters. The elder daughter of the Jia family was name Yuan Chun and she was exulted as an imperial consort and granted a visit to her family. This family was wealthy and aristocratic and built a splendid and magnificent park to welcome her so those he young girls determined Bao Yu moved into the park. And in their new living quarters they enjoyed freedom like never before so they transformed the park into a kingdom of youth till it was passing dreams laughter and tears. The luxurious park then became a venue for gathering and as well as parties but however their heathenish lifestyle kept interrupting life styles of the family eventually drove was their downfall. The luxurious park became a venue for frequent gathering and feasts, the promulgate and corrupting lifestyle of the family manifested in every gathering and feast sowed the seed of its ruin. I buried the flower petals today they laugh at my foolishness when I die who will tend my tomb. A poem written by Dai Yu her proclivity for being over sensitive and sentimental and her forlorn childhood are embodied in this poem. Orphaned and wretched; she was taken in by her maternal grandmother at a young age. She is a gifted beauty, proud a luck and eccentric but fragile and delicate. Thou her heart beats in harmony with Dai Yushe was thawed to her lifetime pursuit of perfect love. Owing largely to her external factors and partly to her own personality flaws. This poem represents a self-fulfilling prophecy of her tragic destiny. Another hero Bao Chai is total different from Dai Yu except for her literary gift of beauty. She stands out among her peer as a worldly calm sedate an elegant young woman. Thou attractive and charming she lack the chased and romantic qualities of Dai Yu. Measured against traditional female virtues her disposition and demeanor make her the perfect candidate for the wife of a young aristocrat. In an arranged wedding, Bao Yu married her. At the same time seaming joyful and lively moments the exhausted and desperate Dai Yu approaches the end of their life in complete isolation. In addition to the tortured past by the leading characters every single person experienced there own ups and downs. Conflicts suffering and struggles start a few roads of life in there wonderful life. And so the paradise no longer can stand up to the impact of the outside world. Finally the Jia family abandons the palace and the splendor of it was lost forever. So this story depicts the rise and fall of the Jia family and its members. Along with the family the declining fame and wealth the dark and desolate shadow is cast over Eden where the young members of the family take refuge. Under the same clear sky with the same moonlight hearing the same music the same people same feast but not the same atmosphere. Nor the same feeling everyone know deep in their hearts that this mundane earthly beauty delight will soon vanish. Having lived through a separation and death and the decline of family our hero Bao Yu finally came to understand the emptiness of a material world. After he fulfilled his filial duties by marrying chi the women handpicked by his parents and passing his examinations for civil servant he returned to his spiritual origin and became a monk. The story has now came full circle the precious stone eventually reverts to its ethereal address the tragic twist to the ending of the book brakes away from the shackles of traditional Confucian values and conventional happy endings. In the dream of the red chamber the author communicates the deception of life and denounces the material world. He successfully depicts and portrays the characters and allows the reader to identify with family member's friends and relatives and give the book influences that are positive as well as an outlet. No.2 Romance of the Three Kingdoms First of the five great works of traditional prose fiction, this master narrative transforms history into epic and has thereby educated and entertained readers of five centuries with unforgettable exemplars of martial and civic virtue, of personal fidelity and political treachery. "The empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide. Thus it has ever been." Echoing the rhythms of Chinese history itself, the monumental tale Three Kingdoms begins. As important for Chinese culture as the Homeric epics have been for the West, this fourteenth-century masterpiece continues to be loved and read throughout China today. Three Kingdoms portrays a fateful moment at the end of the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220) when the future of the Chinese empire lay in the balance. Fearing attacks by three rebellious states, the emperor sent out an urgent appeal for support. In response, three young men - the aristocratic Liu Xuande, the fugitive Lord Guan, and the pig butcher Zhang Fei - met to swear eternal brotherhood and fealty to their beleaguered country. Their vow set in motion the series of events that ultimately resulted in the collapse of the Han. Writing centuries later, Luo Guanzhong drew on, often-told tales of this turbulent period to fashion a sophisticated narrative of loyalty and treachery, triumph and defeat, that came to epitomize all that was best and worst in the life of his country. "Three Kingdoms is the tale (part historical, part legend and myth) of the fall of the Later Han Dynasty of China. It chronicles the lives of those feudal lords and their retainers who tried to either replace the empire or restore it. While the novel actually follows literally hundreds of characters, the focus is mainly on the 3 families who would eventually carve out the 3 kingdoms from the remnants of the Han. The Liu family in the Shu kingdom led by Liu Bei, The Cao family in Wei led by Cao Cao, and the Sun family in Wu eventually led by Sun Quan. The book deals with the plots, personal and army battles, intrigues, and struggles of these families to achieve dominance for almost 100 yrs. This book also gives you a sense of the way the Chinese view their history: cyclical rather than linear (as in the West). The first and last lines of the book sum this view up best: 'The empire long united must divide...' and 'The empire long divided must unite...' If you are at least a little interested in Chinese history (ancient or modern) and culture this book is a must read." Water Margin No.3 Tale of In the final years of the song dynasty china was in a state of political and social turmoil. Besides frequent foreign invasion and a large number of man made and natural disasters there were also constant pheasant rebellion. In order to transform society and make it more equitable and human 108 heroes joined together in Shan-dong province Liang Shan to oppose the local officials and genitures. Thus began the corsages and moving drama on which the novel water margin is based. Water margin is title Shui-Hu-Zhuan in Chinese and in English it is called all men are brothers o r outlaws of the heart. The story originated and was widely told during the northern Tang dynasty. In the early years of the Yuan dynasty from 1271-1368 A.D., Legend has it that Shi Nai-an compiled and edited this long novel. People say that the story of heroes of the greenwoods who are leading characters of water margins is Chinas greatest novel of chivalry. Water margin is based on popular folk tales and fully reflects the thoughts and feelings prevalent at the time. Most importantly the novel depicts comrades among these men and the spirit of justice and accordance to the traditional ideals of the pheasants. Therefore a water margin has gained wide acceptances among the city dwellers as well. Readers can easily imagine that they are fond of the hidden world of the underworld and feel the vigorous life force of the common people the story begins in the Northern Song capital Bian Jing, which is now Kaifeng. Arriving at the river on tomb sweeping day he picked the landscape of the Northern Song capitol Bian Jing. Rows of shops the hustle and bustle of large crowed that painting fully displayed Bian Jing flourishing economy and vibrant culture. Yet behinds this prosperous background many lurking dangers lay buried beneath the surface. Because of the power of the Northern Song dynasty much of the empire northern territory was occupied by several barbarian tribes. At the same time the song court was being bankrupt by corrupt ministers who greatly abused their power. In this society corrupt officials and so-called gentleme n of aristocracy constantly bully the weak and cost untold hardship among the peasant In water margin there is a song that movingly portrays that this affection and misery faced by the. Scorching sun burning like inferno rice stocks have weathered and in unending fields. The famous heart fill like flowing water while young aristocracies wait for time. Since the local authorities in Liang Shan-po see them as bandits the common people call them good men. And consider them heroes moreover the peasant perceive that these man have become outlaws not to rob or plunder but to fulfill a much higher purpose. In the absent of a just society they are forced to join together as brothers for a common purpose and mission. As the heroes travel the rebel's roads their actions are easily identified with and moving to the common people. (Liang Shan-po) The leader of the Liang Shan is nick named kindly reign does this name express his ability to give aid in an emergency? Or head off danger or to head of at the right time to lend a helping hand? Originally Song Jiang was a district magistrate with absolutely no intentions of becoming a rebel. However seeing the corruption of the government that caused the peasants a great deal of suffering and misery. Song deeply regretted his inability to effect change so Song picked up a pen and paper and wrote a poem to voice his aspirations and to criticize the government. After publishing the poem song was tried and sentenced to death but on the eve of his scheduled execution. Song Jiang was saved by Lee Kui a member of the Liang Shan brotherhood and led off to the safety of the mountain. After his escape song became boss of the cruse warring on behalf of heaven. I will protect the land and the safety of the people. Encountering great calamities it is a common fate forcing most of the leading characters in water margin with extreme measures. A prime example is the all-inspiring Ling Chong nick named panther??s head. Ling Chong was a general and chief instructor with eighty thousand men and imperial guards. Ling misfortunes started on the day that his beautiful wife went to the temple to worship and burn incense. There a field martial stepson and saw ling spouse and immediately became infatuated with her. In order to take Ling Chong wife by force the field martial used his power to set a deadly trap by falsely accusing ling of attempting to assassinate him. As a result Ling Chong was banishe d to a frontier garrison in Cang Chow. Not happy with the punishment the field marshal set out by hook or foot to kill Ling Chong on the road to his new post. Fortunately, Ling was rescued by his sworn brothers allowing Ling to escape certain death. However, Thinking that her husband dead ling spouse took her own life in order to keep a widow virtue. The resistant felt over the destruction of this family was beyond his endurance and as a result Ling Chong went to Liang Shan-po to join rebel camp. Trouble and strife by the leading characters in the water margin enlisted the government sympathies from peasants who confronted the same life of hardship desiccants and corruption's. The feeling of starvation grief and indication aroused sympathetic understanding and response from the readers as well. Shui-Fu-Zhuan was expressing themselves out with the talent of fighting the evil empire they won the peoples activation from the government point of view these men were insurgents and condemned. It seem that al the people who receive protection from these heroes that were eternally grateful to them and for this reason every time the heroes came to wilderness they save somebody killed the wicked or defeated government troops. But the common people did not help but shout bravo! Bravo! The playboy monk Ru Zhi-Shen is one of water margins most unforgettable characters. Although he is a monk Ru Zhi-Shen is unable to avoid the ways of the flesh. Once while helping other on the road Ru was forced to kill a man. Putting him into a great deal of trouble by not obeying the Buddhist provision against killing. He does not live up to the strike moral principle of a monk. However Wu fearless spirit and reckless regard for his own personal safety cause him to admit right as a result Ru develops the noble aspirations to actively save the world. Upon hearing the sound of tsunami in Liu-he pagoda in kong cho. Ru Zhi-Shen realized that he was near death there upon move the incense and unhurriedly said good by. In this scene it is as Ru Zhi-Shen had been promoted to pallet. Such an ending shows that the author of water margin puts Ru Zhi-Shen in the highest respect and regard. Always loyal and faithful to Song Jiang demonstrating his simple and tame nature Lee Kui once said he wanted to kill all the evil people under heaven cut away all the evil things in the world. Lee Kui brave and fierce temperament his lack of fear for both heaven and earth earned him the nicks name cyclone. Lee Kui possesses an indomitable sprit and an enthusiasm for life. Lee Kui saved Song Jiang??s life about the same time the mountain fortress Liang Shan-po was established and in the end Lee Kui fallow Song Jiang in death. This apt demonstrated that Lee Kui is commendable loyalty and his spirit of righteousness. One of the most colorful members of the Liang Shan crews a man who could hit the target with the arrow on every shot. And a marked wrestler who is said to be invincible and a champion of the empire was none other then the tiger beating hero song who was one of the original members of the brotherhood. Who took on the oath to go threw fire and water to live and die together? To under go the same trials and share the same glory this enterprise of justice can be likened to great forest. The more it burned the more worrisome it became. Established exile virtue and men the Al-Shen- society was no a place for refuges or couples. Nor was it considered a hermit cave the most sacred ideal justice honors and free will. The brotherhood of men together in mind and spirit resisted the evil empire and that was the most moving aspect of the water margin. Moreover in the realm of language water margin exercises unparallel skill using colloquial language to vivify everyday life. And the result is that it reaches lofty highest and articulate achievement. In the chapter where Wu Song beats the tiger with his bare hands at Jin Yang Mountains The authors uses refined pros to give a step by step chronicles of Wu fighting the tiger. From a time when he did not believe there was a tiger on the mountain to the time he did Wu Song never turned back. Wu used a wooded club to beat the tiger bloody and when his club snapped he used his hands. As the scene builds to its frightening climax the vestige of the extraordinary brave hero becomes and more distinct and polite. Liang Shan 180 heroes have once beaten the governor's troops on several occasions. However they were never able to depart from traditional teaching of loyalty to the throne and service to the nation. Many chose amnesty and submission for the court. Yet the government was after all truly cruel even after Liang Shan heroes became government troops no matter how many times they risked there lives in battle they were never fully trusted again. In the end they died or were scattered to the winds. Some of the heroes died and some vanished and were never heard from again. The formally grand formidable heroes of Liang Shan vanished like smoke. Although the solution band of chivalry disintegrated like a dream the exploits of 108 men could never be silent. For the past several hundredth years the hero have continued to live in the hearts of many people. So much so that these fictional characters from the novel have transformed into flesh and blood spirit and emotion they have become immortal heroes. In pursuit of universal truth and justice had been the never-ending aspirations of human kind. Water margin itself effectively uses the power of literature to renew and refresh the pursuit. The novel is comforting to the human spirit and encourages the people to greater face the ideals of truth and break threw the barriers in their way. Although water margins belong to a time long ago and far awa y, as we look at the world today you and I still have a vision of heaven in our hearts as long as ideals of justice remains alive in the world the heroes of water margins also stay alive. No. 4 Journey to the West Journey to the west is a historic Chinese novel that is considered one of the four classics from the Ming Dynasty. These novels along with the golden lotus water margins as well as the romances of the three kingdoms have won popular acclaim from generation to generation. Journey to the west is a combination of myth parable and comedy. It is a story about a Buddhist monk and bunch of animals with human characteristic. The animals actually in the story are a very fairy tale type of mood and they traveled west to India to find Buddhist scriptures. The animals themselves are celestial being in mortal forms and they have magical powers that protect them from the goblins and the evil spirits. Author Wu Cheng-en writings create an imaginary world that creates a life like with the absurd giving us a glance of the different sides of human nature. Monkey was created out of a rock. He not only has the sharp wit and an unruly nature of a monkey but also extra ordinary powers that he uses to overcome demons and monsters. Pig sets off his pig like clumsiness with the disposition that is the epitome of honesty and directness. He is always making a mess out of things and generating a lot of humor in the process. Before the monk can find the scriptures he must surmounts 81 obstacles including overcoming such supernatural beings as cow demon the spider beast and a living skeleton. These obstacles symbolize the difficulties and challenges that people meet in the course of ideals. The character is the main reason that journey to the west keeps reader in thrall. The book gets more then and uproars comedy. It gives us readers an unforgivable insight into life itself. As for the historical record of journey to the west let's go back to the Tang dynasty. History actually recalls the Buddhist monk master Shan-chang or master Xuan Zhuang who crossed he mighty desert to reach the India continent during the Tang dynasty. 19 years later he came back to china with over 600 Buddhist scriptures. So the factual basis of journey to the west was born. However master Xuan Zhuang actually was a little bit different from master san tong. Who was actually a fictional character created by the author? In a novel, Tang Shan-chang maybe a monk on a daring mission to find Buddha scriptures. But he is also a faint-hearted hypocrite who lacks transcendent insight and lives life in pectoral fear. He is kind and compassionate but his inability to distinguish between true and false hood make him all to susceptible to pig's effort to sew this court. The result is that he wrongly distresses monkey who can see through the bio schemes of evil spirits and demons. But of course when he has fallow blindly in the trap of some fin or other it is always monkey that fall back on for help. Actually the character of the monk happens to be quite similar to the mythical scholar although he is an idealist at heart he is as weak as a kitten and just sets there helplessly for rescue when he gets into a predicament. The author is perhaps making a sly jab at the incompetent rulers of his time. But if Tang Shan-chang is evaluated purely from his viewpoint of religion or spiritual attainment he appears as not a saintly monk but rather an ordinary man. So monkey is the real hero in journey to the west. Monkey is created from a rock on enchanted mountain and because of his courage and insight is later anointed by his peers as king. But one day in a flash of enlightenment, this glorious monkey king see that life is a very temporary thing and that the delights of his timely existence in the area mountain tree cannot go on forever. Amazingly he gives it all up to find a master who can guide him on to the path of spiritual motivation. Monkey is gifted with intelligence and agility both mentally and physically. So he puts his talents to use by mastering his skills of wizardry to the point of where he can transform himself 72 times in a blink of an eye. He has a magic wan that can shrink smaller the pen or expand till it is like a club of bronze and a magic cloud that can take him up to the heavens or down to the bales of the earth. The monkey still retains his mischievous and playful temperament of his fellow apes. His intelligence and child like naughtiness are reviled when he does things like deliberately sending pig to scan the near by mountain and then transforming himself into an insect to keep an eye on his indolent companion. Fearing nothing the monkey would play in the palace of the sea god in heaven or in Hades itself. He even makes a bet with Buddha. His is a rebellious character that will just not bow to established rules. Full of life and filled with spirit as well as being sincere and optimistic in nature, he is not bothered by suffering and is always ready to face up to new challenges. This kind of wiliness to forge ahead maybe the stuff those heroes are made out of. But it carries with it a weakness of arrogance impulsiveness and a desire to excel over others. Pig fills a role that symbolizes the desire to comfort and pleasure. He to has magical powers but it is just not the same as monkey. Who makes him seem naive and clumsy by comparison monkey just love to tease him so pig does his level best to be a thorn in monkeys side by telling lies about him to tong song jon. Pig is a lazy gluttonous that needs his material comforts when it comes to trouble he just can't hold his side up so is always first to call on for help. During their journey he nearly cast his companion in his own spiritual cultivation inside. When he falls for enticement of beautiful women and riches. But if finally turns out to be all work of Buddha salvia that has come to test him. Yet thanks to the author pig ludicrous behavior brings an ironic smile to the readers face rather then a frown of disapproval because while pig makes a laughing stock of him self-the reader is reminded of the covetous raspy nature that empathy the human condition. Another character that appears quite less frequently is friar san when he does take the stage. His quite resolute and down to nature are readily apparent. Actually In journey of the west is purification of the mind so that the entire expedition to find Buddha scriptures is actually a way of achieving spiritual goodness. So in this play three arrogant weakness laziness even ignorance they are all weakness of human nature that requires spiritual correction. However honesty goodness and courage are all our friends in the depths of our soul. And this way the journey to the west the various characters in battle with evil and they teach us that in human life it is possible and temper ourselves to achieve ideals and goodness.