CHINESE LITERATURE

China

 is one of the four oldest civilizations in the world, along with

Mesopotamia, India, Egypt.
 4 ancient civilizations = CHINA, MESOPOTAMIA, INDIA &
EGYPT
 The Peoples Republic of China (whole name of china)
 Beijing is the capital; largest city by population is Shanghai.
 October 1 is their Nationals Day; biggest national festival is the Chinese
New Year. (last for 15 days)
 It also has 56 ethnic groups living in China.
 Yellow River and Yangtze River is the two main river in China.
 1.3 billion is the China's population (present). One of the four biggest
country in the world. (CHINA – 4TH)
 Calligraphy was invented in China; Mandarin is their national language
though they have 7 languages.
 A country which had the most maximum bordering countries -- 14
countries (neighboring) India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan,
Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan,
Russia, Mongolia, North Korea

 Flag of China was originally adopted on October 1, 1949

 The red of the Chinese flag symbolizes the Communist Revolution, and also the
tradition color of the people.
 The large gold star represent Communism and Communism means a way of
organizing a society in which a government own
 The four smaller stars represent the social classes of the people.
 The Republic of China has an area of 9, 597 million sq. km, and the capital city of
China is Beijing or Peking
Chinese civilization – one of the few ancient civilization to have its individual writing
concept. The Chinese language has over 20,000 characters (included in the dictionary) the
average Chinese only learns about 5,000 of these in his lifetime.

 Chinese characters - 50,000 characters in total; if you are educated you can
memorize 8,000 characters; 5,000 characters (common/normal people);
 and you need to memorize 2,000-3,000 Chinese characters to read a
newspaper.

Chinese civilization – started on 1600 – 221 BC

 originated in Yellow River

The famous landmark in China is the Great Wall of China (also known as the "Ten
Thousand Li Wall". One Li is equals to 500 meters, the walls is over 1,500 miles in
length.

 8,851 KM – Great Wall of China – nagpatayo : Emperor Qin Shi Huang

 Qin Dynasty - sinimulang itayo ang Great Wall of China
 Reason : para maprotekthan ang China sa mga Northern invaders
 Inabot ng 6 dynasty before natapos magawa
 2,000 years inabot bago natapos
 400, 000 people (mostly soldiers & prisoners) gumawa ng Great Wall of China
 2,300 YEARS OLD
 Biggest man-made structure na makikita sa Space

 The administration of China has 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4

municipalities and 2 special administrative regions.
 The religions and beliefs of Chinese people are Islam over 22 million, Catholicism
is 4 million and Protestant over 10 million.
 There are also Atheist who doesn’t believe in God.
  Confucianism – an ethical teaching founded by Confucius. Confucius is a
Chinese Teacher, editor, politician and philosopher of the spring and autumn
period of Chinese history.
 The opposite of Confucianism is Taoism (Lao Tzu) and the most important religion
that encompasses a variety of tradition and beliefs and spiritual practices largely
based on teaching attributed to the Buddha.

 Taoism founder -- Lao Tzu

 Confucianism (also the biggest religion in China) – social harmony while
Taoism/Daoism is about becoming one with the nature – Buddha (pinaniniwalaan)

 13 dynasties in total then on 1912 last dynasty ends

Three Kingdoms – known as 6th dynasty

Xia Dynasty – was the 1st dynasty
 walang documents/evidence na nag exist na magsusupport na may
Xia Dynasty

Confucius
 born 28 of September 551 BC, KONG QUI the 1st name and died 479 BC.
 he is the founder of Confucianism – pinakamalaking religion sa China
 Influences - 1 Ching, Book of Rites his philosophy emphasized personal and
governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity.
 his followers completed successfully with many other school during the hundred
school of thoughts era only to be suppressed in favor of the legalists during the Qin
dynasty (parang kamay na bakal)
 He also recommend family as a basis for local government.
 he embrace the well-known principle " Do not do unto others what you don’t want
others to do unto you” – the Golden Rule.

Culture and traditions of Chinese in wedding.

  Red is the color of wedding in China because they believe it signifies love, joy, and
prosperity to seclusion.
 Seclusion means away from other people.
 The wedding day is carefully chosen to astrological signs.
 The most important event in China is the Chinese New Year and they are celebrating
it on the 1st day of the year in lunar calendar, usually between late in January or
early February.
 They also have the Lantern Festival and they are celebrating it on the 15th day of the
1st Lunar Calendar and in the 5th of 5th Lunar Month they are celebrating the Dragon
Boat.

LIST OF 7 REGIONAL CHINESE DIALECTS:

 Putonghua (Mandarin)
 Gan/ Kan
 Xiang
 Yue (Cantonese)
 Hakka (Keija)
 Min (Fujanese)
 Wu (Shanghainese)

Chinese literature is one of the major literary heritages of the world, with an
uninterrupted history of more than 3,000 years, dating back at least to the 14th Century BCE.

1. The Chinese Classical Literature (1644- 1911) - refers to the earliest period and covers
works from 3,000 yeas ago to the late Qing dynasty and is virtually unbroken strands
enduring dynastic changes. Written in ancient form of language that is very different from
present day Chinese, it needs to be carefully studied to be understand.

Formal Chinese Characters - used during this period (kaya medyo mahirap)

2. Chinese Modern Literature - refers to the period from the Opium War in 1840 to the
may fourth movement in 1919.
*Opium War- this is the war between two wars in the mid 19th century involving Anglo
Chinese dispute over the British. People observed the impact of Western thought as foreigners
poured China and established their colonies, novels, poetry and other works begun to appear with
the theme of patriotism and revelation of social literature.

3. Contemporary Literature (1919-1949) - spanned period from 1919 to the foundation of

modern in 1949 and took on a new vigor despite the fact that Chinese was in the checkered and
complicated times.

4. Present Age Literature (1949- present) - evolved since the establishments of the People's
Republic in 1949 during this time. - there was a Logjam as a consequence of the cultural
resolution that lasted for near 10 years that era is now long past and we now have a favorable
tum events and a great number of responsible written works.

Three Kingdoms - Six dynasty

Xia Dynasty - 1st dynasty (walang artifacts)

7 regional dialects

Shang Dynasty (about 1700-1050 BC) walang documents na nag exist pero may artifacts na
nagsusupport na may Shang Dynasty

 Shang Dynasty (about 1700-1050 BC) – Development of Chinese Writing.

 The first dynasty for which there is and historical and archaeological evidence is the
Shang Dynasty.
 It was a small empire in central China.
 No documents from that country survive, but there are archaeological finds of
hieroglyphic writing on bronze wares and oracle bones.
 The hieroglyphics writing system later evolved into ideographic and partly-phonetic
Chinese characters.
 Artifacts

Zhou Dynasty (1045-255 BC)

Basic Philosophical and Religious Literature

 • Their dynasty lasted for about 800 years. The great literary works of and religion that
became the basis for Chinese religious and social belief stem from what is called the
Spring and Autumn Period (770-476) and the Warring States Period (475-221).

 Taoism, Confucian literature, and other prominent religious and philosophical schools
all emerged during these periods.

 Confucius and Lao Tzu – nabuhay during Zhou dynasty

 Battle of Muye – na-overthrowned ng Zhou Dynasty ang Shang Dynasty

Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC)

Literary Disaster and Legalism

 This Dynasty had big armies and conquered the others.
 Once the Ch’in emperor had control, he wanted to keep it, and they squelched any
opposition to his authority.
 A big philosophical and religious school then was called Mohism.
 An early form of Buddhism was also established in China at that time, but their temples
and literature were destroyed and even less is known about them.
 Pinasunog ang mga gawa ni Confucius
 Believed on religious beliefs of Shen and yin; Shen mean human spirit;
yin – darkness or shadow.
 Qin Shi Huang – first person who had a power over China; he practiced legalism which
demand that absolute obedience on his law; ‘pag sinalungat mo s’ya bibitayin or
papatayin ka kaya naging peaceful ang China

Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD)

Scientific and Historical Texts

 The Han Dynasty era lasted for 400 years.
  At the beginning of the era, Confucianism was revived. Confucian texts were
rewritten and republished.
 The resulting ideology was the official ideology of the Han Dynasty and political
thinking afterwards.
 The era’s major contributions were historical texts and scientific works.
 Lui Bang - namuno, a peasant – emperor

Tang Dynasty (618-907)

Early Woodblock Printing and Poetry

 The Tang Dynasty had a big empire that benefited from trade with the west along the
Silk Road, battled with the Tibetan Empire and experienced the growing influence of
organized Buddhist religions.
 This era’s main to Chinese literature was in the poetry of Dufu, Li Bai and many other
poets. Dufu and Li Bai are often thought of as China’s greatest poets.

Literary works
Nagkaroon ng kauna-unahang babaeng emperor - Empress Wu Zetian

Song Dynasty (960-1279)

Early Woodblock Printing, Travel Literature, Poetry, Scientific Texts and the Neo-
Confucian Classics.

 Military technology greatly advanced. They traded little with the west due to the
presence of warring Muslim states on the old trade routes.
 There wasn't territorial expansion, but the empire was continuously attacked by
nomadic tribes and countries around them.
 So the era is divided into two eras called the Northern Sung (960-1127) and
Southern Sung (1127-1279) eras.
 Military technology
 Kauna-unahang nagkaroon ng Standing navy
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)

Novels

 The Chinese rebelled the Mongols, and the Ming Dynasty era about 1368.
 One of the four great classics called Journey to the West about a monk going to India
was written during this time of isolation.
 Novels were the era’s main contribution.
 Ginawa ‘yung one of the most influential book of China - Journey to the West.

Chinese Mythology

Did you know that they are over 200 gods and goddesses worship throughout in
Ancient China? And they are only the popular ones. If we are going to count every single god,
there will be thousands.
These deities were believed to have created the world we live in today, each god or deity
have his or her own unique power and responsibilities.
They can control the sky, manipulate the sea and destroy earth itself and many more.

Major Deities

1. PANGU
Pangu ( 盤古) is an ancient Chinese deity considered to be the first living being and
creator of the world. Emerging from an egg containing the entire cosmos, his birth released
the universe.
Descriptions: Hairy, short, stout, horned and associated with the Yin and Yang Concept.
 Pangu is comprised of the Chinese characters pán (盤), meaning to “coil,” and
gǔ (古), meaning “ancient.”

 A festival celebrating Pangu is held each year at Pangu King Temple in

Guangdong Province.

 He never had any children, and as such lacks any familial relations.
  Nevertheless, Pangu remains beloved by many and is usually seen as a
benevolent and innocent deity.

2. FUXI (father of humankind)

Fuxi (伏羲), is considered one of humanity’s original ancestors in Chinese mythology,

as well as China's first hero and one of the most powerful gods. He is responsible for the
invention of the writing system, fishing, and the domestication of animals.

Fuxi is often portrayed in art as having the head of a human and the body of a snake
— like his sister, Nüwa. 

 The Invention of Fishing and Trapping

 The Bagua (八卦) or Eight Trigrams
The symbols are made of three broken or unbroken lines and are meant to
represents the 8 fundamental principles of reality
 The Domestication of Livestock
 The Creation of Mankind
 A month-long festival is held from February 2 to March 3 of the lunar calendar to
honor Fuxi at his temple in Tianshui City.

3. NUWA (mother of humankind)

In Chinese mythology, Nüwa (女媧), also known as Empress Wa, is the creator of all
mankind and both sister and wife of the hero Fuxi (伏羲). She is most well-known for her
role in the creation myth and for repairing the Pillars of Heaven.

The People of Clay

After Pangu (盤古) emerged from his mythical egg and created the physical universe, the
earth separated from the heavens and became a beautiful place full of lush, green vegetation, vast
rivers, tall mountains, and all sorts of animals.
One day, Nüwa decided to go for a walk in the woods among the mountains and animals.
As she walked along, she was suddenly overcome with loneliness. Even though everything
around her was strikingly beautiful, Nüwa had no one to keep her company. She decided to
pause along the banks of a river and began to make figures out of clay from the mud.
At first she began to make easy shapes like chickens and sheep, and though they amused
her, she soon became bored with them. Gazing into the river and seeing her reflection, she was
struck with inspiration. Why not make clay figures that looked like her?
She began to shape the mud into figures with faces, arms, hands, and legs. To her
delight, they began to dance and talk with her when she put them on the ground. She
decided to name them humans (人).
 Nüwa was so excited by her creation that she made clay figures until her hands hurt. She
took the end of a rope, dipped it in the mud, and began to swing it around her head forming blobs
of sticky mud around her. It is said that highborn, noble people are descendants of those that
Nüwa created by hand, while working class people were formed from the rope.

 In art, she’s usually depicted as a supernatural creature with a human face and a long
serpentine body but is also sometimes simply drawn as a woman dressed in traditional
Chinese hanfu.

4. Jade Emperor (grandfather of humankind)

The Jade Emperor (玉皇) is one of Chinese mythology’s most important and popular
deities. He is considered to be the ruler of heaven, one of the highest ranking gods, and the
very first of the Chinese emperors.

The Jade Emperor is more commonly referred to as tiān gōng ( 天 公 ), or “heavenly

grandfather.”

The Jade Emperor is married to the Celestial Queen Mother, Xiwangmu (西王母).

The couple are said to have had an enormous amount of children together, and three of their
daughters hold important places in Chinese mythology.

Even today, the Jade Emperor plays a significant role in Chinese life, especially
around Chinese New Year. During the New Year, the Jade Emperor is said to judge the
character of each individual over the past year and punish or reward them accordingly.

5. Xiwangmu (grandmother of humankind)

Xiwangmu ( 西 王 母 ), or Queen Mother of the West, is an ancient Chinese goddess

who tends to the Peaches of Immortality, serves as a guardian to all Daoist women, and is
married to the Jade Emperor. Xiwangmu tends to the Peaches of Immortality and serves as a
guardian to all Daoist women. She also played a key role in giving human emperors the
Mandate of Heaven.

She has complete control over life, death, creation, and destruction. She is married to
the Jade Emperor ( 玉 皇 ) and tends to the Peaches of Immortality in their palace gardens.
Xiwangmu is thought to have once been a wild demon that lived in the mountains and caused
cataclysmic disasters. After repenting her evil ways, she achieved enlightenment and
became a goddess.

Xiwangmu – one way of saying grandmother.

6. Chang’e

The beautiful goddess of the moon, Chang’e ( 嫦 娥 ) is a Chinese deity known for
stealing the elixir of immortality from her husband Hou Yi. Her story plays a pivotal role in
the annual Mid-Autumn Festival and remains popular to this day.

Prior to becoming the spirit of the moon, Chang’e was a woman renowned throughout
China for her beauty. She had pale, milky skin, hair as black as night, and lips like cherry
blossoms.

Dessert – moon cakes

7. Hou Yi

In Chinese mythology, Hou Yi ( 后 羿 ) is considered to be the greatest archer of all

time. He is best known for marrying the moon goddess, Chang’e ( 嫦娥 ), and shooting down
nine of the ten suns.

Chang’e Drinks the Elixir of Immortality

To reward Houyi for his valiant deeds of getting rid of the ten suns, Xiwangmu (西王母)
gave Hou Yi a bottle of her elixir of immortality so that he might return to the Jade Emperor’s
palace as a god. The gift left Hou Yi feeling conflicted. While he wanted to be immortal, he did
not want to leave his wife Chang’e to die alone. He hid the elixir away while he pondered his
decision. Before Hou Yi was able to decide, however, Chang’e stole the vial from him while he
was sleeping.

She drank the contents of the bottle and fled to the moon to escape her husband’s wrath.
Hou Yi was so upset with his wife that he aimed an arrow at her, intending to shoot her down; in
the end, he could not bring himself to do it. After some time and his anger had passed, Hou Yi
started to leave out Chang’e’s favorite desserts and fruits each night to show that he had forgiven
her. Hou Yi’s actions started a tradition that has continued into the modern era. Even
today, people leave offerings to Chang’e during the annual Mid-Autumn Festival.

8. Guanyin

The goddess of mercy and compassion, Guanyin is a key figure in many ancient and
contemporary Chinese myths and legends. Guanyin has the ability to hear the sorrows and
woes of the world and she embodies empathy, kindness, and grace. Stories of Guanyin
often include her sidekick and disciple, Shancai, a formerly crippled Indian boy who was
miraculously healed by Guanyin. The importance and influence of Guanyin can still be felt in
Chinese culture today.
 Her name represents her ability to hear all the cries of suffering in the world and
her infinite compassion. Guanyin is usually depicted wearing a flowing white robe and jade
necklaces. In Chinese culture, the colors white and jade both symbolize purity.

 GUANYIN or GUANYIN PUSA – known for helping the distress, the hunger and
comforting those who needed; popular and loved by all ages as a god
 Symbol of forgiveness

9. Sun Wukong

Sun Wukong ( 孫 悟 空 ), known as the Monkey King, is a Chinese trickster god. He

plays a central role in the 16th-century novel Journey to the West, achieving enlightenment
as Tang Sanzang’s disciple.

Wukong is blessed with unmatched superhuman strength and the ability to

transform into 72 different animals and objects. Each of his hairs have transformative
powers, and he can magically manipulate wind, water and fire as well. Characterized by his
short temper, impatience and proclivity towards anger and to a benevolent, enlightened being. In
Japan, he is known as Son Goku. Sun Wukong is one of the most important and beloved
literary figures in Chinese culture.

 His name meant to represent his virtual journey from an ignorant short-tempered
monkey to a benevolent enlightenment being.

10. Nezha

Nezha ( 哪 吒 ) is a teenage protective deity in Chinese mythology with a rebellious

streak who protects teenagers and professional drivers.

His mother, Lady Yin, was pregnant with Nezha for a startling three years and six
months. When she gave birth, a meaty ball of flesh emerged from her body. Her husband,
thinking that his wife had just given birth to a demon, slashed at the lump of flesh with his
sword. A fully grown boy lept from the ball, bowed and greeted his parents. Shocked at what
they had just witnessed, Nezha’s parents froze with fear. However, a Buddhist monk named
Taiyi Zhenren who helped deliver Nezha told them not to worry and that they had been
blessed with a boy who wielded godly powers. Taiyi Zhenren then decided to take Nezha under
his wing as a disciple. Despite the monk’s kind words, Nezha’s parents would always be a little
bit uncertain about their youngest son.

Nezha Kills the Dragon King’s Son

 One day, Nezha was playing in the surf and noticed a little dragon boy off in the waves.
Nezha was a very lonely child. Very few kids were willing to play with him because of the
strange circumstances of his birth. So, he threw a ball at the dragon boy and asked him if he
wanted to play. The boy, whose name was Ao Bing, was looking for a friend too and joined
him on the surf. Nezha, however, didn’t know his own strength accidentally smothered his new
friend to death while they were play-fighting.

Little did he know that Ao Bing’s father was the East Sea Dragon King, Ao Guang.
Upon learning of his son’s death, Ao Guang was grief stricken and angry beyond reason. Ao
Guang went to Nezha’s parents and demanded retribution—he wanted Nezha to die in return for
his son’s own death. Torrential rains began to pour down from the heavens and Ao Guang
threatened to flood all of China if he didn’t get what he wanted. To save his family and
everyone else in the country, Nezha chose to commit suicide and give his bones and flesh to
Ao Guang as “payment” for his misdeeds. The rains stopped immediately. However, Nezha’s
soul was uneasy since he died at such a young age and couldn’t cross over to the afterlife. One
night, Nezha appeared in a dream to his mother and asked her to build a temple for him so his
soul would have a place to rest.

Delighted that her son wasn’t truly dead, Lady Yin went and commissioned a
temple for her son. His father, however, felt that Nezha had brought too much shame and
dishonor to his family, and took a hammer to the temple and tore it down. After seeing what
his father had done, Nezha was filled with a murderous rage. At the same time, Nezha’s
master Taiyi Zhenren missed his student so much that he decided to reincarnate him out of
a body made from lotus roots. After Nezha was reborn, the monk gifted Nezha a fire-tipped
spear and the Wind Fire Wheels that gave him the ability to move at incredible speeds.
Nezha immediately went to hunt down his father.

When Nezha’s father saw him coming down the road, he started to run for his life. He
found his second youngest son, Muzha, and begged him to defend him against Nezha.
Nezha killed his brother without hesitation and was just about to strike down his father
when he was stopped by two Buddhas, Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun and Randeng Daoren.
Though they agreed that Nezha hadn’t been treated fairly by his father, they reminded him that
killing one’s parents was a grave sin. Realizing that they were right, Nezha decided to
reconcile with his father instead.

Nezha’s story is meant to be an example of filial piety and show that children must
respect their parents, no matter the reason or cost to one’s personal pride.

11. Dragon King

In Chinese mythology, Longwang ( 龍 王 ) is a guardian deity who can control all

dragons, the creatures in the sea, the oceans, and the weather.
DRAGON OF FOUR SEAS
Ao Gu a ng – rules the Eastern Sea
Ao Qin – controls the South Sea
Ao Run – governs the West Sea
Ao Shun – lords over the North Sea

These dragons are the brothers of King Dragon and also they are worshipped.
Those dragon boat appear in China up to this day was inspired to Longwang

12. Zhong Kui

Zhong Kui (鍾馗), known as the demon hunter, is a Chinese deity and folk hero who
fights ghosts. Thwarted by an unsightly appearance as a mortal, he committed suicide, and was
granted supernatural powers in the afterlife.

Zhong Kui’s legend was a tragic one. In ancient times, Zhong Kui and his friend, Du
Ping ( 杜平 ), took the imperial exams. Although Zhong Kui scored at the top of his class, he
wasn’t awarded a position in the emperor’s government. Instead, he was stripped of all honors
because of his unsightly appearance—he had a square face, fish-like eyes, and unkempt hair. He
was so upset about the injustice done to him that he threw himself at the gates of the palace until
his skull broke.

Du Ping took his friend’s body home and laid him to rest. While in Hell, Yan Wang (閻
王) saw Zhong Kui’s potential and named him the King of Ghosts. Zhong Kui then vowed to
use his new status and supernatural abilities to protect the emperor, and all other humans, from
demons and ghosts.

Zhong Kui is still a popular protective deity whose likeness is often hung on the
doors of homes and businesses to defend against malevolent spirits. People seek his help
during the Chinese New Year when they ask him to watch over their homes and families in the
coming year and ward off ghosts and demons that may threaten them.

13. Mazu

In Chinese mythology, Mazu (媽祖) is the goddess of the sea and provides protection
to sailors, fisherman, and travelers. Closely associated with the goddess of
mercy, Guanyin (觀音), Mazu is the patron goddess of sailors, fishermen, and travelers. She
is especially popular in Southern Chinese coastal communities, in places
like Fujian and Macau and overseas Chinese communities. It’s not uncommon to see Mazu
temples or shrines every few miles along Chinese coastal roads.

Mazu’s name is comprised of the characters mā (媽), meaning “mother,” and zǔ (祖)
which means “ancestor.” Before she became a goddess, Mazu’s human name was Lín Mò
(林默), or “Silent Lin.” In Taoism, she is known as Tian Shang Sheng Mu ( 天上聖母), or
“heavenly goddess.” 

14. Eight Immortals

The Ba Xian (八仙), also called the Eight Immortals, are a group of legendary heroes
of ancient times who fight for justice and vanquish evil, according to Chinese mythology.
Popular during the Tang and Shang Dynasties, the Eight Immortals are said to live on a
group of five islands in the Bohai Sea.
Although they have always been an important part of Chinese oral history, their stories were
first recorded by the Ming Dynasty poet Wu Yuantai.

 Like the AVENGERS, they grew to fight justice.

THE WATER MARGIN

• One of the great classical novel of China written by Shi Naian

• Poor governance and corruption in the government
• It was translated in English word as “All Men are Brothers.”
• A novel also written in vernacular Chinese
• Vernacular Chinese is also known as Bai Hua and one of the way of the writing
system in China with the use of language usually spoken of the Chinese and no
formal standard language is used.
• It was a bandit Roman developed in folktales about the real life rebel of Song Jiang
who led a recent upraising in the early 12th century.
• THE OLDEST FULLY PRESERVED VERSION OF THE WATER MARGIN DATE
FROM THE EARLY YEARS OF THE WANLI PERIOD (1573-1620), ALTHOUGH A
FEW CHAPTERS STILL SURVIVE FROM AN EARLIER EDITION.
• THE WATER MARGIN IS ATTRIBUTED TOSHI NAI’AN OF WHOSE LIFE
NOTHING IS RELIABLY KNOWN.
• THE NOVEL IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN REVISED BY LUO GUANZHONG (THE
AUTHOR OF ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS.), BUT IT HAS ALSO
 BEEN CLAIMED THAT LUO COLLABORATED WITH SHI DURING THE
ORIGINAL WRITING.
• ORIGINAL VERSION : 100 CHAPTERS.
Itong the water margin is mayroon syang issue sa authorship kaya sinasabi dito na the novel is
said to have been revised by Luo Guanzhong. So yun yung conflict sa novel na ito na until now
is hindi pa rin napapatunayan na buo talaga itong sinulat ni Shi. Itong water margin kase is my
100 chapters and then many scholars believe that the first 70 chapters were indeed written by Shi
Naian: pero yung remaining 30 chapters yun na yung na question kase maraming nagsasabi na
yung remaining 30 chapters ay si Luo Guanzhong ang sumulat. So si Luo Guanzhong is student
of Shi. So there is another theory noong Ming Dynasty na the water margin is compiled by Shi
and then edited by Luo.
 The foundation of the book is from individual stories of heroes in the corrupt
period of the Song Dynasty. Such stories are popular among the story-tellers from
Yuan to Ming Dynasty. The stories are developed into their matures version by
various generations, and they are well-known among the common people.

 Based on these popular stories, the author of The Water Margin arranges these
popular stories, adding new elements and successfully produces a great novel.
The Song Dynasty nahati sya sa Northern and Southern Song. So Song Dynaty is sobrang
popular yung nagaganap na corruption sa governance na ito. Then itong Water Margin almost
tackle the reality sa Song Dynasty. Nilagyan lamang ng author ng different elements binago
yung ibang scenario and then ina arrange nya yung mga events and nabuo itong great novel na
The Water Margin.
 Eventually the band comes to comprise, aside from the rank and file, 36 main and 72
secondary heroes and heroines, each with his or her unique background.
So dito diba 36 plus 72 is equals to 108. Mag jot down kayo kase super important ng part na toh.
Yung 108 is tinatawag na 108 stars of destiny. Sinasabi na each person’s destiny is tied or
nakatali or nakatadhana na sa Star of Destiny. Yung 108 stars of destiny represents 108 demonic
overlords who were banished by the deity Shangdi. So accidentally na realease NI Marshal Hong
sa confinement itong 108 stars and nung nareborn sila bilang 108 heroes. Nung una ang tawag
sa kanila is 108 stars of destiny and nung nareborn tinawag na silang 108 heroes. Then itong 108
heroes band together for the cause of justice dahil nabanished sila ng deity na si Shangdi. Then
na divide itong 108 na ito sa two groups ang two groups na ito ay tinatawag na 36 Heavenly
Spirits and 72 Earthly friends.

Song Jiang Dong Ping Ruan Xiaowu

Lu Junyi Zhang Qing Zhang Shun
Wu Yong Yang Zhi Ruan Xiaoqi
Gongsun Sheng Xu Ning Yang Xiong
Guan Sheng Suo Chao Shi Xiu
Lin Chong Dai Zong Xie Zhen
Qin Ming Liu Tang Xie Bao
Huyan Zhuo Liu Kui Yan
Qing
Hua Rong Shi Jin
Chai Jin Mu Hong
Li Ying Lei Heng
Zhu Tong Li Jun
Lu Zhishen Ruan Xiaoer
Wu Song Zhang Heng

So ito yung 36 Heavenly spirits and may kanya kanya silang nicknames kindly jot down.
1. Song Jiang nicknamed “Protector of Righteousness,” and “Timely Rain.”
2. Lu Junyi nicknamed “Jade Qilin”
3. Wu Yong nicknamed “Resourceful Star.”
4. Gongsun Sheng nicknamed “Dragon in the Clouds”
5. Guan Sheng nicknamed “Great Blade.”
6. Linchong nicknamed “Panther Head.”
7. Qin Ming nicknamed “Fiery Thunderbolt.”
8. Huyan Zhuo nicknamed “Double Clubs.”
9. Hua rong nicknamed “Little Li Guang.”
10. Chai Jin nicknamed “Little Whirl wind.”
11. Li Ying nicknamed “Striking Hawk.”
12. Zhu Tong nicknamed “Lord of the Beautiful beard.”
13. Lu Zhishen nicknamed “Flowery Monk”
14. Wu Song nicknamed “Pilgrim.”
15. Dong Ping nicknamed “General of Double Spears.”
16. Zhang Qing nicknamed “Featherless Arrow”
17. Yhang Zhi nicknamed “Blue Faced Beast.”
18. Xu Ning nicknamed “Gold Lancer.”
19. Suo Chao nicknamed “Impatient Vanguard.”
20. Dai Zong nicknamed “Magic Traveller.”
21. Liu Tang nicknamed ‘Red Haired Devil.”
22. Liu Kui nicknamed “Black Whirlwind.”
 23. Shi Jin nicknamed “Nine Tattooed Dragons.”
24. Mu Hong nicknamed “Unrestrained.”
25. Lei Heng nicknamed “Winged Tiger.”
26. Liu Jun nicknamed “River Dragon.”
27. Ruan Xiaoer nicknamed “Tai Sui Who Stands His Ground”
28. Zhang Heng nicknamed “Boatman”
29. Ruan Xiaowu nicknamed “Short-lived Second Brother”
30. Zhang Shun nicknamed “White Stripe in the Waves”
31. Ruan Xiaoqi nicknamed “Living King Yama”
32. Yang Xiong nicknamed “Sick Guan Suo.”
33. Shi Xiu nicknamed “Daredevil Third Brother.”
34. Xie Zhen nicknamed “Double-headed Serpent.”
35. Xie Bao nicknamed “Twin-tailed Scorpion.”
36. Yan Qing nicknamed “Prodigal or Wanderer.”

So sila yung bumubuo ng 36 heavenly Spirits.

72 earthly Friends

Zhu Wu Lu Fang Hou Jian Tang Long

Huang Xin Guo Sheng Chen Da Du Xing
Sun Li An Dao quan Yang Chun Zou Yuan
Xuan Zan Huangfu DuanZheng Tianshou Zou Run
Hao Siwen Wang Ying Tao Zongwang Zhu Gui
Han Tao Hu Sanniang Song qing Zhu Fu
Peng Qi Bao Xu Yua He Cai Fu
Shan Tinggui Fan Rui Gong Wang Lili
Wei Dingguo Kong mING Ding Desun Cai Qing
Xiao Rang kong Liang Mu Chun LI YUN
Pei Xuan Xiang Chong Cao Zheng Jiao Ting
Ou Peng Li gUN Song Wan Shi Yong
Deng Fei Jan Daijan Du Qian Sun Xin
Yan Shun Malin Xue Yong Gu Dasao
Yang Lin Tong Wei Shi En Zhang Qing
Ling Zhen Tong Meng Li Zhong Sun Erniang
Jiang Jing Meng Kang Zhou Tong Wang Dingliu
 So yung karugtong nito ay sina Yu Baosi o tinatawag na God of Dangerous, Bai Sheng
tinatawag na Daylight Rta. Si Shi Qian has a nickname na Flea on a Drum. Duan Jingzhua na
tinatawag na Golden Haired Hound. So sila yung 72 earthly friends.

SUMMARY

The Water Margin begins when Marshal Hong Xin is sent to Taoist
monastery.

 Si Marshal Hong Xin is nagpunta sya sa Taoist monastery kase gusto nya na mag request
ng cure for a plague na nararanasan ng mga taga Eastern Capital.

Hong causes problems.

 Sinasabi dito na Hong causes problems because inutusan nya yung monk na pakawalan
ang 108 demons. Yung 108 demons na yun ay yun yung naging 108 heroes. Sinasabi
kase na kapag pinakawalan yung 108 demons na yun ay magiging sanhi ng trouble.

These 108 stars become the bandits of Liangshan Marsh.

 Yung 108 stars ay yun yung 36 stars of heavenly spirit and 72 stars of earthly spirit.
These men become the bandits not because they are rebels. Na accused silang bandits
kase na frame up sila ng mga government official na gumawa ng illegal activities. So
wala silang magawa kung hindi sumunosd sa mga officials. So inakusahan sila ng mga
government official kahit na wala naman silang ginagawang masama.

Eventually there are 108 of these bandit chieftains, along with numerous other
warriors, who gather in the marshy stronghold and wait for amnesty to be granted.

 So inaantay nila yung amnesty kase gusto nilang mag serve sa country ng walang halong
salitang criminal sa pangalan nila.

Even when amnesty does come, however the bandits are not still completely free to
serve the country.

 Kase yung bandits na ito ay na sent pa sa Northern China. Wherein natalo ng bandits
yung Liao forces.

Bandits were sent to Southern China.

 So dito naman sa Sout China ang tinalo ng bandits ay yung forces ni Fang La.
 At the point that the chieftains are set to receive honors from the Chinese emperor,
there are only 27 of men remaining.
 Most of these refuse the leadership positions offered them in hopes of quitter life.

The two main leader of the group of the bandit chieftains, Song Jiang and Ju Junyi
accept leadership roles, but are murdered by the corrupt officials who still regard these
former bandits as enemies.

 So namatay din si Song Jiang and Ju Junyi .

After their deaths, however Song and Ju are widely honored and worshipped.

WHY THERE IS 108 HEROES?

•108: 36 heroes and 72 sub-heroes.

•The number of 108 has a special meaning in the most ancient text, The Book of Change (I-
Ching)

So kanina nasabi ko na yung 108 heroes together with the meaning of their names.

Lim-zhung: Being suppressed, forced by corrupted officials

He is, in the beginning, an important official: the military trainer of 800,000 soldiers.

One day, he goes to the temple with his beautiful, young wife. Lim, being attracted by a
kung-fu show (which is performed by a monk, Lu, who is also one of the 108 heroes), stops at
the entrance. His wife goes into the temple and she is flirted by a man. The maid rushes out and
tells Lim what has happened. This is a great shame to Lim-zhung: he is very angry but when he
find out that the man is the son of the prime minister (Ko), he softens down. The monk, Lu,
knowing what happens, gets some friends to catch Ko. After Lu leaves, Lim releases Ko.

 So yung nangyari kay Lim Zhung ay isa na sa mga example ng nangyari dun sa 108
gangs na kung saan naframe up lamang . For example dito hindi alam ni Lim Zhung na
parte na pla ng trick ng anak ng prime minister yung ginawa sa kanya. So ditosa example
na toh makikita natin na there is something na mali talaga sa palakad ng government
official. Kase basta may power ka magagawa mo talaga gusto mo.
 Lim-Zhung

First trick: Ko persuades Lok, the swore-brother of Lim-zhung, to invite Lim's wife to his place,
Sa first trick hindi alam ni Lim na trick na pala to to rape can rape his wife. Lim finds out
and saves his wife. Lim brings a knife to Lok’s place and breaks everything there.
Second trick: Ko arranges Lim to bring weapons to a weapon-prohibited area.
Lim is heavily punished and is sent to the border. Before he leaves home, he writes a
divorce-letter to his wife. Lim is caring and also innocent. He does not know when he can come
back so he sets his wife free. He is innocent because he think that as long as the woman is no
longer his wife, then Ko will not give her any trouble.
Third trick: Lim arrives the border and his job is to take care of grass for the horses. Lim thinks
that, eventually, he can live in peace. The area is on fire on the next day and Lim’s first response
is to extinguish the fire. Lim is so kind that he never imagine that purpose of the fire is his life.
Then he runs to the temple and hears his swore-brother, Lok, and his people plan to collect his
bones (among the ashes) for rewards from Ko, the son of the prime minister.
So imagine na talagang nagkaroon ng betrayal. Kase isipin nyo yung kapatid ni Lim at
yung mga tao nito ay pinaplano na plang iset up sya na patayin through the fire of the grass. In
the end napuno talaga si Lim Zhuang and napatay nya yung mga taong taksil at traydor sa kanya.

ANALYSIS OF THE WATER MARGIN

The heroes of The Water Margin are bandits who were originally landlords, runners,
gentlemen farmers, monks, schoolteachers, military instructors, tailors, merchants, teachers,
peasants, fishermen, and laborers.
Their deeds are described minutely, often in detail.
Figures in Water Margin Detailed description of their background, life experiences, even
clothing, to reflect their personality. Then, the readers understand why he/she acts in such a way.
 Makikita natin yung buhay ng mga characters. Yung mga function nila sa society at kung
paano ang rule of governance nila.

Many stories of reflects the fact that the government in late Ming Dynasty is corrupt.

Not only the common people suffer, even the high officials suffer a lot.

The gang can attract so many members because more than half of them are being
suppressed.

 In short Water Margin is a reflection of the corruption

 WRITING STYLE OF THE WATER MARGIN

Both the dialog and the narrative are written in the spoken language of the day.

Much use is made of storytellers phrases, stereotyped ways of beginning and ending a
chapter, of signaling a change of subject within a chapter etc.

Couplets, poems, songs, and rhymed passages in the parallel style are often used to voice
the author's judgment of a person or situation, or to add emphasis to a description.

 So diba nasabi ko na kanina na it is in vernacular writing kapag sinabi nating vernacular

yun yung language na kalimitang ginagamit without standard formalization of words.

JIN SHENGTAN’S EDITION OF THE WATER MARGIN

 Jin’s version of The Water Margin differs markedly from previous editions.

 Jin also added his critical commentary in the form of a general introduction, introductions
to the individual chapters, and interlinear comments (in which he often praises his own
alterations of the text).

He reduced the novel to 70 chapters by having it end at the moment when all 108 leaders
are united.

He also wrote a new finale, in which one of the heroes, Lu Junyi, witnesses in the dream
the execution of all the other leaders.

Journey to the West

WU CHENG’ EN
 Journey to the West is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming
Dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en (AUTHOR). It is one of the Four Great Classical
Novels of Chinese Literature.

 It has been described as arguably the most popular literary work in East Asia.

It start with a monkey that was born from a magic stone sitting high at the top of the
Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. After proving himself in a test of bravery, he was made the ruler
of all monkeys, thus becoming the “Monkey King”. However, the Monkey King grew older and
started looking for a way to stave off death. He searched the world over and eventually found a
Daoist sage who taught him not only the secrets of immortality, but vast magic powers. He could
transform into anything, call on gods and spirits to do his bidding, and even fly on clouds. The
sage also gave him the religious name Sun Wukong.

Sun Wukong returned home to teach his children the skills he had learned, but soon discovered
he was far too strong to wield mere earthly weapons. And so one of his advisors told him to seek
out a suitable one in the undersea palace of the Eastern Dragon King. There, the Eastern
Dragon King ordered his aquatic generals to bring the Monkey King a spear, a reclining-moon
knife, and a halberd weighing thousands of pounds each. But no matter what weapon he tried, it
was too light or broke in his hands.

The only weapon the Eastern Dragon King had left was a huge iron pillar once used by Yu the
Great, a mythical king, to measure the depths of the water during the world flood. It was now
being used to fix the ocean in place. It was known as the "As-you-wish gold-banded cudgel"
and weighed 18,000 pounds. There was no other weapon like it in the entire universe. It could
perform all manner of transformations too.

Sun Wukong could make it as big, or as tiny he wanted. It could even multiply itself or transform
into any object, such as a razor-sharp knife. Sometime after returning from the Eastern Sea,
Monkey's soul was dragged to the underworld by King Yama, the god of death. This greatly
angered Sun Wukong because he was immortal and no longer subject to the cycle of life and
death.

He immediately beat up the denizens of hell and, using a brush, crossed out his name and the
names of all monkeys from the ledgers, thus making them immortal too. The Eastern Dragon
King and King Yama later went to heaven and reported Monkey's acquisition of the ocean-fixing
pillar and his defacement of the ledgers of life and death to the August Jade Emperor, ruler of
the Cosmos. The embodiment of the planet Venus suggested that they should invite him to be the
"Protector of the Heavenly Horses" in order to keep an eye on him.

Sun Wukong later learned the position was a joke and that he was not considered a full-fledged
god. This greatly angered him, and so he returned to earth and proclaimed himself the "Great
Sage Equaling Heaven" (Qítiän Dàshèng) in rebellion.

The August Jade Emperor of Heaven sent the 100,00 soldiers of the celestial army to capture Sun
Wukong, but they were not his match. Not even the demon-killer, third Prince Nezha could
defeat him.

In the end, the Monkey King's power was too great, so heaven had to
grant him godhood, as well as a new position as the "Guardian of the Immortal Peach
Grove."

Sun Wukong, once again, became angry when he learned that he had not been invited to the
heavenly Queen Mother's immortal peach banquet. He put everyone to sleep with magic sleeping
bugs and drank all of the Emperor's royal wine. He then stole all of the immortal peaches and
longevity elixir and returned home to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits to share them with his
children.

Learning from the last engagement, the August Jade Emperor sent the entire heavenly army
along with some of the most powerful Daoist and Buddhist gods to capture the Monkey King. He
even sent his nephew, Erlang Shen, who was a master of magic transformations just like Sun
Wukong.

The two battled with their weapons and their transformations. If Sun Wukong transformed into a
water snake, Erlang became a crane. This continued with Erlang countering all of the Monkey
King's various transformations.

With the aid of a magic weapon, the Monkey King was eventually captured and returned to
heaven for execution. However, thee could not kill him. Heavy blades, fire, and lightning all had
no effect. The supreme
Daoist god Laozi then suggested that they place Sun Wukong into his Eight Trigram furnace
to melt him down

Forty-nine days later, Laozi opened the furnace expecting to see ashes, but Sun Wukong
emerged now even stronger with golden eyes capable of seeing through magic disguises. When
heavenly forces failed in stopping the rampaging monkey, the August Jade Emperor called upon
the Buddha to intervene.

The Buddha bet Sun Wukong that if he could jump out of his hand he would make the
Monkey King the emperor of heaven. The Monkey King then used his great power to fly as far
as he could until he reached five pillars at the end of the cosmos. He wrote his name on them to
prove he had been there.

Sun Wukong returned and demanded to be made emperor, but the Buddha told him the
five pillars had been his fingers and that he had never left his hand. But before the Monkey King
could do anything, the Buddha pushed him out of heaven and crushed him under his hand,
turning it into the Five Elements Mountain. Sun Wukong remained trapped under the mountain
for a very long time. Five-hundred years later, the Buddha sent the Bodhisattva Guanyin to find
a suitable person to travel from China to India to receive Buddhist scriptures needed to release
countless souls from the torments of hell. Guanyin chose the young monk Xuanzang to retrieve
the scriptures. In a previous life, he had been the Golden Cicada Bodhisattva who was exiled
from heaven because he dozed off during one of the Buddha's sermons.

After centuries of imprisonment, Sun Wukong agreed to protect the monk in exchange for his
freedom. Guanyin gave him three magic hairs that he could transform into anything such as an
army of monkeys to do his bidding. Guanyin gave Xuanzang a golden headband that would keep
the Monkey King under control. If Sun Wukong became unmanageable, all the monk had to do
was say the magic words and the band would tighten around the monkey's head, causing him
severe pain.

Along their journey to India, the two met other disciples recruited by Guanyin:
 The first was a lecherous pig demon with the religious name, Zhü Bajiè. He was formerly
the admiral of the celestial navy who sailed the Millky Way, but he was later banished from
heaven for flirting with a heavenly fairy. His weapon is the War Rake.

 The second was a dragon prince that Guanyin had saved from execution. He ate Xuanzang's
mount, so he was forced to transform into a horse. He is known as,
Bái Lóng Ma (White Dragon Horse).

 The third and final disciple was a water demon with the religious name, Sha Wujing. He
was formerly a general in heaven, but was exiled to earth for accidentally breaking a vase.
He became the monster of the Flowing Sands River. His weapon is a monk's spade.

Because Xuanzang had cultivated himself for ten lifetimes, any person who ate his flesh would
become immortal. Therefore, demons constantly sought out the "Longevity Monk."

Some of the monsters that Sun Wukong faced were:

King of Black Wind

A black bear who turned into a demon. He later became Guanyin's gate guard. His
weapon is a spear.

Bull Demon King

A bull who turned into a demon. He was the Monkey King's friend in the past.
His weapon is a trident.

Lady Iron Fan

Wife of the Bull Demon King; Named for her magic fan which produces hurricane like
winds.

Red Boy
Son of Lady Iron Fan and the Bull Demon King; His weapons are a spear and magic
fire which can destroy anything.

White Bone Demon

An evil spirit who can take on the appearance of any person and discard the disguise at
will, leaving behind a corpse. Her weapons are double swords.

Great King Rhinoceros

The celestial pet ox of the Daoist god Laozi who became a demon on earth. His weapon
is a magic bracelet that can capture anything. It was originally used by Laozi to capture Monkey
during his rebellion against heaven.

Scorpion Spirit of Pipa Cave

 A celestial scorpion that used to listen to the Buddha's sermons in the Western Paradise.
She was exiled to earth for stinging the Buddha. Her weapons are the trident and the "horse-
killing poison" of her stinger.

King Gold Horn and King Silver Horn

The immortal apprentices of Laozi. Their weapon is a magic gourd that sucks up anyone
who speaks before it. It can hold 1,000 souls.

The Azure Lion

The celestial mount of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra who became a demon king on
earth. He has the power to grow to any size. At one point in the story, he captures the entire
celestial army in his mouth.

After 14 years of traveling and fighting malcontents, the group finally made it to India,
where Xuanzang received the scriptures from the Buddha. Upon their return to China, Xuanzang
performed a Buddhist ceremony that released untold numbers of souls from the torments of hell.

For their efforts, Xuanzang and Sun Wukong are rewarded with Buddhahood, while Sha Wujing
is made an Arhat. Because he remained glutinous and lecherous throughout the journey, Zhu
Bajie is only given the menial title of alter cleaner.

Why Journey to the West? --- Xuanzang and Sun Wukong had tasks to travel to Indian to took
the Buddha’s scripture; meaning from China, that was located from the East, to the India, where
was located into the West.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

 Chen Shou is believed to have first written Three Kingdoms History (Sanguozhi).

 This first edition had 61 chapters---26 stories of Wei, 15 stories of Shu, and 20 stories of
Wu

 70% fact, 30% fiction

 The origin of the book can be traced back to the Jin dynasty (265-316 AD); it tells the
story of the Han Dynasty in China during the 2nd and 3rd century.

 It is a romanticization of the events that occurred during the Three Kingdoms period.

 Author: Luo Guanzhong 羅 貫 中 (ca 1330-1440) Made use of Chen Shou’s Three
Kingdoms History (Sanguozhi).

 Originally: 240 sections, later combined into 120 chapters.

 The standard version nowadays was edited by Mao Zhongkong 毛宗崗 in 17th century.
He added an extensive critical commentary after the example of Jin Shengtan’ s 金聖嘆
edition of Water Margin.

 This new version became the most popular version.

 It tells the history of the Chinese civil wars in the period from 180-280 A.D in late Han
Dynasty.

 In 220-221, these leader and their various sons and successors set themselves up as
emperor: the Han 漢 Dynasty is followed by/divided into the three regions:
1. Wei 魏 (Cao Cao 曹操 in the North),
2. Wu 吳 (Sun Quan 孫權 in the SE), and
3. Shu-Han 蜀漢 (Liu Bei 劉備 in Sichuan).

 Unity is not restored until 280 A.D., when the Jin 晉, the successor to the Wei, which had
annexed Shu- Han in 263, succeeds in conquering Wu.

 It tells the history of the Chinese civil wars in the period from 180-280 A.D in late Han
Dynasty.

1. Wei 魏 (Cao Cao 曹操 in the North),

2. Wu 吳 (Sun Quan 孫權 in the SE), and
3. Shu-Han 蜀漢 (Liu Bei 劉備 in Sichuan).

The Story of Romance of the Three Kingdom

 Despite the title, the emphasis of the book is not on the Three Kingdom period (220-280)
but on the era that led up to the tripartition.

 In contrast to the official heroes, which regard the Wei as the legitimate successor to the
Han, the novel presents Shu-Han as the true lawful heir on the grounds that Liu Bei was
supposedly, a member of the imperial family of the Han Dynasty.

 3 states:
 1. Shu-Han: headed by Liu Bei (his sworn brothers, the courageous but overly
proud Guan Yu 關羽, the heroic but impulsive and heavy-drinking Zhang Fei 張飛 ). Liu
Bei also is aided by his counselor, Zhuge Liang 諸 葛 亮 , considered as the wisest
Chinese.
2. Wei: headed by Cao cao (the strongest state)
 3. Wu: headed by Sun Qun, aided by Zhou Yu (a clever man)

The most important war: Liu Bei and Sun Quan join hands against Cao Cao in the Battle
at Red Cliff 赤 壁 之 戰 , which Cao Cao’s armada sailing down the Yangzi River is
devastated by fire.
Battle at Red Cliff: The battle-boats of Cao Cao were tied together. Zhuge Liang knew
that there would be eastern wind. With the help of the wind, he sent out empty boats on
fire towards Cao Cao ’ s troops and successfully destroyed all the troops of his enemy.
Such a battle was extremely important in history, because after it, the tripatition was
established.
Subsequently, Guan Yu, overconfident and careless, is killed by Sun Quan’s men.
Liu Bei, disregarding Zhuge Liang ’s warnings, decides to go to war against Wu
(Sun Quan’s state).
Liu Bei loses his life. Zhuge Liang stays on as chancellor to Liu Bei ’ s son, but despite
his efforts to bring about the defeat of Wei, his loyalty is in vain.
After that, both Wu & Shu-han was conquered by the state of Wei.

Important Characters:
Ts'ao Ts'ao (C á o Cāo) (155 – March 15, 220 C.E.) was a regional warlord and the last
Chancellor of Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the last years of the
Eastern Han Dynasty in ancient China.
Although often portrayed as a cruel and merciless tyrant, Ts'ao Ts'ao has also been
praised as a brilliant ruler and military
Romance of the Three Kingdoms gave Ts'ao Ts'ao a certain degree of dramatic make-up
to make him appear as a cruel and suspicious character.
On several occasions, Luo Guanzhong even made up fictional or semi-fictional events
involving Ts'ao Ts'ao.

I. Cao Cao 曹操
The prime minister of late Han Dynasty.
He did not claim to be king, yet he controlled the King and became the most powerful
person in the empire.
Personality: tough, strong, as cunning as a fox, a good warrior, a clever leader.
 His famous statement: “ I would treat the whole world unfairly and badly instead of
being cheated by any person! ”
When he was young, once he knew that his uncle (whom did not like him) was going to
complain to his father about his misbehavior, he fainted immediately. His father went to
see him and found out that he was healthy. After this incident, his father did not trust his
uncle again.
Once he was chased by others but hided himself in his sword- brother (Lui) ’ s place.
Lui ordered his servants to kill a pig and went out to buy wine. Cao heard people were
discussing about tie-up and the kill, he immediately killed the whole family 98 persons).
Then he found out that there was a pig tied in the kitchen. He rushed off and met Lui on
his way. Cao told Lui that there was someone behind him. Lui turned around and was
killed. When Cao ’ s follower commented Cao was wrong, Cao admitted and said his
famous statement.
Cao Cao did not entitled himself as King because he knew that it would be easier to use
the King’s name to place his order, empower his ambition, and expand the border.
He was proud of his “loyalty.” He wanted to leave himself a good reputation in history.
A smart ruler of the kingdom: A state could be strong only when the common people
(farmers) were well taken care of. Once he stopped a war because it was harvest time. He
ordered that his army should not rob or kill any farmer.
Later Han became weaker and weaker in the hands of Cao cao.
Cao’s power was further strengthen when her daughter was crowned as the queen. Cao
was then entitled as the head of Wei (in the north).
From the very beginning, he knew that he needed the help of wise people. He attracted a
number of good civil and military officials by wealth and status.
E.g. He cried for and personally attended the funeral of a warrior whom died for
him.
After this, his officials were all willing to sacrifice for him. He quickly noticed who were
good and intelligent people, and tried his best to keep them.
He could see the big picture instead of being narrow-minded, noticing only minute
details.
E.g. After he won a certain battle in ch.30, he found some letters sent between his
warriors and his enemy, Yuan. He decided to burn all the letters without taking a look. His
explanation: Yuan was so strong that they had to protect themselves.
Cao cao was always the final decision-maker, as his inferiors were either civil/military.
He was both the warrior of his army and policy-maker for the kingdom.
II. Zhuge Liang 諸葛亮 / Kung Ming
K’ung-ming (Zhuge Liang) (181 - 234 C.E.)
- was one of the greatest Chinese strategists of the Three Kingdoms era,
A statesman, engineer, scholar, and inventor.
His name has become synonymous with intelligence, wisdom, and wit in Chinese
culture.
believed to be the inventor of the Chinese steamed bun, the landmine and the
wheelbarrow in China.
The most important person from ch.38 to 104 (his death). He was probably the most
respectable and successfully written person in the book.
The most intelligent person, with knowledge in every aspect, a “god-liked” figure. He
was the final decision-maker for the state of Shu-Han.
When he was only 26, he refused to meet Liu Bei until the 3 rd visit (ch.38). He asked
Liu a number of questions to test whether Liu could be a good ruler.
He chose a superior with great care so that he could work for the well-being of the
world.
 Since then, he was whole-heartedly loyal to Shu-Han.
Important Characters:
II. Zhuge Liang: Battle at Red Cliff
 Zhuge Liang's vision when he first met Liu Bei (he's only 26):
 to base in Sichuan
 to join hand with Wu
 to rule the state well, i.e. to take care of the common people so as to strengthen
the state.
 to wait for an appropriate opportunity to fight against Cao cao and unify China.

Zhuge Liang: Battle at Red Cliff

 When he was only 27 there was the most important war, the Battle at Red

 Before the war, the kingdom was divided among different powers. After the war, the
tripatition of Wei Shu-Han, Wu was formed.

 Ch.43-44: diplomatic struggle: to persuade Sun Quan of the state of Wu to fight

against Cao cao with Liu Bei.
 Zhuge exaggerated the power of Cao cao to Sun Quan, and even proposed that Sun
should surrender; because he understood the personality of Sun very well, he could
not beg or invite Sun to fight.

 Sun Quan was indecisive and he asked his advisor, Zhou Yue.

 Zhuge told Zhou Yu that he should surrender: first to keep his wife and second, to
keep his wealth and status.

 Zhuge added that the reason for Cao cao's invasion was for the two most beautiful
females in the state of Wu, Zhuge pretended that he did not know one of them was
Zhou's wife.

 Zhou gone mad! He highly recommended Sun Quan to go to war with Cao cao.

 Ch.45: Cao cao claimed to have 1 million soldiers (in fact, more than 830,000) vs.
100,000-150,000 soldiers of Wu & Shu-Han.

 Cao cao knew that he did not have a commander to fight on sea and he decided to
place trust on two surrendered leaders, Zhoi & Chang.

 Zhou Yu was surprised that Cao cao's army was good to fight on sea. He then
arranged a banquet for his men (old friends of Zhoi and Zhang) and the two leaders
—for he knew that Cao cao was paranoid.

 Cao cao later found out such a meeting and killed both Zhoi and Zhang. This was the
very first and biggest mistake of Cao in this battle.

 Cao cao did not know that he was in danger, for he was drown in his dream of
winning the battle. On the other hand, Zhou Yue was alert and he personality led the
army to fight.
 After numerous tricks played by Zhou Yue’s men, Cao cao decided to chain up his
battle-boats together.

 Zhuge Liang was knowledgeable even in astronomy: he knew that there would be
east wind. Then it was time to set fire on Cao’s s battle-boats.

Zhuge Liang: The Strategy of An Empty Clty

 Zhuge Liang was once with very little soldiers in a city, yet facing 110,000 soldiers of
Cao cao.
 He opened the gate widely, then asked his men to pretend to be ordinary people, walking
around in leisure and cleaning the streets.
 He understood the opposite leader, Zima Yee very well: being a careful and well-planned
person, he would afraid that it would be a trap.
 After Guan Yue's death, Liu Bei ignored Zhuge Gang's advice and had war with Sun
Qua, the state of Wu.

Zhuge Liang: After the death of Liu Bei

 Liu lost life and Zhuge assisted the young king.

 Zhuge had no choice but to go to war with Cao cao. He knew that Cao cao would invade
them soon. Instead of waiting from Cao cao’s invasion, he decided to play an active role.
 Zhuge knew that he had to end such a war quickly, because his army traveled a long way
(to the state of Wei) for the war.
 However, the military leaders under Cao Cao also knew the weakness of Zhuge Liang's
army. They decided to keep the gate closed and refuse to start any fight.
 For 6 times, Zhuge Liang had to go back home without any real fight, because of the
shortage of food after waiting for several months.
 He died on his last way back home.

Liu Bei

 He is probably the most lovable king among 3, for he is not a king in the palace, but one
who lives with the common people.

 Surrounded by a number of good officials. He treated them as brothers, not just superior-
inferior relationship.
  He followed their opinions (except after his swore-brother Guan Yue's death, he decided
to break up with Sun Quan — the biggest mistake in his life, which led to his death).

Zhou Yu

 Chou Yu (Zhou Yu) (175 - 210 CE.) was a famous militarist and strategist of Eastern Wu
during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
 Portrayed as a jealous & narrow-minded man who relentlessly tried and failed - to outwit
K'ung-ming.
 His famous statement, "If there is a Zhou Yu, why is there a Kung Ming (Zhuge Liang)?"
 An important adviser in the state of Wu (Sun Quan always listens to him)

Three Important Wars in Romance of the Three Kingdom

 All ended by fire & the weaker side won

1. Fire on food storage
 food for the army, grass for horses
2. Fire on army area.
3. Battle at Red Cliff
 fire on battle-ships
 The weaker party won because the leaders were more clever. They knew the weaknesses
of their enemy and used tricks to manipulate the situation.
 A great deal of war-tactics & tricks throughout the

Analysis of Romance of the Three Kingdom

 A unifying motif is that of lasting conflict

 conflict between Liu Bei (Shu-Han) and Cao Cao (Wei), and also the moral conflict
between yi (the code of governing the behavior of sworn brothers) and zhong (loyalty between
ruler and minister).
  Characters: people of high status and importance

 E.g. kings, generals, chancellors, and concubines; their great deeds are described in epic
terms.

 Language: simple classical style

 includes a few elements of the spoken language

 the dialog ranges from purely literary to unadulterated vernacular.

The author bases the facts in official history book, but expands, elaborates and plays
around history with popular drama, storytellers' stories and imagination.

In order to write an interesting and popular book,he wants to highlight the consistency
Of personalities for his characters, he deliberately re-places certain stories in other
characters. E.g. in history: Liu Bei once lost temper and bit an official, but the author put this real
story under Chang Fei, whom is impulsive.