中国文学英文介绍 Chinese Literature

Zhngguwnxu中国文学ChineseLiterature,Chinaistheonlycountryintheworldwithaliteraturewritteninonelanguageformorethan3,000consecutiveyears.,DoyouknowhowlongisChineseinliteraturewritten?,Thiscontinuityresultslargelyfromthenatureofthewrittenlanguageitself.Itistheuseofcharacters,notlettersasinWesternlanguages,thatismostimportantintheChineselanguage.Thecharactersstandforthingsorideasandso,unlikegroupsofletters.ThusChinesecouldbereadbypeopleinallpartsofthecountryinspiteofgradualchangesinpronunciation,theemergenceofregionalandlocaldialects,andmodificationofthecharacters.,Reason,Chinahasaveryoldandrichtraditioninliteratureandthedramaticandvisualarts.EarlywritingsgenerallyderivedfromphilosophicalorreligiousessayssuchastheworksofConfucius(551-479BC)andLao-tzu(probably4thcenturyBC).Thesewritingswereoftenabouthowpeopleshouldactandhowthesocietyandpoliticalsystemshouldbeorganizedandoperated.Astrongtraditionofhistoricalwritingalsoevolved.Afterthefallofadynasty,forexample,agrandhistoryofthelatedynastywascommissionedandwrittenbyscholarsinthenextdynasty.,Introduction,TheprincipalgenreofChineseliteratureispoetry.TheearliestChinesePoemcollectionis诗Shi经jing(ClassicofPoetry)ismadeupof305poemsdividedinto160folksongs;earlyfolksongsestablishedthe乐Yue府fu诗shiformthatcrystallizedduringtheHandynastyanddominatedforthenext1,200years.Beginningwiththesimplecomplaintsandlongingsexpressedinrhymedcoupletsoffolksongs,thisformgraduallybecamemoreandmorecomplex,orregulated,untilittookyearsofstudytomasteritsformalrulesofcomposition.PoetrybecamewellestablishedasaliteraryformduringtheTangDynasty,maincontributiontoChineseliteraturewasinthepoetryofDufu,LiBaiandmanyotherpoets.杜Du甫fuand李Li白BaiareoftenthoughtofasChinasgreatestpoets.,ClassicalPoetry,李li白bai,李Li白Bai(701762)wasoneofthegreatestromanticpoetsofancientChina.Hewroteatleastathousandpoemsonavarietyofsubjectsfrompoliticalmatterstonaturalscenery.,Dramaisanotheroldandimportantliteraryform.Chinesedramausuallycombinesvernacularlanguagewithmusicandsongandthushasbeenpopularwiththecommonpeople.AvarietyofpopularandstandardthemesarepresentedinPekingOpera,whichisprobablythebestknownofseveraloperatictraditionsthatdevelopedinChina.Chineseoperaisafavoriteartisticandculturalmedium.,Drama,TheFourGreatClassicalNovelsofChineseliteraturearethefournovelscommonlyregardedbyChineseliterarycriticismtobethegreatestandmostinfluentialofpre-modernChinesefiction.DatingfromtheMingandQingdynasties,theyarewell-knowntomostChineseeitherdirectlyorthroughtheirmanyadaptationstooperaandvariouspopularculturemedia.TheyareamongtheworldslongestandoldestnovelsandareconsideredtobethepinnacleofChinasachievementinclassicalnovels,influencingthecreationofmanystories,plays,movies,games,andotherformsofentertainmentthroughoutEastAsia,includingChina,Japan,Korea,andVietnam.,ChineseNovels,Sdmngzh四大名著Fourclassicalnovels,Itisaclassichistoricalnovelofenormousinfluence,iswidelyknowninChinaasoneofthefourgreatChineseclassicnovels.ItsauthorLuoGuanzhong,asthetextualresearchgoes,wasascholarlivedinthelateYuanDynastyandearlyMingDynasty,buthisexactbirthanddeathyearsarenotknown.,Snguyny三国演义RomanceoftheThreeKingdoms,RomanceoftheThreeKingdomsisbasedonthehistoryofthethreekingdoms,Wei,ShuandWuthatstrovetoreunitetheempireattheendoftheEasternHanDynasty.ThehistoryofthisperiodisexpoundedintherenownedhistorybookThreeKingdoms,andstoriesoftheheroesandtheirdeedswithinhavealsocomedownfromvariousfolktales,plays,balladsandverses.Outofhistoricalrecordsandfolktales,LuoGuanzhongcreatedtheenduringhistoricalandliterarymasterpiece.,TheliteraryvalueofRomanceoftheThreeKingdomsliesmuchinthevividcharacterssketchedinthenovel:Forinstant,loyalGuanYu,whoisthebestknownChinesehistoricalfiguresthroughoutEastAsia,reveredbylatergenerationsastheMartialSaint(theLiteralSaintisConfucius),thesaintofloyaltyandcourage.Traditionally,heisportrayedasared-facedwarriorwithalonglushbeard.Alternatively,theideaofhisredfacecouldhavebeenborrowedfromoperarepresentation,whereredfacesdepictloyaltyandrighteousness.GuanYuistraditionallydepictedwearingagreenrobeoverhisbodyarmour.Supposedly,GuanYusweaponwasaBroadswordnamedGreenDragonCrescentBlade.,WittyZhugeLiang,EmptyFortStrategy,TheEmptyFortStrategyisthe32ndoftheChineseThirty-SixStratagems.Thestrategyinvolvesusingreversepsychology(andluck)todeceivetheenemyintothinkingthatanemptylocationisfulloftrapsandambushes,andthereforeinducetheenemytoretreat.Someexamplesarelistedinthefollowingsections.,水浒传WaterMargin,WaterMarginisaboutthelivesandidealsofagroupofcharacterswhofoughtagainstthecorruptSongDynastythattheMongolsconquered.ItissaiditwaswritteninvernacularlanguagebyShiNaiAn,butscholarsdebateabouttheauthorshipofthisbookalso.Manyscholarsthinkthatthefirst70chapterswerewrittenbyShiNaiAnandthatthelast30chapterswerewrittenbyLuoGuanZhongwhotheysaywasalsotheauthorofTheRomanceoftheThreeKingdoms.Itisconsideredtobeofthetoptwobesthistoricalnovels.WaterMarginisreminiscentofthestoryofRobinHood.Likewise,theremayhavebeenactualoutlaws,andpopularlegendsandstorieslatergrew.ButWaterMarginisprobablymorefictionalandlesshistoricallyaccuratethanTheRomanceoftheThreeKingdoms.Intheearlytalesoraccounts,therewereonlyabout40outlaws,butthenumberinthebandgrewtomorethan100.Inthenovel,thebandfightsthecorruptSongrulers.Thereareseveralversionsofthenovel.OneversionthathasmanymorechaptersthantheothersdescribeshowthebandgetsamnestyfromtheSongrulersandbattlestheircommonfoesfortherulers.,Shuhzhun,thebest-knowncharactersinWaterMargin,武松：WuSongisdescribedasagood-lookingmanwithshiningeyes,thickeyebrows,amuscularbodyandanimpressivebearing.ThemostimpressiveofWusongisundertheinfluenceofalcohol,heendsupslayingthetigerbypinningittothegroundandbashingitsheadrepeatedlywithhisbarefists.Hebecomesfamousforhisheroicdeed.,鲁智深：LuZhishensoriginalnamewasLuDa.Heisdescribedtohavearoundface,bigears,astraightnose,asquarishmouth,andabeardwhichovershadowshisface.LuDabecomesamonkinthemonasteryandisgiventheBuddhistnameZhishen,whichmeanssagacious.HeisalsonicknamedFloweryMonkbecauseoftheflowerytattooswhichadornhisupperbody.,西游记JourneytotheWest,DuringtheTangDynasty,aBuddhistnamedXuanzangleftChangAn(TodaysXian)thatwasthecapitaloftheTangEmpiretotraveltoIndiainordertocollectscripturesandinformation.IntheMingDynastyera(1368-1644),thefantastictalewaswritten,Inthenovel,agreatintelligentmonkeyandasmallbandofcharactersprotectsadefenselessmonkduringhisjourney.BuddhacommissionedthemonktohelpIndiathathadfallenintogrosssinandimmorality.Themonkeyandothercharactershavemagicalskills.Cartoonsandmoviesaboutthisgroupofcharactersarepopularwithchildren.JourneytotheWestisthoughttohavebeenpublishedanonymouslybyWuChengeninthe16thcenturythoughscholarshavedoubtabouttheauthorship.,Xyuj,thebest-knowncharactersinXyuj西游记JourneytotheWest,孙悟空：SunWukongisbornonFlowerFruitMountainfromastoneeggthatformsfromanancientrockcreatedbythecouplingofHeavenandEarth.HefirstdistinguisheshimselfbybravelyenteringtheWaterCurtainCaveonthemountain;forthisfeat,hismonkeytribegiveshimthetitleofHandsomeMonkeyKing.HewasworkingfortheJadeEmperor,whoisthechiefofthehaven.Buthisjobisaverylowposition,hebecomesveryangry.hestartscausingtroubleinHeavenanddefeatsanarmyof100,000celestialtroops.Eventually,theJadeEmperorappealstotheBuddha,whodetainsWukongunderamountaincalledFiveElementsMountainfor500years.HeislatersetfreewhenXuanzangcomesuponhimduringhispilgrimageandacceptshimasadisciple.Hisprimaryweaponishisstaff,theRuyiJinguBang,whichhecanshrinkdowntothesizeofaneedleandkeepinhisear,aswellasexpandittogiganticproportions.,紅樓夢DreamoftheRedChamber,TheDreamoftheRedChamberisaboutthefortunesandlivesofthepeopleoftwobranchesofaclanintheQingDynasty(1644-1911)era.Thetwofamilieshadadjacentcompounds.ItissortoflikeasoapoperanovelliketheTVseriesDallas.However,itissaidthatmuchofitactuallyhappened.Itisappreciatedbecauseitgivesaviewintothelivesoftworulingfamiliesofthattime.Oneofthemembersoftheclanwasmadeaconcubineofanemperor.Butthentheimperialcourtturnedagainstthetwofamilies.ItisprobablymostlycomposedbyCaoXueqin(about1715-1763)inthemiddle1700s.ItisthoughtthatCaodidnotlivetoseethefirstprinting.Itisthoughtthatanotherpersonorotherpeoplecontributedtheendingofthestorysincetheoriginalendingofthestorywaslost.,Hnglumng,thebest-knowncharactersin紅樓夢theRedChamber,贾宝玉：JiaBaoyubornwithapieceofluminescentjadeinhismouth。Baoyuishighlyintelligent,butdislikesthefawningbureaucratsthatfrequenthisfathershouse.Ase