"The Yangtze River flows eastward, and the waves wash away heroes ..." When people mention this word, people will think of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, one of Four Great Classical Novels's works.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, whose full name is Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms, was compiled by Luo Guanzhong, a writer in the Ming Dynasty. As can be seen from the title, this novel is based on the History of the Three Kingdoms, but it is not as solemn as the official history, but an ancient vernacular novel. Compared with the History of the Three Kingdoms, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms has become more artistic. Below, I will comment on this 66,-word masterpiece from several aspects.
1. Truth and fiction
The biggest difference between romance and official history is that romance is not all true, but a novel. Everyone says that The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is seven points of historical facts and three points of fiction, which is true. But fiction, using artistic methods to make fiction, rather than just that historical fact can be used to make fiction. For example, Guan Gong killed Hua Xiong with warm wine, which was not written in the history books. Another example is about going to the meeting with a single knife to see Lu Su. The history book says that Lu Su went to the meeting with a single knife to see Guan Yu. There are of course countless similar examples. After reading it, a little analysis shows that most of these fictional plots pave the way for the characters described in the novel. Because, if we just create real characters as the official history says, some characters are contrary to the author's political and ideological views. Moreover, while making fiction, the author also noticed the rationality and coherence of the plot, rather than stiffly making fiction, which is why after reading it, he will feel immersive. In a word, the author's writing in this respect is quite successful, and these plots also show part of the author's subjective wishes.
second, deification and uglification
The characters in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms are not completely real characters, but processed characters in the official history, including deified characters and demonized characters.
The typical representatives of deified figures are Zhuge Liang and Guan Yu. The place where Zhuge Liang was deified was "prophecy", and the place where Guan Yu was deified was "loyalty" and "righteousness". Below, I would like to briefly compare why the author focuses on deifying these two people.
Zhu Xi, a famous Neo-Confucianist in the Southern Song Dynasty, believed that Shu Han was orthodox among the Three Kingdoms. Most of Zhu Xi's previous views, starting from Chen Shou, were based on Cao Wei as orthodoxy. Since Zhu Xi, kings, ministers and people have begun to accept Zhu Xi's viewpoint, because it is in line with Confucianism and can be accepted by the ruling class. Luo Guanzhong also agreed with Zhu Xi. Therefore, most of his deified characters are loyal to the "Han family." Among them, the author wrote Zhuge Liang as the embodiment of "wisdom" and Guan Yu as the embodiment of "loyalty" and "righteousness" That's why, influenced by the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the ruler of Daoguang gave Guan Yu more than 3 words of posthumous title.
as for uglification, it is basically about deification. For example, Zhou Yu, a hero died young in history, but The Romance of the Three Kingdoms described him as a jealous person. Most of the uglification is set off by deification.
III. Characters and Clues
One of the great successes of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is that it has successfully created many characters with distinctive personalities, such as Zhuge Liang, who is resourceful, Guan Yu, who is courageous and loyal, Zhang Fei, who is crude and refined, Liu Bei, who is loyal and honest, Zhao Yun, who is both brave and resourceful, Cao Cao, who is cunning and suspicious, Zhou Yu, who is jealous of his talents, and Mi Heng, who is arrogant and arrogant. And the author uses the description of details to reflect the distinctive characteristics of the characters. For example, when writing about Zhang Fei, in the seventieth chapter, the author made a detailed description and description of Zhang Fei's narrow-minded battle case, and at the same time added a dialogue between Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei, which showed Zhuge Liang's superb ingenuity.
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms can properly handle the numerous characters and the complicated relationships between them, because the author not only writes in real, imaginary, detailed, abbreviated, interpolated and flashback, but also uses the literary technique of narrative along clues. The main clue of The Romance of The Three Kingdoms is the process of the establishment and demise of the Shu-Han regime until the three-point return to Jin, among which there are interspersed clues. For example, during the period of Battle of Red Cliffs, the author started his narrative from three lines: Liu Bei, Sun Quan and Cao Cao. These three lines are interrelated, and they will not only describe one or two clues in a chapter. If they are interwoven, readers will feel very coherent, instead of reading only one clue.
iv. feudalism and kingliness
One of the political ideas expressed in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is to advocate typical Confucianism-kingliness and benevolent governance. A large part of the fictional stories in Romance of the Three Kingdoms are designed to express this idea. Just like this, the author boldly created a series of artistic images of "loyalty" and "righteousness" in his works.
first of all, Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang described in Romance of the Three Kingdoms is the embodiment of "loyalty" and "wisdom", especially the author's "wisdom" to Zhuge Liang, which is even more exaggerated.
Zhuge Liang, in the ruling clique of the landlord class at that time, was a man with a keen eye for problems, courage and resourcefulness. However, he has these advantages because he attaches importance to practice. For example, when Cao Cao captured Jingzhou and led his troops south, Zhuge Liang analyzed the situation to Sun Quan and predicted that Cao Cao would be defeated, precisely because Zhuge Liang had compared the advantages and disadvantages of the enemy and our side before the war. Another example is that Zhuge Liang dared to make an "empty plan" because he analyzed the situation of the enemy and our generals, knowing that Sima Yi knew that he was "cautious all his life and would never take risks", so he took advantage of Sima Yi's long-term understanding of himself and adopted a very "dangerous" plan to solve the crisis. However, in more chapters, the author has written Zhuge Liang as a "prophet". For example, Zhuge Liang's "watching the sky at night" and "sleeve up his sleeve" several times. And in the "seven-star altar offering sacrifices to the wind", it is an absurd description. Similar problems can also be seen in "The Eight Arrays of Skillful Arrangement", "Banshi Sacrifice to Lushui", "Wu Zhangyuan Ganxing" and "Dingjun Mountain Revealing the Sage".
Guan Yu is also a figure in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In the author's pen, Guan Yu also changed from a military commander with the same status as Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong in The Three Kingdoms to a brave and loyal hero in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms beautifies Guan Yu in this way, which is entirely to advocate the feudal thought of "loyalty" and "righteousness". After the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Yu became a figure completely in line with the ideals of the feudal ruling class, and Guan Yu's influence among the people became wider and wider. The rulers of the Ming and Qing dynasties once called him the "Great Emperor" several times and built temples for him everywhere. This clearly shows how the description of "loyalty" and "righteousness" advocated by Guan Yu is suitable for the needs of feudal rulers.
In addition, in order to advocate working for the feudal masters, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms also created a series of so-called "loyal ministers" images, such as Dong Cheng, Wang Zifu, Ji Pingping, etc. In order to be loyal to the Han Emperor, they wiped out the "national thief" Cao Cao, "although they wiped out nine families, they had no regrets". The author touts these people as immortal model figures. In addition, when writing characters such as Jiang Wei, he advocated feudal "filial piety" and when writing characters such as Mrs. Sun, he advocated feudal "chastity". Therefore, the characters portrayed in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms run through the author's social and political views.
v. Poetry and Songs
Another great success of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is the introduction of a large number of poems and songs. Although the number is less than that in A Dream of Red Mansions, there are many masterpieces among them. Some poems are introduced to express feelings, while others appear in the singing or writing of characters. For example, "The sky is like a round cover, and the land is like a chess game ..." (the 37th chapter), which was written by Zhuge Liang. Another example is, "Cao Cao was an adulterer, and Zhou Lang was tricked at the moment ..." (45th time), which was the story that later generations lamented that Cao Cao had been recruited to kill Cai Mao and Zhang Yun by mistake. The first word "Linjiang Xian" is magnificent, which makes readers feel a sense of awe. After reading it, there is a feeling of wanting more and being fascinating. The poem "Antique" at the end of the article sums up the 66,-word words of the rise and fall of the Three Kingdoms in a century into a long narrative poem of only over 3 words. Although there are no flowery words, it is like a rhyming postscript, which leads readers to relive the situation of the Three Kingdoms. The last few words of it have even triggered the author's thinking and understanding of history: "There are endless things in succession, and the number of days is inescapable. Three-thirds of the legs have become a dream, and future generations will complain about it. " Leave readers with infinite reverie.
In a word, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms can be said to be the best novel in Four Great Classical Novels after A Dream of Red Mansions. Although some of these ideas are worth exploring, their significance to the Chinese nation is far-reaching.
Chapter II:
Reflections on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms
"Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was collected by Luo Guanzhong, a great writer of the Ming Dynasty, according to popular scripts at that time. It mainly introduced the ambition of competing for the world at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The story was interwoven by Wei, Shu and Wu, among which Shu Han was the main body. Therefore, the author included Liu Bei as the protagonist in Shu Han.
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is one of the four fantastic books in China (Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Journey to the West, Jin Ping Mei), and it is also one of Zhang Hui's novels. Therefore, it occupies a very important position in the history of Chinese literature and has received a lot of comments. Among them, there are many stories that make many people applaud, including: visiting the thatched cottage, borrowing an arrow from a straw boat, scaring Zhong Da away from death, and so on.
1. "Going through five customs and killing six generals": At that time, Guan Yu had to give in to Cao Jun because he wanted to protect his two sister-in-law and nephew. However, Guan Yu was under Cao Ying's camp, but he was always worried about his eldest brother and asked about his whereabouts until one day Guan Yu finally knew that he was at Yuan Shao's place in Hebei Province. He quickly took a knife and rode across the horse to escort the two sister-in-law and their accompanying wives to Dongling Pass. After Kong Xiu, a partial general, insisted on asking for instructions from Prime Minister Cao, Guan Yu's anger rose, so he split Kong Xiu in half, and the news spread to Luoyang. Although Luoyang Shoujiang Han Fu and Meng Yuan discussed countermeasures, but where was Guan Yu's opponent, both of them were chopped to death by Guan Yu. Like this, Guan Yu broke through five passes in a row and killed six Shoujiang before crossing the Yellow River. Although he felt a little ashamed of Cao Cao, he just wanted to meet his eldest brother quickly.
Second, "Dear Lu Savior": At this time, although Liu Bei was suspicious of Liu Biao's invitation, he had to go. Therefore, Liu Bei took Zhao Yun and crossed Lu and set off for Xiangyang. Cai Mao pretended to be very respectful. The next morning, the civil and military officials of 42 counties in Jingxiang County began to attend the "Harvest Festival" hosted by Liu Bei instead of Liu Biao. So, Liu Bei immediately stepped onto Lu and fled to Ximen, but he didn't expect to walk a few miles. There was a deep and urgent river ahead. At this time, Liu Bei had to step into the rapids. At this time, Liu Bei murmured: "Dear Lu, you have to save me!" As if he understood what he said, Lu jumped up and made Liu Bei out of danger.
These two stories inspired me. (1) They made me feel Guan Gong's loyalty. Even if the eldest brother is at the ends of the earth, as long as there is news, I should send the two sisters-in-law to the eldest brother safely, leaving my own life and death at home, and putting the safety of the two sisters-in-law first.
(2) It makes me feel that people can't just pay attention to appearance and think it's bad and abandon it, just like Lu. Even though it can control the master, Liu Bei doesn't care about it. Perhaps Liu Bei's kindness touched Lu Ma, so when the master was in the most critical moment, it saved the master's life.
After reading the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, I feel the profoundness of China's literature and the writer's writing ability. Luo Guanzhong vividly describes all the characters, such as the righteousness of Guan Yu, the straightness of Zhang Fei, the loyalty of Zhuge Liang and the treachery of Cao Cao, which makes readers integrate with the plot of the story and rise and fall with the climax of the story. Because the Romance of the Three Kingdoms belongs to Zhang Hui's novel, the story is continuous and people have always wanted it. Moreover, it won't be boring, and the story is properly arranged and exciting, which makes people feel deeply immersed in it, as if they were in the troubled times of the late Eastern Han Dynasty. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms not only had a symbolic function at that time, but also made a system innovation, and it was one of the models for studying novels in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Therefore, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms is really a good book worth reading again. Every time you read it, you will feel more.
Chapter III:
Reading Notes of Romance of the Three Kingdoms
I was idle and picked up a volume of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. After reading it, I was attracted by the already familiar plot and decided to relive that well-known story. After a few days, I felt deeply, and it was a harvest to record it.
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms describes the history of the rise and fall of three countries. It has gone through five periods, namely, the Yellow Scarf Rebellion, the Dong Zhuo Rebellion, the separatist regime (the battle of Guandu, Battle of Red Cliffs), and the division of the world into Jin. Below I would like to talk about my own understanding and views on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao is my favorite. Although he was written as a treacherous man in order to highlight Liu Bei's benevolence and righteousness, his military talent has not been obliterated. During several years' crusade to the east and the war to the west, he occupied a large area of land north of the Yangtze River, and even ethnic minorities surrendered to him. He was the most talented of the three monarchs and Wei was the most powerful of the three countries, and he laid the foundation of Wei.
Cao Cao's thirst for talents is also a place worthy of appreciation. In order to select more talents, Cao Cao broke the standard of appointing officials according to feudal virtue and seniority, and put forward the employment policy of "meritocracy is promotion". In 21, 214 and 217, he issued three orders for seeking talents in succession, repeatedly emphasizing his policy of "meritocracy is promotion" in personnel management.
What I appreciate most is his open-minded and broad mind. After the fiasco in Chibi, Cao Cao did not feel helpless, but said with a smile, "Today, the north is still under my control", and his three laughs showed his optimistic attitude towards setbacks. Cao Cao is also a man with great literary interest, and he likes to compose poems, even if the war is imminent, and his interest remains unchanged. Many of his poems are famous in Yuefu. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a classic novel with a dynastic style, which tells a series of stories from the late Eastern Han Dynasty to the reunification of the Jin Dynasty. First of all, I saw a well-known poem like "The Yangtze River is rolling eastward ……", and then I introduced it into the text. The first sentence goes like this: "It is said that the general trend of the world will be divided for a long time, and it will be divided for a long time." This sentence is not without