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Three Kingdoms (Four Volume Edition) #3
Three Kingdoms III
In Chinese culture, the era of the Three Kingdoms (AD 168–280) has achieved the status of legend. Retold in novels, celebrated in operas and echoed in modern media, from television to video games, it permeates Chinese consciousness like no other. It was an era of chaos, of conflicts so bloody that the country’s population fell by almost 50 million. But it was also a time of ideological change, with the rise of Buddhist ideals and Taoist principles that rejected the tumult and violence of the warring dynasties. And it produced the country’s first professional painters, such as Cao Buxing, often called ‘the father of Buddhist painting’. It is from this rich strand of history that Luo Guanzhong’s Three Kingdoms emerged.
Written in the 14th century, this remarkable novel is one of the great classics of Chinese literature. It is among the most beloved works of literature in East Asia, with an influence in China comparable to that of Shakespeare in the British Isles. While attributed to Guanzhong, it is as much the product of 11 centuries of oral tradition as the fruit of one author’s labour, encompassing and cementing the quasi-mythical status of the era. Introducing this edition, Chinese author-in-exile Ma Jian describes Three Kingdoms as 70 per cent history and 30 per cent fiction.
With an intricate plot and almost 1,000 dramatic characters, it is a vast work, consisting of 734,321 Chinese characters. The story is one of ferocious battles, revolts and raids – of vengeance, murder and power struggles wrought as three powers fight for the rule of a divided land.
On and on the Great River rolls, racing east.
Of proud and gallant heroes its white-tops leave no trace,
As right and wrong, pride and fall turn all at once unreal.
Yet ever the green hills stays
To blaze in the west-waning day.
But this is not only the history of an embattled era; it is also an exploration of human behaviour, morality and the cyclical nature of Chinese civilisation. It reflects Confucian ethics, which confer on all relationships a set of roles and obligations. Respect for parents, loyalty to government and mindfulness of one’s place in society are paramount.
Encircling these values are the ideas of humaneness, kindness and love. As Ma Jian writes, while the novel has been used by some as a manual of war, its overriding message is ‘surely that leaders and oppressors who violate the moral codes of loyalty and benevolence sow the seeds of their own destruction’. Characters who use guile over force – such as Zhuge Liang, who bluffs his enemy into retreat by posing as a simple lute player perched on the battlements of his besieged city – are to be admired above those who rely on violence. Arguably the most widely read historical novel in late imperial and modern China, this extraordinary work is essential reading for anyone who seeks to understand Chinese civilisation.
Written in the 14th century, this remarkable novel is one of the great classics of Chinese literature. It is among the most beloved works of literature in East Asia, with an influence in China comparable to that of Shakespeare in the British Isles. While attributed to Guanzhong, it is as much the product of 11 centuries of oral tradition as the fruit of one author’s labour, encompassing and cementing the quasi-mythical status of the era. Introducing this edition, Chinese author-in-exile Ma Jian describes Three Kingdoms as 70 per cent history and 30 per cent fiction.
With an intricate plot and almost 1,000 dramatic characters, it is a vast work, consisting of 734,321 Chinese characters. The story is one of ferocious battles, revolts and raids – of vengeance, murder and power struggles wrought as three powers fight for the rule of a divided land.
On and on the Great River rolls, racing east.
Of proud and gallant heroes its white-tops leave no trace,
As right and wrong, pride and fall turn all at once unreal.
Yet ever the green hills stays
To blaze in the west-waning day.
But this is not only the history of an embattled era; it is also an exploration of human behaviour, morality and the cyclical nature of Chinese civilisation. It reflects Confucian ethics, which confer on all relationships a set of roles and obligations. Respect for parents, loyalty to government and mindfulness of one’s place in society are paramount.
Encircling these values are the ideas of humaneness, kindness and love. As Ma Jian writes, while the novel has been used by some as a manual of war, its overriding message is ‘surely that leaders and oppressors who violate the moral codes of loyalty and benevolence sow the seeds of their own destruction’. Characters who use guile over force – such as Zhuge Liang, who bluffs his enemy into retreat by posing as a simple lute player perched on the battlements of his besieged city – are to be admired above those who rely on violence. Arguably the most widely read historical novel in late imperial and modern China, this extraordinary work is essential reading for anyone who seeks to understand Chinese civilisation.
395 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1360
3 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Luo Guanzhong
714 books180 followersLuo Ben (c. 1330–1400), better known by his style name Luo Guanzhong (罗贯中) (Mandarin pronunciation: [lwɔ kwantʂʊŋ]), was a Chinese writer who lived during the Yuan Dynasty. He was also known by his pseudonym Huhai Sanren (Chinese: 湖海散人; pinyin: Húhǎi Sǎnrén; literally "Leisure Man of Lakes and Seas"). Luo was attributed with writing Romance of the Three Kingdoms and editing Water Margin, two of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 18, 2023
I was unsure of this volume at first at this does signify the beginning of the changing of the old guard to the new. But many great events happen here, and the latter half especially is action-packed and paced well.
January 29, 2025
Maybe I'm just more used to the writing style now I'm on the third volume, but I enjoyed the flow of this one overall. How sad to see the end of the Peach Garden Oath brothers, especially when, in the case of both Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, it was their greatest flaws that killed them. And Cao Cao, my ultimate problematic fave!
Still, there's something that I really love about seeing the new generation come into play (excluding Sun Quan) - particularly the zeal with which Guan Xing and Zhang Bao go into battle!
Still, there's something that I really love about seeing the new generation come into play (excluding Sun Quan) - particularly the zeal with which Guan Xing and Zhang Bao go into battle!
January 8, 2025
What a sad volume! The final quarter of the tale is still left to be told, but basically all of the main characters have died: the three protagonist brothers Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu, and the main antagonist (but my favorite) Cao Cao, leaving only Sun Quan (not my favorite) still standing. This volume includes chapters 64 to 94, opening with Liu Bei settling into his new home in the Riverlands, and ending with his advisor Kongming taking his crusade to defeat Cao Cao and restore the Han Dynasty back into the north in the wake of Liu Bei's death. In between is arguably the real heart of the narrative, where the Three Kingdoms of Shu, Wu, and Wei become formally established and set against each other, each leader attempting to unite the empire but only ultimately destroying it through their counterposed ambition. Cao Cao is probably the ultimate example of how tireless diligence to replace an obviously malfunctioning dynasty with a more competent administration involves a lot of tough choices, and yet his opponents are generally no less filled with an admixture of high-mindedness and self-interest. It's a fascinating paradox that the empire would have united much more quickly if each faction hadn't been so filled with nobility, but the novel makes it very clear that individual virtue and collective villainy can happily coexist.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews