Introduction to the Four Great Classics

The Four Great Classics referred to the four classic works of Chinese classical novels. They were Dream of the Red Chamber, Journey to the West, Water Margins, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. These four works had a very high status in Chinese culture and were regarded as one of the classic literary works. 'Dream of the Red Chamber' was a Qing Dynasty love story about Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu, and the others, showing the style of China's feudal society. The vivid characters and complicated plots in the novel were classic works in the history of Chinese literature. Journey to the West was a novel written by Wu Chengen, a novelist of the Ming Dynasty. It told the story of Sun Wukong and the others protecting the Tang Monk to go to the West to obtain scriptures. The plot in the novel was fascinating, and the characters were vivid and full of mythical colors. The Water Margins was a long novel written by Shi Naian, a novelist of the Ming Dynasty. It described the uprising of 108 righteous men. The vivid characters in the novel reflected the class struggle and the complexity of human nature in ancient Chinese society. Romance of the Three Kingdoms was a novel written by Luo Guanzhong, a novelist of the Ming Dynasty. It told the story of the political struggles and wars between Cao Cao, Sun Quan, Liu Bei, and others during the Three Kingdoms period. The characters in the novel were full of ups and downs. It was an important war history in Chinese history. These four works not only occupied an important position in the history of Chinese literature, but also had high artistic value and influence in the world. They not only showed the political, economic and cultural characteristics of ancient Chinese society, but also reflected the wisdom and aesthetic taste of the Chinese people.