Why did the Four Great Classics become 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. The reasons why these four works became classics of Chinese classical novels were as follows: 1. Unique plots and characters: Dream of the Red Chamber depicted the rise and fall of a family with the aristocratic society as the background; Journey to the West described the journey of Tang Sanzang and his three disciples to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures with the mythical story as the background; Water Margins described the resistance and sacrifice of a group of righteous men with the peasant uprising as the background; Romance of the Three Kingdoms described the political struggles and vivid images of historical figures during the period of the Three Kingdoms. 2. Profound thoughts and cultural implications: Dream of the Red Chamber explored social class, human nature, love, marriage and other issues through the description of aristocratic life; Journey to the West expressed issues about justice, courage, faith and other aspects through mythical stories; Water Margins emphasized loyalty, loyalty, faith and other issues through the description of righteous people's struggles; Romance of the Three Kingdoms discussed history, human nature, morality and other issues through the description of war and political struggles. 3. Spread widely and have great influence: Dream of the Red Chamber is regarded as the pinnacle of Chinese classical novels and the treasure of Chinese culture; Journey to the West is widely read and becomes an important part of Chinese culture; Water Margins and Romance of the Three Kingdoms also have a wide spread and far-reaching influence. To sum up, the reason why the four masterpieces became the classics of Chinese classical novels was because of their unique plots and characters, profound thoughts and cultural implications, as well as their widespread and great influence.