Which dynasty were the Four Great Classics from? Why were they called the Four Great Classics?

Answer 1

The Four Great Classics referred to the four classic novels in the history of Chinese literature. They were Journey to the West by the Ming Dynasty novelist Wu Chengen, Dream of the Red Chamber by the Qing Dynasty novelist Cao Xueqin, Water Margins by the Yuan Dynasty novelist Shi Naian, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms by the Qing Dynasty novelist Jin Shengtan.

These four novels were all classics in the history of Chinese literature and were hailed as the treasures of Chinese culture. Each of them represented different literary schools and cultural backgrounds, with extremely high artistic value and cultural implications. "Journey to the West" described the characters such as Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie and Monk Sha based on myths and legends, which reflected the folk myths and Taoist culture of ancient China."Dream of the Red Chamber" described the characters such as Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai based on the social life of nobles, which reflected the ethics and female status of ancient feudal society. The Heroes of the Marsh used the heroes of the Heroes of the Marsh as the main characters to describe the resistance of 108 righteous thieves, reflecting the class struggle and sense of justice in ancient Chinese society. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms used the history of the Three Kingdoms period as the background to describe the road to hegemony of historical figures such as Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan, reflecting the changes in ancient Chinese political culture.

They are called the four masterpieces because these four novels have a very high status and influence in Chinese culture. Not only do they occupy an important position in the history of Chinese literature, but they also have a wide impact on the world. They are known as treasures in the treasure house of world literature.