Romance of the Three Kingdoms () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set during the turbulent final years of the Han dynasty and the subsequent Three Kingdoms period, spanning from the Yellow Turban Rebellion in 184 AD to the reunification of China proper under the Western Jin dynasty in 280. The novel is based primarily on the Records of the Three Kingdoms, written by Chen Shou in the 3rd century.
Blending history with fiction, the narrative romanticizes the lives of warlords and their retainers, centering on the three rival power blocs that emerged from the collapse of the Han dynasty and eventually formed the states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The novel, with a pro-Shu perspective, depicts the political maneuvering, military campaigns, and personal rivalries among these states as they struggled for supremacy over nearly a century.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms is acclaimed as one of the Four Great Classic Novels of Chinese literature; it has a total of 800,000 words and nearly a thousand dramatic characters (mostly historical) in 120 chapters. The novel is among the most beloved works of literature in East Asia, and its literary influence in the region has been compared to that of the works of Shakespeare on English literature. Its impact is also extensive and eminent in Southeast Asia, with many of its characters becoming household names there. It is arguably the most widely read historical novel in late imperial and modern China. Herbert Giles stated that for the Chinese themselves, this is regarded as the "greatest among their countless novels".
Origins and versions
thumb|page=30|272px|Pages from a printed edition of the novel, volume five
thumb|page=32|272px|The beginning chapter lists from Li Zhuowu's commentary edition (late Ming dynasty) of the novel, volume one
Stories about the heroes of the Three Kingdoms were the basis of entertainment dating back to the Sui and Tang dynasty (6th–10th centuries). By the Song dynasty (10th–13th centuries), records mention professional oral storytellers who specialized in tales of the Three Kingdoms heroes. The earliest written work to combine these stories was a pinghua named Sanguozhi Pinghua published sometime between 1321 and 1323.
Expansion of the history
Romance of the Three Kingdoms is traditionally attributed to Luo Guanzhong, a playwright who lived sometime between 1315 and 1400 (late Yuan to early Ming period) known for compiling historical plays in styles which were prevalent during the Yuan period. It was first printed in 1522
Regardless of when it was written or whether Luo was the writer, the author made use of several available historical records, primarily the Records of the Three Kingdoms compiled by Chen Shou in the 3rd century. The Records of the Three Kingdoms covered events ranging from the Yellow Turban Rebellion in 184 to the unification of the Three Kingdoms under the Jin dynasty in 280. The novel also includes material from Tang dynasty poetic works, Yuan dynasty operas and his own personal interpretation of elements such as virtue and legitimacy. The author combined this historical knowledge with his own storytelling skills to create a rich tapestry of personalities.
Recensions and standardised text
Luo Guanzhong's version in 24 volumes, known as the Sanguozhi Tongsu Yanyi, is now held in the Shanghai Library in China, Tenri Central Library in Japan, and several other major libraries. Various 10-volume, 12-volume and 20-volume recensions of Luo's text, made between 1522 and 1690, are also held at libraries around the world. However, the standard text familiar to general readers is a recension by Mao Lun and his son Mao Zonggang.
At the end of the Ming dynasty, "Li Zhuowu" added commentary to the Luo version, which expanded its circulation and influence.
While Li Zhuowu was the art name of Li Zhi, the commentary was likely written by an imposter (Ye Zhou).
Nevertheless, it is consistent with the anti-authoritarian views of the historical Li Shi. The persona of Li Zhuowu "is presented as a reader who appreciates the text, an interpreter and appropriate model for readers unfamiliar with the form".
In 1591, Zhou Yue, owner of the Wanjuanlou Bookshop, published his edited version of the novel with the title, A Newly Proofed Edition of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It contained 250 chapters in 12 volumes and included 240 2-page illustrations. Each illustration is flanked by couplets, each line with 11 characters. These were composed by literati and described the scene in a poetic manner. For example, the illustration "Guan Yu traveled one thousand li alone." depicts Guan Yu as he begins a journey to rejoin his sworn brother, Liu Bei. It includes the couplet (loose translation), "Loyal and righteous, he returned to his former master alone with a single sword; the hero, moved by his loyalty, was willing to travel to his beloved master a thousand li away."
Zheng Zhenduo commented that the prints are bold and vigorous, and while somewhat crude, they are ultimately far superior to the 'delicate' prints in other works.
The 1888 edition, Mao Shenshang's Critique of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms/ Most Brilliant Writing of Talent and Taste/ Saoye shanfang edition, National Palace Museum collection, has 40 such illustrations. These depict the main characters together with text highlighting their role in the narrative. Scholars have long debated whether the Maos' viewpoint was anti-Qing (identifying Southern Ming remnants with Shu-Han) or pro-Qing.
Commentary is estimated to be almost two-thirds as large as the bulk of the text. The Mao introductory essay titled "How to Read The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" begins: