Dream of the Red Chamber: Chinese-English Parallel Translation (6 Volumes)

Author: Cao Xueqin / et al
Translator: Yang Xianyi / et al
Editor-in-Chief: Hu Kaimin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-01-01
Features: The Dream of the Red Chamber is one of the greatest classical novels in China. It depicts the tragic love and marriage within a noble family that rises and falls, and centers on this to unfold a broad and vivid picture of social and historical life, creating numerous brilliant and unforgettable characters such as Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu. The Dream of the Red Chamber is widely recognized as the pinnacle of Chinese classical fiction art due to its grand and exquisite narrative structure, profound cultural connotations, and outstanding linguistic artistry. The novel was written in the mid-18th century by its author, Cao Xueqin, who was proud and exceptionally talented, giving the work a strong personal flavor. The novel took ten years to complete, but after eighty chapters, the manuscript was unfortunately lost. The remaining forty chapters were laterwritten by Gao E. The Dream of the Red Chamber has been widely disseminated since its completion, with numerous editions. From the beginning, it attracted many renowned scholars and literati to comment on and study it, giving rise to the specialized field of study—Red Studies—which remains active today. Since the 19th century, The Dream of the Red Chamber has been translated into multiple languages and circulated worldwide. This translation is the complete English version of The Dream of the Red Chamber by the famous Chinese literary translators Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang, and is considered the closest to the original.
Excerpt:
> Xian Yi, the gentle and coquettish, scolded Baoyu playfully. Qiao Ping'er, with soft words, tried to console Jia Lian. The story goes that Shi Xiangyun ran out, afraid Daiyu would catch up. Baoyu, following behind, hurriedly said, "Be careful not to trip! How could she catch up?" Daiyu caught up to the door, but Baoyu blocked her with his hands on the doorframe, smiling and urging, "Let her off this time." Daiyu crossed her arms and said, "If I let Yun'er go, I won't live another day!" Xiangyun saw Baoyu blocking the door and realized Daiyu couldn't come out, so she stopped and laughed, "Good sister, let me off this time." Just then, Baochai came up behind Xiangyun and laughed, "I advise both of you to let it go for Baoyu's sake." Daiyu said, "I won't agree. You're all on the same side—can't you tease me?" Baoyu comforted her, "Who would dare? If you don't tease me, how could he say anything?" The four of them were still in a stalemate when someone came to invite them for dinner, and they went forward.
That evening, it was already past the hour of the second watch when Lady Wang, Li Wan, Fengjie, Ying, Tan, and Xi all came to Jia Mu's side for a chat. After some idle talk, they retired to rest. Xiangyun still went to Daiyu's room to sleep. Baoyu accompanied them to their room, but it was already the second watch when he was finally urged back to his own room by Xian Yi several times. The next morning, as soon as the sun rose, Baoyu put on his clothes and went to Daiyu's room, only to find that Zi Juan and Cui Lü were not there. He saw that his sisters were still sleeping in bed. Lin Daiyu was wrapped tightly in a peach-red silk quilt, sleeping soundly. Shi Xiangyun, however, had her long black hair draped beside her pillow, her quilt reaching only to her chest, with one snow-white arm exposed outside, adorned with two gold bracelets. Baoyu sighed, "You still can't sleep properly! If the wind blows, you'll complain about shoulder pain again." As he spoke, he gently covered her up. Lin Daiyu had already woken up and, sensing someone nearby, guessed it was Baoyu. She turned over and confirmed her guess. "Why are you here so early?" she asked with a smile. Baoyu replied, "It's still early. Come and see." Daiyu said, "Go out first and let us wake up." Baoyu listened and turned to leave. Daiyu woke Xiangyun up and both got dressed. Baoyu came back in and sat by the mirror, where Zi Juan and Xue Yan entered to attend to his grooming. Xiangyun finished washing her face, and Cui Lü was about to pour out the remaining water when Baoyu stopped her. "Wait, I'll wash while you're here so we don't have to go back," he said, walking over and bending down to wash his face twice. Zi Juan handed him soap, but Baoyu said, "There's plenty in this basin; no need to rub." After washing twice more, he asked for a towel. Cui Lü remarked, "Still the same habit—when will you change?" Baoyu ignored her and quickly took green salt to brush his teeth and rinse his mouth. Once done, he saw that Xiangyun had finished combing her hair and walked over, smiling. "Good sister, comb my hair for me." Xiangyun said, "I can't do that." Baoyu laughed, "Good sister, you did it for me before." Xiangyun replied, "I've forgotten now—how could I comb it?" Baoyu said, "I'm not going out, and I don't wear a hat or ribbon. Just a few loose braids will do." He pleaded with her again, calling her "sister" this and "sister" that. Xiangyun had no choice but to lift his hair and comb it for him. At home, she did not wear a hat or a hairpin, just tied her short hair into small braids around her head, gathering them at the crown and one long braid, tied with a red ribbon. Along the braid, from the crown to the tip, were four pearls, with a gold pendant at the end. As she ed, she said, "There are only three pearls left. This one doesn't match. I remember they were all the same—how come one is missing?" Baoyu replied, "One dropped off." Xiangyun said, "It must have fallen off outside and been picked up by someone—what a pity for them."