Dream of the Red Chamber

Author: Cao Xueqin, Gao E
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-01-01
Features:
[Content Summary] Cao Xueqin is one of the greatest and most complex writers in the history of Chinese literature, and Dream of the Red Chamber is also one of the greatest and most complex works in the history of Chinese literature. Dream of the Red Chamber tells the tragic love and marriage story between the feudal aristocratic youth Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu, and Xue Baochai, and revolves around this, depicting the rise and fall of the representative Jia, Wang, Shi, and Xue families of that time, with the Jia family as the center. It exposes the darkness and evils of the late feudal society and its irreconcilable internal contradictions, powerfully criticizes the decadent feudal ruling class and the feudal system on the verge of collapse, making readers sense its inevitable fate of ruin. The artistic achievements of the language in Dream of the Red Chamber also represent the peak of classical Chinese novel language art. The author often only needs a few words to sketch a vivid character with distinct personality traits. Every typical character's language in the author's writing has its unique individuality, allowing readers to distinguish characters merely by their language. The author's narrative language also possesses a high artistic expressiveness, including the poetry, ci, fu, and zhu in the novel, which not only blend seamlessly with the narrative but also serve to shape the typical characters, achieving the goal of "poetry reflecting the person." Due to these outstanding achievements in various aspects, Dream of the Red Chamber has a completely new face in both its ideological content and artistic techniques, possessing an enduring artistic charm that allows it to stand proudly among the world's literature without any inferiority.
[Table of Contents]
Preface in Place of a Dedication Foreword Main Text
Chapter 1 Zhen Shiyin Recognizes the Precious Jade in a Dream, Jia Yuanchun Reflects on the Lady in the Dust
Chapter 2 Jia Furen Passes Away in Yangzhou, Leng Zixing Narrates the Rongguo Mansion
Chapter 3 Jia's Nephew Likehai Repays the Teaching, Jia's Grandmother Cherishes the Orphaned Daughter
Chapter 4 A Fortuneteller's Daughter Meets an Unfortunate One, the Fortuneteller's Judge Makes a Random Verdict
Chapter 5 Visiting the Illusionary Realm, Indicating the Twelve Beauties, Drinking Immortal Wine, Reciting the Poem of the Red Chamber
Chapter 6 Jia Baoyu's First Test of Cloudy Rain, Liu Laolao's First Visit to the Rongguo Mansion
Chapter 7 Sending Palace Flowers, Jia Lian Jokes with Xifeng, Jia Baoyu Meets Qin Zhong at Ning Mansion
Chapter 8 The Golden Bird's Whisper, Jia Baoyu's Hint to Baochai, Daiyu's Half-Acid Response
Chapter 9 A Passionate Friend Enters the Family School, Suspicious Children Cause Trouble in the School
Chapter 10 The Golden Widow Suffers Humiliation for Profit, Zhang Taiyi Discusses the Illness in Detail
Chapter 11 Celebrating the Birthday, Ning Mansion Holds a Family Banquet, Jia Baoyu Sees Xifeng's Lecherous Heart
Chapter 12 Xifeng Sets a Love Trap, Jia Tianxiang Sees the Wind and Moon Mirror
Chapter 13 Qin Kexing Dies and is Enfeoffed as the Dragon Guard, Xifeng Manages Ning Mansion
Chapter 14 Lin Ruohai Donates His Estate in Yangzhou, Jia Baoyu Visits the Northern Jing Wang
Chapter 15 Xifeng Manipulates Power in the Iron Cage Temple, Qin Jingqing Finds Joy in the Steamed Bun Temple
Chapter 16 Jia Yuanchun is Appointed to the Phoenix Studio, Qin Jingqing Dies on the Yellow River
Chapter 17 Testing Talent in the Grand View Garden, Returning to the Rongguo Mansion for the Lantern Festival
Chapter 18 Imperial Grace, Yuanfei Visits Her Parents, Baoyu Presents His Talent
Chapter 19 Deep Affection on a Sleepless Night, Lingering Thoughts on a Quiet Day
Chapter 20 Xifeng Condemns Jealousy, Daiyu Teases with Flirtatious Words
Chapter 21 Xiren Scolds Baoyu, Ping'er Softly Saves Jia Lian
Chapter 22 Listening to the Ballad, Baoyu Understands Zen, Making Lantern Riddles, Jia Zheng Mourns Prophecies
Chapter 23 West Chamber's Wonderful Words, Peony Pavilion's Beautiful Melody
Chapter 24 The Drunken Golden King Gives Away Wealth, the Foolish Daughter Loses a Handkerchief
Chapter 25 Magic Curse, Brother and Sister Meet Five Ghosts, Dream of the Red Chamber Meets Two True Ones
Chapter 26 Setting Words on the Bee Waist Bridge, Spring Dreams in the Xiaoxiang Pavilion
Chapter 27 Dripping Jade Pavilion, Yangfei Plays with Butterflies, Buried Fragrance Tomb, Yingying Cries for Red Leaves
Chapter 28 Jiang Yuhan Gifts Crimson Orchid Silk, Baochai Hides Red Musk
Chapter 29 Enjoying Happiness, Praying for More, the Foolish Daughter Deepens Her Affection
Chapter 30 Baochai Lends a Fan, Ling'er Draws a Plum, and the Foolish Girl is Distracted
Chapter 31 Tearing a Fan, a Thousand Dollars in a Smile, the Plum and Star Meet
Chapter 32 Confiding in Baoyu, Heart Overwhelmed; Humiliated, Xinchun Dies with Passion
Chapter 33 Minor Quarrels, Major Punishments
Chapter 34 Love within Love, Mistakes within Mistakes
Chapter 35 White Jade Chopsticks, Lotus Leaf Soup; Golden Bird, Skillfully Tying Plum Blossoms
Chapter 36 Embroidering Mandarin Ducks, Dreams of the Crimson Pavilion, Understanding Fate in the Pear Garden
Chapter 37 Autumn Cool Studio, Joining the Begonia Society; Hua Garden, Nightly Writing of Chrysanthemums
Chapter 38 Lin Xiaoxiang Wins the Chrysanthemum Poem, Xue Hua Garden Criticizes Crab Pots
Chapter 39 Village Grandma Talks Freely, Passionate Brother-in-Law Seeks Answers
Chapter 40 Lady Jia Hosts Two Banquets in the Grand View Garden, Golden Mandarin Declares the
Chapter 41 Baoyu Tastes Tea in the Green Bamboo Pavilion, Liu Laolao Drunkenly Lies in the Red Chamber
Chapter 42 Hua Garden Explains Doubts, Xiaoxiang Complements Fragrance
Chapter 43 Taking Joy, Accumulating Gold; Unfinished Affection, Temporarily Buried
Chapter 44 Unexpected Changes, Xifeng's Spite, Unexpected Joy, Ping'er's Makeup
Chapter 45 Golden Bonds, Sharing Words; Stormy Night, Composing Storm Words
Chapter 46 Awkward People, Awkward Things; Mandarin Pairs, Vowing to Part
Chapter 47 The Foolish King Tries to Flirt, Cold Lord Fears Trouble and Leaves
Chapter 48 Indiscriminate Lovers, Love Misleads; Elegant Ladies, Hard to Write Poems
Chapter 49 World, White Plum Blossoms, Red ; Fragrant Dolls, Eating Meat and Fish
Chapter 50 Lu Xuexuan, Competing Poems, Warm Fragrance, Making Lantern Riddles
Chapter 51 Xue Xiaomei Writes Poems, Uses Wolf and Tiger Medicine
Chapter 52 Pretty Ping'er Hides the Shrimp Mustache Bracelet, Brave Qingwen Fixes the Golden Dress
Chapter 53 Ning Mansion Holds a Sacrifice, Rongguo Mansion Opens a Night Banquet
Chapter 54 Lady Jia Breaks Old Customs, Xifeng Acts as a Costume
Chapter 55 Humiliating Daughter, Foolish Concubine Quarrels; Oppressing the Young Master, Servants Plot
Chapter 56 Min Zhaotong Reforms, Recognizing Baochai's Generosity
Chapter 57 Wise Zidian Tests Baoyu, Kind Mother Comforts Daiyu
Chapter 58 Under the Apricot Tree, Fake Phoenix Cries; Through the Gauze Window, True Feelings Measure Reason
Chapter 59 On the Willow Leaf Creek, Scolding Swallows; in the Crimson Pavilion, Invoking Spirits
Chapter 60 Jasmine Powder Replaces Rose Salt, Rose Water Brings Ginseng Frost
Chapter 61 Avoiding the Mouse, Baoyu Conceals Fault, Judging Justice, Ping'er Exercises Power
Chapter 62 Drunken Xiangyun Sleeps on Peony Beds, Foolish Xiangling Helps the
Chapter 63 Celebrating in the Red Chamber, Dead Gold Pillars Handle Funerals
Chapter 64 Quiet Lady Writes Poems of Five Beauties, Wandering Lord Loses Nine Dragons
Chapter 65 Jia Ershen Marries You Erni, You Santie Thinks of Liu Erlang
Chapter 66 Xiangxiaimei Shames Love, Returns to the Earth; Cold Erlang Enters the Void
Chapter 67 Seeing Gifts, Daiyu Thinks of Home; Hearing Secrets, Xifeng Inquires
Chapter 68 Suffering You Nü, Enters the Grand View Garden; Sour Xifeng, Ruins Ning Mansion
Chapter 69 Using Tricks, Killing with a Borrowed Sword; Realizing Fate, Swallowing Gold and Dying
Chapter 70 Lin Daiyu Rebuilds the Peach Blossom Society, Shi Xiangyun Accidentally Writes Willow Catkins
Chapter 71 Jealousy, People Create Jealousy; Mandarin Pairs, Unintentionally Meeting
Chapter 72 Xifeng, Proudly Saying Illness; Laiwang, Domineering Marriage
Chapter 73 Foolish Girl Misplaces the Embroidered Spring Case, Weak Lady Ignores the Golden Fan
Chapter 74 Bewildered by Treachery, Copying the Grand View Garden; Independent, Exiling Ning Mansion
Chapter 75 Night Banquet, Strange Omen; Mid-Autumn Festival, New Prophecy
Chapter 76, Playing the Flute, Feeling Sad; , Linking Poems, Sad Solitude
Chapter 77 Pretty Servant, Suffering and Dying; Beautiful Actor, Killing and Returning to Water Moon
Chapter 78 Old Scholar, Seeking Dangerous Paintings; Foolish Scholar, Writing Lotus Elegy
Chapter 79 Xue Wenlong Regrets Marrying a Lioness, Jia Yingchun Marries a Wolf
Chapter 80 Beautiful Xiangling, Humiliated by a Lecher; Wang Taoist, Fabricating a Jealous Wife's Formula
Chapter 81 Fishing for Four Beauties, Entering the Family School Twice
Chapter 82 Old Scholar, Warning the Fools; Xiaoxiang, Scared by Dreams
Chapter 83 Jia Yuanfei, Ill in the Palace; Xue Baochai, Swallowing Quietly
Chapter 84 Testing Writing, Baoyu Proposes; Exploring Wind, Jia Huan Resents
Chapter 85 Jia Cunzhou, Promoted to a Middle Rank Official; Xue Wenqi, Receiving a Banishment Sentence
Chapter 86 Receiving Bribe, Old Official Reverses Case; Sending Leisure, Gentlewoman Solves the Lute
Chapter 87 Feeling Autumn, Playing the Lute, Sad Past; Seizing Zen, Entering Illusion
Chapter 88 Entertaining the Court, Baoyu Praises Orphans; Family Law, Jia Zhen Whips Servants
Chapter 89 Person Gone, Things Remain; Scholar Writes Words; Snake Shadow, Cup Bow, Daiyu Stops Eating
Chapter 90 Losing a Scarf, Poor Girl Tolerates; Sending Gifts, Little Boy Feels Suspicious
Chapter 91 Releasing, Baochan Designs; Setting Doubts, Baoyu Talks Zen
Chapter 92 Reviewing Women's Stories, Qiaojie Admires Virtue; Playing Mother's Pearl, Jia Zheng Discusses Separation
Chapter 93 Zhen's Servant Joins Jia's Family; Water Moon Temple, Turning Over Wind and Moon
Chapter 94 Banquet in Honor of Peonies, Jia Mu Feels the Demon; Losing Baoyu, Knowing Strange Misfortune
Chapter 95 Falsehood Becomes Reality, Yuanfei Passes Away; False and True, Baoyu Becomes Mad
Chapter 96 Hiding News, Xifeng Designs; Revealing Secrets, Daiyu Loses Sense
Chapter 97 Lin Daiyu Burns Manuscripts, Severs Love; Xue Baochai Marries, Great Ceremony
Chapter 98 Suffering, Red Pearl Returns to Earth; Ill, Shenying Tears Fall
Chapter 99 Guarding Official Precepts, Servants Break Rules; Reading Official Reports, Old Cousin Feels Suspicious
Chapter 100 Breaking Good Fortune, Xiangling Hates; Far Away, Baoyu Feels Sad
Chapter 101 Night in the Grand View Garden, Warning Ghosts; Flower Temple, Divining Strange Omens
Chapter 102 Ning Mansion, Family Sickness; Grand View Garden, Magic Water Drives Demons
Chapter 103 Using Poison, Jingu Burning; Ignoring Zen, Rucun Meets Old
Chapter 104 Drunken Golden King, Small Fish Create Waves; Foolish Scholar, Pain Touches Past
Chapter 105 Imperial Army Searches, Ning Mansion Seized; Horseman Criticizes, Ping'an State Targeted
Chapter 106 Xifeng, Humiliated, Returns to Jinling; Zhen Yingjia, Grateful, Returns to Jade
Chapter 107 Scattering Funds, Jia Mu Clarifies; Restoring Position, Zheng Lao Receives Grace
Chapter 108 Forced Joy, Hua Garden Celebrates; Death, Xiaoxiang Hears Ghosts
Chapter 109 Waiting for Soul, Five'er Takes Wrong Love; Paying Debt, Returns to True
Chapter 110 Lady Jia Dies, Returns to Earth; Xifeng, Losing People, Faces Loss
Chapter 111 Mandarin Pair, Dies for Master; Dog and Pig, Tricks, Seizes Thieves
Chapter 112 Living Vengeance, Miaogu Suffers Great Fate; Dead Enemy, Zhao Concubine Goes to Hell
Chapter 113 Forgiving Past Wrongs, Xifeng Entrusts to Village Women; Resolving Old Grievances, Maid Feels Love
Chapter 114 Xifeng Returns to Jinling, Zhen Yingjia Restored to Jade
Chapter 115 Bewildered Bias, Xichun Gives Up; Proving Similar, Baoyu Loses Friend
Chapter 116 Understanding Miraculous Mirror, Realizing; Sending Mother's Coffin, Fulfilling Filial Piety
Chapter 117 Blocking Transcendence, Pairs Protect Jade; Gathering Evil, One Takes Family
Chapter 118 Minor Grievances, Nephew Bullies; Warning Riddles, Wife and Concubine Advise
Chapter 119 Passing Exam, Baoyu Breaks Ties; Imperial Grace, Jia Family Extends
Chapter 120 Zhen Shiyin Explains the Void, Jia Yuanchun Summarizes Dream of the Red Chamber
Appendix I: Dream of the Red Chamber Character Relationship Chart
Appendix II: Dream of the Red Chamber Grand View Garden Floor Plan (Xu Gongshi)
Appendix III: Dream of the Red Chamber Proofreading Notes
Excerpt: Who knew that at this time Daiyu was not in her own room but in Baoyu's, playing with the nine-link chain. Zhou Ruijia entered and smiled, saying, "Lin Niangniang, Aunt Madam sent flowers for you to wear." Baoyu heard and said first, "What kind of flowers? Bring them to me to see." At the same time, he reached out and took them. Opening the box, it was seen that it was a new and clever fake flower made according to the palace style. Daiyu only looked at it in Baoyu's hand and asked, "Was it sent just for me, or do the other girls have them too?" Zhou Ruijia said, "Everyone else has them, these two branches are for you." Daiyu sneered, "I knew it, I only get the leftovers." Zhou Ruijia said nothing after hearing this. Baoyu asked, "Zhou sister, what did you do over there?" Zhou Ruijia said, "Madam was over there, so I went back to report, and Aunt Madam took me along." Baoyu said, "Bao Sister is at home, what has she been doing these days? She hardly comes over." Zhou Ruijia said, "She's not feeling well." Baoyu heard and said to the maids, "Who goes to see her. Say that Baoyu and Lin Niangniang sent you, asking Aunt Madam and sister to rest, asking what illness she has and what medicine she is taking. I should go myself, but I just came back from studying and caught a cold, so I will visit personally later." Saying this, Qianxue agreed and went. Zhou Ruijia went on her own. There was nothing more to say. It turned out that Zhou Ruijia's daughter-in-law was a good friend of Yuanchun, recently involved in a lawsuit over selling antiques, so she sent her woman to ask for favor. Zhou Ruijia, relying on the master's favor, did not take these matters to heart and only asked for favors from Fengjie in the evening.