Dream of the Red Chamber (Complete Two Volumes)

Author: Cao Xueqin, edited and collated by Zhou Ruchang
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2006-12-01
Features: This book is the result of over half a century of meticulous collation by Mr. Zhou Ruchang, based on eleven extant ancient manuscripts of Dream of the Red Chamber. The collator has studied and grasped the true style and intent of Cao Xueqin, discerned spurious texts and false continuations, and sought to restore the original form, providing a reliable edition for lovers of Dream of the Red Chamber. Unlike the 120-volume edition containing the 40 additional chapters by Gao E, this edition is truly a "work by Cao Xueqin." Most readers believe that Cao Xueqin only left behind the first 80 chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber during his lifetime. However, scholars like Zhou Ruchang argue that Cao Xueqin completed the entire work, though the text after the 80th chapter was lost for some reason. At the end of this book, the article "The Trace of the Lip and the Red Chamber's Shadow Still Fragrant" includes the collator's research findings on the content of the 80th chapter and beyond, based on clues from the annotations of Shi Yanzhai, presenting a complete and authentic version of Dream of the Red Chamber for reference. This book strives to remain faithful to the ancient manuscripts. During the Qing Dynasty's Qianlong period, when Cao Xueqin wrote Dream of the Red Chamber, few scholars wrote in colloquial language. Many characters in what was then called "vernacular" had no fixed forms, and authors often used phonetic approximations, leading to inconsistencies. Ancient writing customs also included a preference for variant characters, as people were reluctant to adhere to standardized forms, unlike today's regulated characters. The collator cross-referenced various manuscripts and found that Cao Xueqin's original draft used words and phrases inconsistently, often varying between revisions, with the same meaning but different forms, such as "wěiqu" () vs. "wěiqū" (), "dǎliang" () vs. "dǎliàng" (), and "fúshì" () vs. "fúshì" (), among others. Other examples include writing "yītàng" () as "yītǎng," "hěnshi" () as "hénshi," and the modern character "guàng" () appearing in ancient texts as "kàng," "kuàng," "+kuáng," or "+kuáng," etc. These variations were used interchangeably, reflecting the writing habits of the time, where individuals followed their own preferences or made revisions due to differences in time and place. There are also characters that modern readers may find difficult to understand, such as the Manchu Bannermen often writing "xiāng" () as "xiāng" (), which was not considered unusual at the time. This book aims to preserve the original form of the text, retaining all variant characters without standardization. The word and phrase phenomena in the book are explained in advance, and key annotations are added, which should not hinder smooth reading. Instead, they allow readers to appreciate the evolution of vernacular Chinese writing and the origins of today's standardized forms. Additionally, there are differences in character names between ancient manuscripts and popular versions, such as "Dáishū" () vs. "Shìshū" (), "Bìlàng" () vs. "Bìhén" (), and "Qígōng" () vs. "Qígōng" (). For example, the place where Miaoyu lived is actually "Lǒngcuì ān" (), not "Lǒngcuì" (). These differences may seem unfamiliar to readers, leading them to suspect errors, so careful attention is required. Beyond the widely circulated editions that include Gao E's continuations, there are various "ancient" versions of Dream of the Red Chamber in the market, including "collated editions" based on single or multiple manuscripts. However, these often merely list variant texts without thorough collation or definitive revisions, making them suitable only for scholars but not for general readers. The publication of this Zhou-collated edition aims to provide ordinary readers with a new choice for appreciating Cao Xueqin's Dream of the Red Chamber.