"The Story of the Stone Re-evaluated by Zhi Yanzhai" Author: (Qing Dynasty) Cao Xueqin / (Qing Dynasty) Zhi Yanzhai's Comments Publisher: Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House

Introduction

"A Dream of Red Mansions", one of the four great classical Chinese novels, is a long novel in chapter form written by Cao Xueqin, a writer in the Qing Dynasty. It is also known as "The Story of the Stone". It is a masterpiece of Chinese classical novels and one of the most vital books in China. The novel is set against the background of the rise and fall of the four major families of Jia, Shi, Wang and Xue, and is based on the love and marriage story of Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai. It depicts the human beauty and tragic beauty of the two lovers, good and evil, centered on Jia Baoyu and the Twelve Beauties of Jinling.

This edition of "The Story of the Stone Re-evaluated by Zhi Yanzhai" has a total of 120 chapters. The first 80 chapters include the 80 chapters of the main text written by Cao Xueqin and the comments by Zhi Yanzhai, Ji Hu Suo, etc., and the appendix is ​​the last 40 chapters supplemented by Gao E. The main text is based on the Jiaxu and Gengchen versions, and the appendix is ​​based on the Chengjia version. Most people have read "Dream of Red Mansions" since childhood, which belongs to the "Chenggao version", but if you just read it hastily based on this popular version, you will miss many wonderful things in the text. Zhi Yanzhai's comments on the text are like the plaques and inscriptions in Chinese gardens. While we are enjoying it, it may be fun, or it may give us some advice, or it may point us to the way forward, allowing readers to appreciate the wonderfulness of this classic from many perspectives.