The author of China's traditional masterpieces.

Author: Shi Naian (1296- 1370), who is the author of Water Margin has always been controversial. At present, the most widely accepted view is that the author is Shi Naian. There are several other viewpoints in history, including Luo Guanzhong's theory, Shi Hui's theory, Guo Xun's theory of using another name, and Song Dynasty's theory.

Brief introduction: The story of Water Margin originated in the Xuanhe period of the Northern Song Dynasty, and 36 people including Song Jiang, Wu Jialiang (Wu Yong) and Chao Gai rebelled, which became the blueprint of Water Margin.

Main characters: Song Jiang, Wu Yong, jy, Lu, etc.

2. Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Author: Luo Guanzhong (about1330-about 1400), a famous book and a gifted scholar, is famous and well-known. Writers and dramatists in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty. Luo Guanzhong was born in the social unrest at the end of Yuan Dynasty. He had his own political ideals, did not agree with the secular, and took part in the anti-Yuan uprising. After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, he devoted himself to literary creation.

Introduction: The Romance of the Three Kingdoms combines the folklore, drama scripts, historical materials written by Chen Shou's History of the Three Kingdoms, Ye Fan's History of the Later Han Dynasty, the History of the Three Kingdoms in the Yuan Dynasty and Pei Songzhi's annotations, as well as the author's personal understanding of social life. At present, the earliest edition is Ming Jiajing edition, which is divided into 24 volumes and 240 articles.

Main characters: Cao Cao, Sima Yi, Zhuge Liang, Sun Quan, etc.

3. Journey to the West

Author: Wu Cheng'en (150 1 year-1582), a native of Sheyang Mountain. China was an outstanding novelist in Ming Dynasty. He was born in poverty, from a scholar to a businessman. There are some controversies about the author of The Journey to the West, but it is generally believed that the author is Wu Cheng'en.

Introduction: The Journey to the West adapted from the story of Tang Priest's scriptures, related scripts and zaju (written by Yang Ne in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty).

Main figures: Tang Priest, the Monkey King, Pig Bajie, Friar Sand, etc.

4. A Dream of Red Mansions

Author: Cao Xueqin (about 17 15- about 1763), whose real name is Zhan, whose real name is Qin Pu. Novelist, poet and painter in Qing Dynasty. Cao Xueqin experienced a luxurious and romantic life in Nanjing Jiangning Weaving Institute in his early years.

Gao E (1758—— about 18 15), whose real name is marble, whose real name is Qiu Fu, alias is Lan Shu, Xing Yi, and the history of the red chamber. China's classic novel A Dream of Red Mansions, the first printed edition in the history of communication, is one of the two main editors, collators and publishers of Cheng Gaoben. Born in Santaizi, Shenyang, he worked in Gao E, Tieling and Fengtian Gao E. He lived in Beijing in the early Qing Dynasty.

Introduction: A Dream of Red Mansions is a novel with chapters. In the early days, only the first 80 manuscripts were circulated, and some of them were not completed after 80, and the manuscripts were lost. Formerly known as "Re-evaluation of Stone Story by Zhi Yanzhai". Cheng Weiyuan invited Gao E to coordinate the publication of the first book 120, and named it A Dream of Red Mansions. There is also a version of "Jinyuyuan".

Main characters: Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai, etc.

Extended data:

The origin of the appellation "Four Great Classical Novels";

"Four classic novels" is a conventional saying, because no one has publicly put forward this concept. Generally, The Water Margin, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, The Journey to the West and A Dream of Red Mansions are called "Four Classical Novels".

Wang Shizhen, a famous literary critic and leader of the "Last Seven Scholars" in the Ming Dynasty, first put forward the word "Four Musts", but by "Four Musts" he meant Historical Records, Zhuangzi, The Water Margin and The West Chamber.

After Wang Shizhen, Feng Menglong also put forward the theory of "Four Musts", referring to Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, The Journey to the West and Jin Ping Mei.

In the early Qing Dynasty, Li Yu prefaced the four wonders (Romance of the Three Kingdoms) in The Drunken Hall: "Mr. Yizhou used to have four wonders in the universe, such as Historical Records, South China, Water Margin and The West Chamber.

References:

Baidu Encyclopedia-Four Classical Novels (Four Classical Novels of China)

Baidu Encyclopedia-Water Margin (one of the four classical novels in China)

Baidu Encyclopedia-Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo Guanzhong's Novel)

Baidu Encyclopedia-A Dream of Red Mansions (a novel about human feelings in Qing Dynasty)

Baidu Encyclopedia-Journey to the West (one of the four classical novels in China)