Three Kingdoms: Chinese Classics (Classic Novel in 4-Volumes)

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Summary: A fine, if somewhat modernized, translation of the classic.
Review: "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is possibly the most famous and important novel in classic Chinese literature. Not only is it the earliest of the "Four Great Books" (as evidenced by its more archaic language), but it created a complete cultural phenomenon whose impact is still fresh today -- just ask all the young people today who, without having read a word of the book, still know the characters from the strategy and fighting video games released by the company Koei.

I'd read the original archaic text when I was about eight years old, so obviously my views will be heavily slanted by my familiarity with this text. On approaching this translation, what I find is a well done, respectful and informative translation that doesn't quite nail the tone of the original text, but will be a good read for modern readers who don't read Chinese.

And to be honest, Chinese is extremely hard to translate into English. Just the fact that subjects, articles and pronouns are often omitted from a sentence is enough to cause nightmares for a Chinese-English translator. And even by Chinese standards, The Three Kingdoms is a work whose linguistic economy is staggering. In one page, this book can convey the deaths of half a dozen characters, three to four battles, multiple schemes, and include four or five "tribute" poems, to boot. Such is the style of this work, and it could not have been easy for translator Moss Roberts to adapt this style into English. And he has done the job remarkably, for though I don't think he was able to convey the flavour and rhythm of the original language (the question is, also, whether that would have been possible), his translation makes a good read, and strives to be faithful to the original text, down to the chapter divisions and the inclusion of the "tribute" poems which frequent the book. This was an essential piece in the style of the book and I was joyed to see the device retained.

There are instances scattered throughout where I felt the tone of the language may have been misinterpreted, or diluted by the language barrier. Obviously, I'm not a Chinese professor (as Prof. Roberts is), but as a native speaker, I felt his translations sometimes didn't quite hit the mark. For example, in the original text, one poem on the character Cao Cao distinctly used a word which meant "deception" or "guile", but Prof. Roberts adapted it to "craft", which dilutes the disapproving tone of the original. When Yuan Shao refused aid to Liu Bei on account of his son's illness, his advice to the messenger was "if he is in trouble, he may seek refuge with me", which suggests patronage, not "find refuge north of the river", which suggests a tactical manoeuvre related to geography. These are but two examples and you can certainly argue that the meaning of the original text is up for grabs, but as a Chinese native speaker and reader, one who has grown up with this text and re-read the book hundreds of times, I still find the translation a little off. There is also no attempt at creating period flavour in the language -- the translation is modern, not aiming to add archaic English flavour to try to reflect the age of the original Chinese text. This may be a good point, however, since the use of archaic English added to the language barrier might have resulted in a book that's very difficult to read. I think Prof. Roberts sacrificed flavour for clarity, a fair tradeoff to the benefit of the translation.

Again, the question is whether an English translation (or any other translation) could ever be accurate in this way to the original. Personally, I do think many of the discrepancies in meaning could have been avoided, or ameliorated. However, as aforementioned, for a reader who's never read the original, this issue won't affect his/her enjoyment of the text. Just the fact that there is a translation of this extremely important work of Chinese literature is a cause for celebration, and for those people new to this realm, this set of books is a great discovery.

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Summary: A Fascinating step into Ancient China
Review: Like many other reviewers, the way I first found out about this book was through the Dynasty Warriors video game. I decided to try reading the unabridged version, though somewhat daunted by the size. I did expect the book to be interesting, but I also thought it would be difficult reading. Little did I expect for the book to far exceed my expectations! The Three Kingdoms is a fascinating look into the history (albeit somewhat fictionalized) of China during a roughly 100 year period between 180-280 AD, during which the Han Dynasty fell(the Han was the longest lasting and most powerful dynasty according to the Afterword).

The book is full of stories of honor, courage, and loyalty; as well as betrayal, cowardice, and deception. Three Kingdoms is not just a book about wars, although battle is featured prominently in the book--it spends equal or greater amounts of time peering into the political intrigue, power-struggles, and military strategy. The book is loaded with characters, which presents probably the greatest challenge to a Western reader. Learning the names of the main characters might come easier than you might think, and there is a helpful list of main characters in the back of the fourth volume (though even many of those listed there appear only momentarily in the novel). I would also suggest reading the foreward and at least the beginning of the afterword in the fourth volume before beginning the book--it will give helpful background information.

The storytelling in the Three Kingdoms is so compelling that I often found myself practically cheering for my favorite characters, and often laughing out loud at peculiar victories or witty dialogue. The beginning of the book focuses on Liu Bei (Xuande) a man of admirable character and virtue, but often frustrating leadership. The main body of the book deals with Zhuge Liang (Kongming), who is Liu Bei's military strategist. Kongming is definitely the most fascinating character, and his strategies and manipulation are delightful to watch unfold. The book also has scores of heroes and villains, and gives insight into the values and virtues that were highly regarded by the Chinese. Towards the end of the book the storyline briefly begins to sag as most of the main characters die off, and yet the characters Jiang Wei and Deng Ai redeem the end of the book, and still carry on the suspense and excitement that was stronger and brighter in the first 3/4ths of the novel. All in all I was disappointed when I finished, ONLY because there wasn't more to read! I would definitely read this book again and recommend it to anyone who wants to read a true epic of Chinese history.

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Summary: Truly epic novel
Review: One of the greatest of epic novels. I received this book as a gift, and I'll treasure it forever. I know I'll return to it several times in the future to reread it. The book is as long as five novels, but it's more fun than almost any five novels you could choose. The epic sweep through 110 years of Chinese history is amazing. The narrative is swift and compelling. The battles are spectacular and exciting. The characters--especially Kongming, Cao Cao, and Lord Guan--are wonderfully memorable and alive. The English translation, aside from a few typos and misspellings, is good. I don't speak Mandarin, so I wish someone would make a movie version of the story in English, or provide a subtitled version of one of the many Chinese screen adaptations. If I have one problem with the book, it's the character of Xuande. He's weak and indecisive, and lacks the qualities needed in an epic hero. It's hard to see what the other characters saw in him.

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Summary: A review for the Abridged.
Review: Since I am a novice in the realm of Chinese history, I felt that the abridged version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms would be a better starting point to satiate my appetite that has been whetted by various video games. I find this odd, since I've always lived by the rule of never reading abridged versions, and never buying greatest hits albums. I wouldn't say disappointment settled in, but when reading such a story of chivalry, honor, and valor, you don't want the beautiful writing to end. But then it did. Needless to say, I was left wanting.

Moss Roberts is a poet, no doubt. The language he uses in translation would make this a great work no matter what the age. Essentially, Three Kingdoms is the abridged version of about 90 years of Chinese history chronicling the fall of the Han Empire, the splintering into Three Kingdoms; Wei, Shu, and Wu; and the rise of Wei to prominence. It deals with betrayal, honor, strategy, and respect. And if you can read this, and not have Zhao Zhilong (Yun) be your favorite character, you are a better person than I. His abilities are outstanding.

This is an abridged version (4th time I've said that... Theme?) so you're getting a taste. The original work is 4 volumes and in excess of 2400 pages, this is a hair over 400, so you see what you're getting. I'm about to tackle the original, I've got to get through my Sophocles first, though, and I'll let you know how much better that is. If you're at all interested in Medieval Chinese History, consider this a jumping off point, the chocolaty exterior before the creamy filling.

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Summary: If you're looking for a copy of the Three Kingdoms...
Review: And have the money and space, get this one; has the original chinese characters on one page, the facing page has the translation. Moss's annotations are insightful and interesting- the only complaint is the lackluster grammar and spelling... But, looking beyond that, this is a great addition to any literary collection, public or private. (And if you need to see what the book is about, you probably wouldn't be reading this)

Rating:
Summary: Get this book
Review: If you are alive and know how to read you should read this book, no one in the world would give it less than 3 stars. It is a very long book but it will be very much worth it to read anyway, and when you're done, you can brag to your friends that you've read a 2000+ page book. It will go by much faster than you would think.