Romance of Three Kingdoms
（Learn to spread China and Chinese cuIture in EngIish）
Romance of Three Kingdoms, attributed to Luo Guanzhong, is one of the four famous classical works in China. It is the first long chapter historical novel in China. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms Period in Chinese history, starting in 169 and ending with the reunification of the land in 280. The novel draws from historical sources, including Records of the Three Kingdoms by Chen Shou and the annotations on Records of the Three Kingdoms by Pei Songzhi. It also takes nutrients from folklores, promptbook and local operas in the process of its formation.
罗贯中著《三国演义》，是中国四大名著之一，也是中国第一部长篇历史章回小说。故事以中国历史上汉朝末年和三国时期的动荡年代为背景，从公元169年开始，到公元280年国家统一。这部小说取材于历史资料，包括陈寿的《三国志》以及《裴松之注三国志》，并在成书过程中吸取了民俗、训诂、戏曲等方面的营养。
Focusing on the rise and fall of three kingdoms Wei, Shu and Wu, and on the complex political,military and diplomatic struggles among them, Romance of Three Kingdoms reflects extensively the convulsion and corruption of the society and condemns the atrocity and hideousness of the ruling class; it also manifests the miseries and disasters suffered by the people and expresses their strong desire to fight against war and separation and their longing for peace and unification.
《三国演义》围绕魏、蜀、吴三国的兴衰、以三国之间复杂的政治、军事、外交斗争为主线，广泛反映社会的动荡和腐败，谴责统治阶级的暴行和丑恶；它还体现了饱受苦难和灾难的人民反对战争、反对分裂的强烈愿望和对和平统一的向往。
The romance of the Three Kingdoms describes nearly a hundred years of history from the late Eastern Han Dynasty to the early Western Jin Dynasty. It mainly describes the war, and tells the historical events such as the battle of the heroes in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and the final unification of the Three Kingdoms by Sima Yan and the establishment of the Jin Dynasty.
《三国演义》描述了从东汉末年到西晋初年的近百年历史。它主要描述战争，讲述了东汉末年的群雄争斗以及司马炎最终统一三国，建立晋朝等历史事件。
The novel can be roughly divided into five parts:
the Yellow Towel Uprising, Dong Zhuos Rebellion, the struggle for deer, the tripartite confrontation of the Three Kingdoms and the return of the Three Kingdoms to Jin.
全书可大致分为黄巾起义、董卓之乱、群雄逐鹿、三国鼎立、三国归晋五大部分。
This novel combines romanticim with realism and successfulⅠy created a lot of artistic images with distinct individualities, such as Guan Yu, the incarnation of personal loyalty" and Zhuge Liang, the embodiment of wisdom. Against a broad background, scenes of ups and downs and magnificent war scenes were staged, and nearly 500 characters were successfully portrayed, including Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Sun Quan, Zhugeliang, Zhou Yu, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and other characters, which are popular and deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
这部小说将浪漫主义与现实主义相结合，成功地塑造了许多具有个性鲜明的艺术形象，如忠心耿耿的关羽和作为智慧化身的诸葛亮。全书在广阔的背景下，上演了跌宕起伏、波澜壮阔的战争场面，成功塑造了曹操、刘备、孙权、诸葛亮、周瑜、关羽、张飞等近500个深入人心的人物形象。
The skillful description of war is an outstanding characteristic of Three Kingdoms. Its language is featured by moderate profundity and temperate vulgarity; it is a mixture of vernacular and classical Chinese that suits both the refined and the popular tastes. Three Kingdoms is generally recognized to be the forerunner of Chinese historical fiction, occupying an important position in the history of Chinese literature.
对战争的巧妙描写是《三国演义》的又一突出特点。其语言具有适度深沉，适度粗俗的特点; 它是白话文和文言文的混合体，雅俗共赏。《三国演义》被公认为中国历史小说的先驱，在中国文学史上占有重要地位。
声明：文中的英文取材于孙立新主编、中国海洋大学出版社出版的《中国文化要览》。著作权属于原作者，本资料室借用相关英文材料，旨在促进中国文化的宣传和普及。如有侵权，联系删除。
