Outlaws of the Marsh is also known as The Water Margin or All Men Are Brothers. This is the first novel that gives a detailed account of Chinese peasant uprisings in feudal society. Its authorship is uncertain, but the current edition has been attributed to Shi Nai’an (施耐庵) and Luo Guanzhong (罗贯中). The author or authors collected materials from oral legends, storytellers’ scripts and various dramas, providing continuity between unconnected episodes and improving the literary quality of the original material. The book relates the stories of 108 men and women who gathered at Liangshan (梁山), in present Shandong Province, under the leadership of Song Jiang (宋江) during the Northern Song Dynasty. Day by day, this uprising becomes more powerful, and the government is unable to put them down. Eventually the emperor has to offer them amnesty and official positions. The book is divided into many chapters, describing 108 men and women one by one. Most of the chapters can be thought of as independent biographies, and they have been told and retold by generations of Chinese people.
Notes：1）outlaw反叛者；2）marsh沼泽；3）margin边缘；4）uprising起义；5）feudal封建的；6）authorship著作者的身份；7）continuity继续不断；8）unconnected不连接的；9）amnesty大赦
13.《西游记》讲的是什么？
What does Journey to the West talk about?
Journey to the West is also known as Record of a Journey to the West. It was written by Wu Cheng-en (吴承恩， about 1500—1582) and contains 100 chapters. The story is based on the actual pilgrimage about a Chinese monk of 7th century A.C., Xuan Zang (玄奘), to the source of Buddhism in India. The first part relates the adventures of Monkey King (孙悟空), who by virtue of his enlightenment has acquired magic powers, such as the ability to jump 108,000 li (a li is one third of a kilometer) in one bound and the capacity to summon aid when in a tight spot. As he plucks out one of his own hairs and spits it out, it immediately turns into an army of monkeys. By these and other means, Monkey King defeats all the forces Jade Emperor sends against him. However, he is finally curbed by Buddha, who gives him the task to accompanying Xuan Zang to fetch scriptures from India and bring them to China. Zhu Bajie (猪八戒) and Sha Seng (沙僧) also join the journey to guard Xuan Zang. The description of numerous adventures on their journey occupies the remainder of the book.
In the last 500 years, this novel has had a profound influence on Chinese literature. Its romantic style, imaginative content and humorous expression have captured readers of past generations, and its stories have been adapted into dramas and cartoons that have won worldwide appreciation.
Notes：1）journey旅行；2）Buddhism佛教；3）acquired养成的；4）magic魔法；5）capacity能量；6）pluck摘；7）spit吐；8）curb控制；9）constructive构造上的；10）remainder剩余物；11）humorous幽默的；12）cartoon动画
14.《红楼梦》讲的是什么？
What does A Dream of Red Mansions talk about?
A Dream of Red Mansions contains 120 chapters in all. Most scholars believe that the first 80 chapters were written by Cao Xueqin (曹雪芹， about 1715—1764). This text first circulated under the title of Story of a Stone (《石头记》). The novel’s present title was the contribution of a later writer, Gao E (高鹗) who added a final 40 chapters along the lines of the original author’s intention.
The novel focuses on the tragic love stories of Jia Baoyu (贾宝玉) and his beautiful cousins Lin Daiyu (林黛玉) and Xue Baochai (薛宝钗). It also depicts the gradual decline of the aristocratic Jia family. The author brings to life a host of young women, including young ladies and lowly maidservants. There is also an extensive cast of male and female characters from all levels of society both inside and outside the Jia family. In language, the novel lifts the vernacular of the traditional Chinese novel to its highest point, skillfully combining colloquial and vulgar speech with highly refined poetry and prose in the literary language. As a masterpiece of the world literature, it represents the peak of the development in the traditional Chinese realistic novel.
Notes：1）mansion大宅；2）circulate传播；3）tragic交通；4）aristocratic贵族的；5）maidservants女仆；6）cast演员阵容；7）colloquial口语的；8）vulgar通俗的；9）refined优美的
15.为什么《唐诗三百首》受人欢迎？
Why do people enjoy reading The Collection of 300 Tang Poems?
In Chinese literature, the Tang Dynasty is considered the golden age of Chinese poetry. The Collection of 300 Tang Poems was compiled by Sun Zhu (孙洙) around 1763. Sun compiled this collection due to his dissatisfaction with the then popular textbook called Poems by a Thousand Poets (《千家诗》). Sun made his own selection from a large number of Tang poems, most of which are the poets’ best works. Moreover, most that he selected are written in relatively simple language and are easy to understand. Sun’s collection became a“best seller”soon after its publication. Nearly every Chinese household owns a copy of the collection, and parents often encourage their children to memorize the poems. There is a popular saying that,“If you learn the 300 Tang Poems by heart, you can chant poetry though you are not a poet (熟读唐诗三百首，不会作诗也会吟).”
Notes：1）dissatisfaction不满；2）selection选择；3）pu-blication出版神话与历史难以分开