Other Request The 4 classics of Chinese literature

I have read translations of both Journey to the west and Romance of three kingdoms. I love Journey to the west for its mystique writing but it did not have intrigue of ROTK. Overall i liked JTW more. I wonder whether the true beauty of these books were lost during translation as it happens most of the time.

 

Almost certainly some of it is lost. But a good translator can preserve most of is integrity.

 

I havent read water margin of Dream of red chamber.No offense but Dream of Red chamber sounds like a porno movie.

 

Journey to the West is well known to the sort who would read translated novels for sure, with tons of media in all Asian countries and even the actual west-of-the-west. However, I believe the Romance of the Three Kingdoms is more generally known in the vein of literature as other Nobility & War novels, such as War & Peace.

 

Well, i have heared about monkey Wu Kong but i never knew that it was form this novel ;p I just tought that it was some ancient legend

 

The Dream of Red Chamber is a celebrated drama novel about a love triangle, surrounded by the decaying of what was once a great family.

For a real Chinese porno novel, one can read the explicit Jin Ping Mei (The Plum in the Golden Vase) which actually involves side characters from the Water Margin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin_Ping_Mei .

 

Though it's also considered a classic chinese novel by many.

 

Hmm.. Legend of condor heroes?