China's four classical novels, referred to as the four classical novels for short, refer to Water Margin, Romance of the Three Kingdoms and The Journey to the West's Dream of Red Mansions (in order of completion).
Four Great Classical Novels is a classic in the history of China literature and a precious cultural heritage of the world? . These four masterpieces are inseparable in the history of China literature, and they all have high literary level and artistic achievements. The detailed description and profound thoughts contained in it have been praised by readers of all ages, and the stories, scenes and characters in it have deeply influenced the concepts and values of China people. It can be described as four monuments in the history of China literature.
"Four Great Classical Novels" is a conventional saying. Generally, The Water Margin, The Romance of Three Kingdoms, The Journey to the West and A Dream of Red Mansions are called "Four Classical Novels", which can be traced back to 1982 at least.
Today's "four classic novels" are the modern names of "four fantastic books". The emergence of this statement is mainly due to the huge number of these four novels published in modern times, and some publishing houses merged these four novels and published them as a series of "Four Classic Novels". After the founding of New China, People's Literature Publishing House first published these four novels, and other publishing houses followed suit, so the names of the four classical novels became popular.
The four classical novels inherit countless cultural essences and stand in the vast field of classical novels like four mountains. No matter how the world changes, its majestic posture will never be annihilated. No matter in artistic technique or ideological depth, they all represent the pinnacle of China's classical novels and are a brilliant stroke in the history of China literature.
Studying the four classic novels provides us with an opportunity to experience China's traditional humanities, society, ethics, history, geography, folklore, psychology and coping strategies. At the same time, it also allows us to have a deeper understanding of our own nation and culture.