The dream of the Red Chamber

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Scene from the novel.
Representation by Xu Baozhuan, 1810

The Dream of the Red Chamber ( Chinese  紅樓夢  /  红楼梦 , Pinyin Hóng Lóu Mèng , lit. 'The dream in / of the red property / room') is one of the most famous classical novels in Chinese literature from the Chinese Empire . It is one of the four classic novels of China . Especially in manuscript copies of the 18th century it is also called "The history of the stone / of the stone" or "Notes on a stone" ( Chinese  石頭記  /  石头记 , Pinyin Shítóu Jì ).

background

The author Cáo Xuěqín ( 曹雪芹 ), who was born between 1715 and 1724 and died in 1763 or 1764, dealt with his own life in the novel, which is his only surviving work. The complete novel in the version of the author's last hand , completed around 1759, only circulated in manuscript form; the last 40 of the 120 chapters were thought to be lost for several decades. It was not until 1791 that a version edited by Gāo È ( 高 鶚  /  高 鹗 , Kao O) appeared in print. He claimed to have compiled the original chapters again and smoothed them out very little himself. However, some sinologists and so-called red researchers suspect that its proportion was larger. In 1792 Gāo È published a second revised edition.

With over 350 characters, the novel is a filigree narrative of the rise and decline of a Chinese aristocratic family , at the center of which is the story of the spoiled and worldly aristocratic son Jiǎ Bǎoyù ( 賈寶玉  /  贾宝玉 ), who leads an outwardly carefree and decadent life , even if he is occasionally depressed, but finally renounces the world and becomes a monk . The main plot is grouped around the protagonist and his two cousins ​​Lín Dàiyù ( 林黛玉  - "blue jewel") and Xuē Bǎochāi ( 薛寶釵  /  薛宝钗 ).

Some sinologists suspect that Gāo È adjusted the ending a little to avoid the emperor's censorship . This meant that part of the socially critical background had been lost. In the surviving original manuscripts, however, tampering can already be seen because Cáo Xuěqín actually wanted to protect existing people.

The standard edition is the revised 2nd edition available today, published in 1996 by the Beijing Folk Literature Publishing House , largely developed by Feng Qiyong and the Dream of the Red Chamber Research Institute (1st edition 1982, ISBN 7-02-000220 -X , ixx / 1606 S.).

content

The novel tells the downfall of the Jia family living in Beijing. Although the author has dated events back to the Ming period in order to avoid censorship, the novel describes in great detail the society and social conditions under the rule of Emperor Qianlong . The dream of the Red Chamber is considered to be the most successful representation of China during the Qing Dynasty . The important Chinese philosophy currents of Daoism , Confucianism and Buddhism can be identified in the work.

The Jia clan

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Common ancestors
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Jia Yan
(Duke of Ningguo)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Jia Yuan
(Duke of Rongguo)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Jia Daihua
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Jia Daishan
 
 Grandmother Jia
(née Shi)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Jia Fu
 
 Jia Jing
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Jia She
 
 Lady Xing
 
 Jia Min
 
 Lin Ruhai
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
You Shi
 
 Cousin Zhen
 
 Xi Chun
 
 Wang Xifeng
 
 Jia Lian
 
 Ying Chun
 
 
 
 Lin Daiyu
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Jia Rong
 
 Qin Shi
 
 
 
 
 
 Qiao Jie
 
 Jia Zheng
 
 Lady Wang
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Li Wan
 
 Jia Zhu
 
 Yuan Chun
 
 Bao Yu
 
 Tan Chun
 
 Jia Huan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Jia Lan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Dramatizations

The German-Chinese composer Wang Ai Qun (* 1960) set to music the novel in the years 1986 to 1997. Parts of the Opera 2004 concert as part of the young artists festival Bayreuth under the baton of Martin Wettges premiered. A first scenic performance of the complete work is still pending.

The Chinese-born choreographer Wang Xinpeng created the ballet The Dream of the Red Chamber with the Ballet Dortmund in 2012 based on the novel . The music for it comes from Michael Nyman , the scenario comes from Christian Baier .

filming

The following films and series on the subject can be found in the Internet Movie Database :

  1. Jin yu liang yuan hong lou meng (1977, Hong Kong) - English title: The Dream of the Red Chamber
  2. Hong lou chun shang chun (1978) - English title: Erotic Dream of the Red Chamber
  3. Hong lou meng (1962 / II, Hong Kong) - English title The Dream of the Red Chamber
  4. Xin gong lou meng (1978, Hong Kong) - English title: Dream of the Red Chamber
  5. Xin hong lou meng (1952, Hong Kong) - English title: Modern Red Chamber Dream
  6. Hong lou meng (36 episode TV series) (1987, Mainland China) - English title: Dream of the Red Chamber
  7. Hong lou meng (1989, Mainland China) - English title: Dream of the Red Chamber
  8. Xin hong lou meng (2010, Mainland China) - English title: New Dream of the Red Chamber

Quote from the afterword by Franz Kuhn

“If you name educated young Chinese of either sex to Hongloumeng, their eyes will light up and they will see that they have read through the novel not just once, but three or four times, and that they know some of it by heart. The astonishing popularity of the Hongloumeng, especially with Chinese youth, is probably explained by the fact that the novel deals in a very urgent and serious manner with almost all problems that affect young Chinese of both sexes directly. It should be noted that the age of the main characters ranges between twelve and nineteen years! The novel is a kind of briefing about the life of the Chinese youth. "

- Franz Kuhn : Epilogue to the German translation

Text example: One of the dream scenes

「那 寶玉 剛 合上眼 ， 便 惚 惚 的 睡去 ， 猶似 秦氏 在前 ， 遂 悠悠 蕩蕩 ， 隨 了 秦氏 ， ， 至 一 所在。 但見 朱欄 白石 ， 綠樹 清溪 ， 真是 人跡 稀逢 ， 飛塵 不到。 寶玉 在 夢中 歡喜 ， 想 道 ： “這個 去處 有趣 ， 我 就 在 這裏 過 一生 ， 縱然 縱然 失 了 家 也 願意 ， 強 如 如 天天 被 父母 師傅 打 呢。” 正 胡 思 之間 ， 忽聽山 後 有人 作 歌 曰 ：

春夢 隨 雲 散 ， 飛花 逐 水流 ，
寄 言 眾 兒女 ， 何必 覓 閒愁。

寶玉 聽了 是 女子 的 聲音。 歌聲 未 息 ， 早 見 那邊 走出 一個 人 來 ， 蹁 蹁 躚 裊娜 ， 端 的 與 人 不同。 (...)

寶玉 見 是 一個 仙姑 ， 喜 的 忙 來 作揖 問道 ： “神仙 姐姐 不知 從 那裏 來 ， 如今 要 往那 裏去？？ 也 不知 這 是 何處 何處 ， 望 乞 攜帶 攜帶。” 那 仙姑 笑道 ： “吾 居 離恨天 之上 ， 灌 愁 海 之中 ， 乃 放 春 山 遣 香 洞 太虛 幻境 警幻 仙姑 是 也 ： 司 人間 之 風情 風情 月 債 ， 掌 塵世 之 女 怨 男 癡。 因 近來 風流 冤孽 ， 纏綿 於 此處， 是 以前 來訪 察 機會 ， 布 散 相思。 今 忽 與 爾 相逢 ， 亦非 偶然。 此 離 吾 境 不遠 ， ， 別無 他物 ， 僅有 自 採 仙 茗 一 盞 ， 親 釀 美酒 一 瓮 ， 素 練魔 舞 歌姬 數 人 ， 新 填 《紅樓夢》 仙 曲 十二 支 ， 試 隨 吾 一 游 否？ ”寶玉 聽說 ， 便 忘 了 秦氏 在 何處 ， 竟 隨 了 仙姑 ， 至 一 所在 ， 有 石牌 橫 建， 上書 ”太虛 幻境” 四個 大字 ， 兩邊 一副 對聯 ， 乃是 ：

假作 真 時 真 亦 假 ， 無為 有 處 有 還 無。 」

“Bau-yu fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes. It was as if Mrs. Tjin were walking in front of him, and he followed her lightly to an area where he saw red railings and white stone, green trees and clear streams. There was hardly a trace of a person to be found here, and no dust penetrated here. Bau-yü thought happily in a dream: “What a lovely place! I would like to stay here all my life, even if it means that I have to separate from the family. That would be better than getting hit by parents and teachers every day! "

While he was indulging in his foolish thoughts, he suddenly heard someone singing from behind a mountain:

"Spring dreams pass with the clouds,
falling flowers are carried away by the current.
Tell the boys, the girls only to everyone:
Why unnecessarily burden yourself with worries ?! "

Bau-yu heard that it was a girl's voice, and before the song was over he saw the singer emerge. Their prancing gait and graceful stature set them apart from humans. [...]

When Bau-yü realized that it was a fairy, he stepped in front of her delighted, bowed quickly with clasped hands and said: “Sister Fee, I don't know where you come from, where you are going and where we are here, me please just take me with you. "Smiling, the fairy replied:" I live in the sky of the pain of separation, in the midst of the Sorrowful Sea, in the delusional realms of the Great Void, in the scented cave of the spring-giving mountain. I am the fairy warning illusion and watch over the affairs of the heart and the love debts of the people, over girl grief and man folly in the world of dust. Because of the recent gathering of love fools, I came here to explore the opportunity and dispel longing. I didn't meet you by chance either. My kingdom is not far from here. But all I have for you is a bowl of fairy tea that I picked myself, a bucket of fine wine that I made myself, a couple of singers who are practiced in magical dances, and twelve new fairy songs about dreams in the magnificent women's chamber. Do you want to try to go with me? "

When Bau-yü heard this, he forgot where Ms. Tjin was and followed the fairy. They came to a stone ornate gate that spanned the path and on which above was written in large characters 'Delusional realm of the great void'. A pair of parallel sentences on both sides read:

"If wrong is true, then also truth becomes false,
where not being is being, being also becomes nothing. ""
- Cao Xueqin : The Dream of the Red Chamber

Translations

From 2007 to 2009 a complete German translation by Rainer Schwarz and Martin Woesler ( European University Press ) was published for the first time . An early partial translation, shortened to a third, was the 1932 edition by Franz Kuhn , which was reprinted in 1956 and in the following years and which today forms the basis of the current edition of Insel Verlag .

Complete translations have been available in other languages ​​for some time, the best in another Western language is by David Hawkes and John Minford in English and is named after one of the alternative Chinese titles ( 石頭記  /  石头记 , Shítóu Jì  - "Notes on a stone") The Story of the Stone also known as The Dream of the Red Chamber . For an overview of translations into German see literature .

literature

  • 红楼梦 大 辞典 Hongloumeng dictionary, 北京 Beijing: 文化 艺术 出版社 Kultur und Kunstverlag 1990, 1503 pp. [Revised new edition in preparation.]
  • Overview of red research in the 20th century: 杜景华: 红学 风雨, 长江 文艺 出版社, February 2002
  • Current discussions, especially about Hu Shi's and Yu Pingbo's roles: 张庆善 (ed.): 红楼梦 学 刊, 中国 艺术 研究院 Beijing, ISSN  1001-7917 [monthly since 1979.]
  • On the four versions of the first printed edition Chengjiaben: Xu Rencun, Xu Youwei: 〈紅樓夢 版本 的 新 發現〉 中外 文學, May 1, 1980 No. 92 (8 - 12)
  • References to literary studies: William H. Nienhauser Jr., ed. The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature, Indiana University Press 1986, 2 vols.
  • German red research: Wolfgang Kubin (ed.), Hongloumeng. Studies on the dream of the Red Chamber, Bern et al .: Peter Lang 1999 (Swiss Asian Studies 34)
  • Rainer Schwarz: " Some remarks on the new German translation of the 紅樓夢 Hongloumeng "

Translations

Web links

Commons : The Dream of the Red Chamber  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikisource: The Dream of the Red Chamber  - Sources and full texts (Chinese)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Urtext from Wikisoure, abbreviated: Hongloumeng, fifth chapter
  2. ^ Translation with the permission of the publisher quoted from ( OTRS approval is available): Cao Xueqin, Gao E: The Dream of the Red Chamber . Ed .: Martin Woesler. 2nd Edition. European University Press, Bochum 2009, ISBN 978-3-89966-500-0 , Chapter 5, p. 87 - 91 (Chinese: Chinese  紅樓夢  /  红楼梦 , Pinyin Hóng Lóu Mèng . Translated by Rainer Schwarz, Martin Woesler).