In the early 20th century, lexicographers used the text to establish the vocabulary of the new standardised language and reformers used the novel to promote the written vernacular. Cao Xueqin was well versed in Chinese poetry and in Classical Chinese, having written tracts in the semi- wenyan style, while the novel's dialogue is written in the Beijing Mandarin dialect, which was to become the basis of modern spoken Chinese. The novel is composed in written vernacular ( baihua) rather than Classical Chinese ( wenyan). 7 Translations and reception in the West.6 Reception and influences in modern era.4.1 Jia Baoyu and the Twelve Beauties of Jinling.It contains within its pages a sampling of all of the major modes of the Chinese literary tradition. The novel is remarkable not only for its huge cast of characters and psychological scope, but also for its precise and detailed observation of the life and social structures typical of 18th-century Chinese society. As the author details in the first chapter, it is intended to be a memorial to the women he knew in his youth: friends, relatives and servants. Red Chamber is believed to be semi- autobiographical, mirroring the rise and decline of author Cao Xueqin's own family and, by extension, of the Qing dynasty. Gao E, who prepared the first and second printed editions with his partner Cheng Weiyuan ( 程偉元) in 1791–92, added 40 additional chapters to complete the novel. The novel circulated in manuscript copies with various titles until its print publication, in 1791.

The title has also been translated as Red Chamber Dream and A Dream of Red Mansions. ' Redology' is the field of study devoted exclusively to this work. Long considered a masterpiece of Chinese literature, the novel is generally acknowledged to be one of the pinnacles of Chinese fiction. It was written some time in the middle of the 18th century during the Qing dynasty. ' Dream of the Red Chamber' in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese charactersĭream of the Red Chamber, also called The Story of the Stone, or Hongloumeng ( traditional Chinese: 紅樓夢 simplified Chinese: 红楼梦 pinyin: Hónglóumèng), composed by Cao Xueqin, is one of China's Four Great Classical Novels.

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