Dream of the Red Chamber

Dream of the Red Chamber

A scene from the novel, painted by Xu Baozhuan (1810–1873)
Author	Cao Xueqin
Original title	紅樓夢
Language	Chinese
Genre	Family saga
Publication date	Mid-18th century (manuscripts) 1791 (first printed edition)
Publication place	China
Published in English	1868, 1892; 1973–1980 (first complete English translation)
Dewey Decimal	895.1348

Dream of the Red Chamber
"Dream of the Red Chamber" in traditional (top) and simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
Traditional Chinese	紅樓夢
Simplified Chinese	红楼梦
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Hóng lóu mèng Wade–Giles Hung2 lou2 mêng4 IPA [xʊ̌ŋ lǒʊ mə̂ŋ] Wu Romanization Ghon leu mon Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Hùhng làuh muhng Jyutping Hung4 lau4 mung6 IPA [hʊŋ˩ lɐw˩ mʊŋ˨] Southern Min Tâi-lô Âng lâu bāng
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	石頭記
Simplified Chinese	石头记
Literal meaning	"Records of the Stone"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Shítóu lì Wade–Giles Shih2-tʻou2 chi4 IPA [ʂɻ̩̌.tʰǒʊ tɕî] Wu Romanization Zah deu ci Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Sehk-tàuh gei Jyutping Sek6-tau4 gei3 IPA [sɛk̚˨.tʰɐw˩ kej˧] Southern Min Tâi-lô Tsio̍h-thâu kì

Dream of the Red Chamber or The Story of the Stone is an 18th-century Chinese novel authored by Cao Xueqin, considered to be one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. It is known for its psychological scope and its observation of the worldview, aesthetics, lifestyles, and social relations of High Qing China.^[1]

The intricate strands of its plot depict the rise and decline of a family much like Cao's own and, by extension, of the dynasty itself. Cao depicts the power of the father over the family, but the novel is intended to be a memorial to the women he knew in his youth: friends, relatives and servants. At a more profound level, the author explores religious and philosophical questions, and the writing style includes echoes of the plays and novels of the late Ming, as well as poetry from earlier periods.^[2]

Cao apparently began composing it in the 1740s and worked on it until his death in 1763 or 1764. Copies of his uncompleted manuscript circulated in Cao's social circle, under the title Story of a Stone, in slightly varying versions of eighty chapters. It was not published until nearly three decades after Cao's death, when Gao E and Cheng Weiyuan (程偉元) edited the first and second printed editions under the title Dream of the Red Chamber from 1791 to 1792, adding 40 chapters. It is still debated whether Gao and Cheng composed these chapters themselves and the extent to which they did or did not represent Cao's intentions. Their 120-chapter edition became the most widely circulated version.^[3] The title has also been translated as Red Chamber Dream and A Dream of Red Mansions. Redology is the field of study devoted to the novel.