King Wen sequence

The ''I Ching'' , or “Yì Jīng” ; also called “Classic of Changes” or “Book of Changes” is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts. The book is a symbol system used to identify order in chance events. The text describes an ancient system of cosmology and philosophy that is intrinsic to ancient Chinese cultural beliefs. The cosmology centres on the ideas of ''the dynamic balance of opposites'', ''the evolution of events as a process,'' and ''acceptance of the inevitability of change'' . In cultures and modern East Asia, the ''I Ching'' is sometimes regarded as a system of divination. The classic consists of a series of symbols, rules for manipulating these symbols, poems, and commentary.

Implications of the title

* 易 , while as a verb it implies “to change“ or 'to exchange/substitute one thing for another'.
* 經 here means “classic ”, derived from its original meaning of “regularity” or “persistency”, implying that the text describes the which will not change throughout the flow of time. This same character was later appropriated to translate the Sanskrit word 'sūtra' into Chinese in reference to Buddhist scripture. In this sense the two concepts, in as much as they mean 'treatise,' 'great teaching,' or 'canonical scripture,' are equivalent.

The ''I Ching'' is a "reflection of the universe in miniature." The word "I" has three meanings: ease and simplicity, change and transformation, and invariability. Thus the three principles underlying the ''I Ching'' are the following:
# ''Simplicity'' - the root of the substance. The fundamental law underlying everything in the universe is utterly plain and simple, no matter how abstruse or complex some things may appear to be.
# ''Variability'' - the use of the substance. Everything in the universe is continually changing. By comprehending this one may realize the importance of flexibility in life and may thus cultivate the proper attitude for dealing with a multiplicity of diverse situations.
# ''Persistency'' - the essence of the substance. While everything in the universe seems to be changing, among the changing tides there is a persistent principle, a central rule, which does not vary with space and time.
::— 易一名而含三義：易簡一也；變易二也；不易三也。 commented on by Zheng Xuan in his writings ''Critique of I Ching'' and ''Commentary on I Ching'' of Eastern Han Dynasty.

History

Traditional view

Traditionally it was believed that the principles of the ''I Ching'' originated with the mythical Fu Xi . In this respect he is seen as an early culture hero, one of the earliest legendary rulers of China , reputed to have had the 8 revealed to him supernaturally. By the time of the legendary 2194 BCE–2149 BCE, the trigrams had supposedly been developed into 64 hexagrams , which were recorded in the scripture Lian Shan . ''Lian Shan'', meaning “continuous mountains” in Chinese, begins with the hexagram , which depicts a ''mountain'' mounting on another and is believed to be the origin of the scripture's name.

After the traditionally recorded Xia Dynasty was overthrown by the Shang Dynasty, the hexagrams are said to have been re-deduced to form Gui Cang , and the hexagram became the first hexagram. ''Gui Cang'' may be literally translated into “return and be contained”, which refers to ''earth'' as the first hexagram itself indicates. At the time of Shang's last king, Zhou Wang, King Wen of Zhou is said to have deduced the hexagram and discovered that the hexagrams beginning with revealed the rise of . He then gave each hexagram a description regarding its own nature, thus Gua Ci .

When King Wu of Zhou, son of King Wen, toppled the Shang Dynasty, his brother Zhou Gong Dan is said to have created Yao Ci to clarify the significance of each horizontal line in each hexagram. It was not until then that the whole context of ''I Ching'' was understood. Its philosophy heavily influenced the literature and government administration of the Zhou Dynasty .

Later, during the time of Spring and Autumn , Confucius is traditionally said to have written the Shi Yi , a group of commentaries on the ''I Ching''. By the time of Han Wu Di of the Western Han Dynasty , ''Shi Yi'' was often called ''Yi Zhuan'' , and together with the ''I Ching'' they composed ''Zhou Yi'' . All later texts about ''Zhou Yi'' were explanations only, due to the classic's deep meaning.

Modernist view

In the past 50 years a “Modernist” history of the ''I Ching'' has been emerging, based on context criticism and research into Shang and Zhou dynasty oracle bones, as well as Zhou bronze inscriptions and other sources . These reconstructions are dealt with in a growing number of books, such as '''', by S. J. Marshall, and Richard Rutt's ''Zhouyi: The Book of Changes'', .

Scholarly works dealing with the new view of the Book of Changes include doctoral dissertations by Richard Kunst and Edward Shaughnessy and a 2008 study by Richard J. Smith. These and other scholars have been helped immensely by the discovery, in the 1970s, by Chinese archaeologists, of intact Han dynasty era tombs in Mawangdui near Changsha, Hunan province. One of the tombs contained more or less of the ''I Ching'', the ''Dao De Jing'' and other works, which are mostly similar yet in some ways diverge significantly from the “received”, or traditional, texts preserved historically.

The tomb texts include additional commentaries on the ''I Ching'', previously unknown, and apparently attributed to Confucius. All of the Mawangdui texts are many centuries older than the earliest known attestations of the texts in question. When talking about the evolution of the Book of Changes, therefore, the Modernists contend that it is important to distinguish between the traditional history assigned to texts such as the ''I Ching'' , assignations in commentaries which have themselves been canonized over the centuries along with their subjects, and the more recent scholarly history aided by modern linguistic textual criticism and archaeology.

Many hold that these perspectives are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but, for instance, many Modernist scholars doubt the actual existence of Fuxi, or think Confucius had nothing to do with the Book of Changes, and contend that the hexagrams came before the trigrams. Modern scholarship comparing poetic usage and formulaic phrasing in this book with that in ancient bronze inscriptions has shown that the text cannot be attributed to King Wen or Zhou Gong, and that it likely was not compiled until the late Western Zhou, perhaps ca. the late 9th century BCE.

Rather than being the work of one or several legendary or historical figures, the core divinatory text is now thought to be an accretion of Western Zhou divinatory concepts. As for the Shi Yi commentaries traditionally attributed to Confucius, scholars from the time of the 11th century A.D. scholar Ouyang Xiu onward have doubted this, based on textual analysis, and modern scholars date most of them to the late Warring States period , with some sections perhaps being as late as the Western Han period .

Structure

The text of the ''I Ching'' is a set of predictions represented by a set of 64 abstract line arrangements called '''' . Each hexagram is a figure composed of six stacked horizontal lines , where each line is either , or . With six such lines stacked from bottom to top there are 2⁶ or 64 possible combinations, and thus 64 hexagrams represented.

The hexagram diagram is conceptually subdivided into two three-line arrangements called ''trigrams'' . There are 2³, hence 8, possible trigrams. The traditional view was that the hexagrams were a later development and resulted from combining the two trigrams. However, in the earliest relevant archaeological evidence, groups of numerical symbols on many Western Zhou bronzes and a very few Shang oracle bones, such groups already usually appear in sets of six. A few have been found in sets of three numbers, but these are somewhat later. Note also that these numerical sets greatly predate the groups of broken and unbroken lines, leading modern scholars to doubt the mythical early attributions of the hexagram system.

Each hexagram represents a description of a state or process. When a hexagram is cast using one of the traditional processes of , each of the yin or yang lines will be indicated as either ''moving'' , or ''fixed'' . Moving lines will change to their opposites, that is “young” lines of the other type -- old yang becoming young yin, and old yin becoming young yang.

The oldest method for casting the hexagrams, using yarrow stalks, is a ''biased'' random number generator, so the possible answers are not equiprobable. While the probability of getting either yin or yang is equal, the probability of getting old yang is three times greater than old yin.

The yarrow stalk method was gradually replaced during the Han Dynasty by the three coins method. Using this method the imbalance in generating old yin and old yang was eliminated. There is no theoretical basis for indicating what should be the optimal probability basis of the old lines versus the young lines. Of course, the whole idea behind this system of divination is that the oracle will select the appropriate answer, regardless of the probabilities.

There have been several arrangements of the trigrams and hexagrams over the ages. The is a circular arrangement of the trigrams, traditionally printed on a mirror, or disk. According to legend, Fu Hsi found the bā gùa on the scales of a tortoise's back. They function rather like a magic square, with the four axes summing to the same value .

The King Wen sequence is the traditional sequence of the hexagrams used in most contemporary editions of the ''I Ching.'' The King Wen sequence has been shown to contain within it a demonstration of advanced mathematical knowledge.

Trigrams

The solid line represents ''yang'', the creative principle. The open line represents ''yin'', the receptive principle. These principles are also represented in a common circular symbol , known as taijitu , but more commonly known in the west as the ''yin-yang'' diagram, expressing the idea of complementarity of changes: when Yang is at top, Yin is increasing, and the reverse.

In the following lists, the trigrams and hexagrams are represented using a common textual convention, horizontally from left-to-right, using '|' for yang and '?' for yin, rather than the traditional bottom-to-top. In a more modern usage, the numbers 0 and 1 can also be used to represent yin and yang, being read left-to-right.

There are eight possible trigrams :



The first three lines of the hexagram, called the ''lower trigram'', are seen as the ''inner aspect'' of the change that is occurring. The ''upper trigram'' , is the ''outer aspect''. The change described is thus the dynamic of the inner aspect relating to the outer situation. Thus, hexagram 04 ?|???| Enveloping, is composed of the inner trigram Gorge, relating to the outer trigram Bound.

Hexagram Lookup Table

The hexagrams

The text of the ''I Ching'' describes each of the 64 hexagrams, and later scholars added commentaries and analyses of each one; these have been subsumed into the text comprising the ''I Ching''.

Each hexagram's common translation is accompanied by the corresponding R. Wilhelm translation, which is the source for the Unicode names.

{|
|-----
| valign="top" |

| valign="top" |

|}

The hexagrams, though, are mere mnemonics for the philosophical concepts embodied in each one. The philosophy centres around the ideas of ''balance through opposites'' and ''acceptance of change''.

Unicode

In Unicode, monograms cover code points U+268A to U+268B, digrams cover code points U+268C to U+268F, trigrams cover code points U+2630 to U+2637, hexagram symbols cover code points U+4DC0 to U+4DFF .

Tai Xuan Jing digrams cover code points U+1D301 to U+1D305, tetragrams cover code points U+1D306 to U+1D356. The monograms cover code points U+1D300 , U+268A , U+268B .

Philosophy

The hexagrams are built from gradations of binary expressions based on yin and yang. They consist of: old yang, old yin, young yang or young yin Yin and yang, while common expressions associated with many schools of classical Chinese culture, are especially associated with the Taoists.

Another view holds that the ''I Ching'' is primarily a ethical or philosophical document. This view is based upon the following:
* The Wings or Appendices are attributed to Confucius.
* The study of the ''I Ching'' was required as part of the Civil Service Exams in the period that these exams only studied Confucianist texts.
* It is one of the Five Confucian Classics.
* It does not appear in any surviving editions of the Daozang.
* The major commentaries were written by Confucianists, or Neo-Confucianists.
* Taoist scripture avoids, even mocks, all attempts at categorizing the world's myriad phenomena and forming a static philosophy.
* Taoists venerate the non-useful. The ''I Ching'' could be used for good or evil purposes.

Both views may be seen to show that the ''I Ching'' was at the heart of Chinese thought, serving as a common ground for the Confucian and Taoist schools. Partly forgotten due to the rise of Chinese Buddhism during the Tang dynasty, the ''I Ching'' returned to the attention of scholars during the Song dynasty. This was concomitant with the reassessment of Confucianism by Confucians in the light of Taoist and Buddhist metaphysics, and is known in the West as Neo-Confucianism. The book, unquestionably an ancient Chinese scripture, helped Song Confucian thinkers to synthesize Buddhist and Taoist cosmologies with Confucian and Mencian ethics. The end product was a new cosmogony that could be linked to the so-called “lost Tao” of Confucius and Mencius.

Binary sequence

In his article ''Explication de l'Arithmétique Binaire'' Gottfried Leibniz writes that he has found in the hexagrams a base for claiming the universality of the binary numeral system. He takes the layout of the combinatorial exercise found in the hexagrams to represent binary sequences, so that ?????? would correspond to the binary sequence 000000 and ?????| would be 000001, and so forth.

The binary arrangement of hexagrams is associated with the famous Chinese scholar and philosopher Shao Yung in the 11th century. He displayed it in two different formats, a circle, and a rectangular block. Thus, he clearly understood the sequence represented a logical progression of values. However, while it is true that these sequences do represent the values 0 through 63 in a binary display, there is no evidence that Shao understood that the numbers could be used in computations such as addition or subtraction.

It should be noted that Shao Yung had been attributed with the original Segregation Table of the symbols of the book of changes ''Fu-Hsi Liu-shih-ssu Kua Tzhu Hsu'' from Chu Hsi's Chou I Pen I Thu Shou .

The Symbolic and Numerical Language

The oracular interpretation of the symbolic language based on trigram symbols formed from yang and yin components is well known. However, the inherent numerical language of line change and non-change is relatively unknown.

When the translated text reads "Nine in the beginning means...." this is the equivalent of saying: "When the positive line in the first place is represented by the number 9, it has the following meaning.....". If, on the other hand, the line is represented by the number 7, it is disregarded in interpreting the oracle. The same principle holds for lines represented by the numbers 6 and 8 respectively.

Thus, line transformation or non-transformation can be represented numerically, as follows:

A POSITIVE transforming into a NEGATIVE = 9

A POSITIVE transforming into a POSITIVE = 7

A NEGATIVE transforming into a POSITIVE = 6

A NEGATIVE transforming into a NEGATIVE = 8

This changes the ancient symbolic linear language of the I Ching into a simple numerical language that enables the practitioner to create sixteen numerical codes, which consist of three numbers, from each circular arrangement of eight trigrams.

John C. Compton suggests that these numerical codes represent specific codons of the Genetic Code.

Divination

The ''I Ching'' has long been used as an oracle and many different ways coexist to “cast” a reading, i.e., a hexagram, with its dynamic relationship to others. In China the ''I Ching'' had two distinct functions. The first was as a compendium and classic of ancient cosmic principles. The second function was that of divination text. As a divination text the world of the ''I Ching'' was that of the marketplace fortune teller and roadside oracle. These individuals served the illiterate peasantry. The educated Confucian elite in China were of an entirely different disposition. The future results of our actions were a function of our personal virtues. The Confucian literati actually had little use for the ''I Ching'' as a work of divination. In the collected works of the countless educated literati of ancient China there are actually few references to the ''I Ching'' as a divination text. Any eyewitness account of traditional Chinese society, such as S. Wells Williams ''The Middle Kingdom'', and many others, can clarify this very basic distinction. Williams tells us of the ''I Ching'', "The hundred of fortune- tellers seen in the streets of Chinese towns, whose answers to their perplexed customers are more or less founded on these cabala, indicate their influence among the illiterate; while among scholars, who have long since conceded all divination to be vain..."

Symbolism

The Flag of South Korea contains the Taijitu symbol, or ''tàijítú,'' , representing the origin of all things in the universe. The ''taegeuk'' is surrounded by four of the eight trigrams, starting from top left and going clockwise: Heaven, Water, Earth, Fire.

The flag of the Empire of Vietnam used the ''Li'' trigram and was known as ''c? qu? Ly'' because the trigram represents South. Its successor the connected the middle lines, turning it into the Qián trigram. .

Influence on Western culture

The ''I Ching'' has influenced countless Chinese philosophers, artists and even businesspeople throughout history. In more recent times, several Western artists and thinkers have used it in fields as diverse as psychoanalysis, music, film, drama, dance, eschatology, and fiction writing.

Commentary

Early Chinese civilization, as with western civilization, accepted various pre-scientific explanations of natural events, and the ''I Ching'' has been cited as an example of this. As a manual of divination it interpreted natural events through readings based on symbols expressed in the trigrams and hexagrams. Thus any observation in nature could be interpreted as to its significance and cause. This might be compared to the practice of basing decisions on the state of animals' livers. While usually sympathetic to the claims of Chinese culture and science, Joseph Needham, in his second volume of ''Science and Civilization in China'' stated: "Yet really they would have been wiser to tie a millstone about the neck of the ''I Ching'' and cast it into the sea."

Abraham states that Confucius' ten commentaries, called the Ten Wings, transformed the ''I Ching'' from a divination text into a "philosophical masterpiece." It was this form of the ''I Ching'' that inspired the Taoists, Chuang Tzu and Lao Tzu. It has influenced Confucians and other philosophers and scientists ever since. However, Helmut Wilhelm in his ''Change/Eight Lectures on the I Ching'', cautions, "It can no longer be said with certainty whether any of the material-and if any, how much-comes from Confucius' own hand" .

Translations

*Anthony, Carol K. & Moog, Hanna. ''I Ching: The Oracle of the Cosmic Way''. Stow, Massachusetts: Anthony Publishing Company, Inc., 2002. ISBN 1-890764-00-0. The publisher's internet address is www.ichingoracle.com.
*Balkin, Jack M. 2002. “The Laws of Change: I Ching and the Philosophy of Life”. New York: Schocken Books. ISBN 0-8052-4199-X
*Benson, Robert G. 2003. ''I Ching for a New Age: The Book of Answers for Changing Times''. New York: Square One Publishers.
*Blofeld, J. 1965. ''The Book of Changes: A New Translation of the Ancient Chinese I Ching''. New York: E. P. Dutton.
* Cornelius, J Edward & Cornelius, Marlene Y? King: A Beastly Book of Changes. ''Red Flame: A Thelemic Research Journal'' 1998. This book contains Aleister Crowley's notes and comments on the Yi Jing.
*Huang, A. 1998. ''The Complete I Ching: the Definitive Translation From the Taoist Master Alfred Huang''. Rochester, N.Y: Inner Traditions.
*Hua-Ching Ni. 1999. ''I Ching: The Book of Changes and the Unchanging Truth''. . Los Angeles: Seven Star Communications.
*Karcher, Stephen, 2002. ''I Ching: The Classic Chinese Oracle of Change: The First Complete Translation with Concordance''. London: Vega Books. ISBN 1-84333-003-2. The publisher can be found at www.chrysalisbooks.co.uk. This version manages to pull together a wide variety of sources and interpretations into a coherent, intelligible whole which is generally easier to understand than the Wilhelm/Baynes edition. Especially interesting are its multiple translations of the Chinese words used and the concordance at the end.
*Legge, J. 1964. ''I Ching: Book of Changes''. With introduction and study guide by Ch'u Chai and Winberg Chai. New York: Citadel Press.
*''I Ching, The Classic of Changes'', The first English translation of the newly discovered second-century B.C. Mawangdui texts by Edward L. Shaughnessy, Ballantine, 1996. ISBN 0-345-36243-8.
*. & Baynes, C., 1967. ''The I Ching or Book of Changes,'' With foreword by Carl Jung. 3rd. ed., XIX. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press .
*Lynn, Richard J. 1994, ''The Classic of Changes, A New Translation of the I Ching as Interpreted by Wang Bi''. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-08294-0
*Wei, Wu 2005. “I Ching, The Book Of Answers” Power Press ISBN 0-943015-41-3 New revised edition, interpreted by Wu Wei. Appears to follow the Wilhelm and Baynes translation real well, leaving out the sometimes confusing mechanics. Would be handy to use in conjunction with Wilhelm and Baynes when divining for the lay person.
*Cheng Yi translated by Cleary, Thomas 1988, 2003. “I Ching: The Book of Change” Shambala Library, Boston, London ISBN 1-59030-015-7

Jing Qi Shen

The Huangdi Yinfujing , or Yinfujing, is a circa 8th century CE Daoist scripture associated with Chinese astrology and ''Neidan''-style Internal alchemy. In addition, ''Huangdi Yinfujing'' is also the name of a Chinese Fengshui text on military strategy.

Texts

There are two received versions of the Daoist ''Huangdi Yinfujing'', a shorter text of 332 Chinese characters in one section and a longer one of 445 in three sections. Both versions of this classic explain cosmological correspondences, the Dao of Heaven, Yin and Yang, the Wu Xing, and biospiritual techniques. In the description of Alexander Wylie , "This short Treatise, which is not entirely free from the obscurity of T?oist mysticism, professes to reconcile the decrees of Heaven with the current of mundane affairs." In the explanation of the modern Daoists Zhang Jiyu and Li Yuanguo,

The ''Huangdi yinfu jing'' reflects this later stage of Daoist thought and attempts to "expose heaven's mysteries and reveal divinity's workings." It became one of the most important classics of Daoism, second only in significance to the ''Daode jing''. Zhang Boduan , in his ''Wuzhen pian'' , said: "The treasured ''Yinfu jing'' consists of more than three hundred words whereas the inspired ''Daodejing'' has five thousand characters. All those who attained immortality in the past and attain it in the present have comprehended the true meaning of these scriptures."

The ''Huangdi Yinfujing'''s date of composition is uncertain. Some scholars believed it existed prior to the Zhou Dynasty , while others believe it is a forgery from the Tang Dynasty . The traditional Chinese belief, as well as the eponymous title, ascribed this classic to the legendary Chinese sovereign Huangdi "Yellow Emperor". According to literary legend, in 441 CE the Daoist reformer Kou Qianzhi hid the ''Huangdi Yinfujing'' in a cave near Mount Song, where it was discovered by the Tang scholar Li Quan 李筌 . Li transcribed the text and published it with his commentary . There is consensus among contemporary scholars that Li probably forged the text, which is confirmed by the absence of references in pre-Tang sources. Despite this comparatively late date, the ''Huangdi Yinfujing'' is considered a Chinese classic, and collections like the Daozang and Siku Quanshu include various editions and commentaries.

During the Song Dynasty, the ''Huangdi Yinfujing'' was canonized by the Quanzhen "Complete Perfection" school of Neidan internal alchemy. Liu Chuxuan 劉處玄 , founder of the Suishan lineage, wrote a commentary , and Qiu Chuji 丘處機 , founder of the Longmen lineage, wrote another. Xia Yuanding 夏元鼎 wrote a textual exegesis . The analytical commentary dubiously attributed to the leading Neo-Confucian scholar Zhu Xi first suggested that Li forged the text.

Qing Dynasty scholars used philological methods to analyze classical texts. Liu Yiming 劉一明 , the 11th Longmen Daoist patriarch, wrote an erudite commentary . Acker published an annotated translation of Liu . Li Xiyue 李西月 , leader in the "Western School" of Neidan, also wrote a commentary.

Besides the above Daoist ''Huangdi Yinfujing'' 黃帝陰符經, there is another military text by the same name. It contains 602 characters in 86 rhymed lines, and is a type of strategy manual based on the ''Qimen Dunjia'' method of Fengshui. Ho Peng-Yoke explains the title.

''Yinfu'' 陰符 , according to a military text entitled ''Liutao'' 六韜 and attributed to Jiang Shang 姜尚 in the eleventh century BC, refers to the tallies of various specified lengths used between the emperor and his generals for confidential communication. For example, the tally used to report a conquest in war had a length of one Chinese foot, that to report a victory in battle had a length of nine Chinese inches, that for reporting the occupation of an enemy city was eight Chinese inches long, and so on.

Translations

The ''Huangdi yinfujing'' classic has been translated into English, French, Italian, German, Russian, and Japanese.

The first English versions were published during the Victorian era. Frederic H. Balfour initially translated the ''Yinfujing'' within his ''Taoist Texts'' . James Legge translated the text and Li Xiyue's commentary as an appendix to ''The Texts of Taoism'' .

More recent English translations and studies reflect insights from modern Sinology, as surveyed by Reiter . Christopher Rand's article on Li Quan translates and interprets the ''Huangdi Yinfujing'' as a treatise on Chinese military strategy. Thomas Cleary published a popular translation with Liu Yiming's commentary .

Title

The title ''Huangdi Yinfujing'' combines three Chinese words. The first ''Huangdi'' 黃帝 "Yellow Emperor" and last ''jing'' "classic; scripture; book" are common in titles of other Chinese classic texts. For example, the ''Huangdi Neijing'' "Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic" and ''Huangdi Sijing'' "Yellow Emperor's Four Classics". The second word ''yinfu'' "hidden/secret talisman/correspondence" is an uncommon of ''yin'' "shady place; passive; negative; secret; hidden" and ''fu'' " tally ; talisman; symbol; charm; amulet".

''Fu'' means a seal, divided into two parts. On one half of this seal we have the visible phenomena of the world around us; this we can all see, but, the diagram being incomplete, we require the other half of the seal, that bearing the 道理 of Heaven or the Unseen World, before we can understand the why and the wherefore of the existing order of things.

''Fulu'' 符籙 "Daoist secret talismanic writing; Daoist magic formulas" refers to charms written in peculiar characters, often on yellow paper .

English translations of ''Yinfujing'' illustrate semantic problems with the title:
*Clue to the Unseen
*Classic of the Harmony of the Seen and the Unseen
*Scripture for Joining with Obscurity
*Scripture of the Hidden Contracts
*Classic on Yin Convergence
*Scripture on "Unconscious Unification"
*Secret Military Warrant Manual
*Scripture on the Hidden Talisman
*Scripture on the Hidden Fitness
*Scripture of Hidden Contracts
Note the omission of ''Huangdi'' above, which all the translators render as "Yellow Emperor", excepting Komjathy's "Yellow Thearch"".

Hundred Schools of Thought

The Huangdi sijing are long-lost Chinese manuscripts that were discovered among the Mawangdui Silk Texts. They are also known as the Huang-Lao boshu , in association with the "Huang-Lao" philosophy named after the legendary ''Huangdi'' and ''Laozi'' .

The four texts

Mawangdui is an archeological site, comprised of three -era tombs, found near Changsha in modern Hunan Province . In December 1973, archeologists excavating "Tomb Number 3" discovered an edifying trove of silk paintings and silk scrolls with manuscripts, charts, and maps. These polymathic texts discussed philosophy, politics, Traditional Chinese Medicine, , Yin and Yang, and astronomy; ranging from the familiar to the unknown .

The Mawangdui manuscripts included two silk copies of the ''Daodejing'', eponymously titled "''Laozi''". Both add other texts and both reverse the received chapter arrangement, giving the ''Dejing'' chapters before the ''Daojing''. The so-called "B Version" included four previously unknown works, each appended with a title and number of characters :
#''Jingfa'' , 5000 characters
#''Shiliu jing'' , 4564
#''Cheng'' , 1600
#''Yuandao'' , 464
Owing to holes in the ancient silk fragments, the original numbers of characters are uncertain.

The two longest texts are subdivided into sections. "The Constancy of Laws" has nine: 1. ''Dao fa'' , 2. ''Guo ci'' , 3. ''Jun zheng'' .... "The Sixteen Classics", which some scholars read as ''Shi da jing'' , has fifteen : 1. ''Li ming'' , 2. ''Guan'' , 3. ''Wu zheng'' ….

In the decades since 1973, scholars have published many Mawangdui manuscript studies . In 1974, the Chinese journal ''Wenwu'' presented a preliminary transcription into modern characters. Tang Lan's influential article gave photocopies with transcriptions, analyzed the textual origins and contents, and cited paralleling passages from Chinese classic texts. Tang was first to identify these texts as the "''Huangdi sijing''", a no-longer extant text attributed to the Yellow Emperor, which the Hanshu's ''Yiwenzhi'' bibliographical section lists as a Daoist text in four ''pian'' . The "''Huangdi sijing''" was lost and is only known by name, and thus the excluded it. While most scholars agree with Tang's evidence, some disagree and call the texts the ''Huang-Lao boshu'' or the ''Huangdi shu'' .

The first complete English translation of the ''Huangdi sijing'' was produced by Leo S. Chang . Subsequent translations include scholarly versions by Yates and by Chang and Feng , as well as some selected versions. Ryden provides an informative examination of "The Yellow Emperor's Four Canons".

Philosophical significance

The ''Huangdi sijing'' reveals some complex connections within Chinese philosophy. Take for example, first lines in "The Constancy of Laws":

The Way generates standards. Standards serve as marking cords to demarcate success and failure and are what clarify the crooked and the straight. Therefore, those who hold fast to the Way generate standards and do not to dare to violate them; having established standards, they do not dare to discard them. Only after you are able to serve as your own marking cord, will you look at and know all-under-Heaven and not be deluded.

This passage echoes concepts from several rival philosophies, Daoism, , Mohism, Confucianism, and School of Names. De Bary and Lufrano describe ''Huangdi sijing'' philosophy as "a syncretism that is grounded in a cosmology of the Way and an ethos of self-cultivation".

"Prior to the Mawangdui discovery," says Peerenboom , "sinologists were more confused than clear about the school of thought known as Huang-Lao." Sima Qian's ''Records of the Grand Historian'' says many early Han thinkers and politicians favored Huang-Lao doctrines during the reigns of , , and . Sima cites Han Fei, Shen Buhai, and Shen Dao as representative Huang-Lao philosophers, advocates that sagely rulers should use ''wuwei'' to organize their government and society. However, after Emperor Wu of Han declared Confucianism the official state philosophy, Huang-Lao followers dwindled and their texts largely vanished.

The ''Huangdi sijing'' texts provide newfound answers to questions about how Chinese philosophy originated. Carrozza explains that, "For a long time, the focal point in the study of early Chinese thought has been the interpretation of a rather limited set of texts, each attributed to a 'Master' and to one of the so-called ''." For instance, tradition says Mozi founded Mohism and his students compiled the ''Mozi'' text. Conversely, Mawangdui textual syncretism reveals "the majority of the ancient texts" are not written by individual authors, "but rather collections of works of different origins."

Huashu

The ''Guanzi'' is an encyclopedic compilation of materials named after the 7th century BCE philosopher Guan Zhong, Prime Minister to Duke Huan of Qi. The Han Dynasty scholar edited the received ''Guanzi'' text circa 26 BCE, largely from sources associated with the 4th century BCE "Jixia Academy" in the capital of Linzi.

Although most ''Guanzi'' chapters philosophically characterize , other sections blend doctrines from Confucianism and Daoism. For example, the ''Neiye'' chapter has some the oldest recorded descriptions of Daoist meditation techniques.

When you enlarge your mind and let go of it,

When you relax your vital breath and expand it,

When your body is calm and unmoving:

And you can maintain the One and discard the myriad disturbances.

You will see profit and not be enticed by it,

You will see harm and not be frightened by it.

Relaxed and unwound, yet acutely sensitive,

In solitude you delight in your own person.

This is called "revolving the vital breath":

Your thoughts and deeds seem heavenly.

Han learning

The Four Books of Confucianism , are Chinese classic texts that Zhu Xi selected, in the Song dynasty, as an introduction to Confucianism: the ''Great Learning'', the ''Doctrine of the Mean'', the ''Analects of Confucius,'' and the ''Mencius''. The Four Books were, in the and Dynasties made the core of the official curriculum for the .

''Great Learning''

The ''Great Learning'' was originally one chapter in '''' . It consists of a short main text attributed to Confucius and nine commentary chapters by Zeng Zi, one of Confucius's disciples. Its importance is illustrated by Zeng Zi's foreword that this is the gateway of learning.

It is significant because it expresses many themes of Chinese philosophy and political thinking, and has therefore been extremely influential both in classical and modern Chinese thought. Government, self cultivation and investigation of things are linked. It links together individual action in the form of self-cultivation with higher goals such as ultimate world peace as well as linking together the spiritual and the material. In addition, by defining the path of learning in governmental and social terms, ''the Great Learning'' both links the spiritual with the practical, and creates a vision of dao that is radically different from that presented by Daoism. In particular, ''the Great Learning'' sets Confucianism as being this-worldly rather than other-worldly. Finally, ''the Great Learning'' also creates a conservative political discourse. Instead of basing its authority on an external deity, the Great Learning bases its authority on the practices of ancient kings.

''Doctrine of the Mean''

The ''Doctrine of the Mean'' was also one chapter in ''''. By tradition, the ''Doctrine of the Mean'' is attributed to Confucius' grandson Zisi.

The purpose of this small, 33-chapter book is to demonstrate the usefulness of a golden way to gain perfect virtue. It focuses on the "way" that is prescribed by a heavenly mandate not only to the ruler but to everyone. To follow these heavenly instructions by learning and teaching will automatically result in a Confucian virtue. Because Heaven has laid down what is the way to perfect virtue, it is not that difficult to follow the steps of the holy rulers of old if one only knows what is the right way.

''Analects of Confucius''

The ''Analects of Confucius'' is a record of speeches by Confucius and his disciples, as well as the discussions they held.

Since Confucius's time, the ''Analects'' has heavily influenced the philosophy and moral values of China and later other East Asian countries as well. The imperial examination, started in the and eventually abolished with the founding of the Republic of China, emphasized Confucian studies and expected candidates to quote and apply the words of Confucius in their essays.

A particular point of interest lies in Chapter X of the book, which contains detailed descriptions of Confucius's behaviors in various daily activities. This has been pointed at by Voltaire and Ezra Pound to show how much Confucius was a mere human. Simon Leys, who recently translated ''Analects'' into French and English, said that the book may well have been the first in human history to describe the life of a man.

''Mencius''

The ''Mencius'' is a collections of conversations of the scholar Mencius with kings of his time. In contrast to the sayings of Confucius, which are short and self-contained, the ''Mencius'' consists of long dialogues with extensive prose.

Mencius argued that human beings are born with an innate moral sense, but that society corrupted it through lack of a positive cultivating influence. Therefore, the goal of moral cultivation is to return to the people's innate morality. Consistent with his belief in the individual, Mencius contended that it was permissible for people to overthrow or kill a ruler who ignored the public's needs or ruled harshly.

Han Fei

The Five Classics is a corpus of five ancient books used by Confucianism as the basis of studies. According to tradition, they were compiled or edited by Confucius himself.

Classic of Changes

The ''Classic of Changes'' or the Book of Changes , also known as the ''I Ching''.

Classic of Poetry

The ''Classic of Poetry'' or The Book of Odes , made up of 305 poems divided into 160 folk songs; 74 minor festal songs, traditionally sung at court festivities; 31 major festal songs, sung at more solemn court ceremonies; and 40 hymns and eulogies, sung at sacrifices to gods and ancestral spirits of the royal house. This book is traditionally credited as a compilation from Confucius.

Classic of Rites

The ''Classic of Rites'' , social forms and ceremonies , a restoration of the original Lijing, lost in the third century B.C., describes ancient rites and court ceremonies.

Classic of History

The ''Classic of History'' is a collection of documents and speeches alleged to have been written by rulers and officials of the early period and before. It contains examples of early Chinese prose.

Spring and Autumn Annals

The ''Spring and Autumn Annals'' , a historical record of the state of Lu, Confucius's native state, from 722 B.C. to 479 B.C. written by Confucius, with implied condemnation of usurpations, murder, incest, etc.

Beyond the 5 Classics

The ''Classic of Music'' is sometime referred to as the sixth classic, but was lost by the time of the Han Dynasty. What remains now forms one of the Books in the ''Classic of Rites''.

Five Precepts (Taoism)

''Dream of the Red Chamber'' , originally ''The Story of the Stone'' , is well-known as the Chinese tragic novel, masterpiece of Chinese literature and one of the Chinese Four Great Classical Novels. It was composed in the mid 18^th century during the Qing Dynasty. It is attributed to Cao Xueqin .

The novel is believed to be semi-autobiographical, mirroring the fortunes of Cao's own family. 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.

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 aristocracy.

This novel was published anonymous . This is because of the prevalent in the and Dynasties.

Language

The novel, written in Vernacular Chinese and not Classical Chinese, is one of the works that established the legitimacy of the vernacular idiom. Its author is well versed in Classical Chinese – with tracts written in erudite semi-''wenyan'' – and in Chinese poetry. The novel's conversations were written in a vivid which was to become the basis of modern spoken Chinese, with influences from Nanjing Mandarin .

Themes

The novel is normally called Hung Lou Meng or Hong Lou Meng , literally "Red Chamber Dream". "Red Chamber" was an idiom for the sheltered chambers where the daughters of wealthy families lived. It refers to a dream that Baoyu has, set in a "Red Chamber", where the fates of many of the female characters are foreshadowed.

The name of the main family, "賈", is a homonym with another Chinese character "假", which means false, fake, fictitious, deceitful or sham. Thus, Cao Xueqin suggests that the novel's family is both a realistic reflection and a fictional or "dream" version of his own family.

Buddhist idea is that the whole world is "red dust" , merely illusory and to be shunned. Buddhist and Taoist beliefs that to find , one must realize that the world is but a dream from which we must awake; and one should retire from the world, withdraw from society . But this novel don't think so. It lay stress on reality, especially on social reality; and its purport is questing truth and good in life. This thought was regarded as a religion by some Qing people.. The main character, Jia Baoyu, is the adolescent heir of the family, possibly a reincarnation of the Shenying Servant. The Crimson Pearl Flower is incarnated now as Baoyu's sickly cousin, the emotional Lin Daiyu. Baoyu is predestined in this life to marry another cousin, Xue Baochai. This love triangle against the backdrop of the family's declining fortunes forms the most well-known plot line in the novel.

Characters

Dream of the Red Chamber contains an extraordinarily large number of characters. Nearly thirty of them are considered major, and there are six hundreds of minor ones besides. Jia Baoyu is the male protagonist. Females take center stage and are frequently shown to be more capable than their male counterparts. The names of the maids and bondservants are given in the original pinyin pronunciations and in David Hawkes' translation.

Baoyu and Jinling Twelve Women

*Jia Baoyu - the main protagonist. The adolescent son of Jia Zheng and his wife, Lady Wang . Born with a piece of luminescent jade in his mouth , Baoyu is the heir apparent to the Rongguo line . Frowned on by his strict Confucian father, Baoyu prefers reading ''Zhuangzi'' and Chinese opera novels to the Four Books basic to a classical Chinese education. Baoyu is highly intelligent, but hates the fawning bureaucrats that frequent his father's house. He shuns usual men, considering them morally and spiritually inferior to women. Sensitive and compassionate, Baoyu holds the view that "girls are in essence pure as water, and men are in essence muddled as mud."

*Lin Daiyu - Jia Baoyu's first cousin and love interest. She is the daughter of Lin Ruhai , a Yangzhou scholar-official, and Lady Jia Min , Baoyu's paternal aunt. The novel proper starts in Chapter 3 with Daiyu's arrival at the Rong-guo House shortly after the death of her mother. Beautiful but fragile emotionally, prone to fits of jealousy, Daiyu is nevertheless an extremely accomplished poet and musician. The novel designates her one of the Jinling Twelve Women, and describes her as a lonely, proud and ultimately tragic figure. Daiyu is the reincarnation of the Crimson Pearl Flower, and the purpose of her mortal birth is to repay the water that Baoyu watered as her tears to Baoyu. She is one of the four most important women in Jia Baoyu's life and shares the first place of Jinling Twelve Women with Xue Baochai.

*Xue Baochai - Jia Baoyu's other first cousin. The only daughter of Aunt Xue , sister to Baoyu's mother, Baochai is a foil to Daiyu. Where Daiyu is unconventional and hypersensitive, Baochai is sensible and tactful; a model Chinese feudal maiden. The novel describes her as a beautiful and intelligent girl like snow, but also very reserved. Although reluctant to show the extent of her knowledge, Baochai seems to be quite learned about everything, from Buddhist teachings to how not to make a paint plate crack. Also one of the Jinling Twelve Women, Baochai has a round face, fair skin, and, some would say, a voluptuous figure in contrast to Daiyu's willowy daintiness. Baochai carries a golden locket with her which contains words given to her in childhood by a Buddhist monk. Baochai's golden locket and Baoyu's jade contain inscriptions that appear to complement one another perfectly. Their marriage is seen in the book as predestined. She is also one of the four most important women in Jia Baoyu's life.

*Jia Yuanchun - Baoyu's elder sister by about a decade. Originally one of the in the imperial palace, Yuanchun later becomes an Imperial Consort, having impressed the Emperor with her virtue and learning. Her illustrious position as a favorite of the Emperor marks the height of the Jia family's powers. Despite her prestigious position, Yuanchun feels imprisoned within the four walls of the imperial palace. Redologies think that in original lost work, eventually Yuanchun's sudden death precipitates the fall of the Jia family, included in Jinling Twelve Women.

*Jia Tanchun - Baoyu's younger half-sister, by Concubine Zhao, bondwoman to Jia Zheng. Brash and extremely outspoken, she is almost as capable as Wang Xifeng. Wang Xifeng herself compliments her privately, but laments that she was "born in the wrong womb," since concubine children are not respected as much as those by first wives. Tanchun is nicknamed "Rose" for her beauty and her prickly personality.

*Shi Xiangyun - Jia Baoyu's second cousin, Grandmother Jia's grand-niece. Orphaned in infancy, she grows up under her wealthy maternal uncle and aunt who use her unkindly. In spite of this Xiangyun is openhearted and cheerful. A comparatively androgynous beauty, Xiangyun looks good in men's clothes, and loves to drink and barbecue meat by herself . She is forthright without tact, but her forgiving nature takes the sting from her casually truthful remarks. She is learned and as talented a poet as Daiyu or Baochai. Also one of the four most important women in Jia Baoyu's life.

*Miaoyu - a young nun from Buddhist cloisters of the Rong-guo house. Extremely beautiful and learned, while also extremely disdainful and not gregarious; loves clean too much. The novel says she was compelled by her illness to become a nun, and shelters herself under the nunnery in Grandview Garden to dodge political affairs. She likes Zhuangzi's article. Also one of the four most important women in Jia Baoyu's life.

*Jia Yingchun - Second female in the generation of the Jia household after Yuanchun, Yingchun is the daughter of Jia She, Baoyu's uncle and therefore his eldest female cousin. A kind-hearted, weak-willed person, Yingchun is said to have a "wooden" personality and seems rather apathetic toward all worldly affairs. Although very pretty and well-read, she does not compare in intelligence and wit to any of her cousins. Yingchun's most famous trait, it seems, is her unwillingness to meddle in the affairs of her family. Eventually Yingchun marries a new favorite of the imperial court, her marriage merely one her father's desperate attempts to raise the declining fortunes of the Jia family. The newly married Yingchun becomes a victim of domestic abuse and constant violence at the hands of her cruel, abusive husband.

*Jia Xichun - Baoyu's younger second cousin from the Ningguo House, but brought up in the Rongguo House. A gifted painter, she is also a devout Buddhist. She is also the sister of Jia Zhen, head of the Ningguo House. At the end of the novel, after the fall of the house of Jia, she gives up her worldly concerns and becomes a Buddhist nun. She is the second youngest of Jinling Twelve Women, described as a pre-teen in most part of the novel.

*Wang Xifeng , alias Sister Feng - Baoyu's elder cousin-in-law, young wife to Jia Lian , niece to Lady Wang. Xifeng is hence related to Baoyu both by blood and marriage. An extremely handsome woman, Xifeng is capable, clever, amusing and at times, vicious and cruel. Undeniably the most worldly of the women in the novel, Xifeng is in charge of the daily running of the Rongguo household and wields remarkable economic as well as political power within the family. Being a favorite niece of Lady Wang, Xifeng keeps both Lady Wang and Grandmother Jia entertained with her constant jokes and amusing chatter, plays the role of the perfect filial daughter-in-law, and by pleasing Grandmother Jia, rules the entire household with an iron fist. One of the most remarkable multi-faceted personalities in the novel, Xifeng can be kind-hearted toward the poor and helpless. On the other hand, however, Xifeng can be cruel enough to kill. Her feisty personality, her loud laugh and her great beauty formed refreshing contrasts to the many frail, weak-willed beauties that plagued the literature of 18th-century China. Xifeng's name translates to "Prosperous ".

*Jia Qiaojie - Wang Xifeng's and Jia Lian's daughter. The youngest of the Jinling Twelve Women, she was a child through much of the novel. After the fall of the house of Jia, she married the son of Granny Liu's landowner neighbour and lead an uneventful life in the countryside.

*Li Wan - Baoyu's elder sister-in-law, widow of Baoyu's deceased elder brother, Jia Zhu . Her primary task is to bring up her son Lan and watch over her female cousins. The novel portrays Li Wan, a young widow in her late twenties, as a mild-mannered woman with no wants or desires, the perfect Confucian ideal of a proper mourning widow. She eventually attains high social status due to the success of her son at the Imperial Exams, but the novel sees her as a tragic figure because she wasted her youth upholding the strict standards of behavior.

*Qin Keqing - daughter-in-law to Jia Zhen. Of all the characters in the novel the circumstances of her life and early death are amongst the most mysterious. The author has clearly edited the present edition. Apparently a very beautiful and flirtatious woman, she carried on an affair with her father-in-law and died before the second quarter of the novel. The present text hint at death by suicide.

Other main characters

*Grandmother Jia , née Shi. Also called the Matriarch or the Dowager. The daughter of Marquis Shi of Jinling. Grandmother to both Baoyu and Daiyu, she is the highest living authority in the Rongguo house and the oldest and most respected of the entire Clan, yet doting. She has two sons, Jia She and Jia Zheng, and a daughter, Min, Daiyu's mother. Daiyu is brought to the house of the Jias at the insistence of Grandmother Jia, and she helps Daiyu and Baoyu bond as childhood playmates and, later, kindred spirits.

*Jia Zheng - Baoyu's father, a stern disciplinarian and Confucian scholar. Afraid his one surviving son would turn bad, he imposed strict rules and occasional corporal punishment for his son. He has a wife, Lady Wang, and two concubines.

*Lady Wang - Baoyu's mother, a Buddhist, primary wife of Jia Zheng. Because of her purported ill-health, she hands over the running of the household to her niece, Xifeng, as soon as the latter marries into the Jia household, although she retains overall control over Xifeng's affairs so that the latter always has to report to her. Although Lady Wang appears to be a kind mistress and a doting mother, she can be in fact cruel and ruthless when her authority is challenged.

*Jia Lian - Xifeng's husband and Baoyu's paternal elder cousin, a notorious womanizer whose numerous affairs cause much trouble with his jealous wife. His pregnant concubine eventually died by his wife's engineering. He and his wife are in charge of most hiring and monetary allocation decisions, and often fight over this power.

*Xiangling - the Xues' maid, born Zhen Yinglian , the kidnapped and lost daughter to Zhen Shiyin , the country gentleman in Chapter 1. Her name is changed to Qiuling by Xue Pan's spoiled wife, Xia Jin'gui .

*Ping'er - Xifeng's chief maid and personal confidante; also concubine to Xifeng's husband, Jia Lian. The consensus among the novel's characters seem to be that Ping'er is beautiful enough to rival the mistresses in the house. Originally Xifeng's maid in the Wang household, she follows Xifeng as part of her "dowry" when Xifeng marries into the Jia household. She handles her troubles with grace, assists Xifeng capably and appears to have the respect of most of the household servants. She is also one of the very few people who can get close to Xifeng. She wields considerable power in the house as Xifeng's most trusted assistant, but uses her power sparingly and justly.

*Xue Pan - Baochai's older brother, a dissolute, idling rake who was a local bully in Jinling. Not particularly well studied, he once killed a man over a servant-girl and had the manslaughter case done over with money.

*Granny Liu - a country rustic and distant relation to the Wang family, who provides a comic contrast to the ladies of the Rongguo House during two visits. She eventually rescued Qiaojie away from her maternal uncle who wanted to sell her.

*Aunt Xue , née Wang - Baoyu's maternal aunt, mother to Pan and Baochai, sister to Lady Wang. She is kindly and affable for the most part, but finds it hard to control her unruly son.

*Qingwen - Baoyu's handmaiden. Brash, haughty and the most beautiful maid in the household, Qingwen is said to resemble Daiyu very strongly. Of all of Baoyu's maids, she is the only one who dares to argue with Baoyu when reprimanded, but is also extremely devoted to him. She was disdainful of Xiren's attempt to use her sexual relation with Baoyu to raise her status in the family. Lady Wang later suspected her of having an affair with Baoyu and publicly dismissed her on that account; angry at the unfair treatment and of the indignities and slanders that attended her as a result, Qingwen died shortly of an illness after leaving the Jia household.

*Xiren - Baoyu's principle maid and his . Originally the maid of the Dowager, Xiren was given to Baoyu because of her extreme loyalty toward the master she serves. Considerate and forever worrisome over Baoyu, she is the partner of his first adolescent sexual encounter during the early chapters of the novel.

*Zijuan - Daiyu's chief maid, ceded by the Dowager to her granddaughter. She is a very faithful companion to Dai-yu.

*Yuanyang - the Dowager's chief maid. She rejected a marriage proposal to the lecherous Jia She, Grandmother Jia's eldest son. After Grandmother Jia's death during the clan's declining days, she possibly commits suicide.

*Mingyan - Baoyu's young, male servant-attendant. Knows his master like the back of his hand.

*Xueyan - Daiyu's other maid. She came with Daiyu from Yangzhou, and comes across as a young but sweet girl.

*Jia She - elder son of the Dowager. He is the father of Jia Lian and Jia Yingchun. He is a treacherous and greedy man, and is an extreme womanizer.

*Lady Xing - Jia She's wife. She is Jia Lian's mother.

*Concubine Zhao - concubine of Jia Zheng. She is the mother of Jia Tanchun and Jia Huan. She longs to be the mother of the head of the household, which she fails to do. She plots to murder Baoyu with black magic, and it is believed that her plot cost her her life.

*Jia Huan - son of Concubine Zhao.

Notable minor characters

*Qin Zhong - Qin Keqing's younger brother. He is a good friend and classmate to Baoyu.

*Jia Zhen - head of the Ningguo House. He has a wife, Lady Yu, a younger sister, Jia Xichun, and many concubines. He is greedy.

*Lady Yu - wife of Jia Zhen. She is the sole mistress of the Ningguo House, and a loving, caring woman.

*Jia Rong - Jia Zhen's son. He is the husband of Qin Keqing. He is an exact copy of his father. He is the Cavaliar of the Imperial Guards.

*Third Sister Yu - fiancee to Liu Xianglian. Very beautiful. Because of Jia Baoyu's carelessness and Liu Xianglian's misunderstanding, She finally suicided with the gift for marriage given by Xianglian.

*Second Sister Yu - concubine to Jia Lian. She is a beautiful and modest young lady. She was the concubine who Wang Xifeng affected so badly that she committed suicide by swallowing gold. She is the elder sister of Third Sister Yu.

*Sheyue - Baoyu's main maid after Xiren and Qingwen. She is very beautiful and caring, a perfect complement to Xiren.

*Qiutong - Jia Lian's other concubine. Originally a maid of Jia She, she was given to Jia Lian as a concubine. She is a very proud and arrogant woman.

*Sister Silly - a maid who does rough work for the Dowager. She is guileless but amusing and caring. She unintentionally informs Daiyu of Baoyu's secret marriage plans.

Homonyms

The homonyms are one of the features of this book. In this book, many characters' and places' names have their special meanings. Some are satire, some are sigh. This is one of Red Chamber Dream's arts. Rouge Inkstone's note pointed out some hidden meanings inside them.
* Huzhou — Groundless speaking
* Zhen Shiyin — True things were hidden under
* Zhen Yinglian — Really should be pitied
* Feng Su — Costum
* Huo Qi — Disaster starts / Fire is on
* Jia - False, fake, fictitious, deceitful or sham .
* Zhen - Real, true
* Jia Yucun — Unreal words; In fact is not ; Unreal words exists
* Qing Keqing — Sensation should be belittled / Sensation can topple
* ''Yuan''chun, ''Ying''chun, ''Tan''chun, ''Xi''chun — Originally, Should be sighed
* Dian'er — Scapegoat
* Zhang ''Youshi'' — Something is going to be on
* Jia Mei — Suppose disappear
* Wei Ruolan — Smell is like orchid

Versions

The textual problems of the novel are extremely complex and have been the subject of much critical scrutiny, debate and conjecture in modern times. Cao did not live to publish his novel, and only hand-copied manuscripts survived after his death until 1791, when the first printed version was published. This printed version, known as the Chenggao edition, contains edits and revisions not authorised by the author.

Rouge versions

The novel, published up till the 20th century, was anonymous. Since the twentieth century, after Hu Shi's analyses, it is generally agreed Cao Xueqin wrote the first 80 chapters of the novel.

Up until 1791, the novel circulated merely in scribal transcripts. These early hand-copied versions end abruptly at the latest at the 80th chapter. The earlier ones furthermore contain transcribed comments and annotations from unknown commentators in red ink. These commentators' remarks reveal much about the author in person, and it is now believed some may even be members of Cao Xueqin's own family. The most prominent commentator is Rouge Inkstone , who revealed much of the interior structuring of the work and the original MS ending, now lost. These MS are the most textually reliable versions, known amongst scholars as "Rouge versions" . Even amongst the some 11 independent surviving manuscripts, small differences in some characters used, rearrangements and possible rewritings made the texts vary a little from another.

The early 80 chapters brim with prophecies and dramatic foreshadowings which also give hints as to how the book would continue. For example, it is obvious that Lin Daiyu will eventually die in the course of the novel; that Baoyu and Baochai will marry; that Baoyu will become a monk; various characters will suffer in the snow; and that the whole estate will finally be consumed by flames.

Most modern editions have the first 80 chapters based on the Rouge versions.

Chenggao version

In 1791 and Cheng Weiyuan brought together the novel's first movable type edition. This was also the first "complete" edition of ''The Story of the Stone'', which they printed as ''Dream of the Red Chamber''. While the original Rouge manuscripts have eighty chapters, ending roughly three-quarters into the plot and clearly incomplete, the 1791 edition completed the novel in one hundred and twenty chapters. The first eighty chapters were edited from the Rouge versions, but the last forty were newly published.

In 1792, Chen and Gao published a second edition correcting many "typographical and editorial" errors of the 1791 version with a now-famous preface. In the 1792 preface, the two editors claimed to have put together an ending based on the author's working manuscripts, which they bought from a street vendor.

The debate over the last forty chapters and the 1792 preface continues. Most modern scholars believe these chapters were a later addition, with inferior plotting and prose to the first eighty chapters. Hu Shih argued that the ending was simply forged by Gao E, citing the foreshadowing of the main characters' fates in Chapter 5, which does not agree with the ending of the 1791 Chenggao version.

Other critics suggest Gao E and Cheng Weiyuan were duped into taking someone else's forgery as an original work. A minority believe the last forty chapters contain Cao's work.

The book is normally published and read in Cheng Weiyuan and Gao E's one hundred and twenty chapter version. Some editions move the last forty chapters to an appendix. Also some modern editions did not include the last forty chapters.

Translations

The complete, published English translations are:

* ''The Story of the Stone'', David Hawkes and John Minford, Penguin Classics or Bloomington: Indiana University Press, five volumes, 1973-1980 . David Hawkes translated the first eighty chapters and John Minford translated the last forty.

* ''The Dream of the Red Chamber'', New York, U.S.A.: Penguin Group 1996. ISBN 0146001761

* ''A Dream of Red Mansions'', Gladys Yang and Yang Hsien-yi, Beijing: Foreign Language Press, three volumes, 1978-1980.

The typescript of a complete, unpublished translation, by BS Bonsall, is .

Previous incomplete translations include:

* Florence and Isabel McHugh's 1958 translation, which follows the German translation of Franz Kuhn.

* H. Bencraft Joly's translation, Hong Kong: Kelly & Walsh, 1892-1893, which translated the first fifty-six chapters, now available on Project Gutenberg.

* Native Wang Chi-Chen's abridged translation, largely translated in 1929, then augmented for publication in 1958.

Translations

*, by H. Bencraft Joly from the Gutenberg Project
* a complete Typewriter-edition translation by Dr. B.S. Bonsall

Other links

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* - China Daily. Raymond Zhou. November 12, 2005.