Complete Prose of the Three Kingdoms

AnonymousQunyan Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

Rating 4.2

Word count: 523K words
Chapters: 76

Summary

The Complete Prose of the Three Kingdoms, compiled by Yan Kejun of the Qing dynasty, is divided into fifteen collections: The Complete Prose of High Antiquity and the Three Dynasties, The Complete Prose of Qin, The Complete Prose of Han, The Complete Prose of Later Han, The Complete Prose of the Three Kingdoms, The Complete Prose of Jin, The Complete Prose of Song, The Complete Prose of Qi, The Complete Prose of Liang, The Complete Prose of Chen, The Complete Prose of Later Wei, The Complete Prose of Northern Qi, The Complete Prose of Northern Zhou, The Complete Prose of Sui, and Pre-Tang Prose. It includes 3,497 authors (or 3,520, according to another count) from before the Tang dynasty, each with a brief biography, making it the most comprehensive general collection of pre-Tang prose to date and of great scholarly value for the study of pre-Tang history, literature, religion, and language.

It is also the literary general collection covering the longest span of time among ancient Chinese texts. The compilation of The Complete Prose of the Three Kingdoms is of great significance: first, it gathers all writings from the invention of writing through the Tang dynasty, excluding historical biographies, philosophical works, poetry and rhapsodies, and specialized books—exhaustively seeking out and preserving the long works and scattered fragments of great scholars, master craftsmen, Buddhist and Daoist practitioners, and even gentlewomen.

This book is the first to collect pre-Tang prose, a monumental undertaking that summarizes the documentary heritage of pre-Tang times and makes an indispensable contribution to scholarship and culture; it may truly be called a grand and monumental work.

Editor's review

This book is the collection devoted to Three Kingdoms–period prose within Yan Kejun's Complete Prose of High Antiquity, the Three Dynasties, Qin, Han, and the Six Dynasties. It is a dynastic general collection of prose, not an anthology, and its value lies in being "complete" and "exhaustive." For general readers it is not a book to read straight through, but an important tool for looking up surviving fragments, edicts, memorials, inscriptions, and miscellaneous writings by Three Kingdoms figures. Each author is provided with a brief biography, making it easier to understand the person and the age; the collected writings include Confucian scholars, famous literati, Buddhist and Daoist figures, and even women authors, filling gaps left by historical biographies and specialized collections of poetry and rhapsody. It should be used as a database: first use the table of contents to locate a person or genre, then check the original text against the biography and source notes; for literary or historical research, read it alongside the Records of the Three Kingdoms and individual collections, paying attention to the sources of reconstructed fragments and textual collation. General readers who wish to experience Three Kingdoms prose style should select passages by familiar figures rather than plow through the collection in order.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars and graduate students researching Three Kingdoms history, literature, religion, and language
Readers interested in history and literature who need to look up surviving fragments, edicts, and memorials by Three Kingdoms figures
Professionals engaged in the collation, textual criticism, and documentary study of ancient books
Serious readers who wish to approach the prose of the Three Kingdoms through primary sources

Not a good fit for

General readers who only want the story of Romance of the Three Kingdoms or light historical reading
Beginners lacking a foundation in classical Chinese who hope for detailed vernacular annotations
Readers expecting a thematically selected anthology of famous pieces for immediate, easy comprehension

Reading tips

Begin with the general table of contents and the author biographies to build a map of persons and genres for retrieval, then read selectively as needed.
Choose familiar Three Kingdoms figures and read their edicts, memorials, and inscriptions alongside the relevant biographies in the Records of the Three Kingdoms.
Keep reference works and chronological tables at hand to check the sources of reconstructed fragments, variant characters, and official and place names.
Do not read the whole book straight through; concentrate on one genre or one period in a thematic way.

About the publisher

Qunyan Publishing House China · Founded in 1989

Founded in 1989, Qunyan Publishing House has long been committed to publishing academic and educational books for mid- and high-level readers, and has built up a certain presence in Eastern philosophy, classical literature, and classic works. Representative titles available in the database include Records of the Grand Historian, Dream of the Red Chamber, Selections of Refined Literature, Complete Song Ci, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, Record of Daily Knowledge, Taiping Huimin Hejiju Fang, and The Collected Works of Wang Yangming, covering common categories such as ancient poetry, medicine, and examinations. Its author resources include Sima Qian, Cao Xueqin, Xiao Tong, Li Shan, Pu Songling, and Gu Yanwu. The press also offers distinctive series such as the Biographical Series of the China Democratic League and the Historical Documents Series of the China Democratic League, and publishes research on historical documents, biographies, memoirs, and textbooks and academic works by League members. Public information is limited, and its overall publishing scale and complete catalogue require further verification.

版权信息
●卷一·魏一
●卷二·魏二
●卷三·魏三
●卷四·魏四
●卷五·魏五
●卷六·魏六
●卷七·魏七
●卷八·魏八
●卷九·魏九
●卷十·魏十
●卷十一·魏十一
●卷十二·魏十
●卷十三·魏十三
●卷十四·魏十四
●卷十五·魏十五
●卷十六·魏十六
●卷十七·魏十七
●卷十八·魏十八
●卷十九·魏十九
●卷二十·魏二十
●卷二十一·魏二十一
●卷二十二·魏二十二
●卷二十三·魏二十三
●卷二十四·魏二十四
●卷二十五·魏二十五
●卷二十六·魏二十六
●卷二十七·魏二十七
●卷二十八·魏二十八
●卷二十九·魏二十九
●卷三十·魏三十
●卷三十一·魏三十一
●卷三十二·魏三十二
●卷三十三·魏三十三
●卷三十四·魏三十四
●卷三十五·魏三十五
●卷三十六·魏三十六
●卷三十七·魏三十七
●卷三十八·魏三十八
●卷三十九·魏三十九
●卷四十·魏四十
●卷四十一·魏四十一
●卷四十二·魏四十二
●卷四十三·魏四十三
●卷四十四·魏四十四
●卷四十五·魏四十五
●卷四十六·魏四十六
●卷四十七·魏四十七
●卷四十八·魏四十八
●卷四十九·魏四十九
●卷五十·魏五十
●卷五十一·魏五十一
●卷五十二·魏五十二
●卷五十三·魏五十三
●卷五十四·魏五十四
●卷五十五·魏五十五
●卷五十六·魏五十六
●卷五十七·蜀一
●卷五十八·蜀二
●卷五十九·蜀三
●卷六十·蜀四
●卷六十一·蜀五
●卷六十二·蜀六
●卷六十三·吴一
●卷六十四·吴二
●卷六十五·吴三
●卷六十六·吴四
●卷六十七·吴五
●卷六十八·吴六
●卷六十九·吴七
●卷七十·吴八
●卷七十一·吴九
●卷七十二·吴十
●卷七十三·吴十一
●卷七十四·吴十二
●卷七十五·吴十三

FAQ

Is The Complete Prose of the Three Kingdoms an anthology or a general collection?

It is a dynastic general collection of prose, the Three Kingdoms portion of Yan Kejun's Complete Prose of High Antiquity, the Three Dynasties, Qin, Han, and the Six Dynasties. It aims at exhaustive search and complete inclusion rather than selecting famous pieces by literary taste; hence it has many entries and broad coverage and is better suited to reference than to continuous reading.

Can readers without a foundation in classical Chinese read this book?

Not very easily. The original texts are mostly classical Chinese edicts, memorials, inscriptions, and miscellaneous writings, and the book is primarily a compilation of reconstructed fragments with limited annotation and guidance. Readers with a weak foundation in classical Chinese should first read annotated selections of Three Kingdoms prose or works of literary history, then gradually move on to this book.

Can this book replace the Records of the Three Kingdoms?

No. This book collects individual pieces other than historical biographies, philosophical works, poetry and rhapsodies, and specialized books; it is a general collection of prose, whereas the Records of the Three Kingdoms is an annalistic-biography style history. The two can be read together and complement each other, but they cannot replace each other; research still requires checking against histories and individual collections.

How can general readers use this book effectively?

Use it as a database: first locate a person or genre of interest through the table of contents, read the author's biography for background, then read specific pieces; consult reference works for unfamiliar official and place names. There is no need to read it from beginning to end or to memorize every entry.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is not a real personal name but a general Chinese designation for authors whose names are unknown, lost, or unsigned. Neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be verified, and available public information is limited, so the works attributed to this name are the only basis for description. The collection holds 2,078 works under Anonymous, spanning medicine, classics, historical readings, ancient poetry, classical literature, and philosophy. Representative works include The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Lingshu, Mencius, The Book of Documents, Nineteen Old Poems, Complete Song Ci, and The Peacock Flies Southeast. Most of these works took shape through long transmission and editing, emerging either from collective folk creation or from authors whose names were lost over time. In ancient China, the Book of Songs, the Great Learning, and many popular storybooks and plays were signed Anonymous because their authors could not be traced. Anonymous works cross the classics, histories, philosophical writings, medical texts, and poetry; their subjects are broad, and their styles vary from archaic simplicity to clear naturalness, making them important and influential sources for understanding ancient Chinese thought, medicine, and literature.