Written on 30 Dec 2010, reproduced below.
LWH, Sunday 6 am, 10 August 2025
Subject: Re: San Guo (Part 6)
Sent: Dec 30, 2010 7:51 AM
San Guo is not that difficult a read. Each chapter is short, about 4-6 pages. A highlight of each chapter is a poem or two chosen to highlight the narrative.
In the original 1522 Tongsu edition, there are about 400 poems.
This was reduced to about 200 in the later mid-1660s Mao edition, which substituted a number of Tang and Song masterpieces for the more conventional verse in the TS edition. (P 939 and 965 Moss Roberts)
Posers:
Liu Bei (Xuande) is the protagonist of the novel. Xuande is his zi (style or courtesy name). Bei is his ming (given name).
Why are there 2 names for one person?
Is this a common feature of classical China?
Is this nomenclature still used nowadays?
LWH
New Year’s – 1 day 2010, 7.20 am