The Story of the Stone Volume 1Note on Spelling
Introduction
Chapter 1:
Zhen Shi-yin makes the Stone's acquaintance in a dream; and Jia
Yu-cun finds that poverty is not incompatible with romantic
feelings
Chapter 2:
A daughter of the Jias ends her days in Yangchow city; and Leng
Zi-xing discourses on the Jias of Rong-guo House
Chapter 3:
Lin Ru-hai recommends a private tutor to his brother-in-law; and
old lady Jia extends a compassionate welcome to the motherless
child
Chapter 4:
The Bottle-gourd girl meets and unfortunate young man; and the
Bottle-gourd monk settles a protracted lawsuit
Chapter 5:
Jia Bao-yu visits the Land of Illusion; and the fairy
Disenchantment performs the 'Dream of Golden Days'
Chapter 6:
Jia Bao-yu conducts his first experiment in the Art of Love; and
Grannie Liu makes her first entry into the Rong-guo mansion
Chapter 7:
Zhou Rui's wife delivers palace flowers and finds Jia Lian pursuing
night sports by day; Jia Bao-yu visits the Ning-guo mansion and has
an agreeable collquy with Qin-shi's brother
Chapter 8:
Jia Bao-yu is allowed to see the strangely corresponding golden
locket; and Xue Bao-chai has a predestined encounter with the Magic
Jade
Chapter 9:
A son is admonished and Li Gui recieves an alarming warning; a
pupil is abused and Tealeaf throws the classroom in an
uproar
Chapter 10:
Widow Jin's self-interest gets the better of her righteous
indignation; and Doctor Zhang's dianosis reveals the orgin of a
puzzling disease
Chapter 11:
Ning-guo House celebrates the birthday of an absent member; and Jia
Rui conceives an illicit passion for his attractive cousin
Chapter 12:
Wang Xi-feng sets a trap for her admirer; and Jia Rui looks into
the wrong side of the mirror
Chapter 13:
Qin-shi posthumanously acquires the status of a Noble Dame; and
Xi-feng takes on the management of a neighbouring
establishment
Chapter 14:
Lin Ru-hai is conveyed to his last resting-place in Soochow; and
Jia Bao-yu is presented to the Prince of Bei-jing at a roadside
halt
Chapter 15:
At Water-moon piory Xi-feng finds how much profit may be procured
by the abuse of power; and Qin Zhong discovers the pleasures that
are to be had sunder cover of darkness
Chapter 16:
Jia Yuan-chun is selected for glorious promotion to the Imperial
Bedchamber; and Qin Zhong is summoned for premature departure on
the Journey into Night
Chapter 17:
The inspection of the new garden becomes a test of talent; and
Rong-guo House makes itself ready for an important visitor
Chapter 18:
A brief family reunion is permitted by the magnanimity of a
gracious Emperor; and an Imperial Concubine takes pleasure in the
literacy progress of a younger brother
Chapter 19:
A very earnest young woman offers counsel by night; and a very
endearing one is found to be a source of fragrance by day
Chapter 20:
Wang Xi-feng castigates a jealous attitude with some forthright
speaking; and Lin Dai-yu makes a not unattractive speech impediment
the subject of a jest
Chapter 21:
Righteous Aroma discovers how to rebuke her master by saying
nothing; and artful Patience is able to rescue hers by being
somewhat less than truthful
Chapter 22:
Bao-yu finds Zen enlightenment in an operatic aria; and Jia Zheng
sees portents of doom in lantern riddles
Chapter 23:
Words for the 'Western Chamber' supply a joke that offends; and
songs from the 'Soul's Return' move a tender heart to
anguish
Chapter 24:
The Drunken Diamond shows nobility of character in handling his
money; and the Quiet-voiced Girl provides material for fantasy by
losing her handkerchief
Chapter 25:
Two cousins are subjected by witchcraft to the assaults of demons;
and the Magic Jade meets an old acquaintance while rather the worse
for wear
Chapter 26:
A conversation on Wasp Waist Bridge is a cover for communication of
a different kind; and a soliloquy overheard in the Naiad's House
reveals unsuspected depths of feeling
Appendix
Characters in Volume I
Genealogical Tables
Cao Xueqin (1715-63) was born into a family which for three generations held the office of Commissioner of Imperial Textiles in Nanking, a family so wealthy they were able to entertain the Emperor four times. However, calamity overtook them and their property was consfiscated. Cao Xueqin was living in poverty when he wrote his famous novel The Story of the Stone.
“Filled with classical allusions, multilayered wordplay, and delightful poetry, Cao’s novel is a testament to what Chinese literature was capable of. Readers of English are fortunate to have David Hawkes and John Minford’s The Story of the Stone, which distills a lifetime of scholarship and reading into what is probably the finest work of Chinese-to-English literary translation yet produced. You will be rewarded every bit of attention you give it, many times over.” —SupChina, “The 100 China Books You Have to Read, Ranked” (#1)
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