The Plum in the Golden Vase or, Chin P'ing Mei, Volume Two

The Rivals

David Tod Roy

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9780691126197, 9780691070773
• eBook ISBN: 9781400847624
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Literature General
• Index: Literature

The second volume of a celebrated translation of the classic Chinese novel

This is the second volume in David Roy's celebrated translation of one of the most famous and important novels in Chinese literature. The Plum in the Golden Vase or, Chin P'ing Mei is an anonymous sixteenth-century work that focuses on the domestic life of Hsi-men Ch'ing, a corrupt, upwardly mobile merchant in a provincial town, who maintains a harem of six wives and concubines. The novel, known primarily for its erotic realism, is also a landmark in the development of the narrative art form—not only from a specifically Chinese perspective but in a world-historical context.

With the possible exception of The Tale of Genji (1010) and Don Quixote (1615), there is no earlier work of prose fiction of equal sophistication in world literature. Although its importance in the history of Chinese narrative has long been recognized, the technical virtuosity of the author, which is more reminiscent of the Dickens of Bleak House, the Joyce of Ulysses, or the Nabokov of Lolita than anything in the earlier Chinese fiction tradition, has not yet received adequate recognition. This is partly because all of the existing European translations are either abridged or based on an inferior recension of the text. This translation and its annotation aim to faithfully represent and elucidate all the rhetorical features of the original in its most authentic form and thereby enable the Western reader to appreciate this Chinese masterpiece at its true worth.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Acknowledgments
• Cast of Characters
• Chapter 21: Wu Yüeh-niang Sweeps Snow in Order to Brew Tea; Ying Po-chüeh Runs Errands on Behalf of Flowers
• Chapter 22: Hsi-men Ch’ing Secretly Seduces Lai-wang’s Wife; Ch’un-mei Self-righteously Denounces Li Ming
• Chapter 23: Yü-hsiao Acts as Lookout by Yüeh-niang’s Chamber; Chin-lien Eavesdrops outside Hidden Spring Grotto
• Chapter 24: Ching-chi Flirts with a Beauty on the Lantern Festival; Hui-hsiang Angrily Hurls Abuse at Lai-wang’s Wife
• Chapter 25: Hsüeh-o Secretly Divulges the Love Affair; Lai-wang Drunkenly Vilifies Hsi-men Ch’ing
• Chapter 26: Lai-wang Is Sent under Penal Escort to Hsü-chou; Sung Hui-lien Is Shamed into Committing Suicide
• Chapter 27: Li P’ing-erh Communicates a Secret in the Kingfisher Pavilion; P’an Chin-lien Engages in a Drunken Orgy under the Grape Arbor
• Chapter 28: Ch’en Ching-chi Teases Chin-lien about a Shoe; Hsi-men Ch’ing Angrily Beats Little Iron Rod
• Chapter 29: Immortal Wu Physiognomizes the Exalted and the Humble; P’an Chin-lien Enjoys a Midday Battle in the Bathtub
• Chapter 30: Lai-pao Escorts the Shipment of Birthday Gifts; Hsi-men Ch’ing Begets a Son and Gains an Office
• Chapter 31: Ch’in-t’ung Conceals a Flagon after Spying on Yü-hsiao; Hsi-men Ch’ing Holds a Feast and Drinks Celebratory Wine
• Chapter 32: Li Kuei-chieh Adopts a Mother and Is Accepted as a Daughter; Ying Po-chüeh Cracks Jokes and Dances Attendance on Success
• Chapter 33: Ch’en Ching-chi Loses His Keys and Is Distrained to. Sing; Han Tao-kuo Liberates His Wife to Compete for Admiration
• Chapter 34: Shu-t’ung Relies upon His Favor to Broker Affairs; P’ing-an Harbors Resentment and Wags His Tongue
• Chapter 35: Harboring Resentment Hsi-men Ch’ing Punishes P’ing-an; Playing a Female Role Shu-t’ung Entertains Hangers-on
• Chapter 36: Chai Ch’ien Sends a Letter Asking for a Young Girl; Hsi-men Ch’ing Patronizes Principal Graduate Ts’ai
• Chapter 37: Old Mother Feng Urges the Marriage of Han Ai-chieh; Hsi-men Ch’ing Espouses Wang Liu-erh as a Mistress
• Chapter 38: Hsi-men Ch’ing Subjects Trickster Han to the Third Degree; P’an Chin-lien on a Snowy Evening Toys with Her P’i-p’a
• Chapter 39: Hsi-men Ch’ing Holds Chiao Rites at the Temple of the Jade Emperor; Wu Yüeh-niang Listens to Buddhist Nuns Reciting Their Sacred Texts
• Chapter 40: Holding Her Boy in Her Arms Li P’ing-erh Curries Favor; Dressing Up as a Maidservant Chin-lien Courts Affection
• Appendix: Translations of Supplementary Material 453
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index