2.2 作者人生
2.2 The Writer’s Life
在中国古代，小说被认为是小道，小说家的地位也十分低下，所以小说家的传记材料留下来的也很少。关于《三国演义》的作者罗贯中的生平材料，留下来的也不多，连他的籍贯和出生年份至今仍存有争议。
In ancient China people thought of novels as trivialities and novelists as inferior to others， so fewerbiographies of novelists were in existence. similarly， very scanty information remained about Luo Guanzhong，the author of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms， and even his place and year of birth were stillcontroversial.
根据大体一致的看法，罗贯中，名本，号湖海散人。着名小说家、戏曲家，是中国章回小说的鼻祖。一生着作颇丰，主要作品有：剧本《三平章死哭蜚虎子》《赵太祖龙虎风云会》《忠正孝子连环谏》；小说《三国演义》《隋唐两朝志传》《残唐五代史演义》《粉妆楼》《三遂平妖传》和与施耐庵合着的《水浒传》等。终年七十岁。
According to the generally agreeable views， Luo Guanzhong， alias Luo Ben or Wanderer by Lakes andSeas， was a novelist， dramatist and the founder of Chinese chapter novel. He was a prolific writer whose majorworks include The Flying Tiger， Feng Yuhui， Lian Huan Jiang， The Romance of the Three Kingdoms， SuiTang Zhizhuan， The End of Tang Dynasty and the Period of the Five Dynasties， Fenzhuang Lou， SansuiPingyao Zhuan and Outlaws of the Marsh and so on. He lived a comparatively long life with the age ofseventy.
关于罗贯中的最早记载见于明代贾仲明编着的小册子《录鬼簿续编》，上写：“罗贯中，太原人，号湖海散人。与人寡合，乐府隐语，极为清新。与余为忘年交，遭时多故，天各一方。至正甲辰复会，别来又六十余年，竟不知其所终。”
The earliest notice about Luo Guanzhong occurs in a pamphlet called Luguibu Xubian (Supplementaryjottings on those who have died) by Jia Zhongming， which reads：“Luo Guanzhong is a native of Taiyuan，who uses the sobriquet Wanderer by Lakes and Seas. He rarely associates with other people， but he’s skilledin writing poems which are extremely fresh and invigorating. He is an older generation friend of mine， but dueto the tumultuous events of these times we became separated. We met again in the cyclical year jiachen ofthe Zhizheng reign period (1364)， but since departing some sixty years have passed， and I do not know whatbecame of him.”
在明代学者王圻编的《稗史汇编》中，他写道：“……罗贯中，葛可久，皆有志图王者；乃遇真主，而葛寄神医工，罗传神稗史。”“真主”或“真正的统治者”，据推测指的是张士诚，也可能罗贯中加入然后离开的不是张士诚起义军，而是另一个起义军领袖，或者甚至就是朱元璋本人。
In the Baishi Huibian (Collection of minor romances) by the Ming scholar Wang Qi， he wrote：“LuoGuanzhong and Ge Kejiu were engaged in a quest for an ideal king to govern the empire； and theydid encounter a true ruler. Subsequently， Ge gave himself to medicine and Luo to writing unofficialhistory.”The“true ruler”was Zhang Shicheng， presumable. It is also possible that it was not ZhangShicheng whose uprising army Luo joined and left， but that of another rebel leader or even Zhu Yuanzhanghimself.
罗贯中所处的时代是一个民族矛盾和阶级矛盾异常尖锐复杂的时代。元朝蒙古族贵族的残酷统治和压榨，激起了全国人民的反抗，推翻元朝统治的斗争如火如荼。各方义军揭竿而起，诸如朱元璋、陈友谅、张士诚等，都与元军浴血奋战过。青年时的罗贯中参加了起义军，并入其幕府，为义军运筹帷幄，是一个有政治抱负的人。
The period during which Luo Guanzhong lived was marked by sharp ethnical and class conflicts. Withinthe Yuan Empire， the harsh rule of The Mongol nobility triggered nationwide uprisings. At that time， uprisingarmies led by Zhu Yuanzhang， Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng engaged in fierce fight with the Yuantroops. An ambitious youngster， Luo Guanzhong joined the uprising army and served a strategist.
他后来从事小说稗史的创作，似乎应得益于他政治上的失意。正由于此，他才有时间和有可能致力于文学创作，成为我国文学史上首先用全力从事小说创作的作家。《三国演义》是他后期的作品。
Probably due to his unsuccessful political life， he turned to writing of fictions and unofficial history. Assuch， it was possible for him to afford time to concentrate on literary writing. Actually， he was the first writerwho committed himself to novel writing in Chinese history of literature. The Romance of the Three Kingdomswas a novel written during his later literary career.
罗贯中是如何创作《三国演义》的？明代高儒在他《百川书志》卷六中是如下概括的：
“据正史，采小说，证文辞，通好尚，非俗非虚，易观易入，非史氏苍古之文，去瞽传诙谐之气，陈叙百年，该括万事。”高儒的评价是准确的。
How did Luo Guanzhong come to create The Romance of the Three Kingdoms？ Gao Ru of the MingDynasty gives the following outline of the book in Volume Six of his Bai Chuan Shu Zhi：“It is based onhistorical facts， but also incorporates fictional elements. The language is elegant and it upholds righteousness.
It is easy to read， while avoiding vulgarity and triviality. It is not written in the pedantic style of the historian，but it eschews careless chatter and jocularity. It is a panorama of 100 years.”Gao Ru’s assessment of thenovel is an accurate one.
严格地讲，《三国演义》并不是罗贯中一人创作的，因为在他写作《三国演义》之前，三国的故事已经在社会上流传了1000多年。西晋的史学家陈寿写有《三国志》；在唐代，三国的故事已在社会上广为流传，在宋代，三国的故事成为说书人专门讲说的题材；在元代，出现了讲说三国故事的书——《三国志平话》；元代的杂剧中有很多写的是三国的故事。罗贯中则是三国故事的集大成者和再创造者，到了他的手上，《三国演义》才成为一部伟大的小说。
In a strict sense， Luo Guanzhong was not the sole creator of the Romance of the Three Kingdomsbecause the stories of the Three Kingdoms had been circulating in the society for over one thousand yearsbefore he started writing his novel. In the Western Jin dynasty Chen Shou， a historian， produced the ThreeKingdoms； and in the Tang Dynasty the stories of the Three Kingdom spread far and wide； and in the Songdynasty the same stories became the themes intended specially for story-tellers and in the Yuan dynastythere appeared another book on the stories of the Three Kingdoms—The Three Kingdoms， A Popular Tale—and many dramas about the same stories. A synthesizer and recreator of the stories of the Three Kingdoms，Luo Guanzhong made a great novel of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
罗贯中依据陈寿《三国志》提供的历史线索和历史人物，博采裴松之对《三国志》补缺、备异、惩妄、论辩所保存的大量宝贵史料，吸取了西晋至元一千多年来民间传说的丰富营养，并在此基础上结合自己参加元末农民起义军的生活经历，发挥个人的卓绝艺术才能，纵横捭阖，巧妙驾驭，形象生动地描述了近一百年中浩瀚繁复的历史事件。
Based on Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms by Chen Shou as well as Pei Songzhi’s corrections andadditions to it， Luo Guanzhong， drawing on what folklore has to offer and his own experience in the uprisingarmy， skillfully reworked into a great novel which presents a panoramic view of the turbulent period from LateYuan to Western Jin.
在这部名着中，他寄托了自己个人的爱憎情感，客观地揭露了封建统治集团之间政治的、军事的、公开的、隐蔽的、合法的和非法的矛盾斗争，淋漓尽致地刻画了封建统治阶级争名夺利、钩心斗角、尔虞我诈、明火暗刀的策略伎俩和阴谋诡计，有意或无意地揭示了农民无法生活、铤而走险、纷纷起义的真实历史背景和原因。
This masterpiece， while reflecting his likes and dislikes， objectively portrays the political and militarystruggle， be it public or covert， legal or illegal. In depicting pursuit of fame and interest by means of schemingagainst each other among the feudal ruling class， Luo， knowingly or not， explains the reasons underlying theuprisings staged by the wretchedly oppressed peasants.
从情节安排和人物描绘上，我们实际上就能看出罗贯中用小说元素把历史事实润饰得有多么漂亮，还用他的艺术方法把真实性与创新立意巧妙地结合起来，既适合高雅人群又符合大众口味。后来的很多学者和作家曾给予他极高的评价，把他同司马迁、关汉卿相提并论。
他伟大的文学创作成就，成为中国文学、世界文学宝库中的珍贵财富。他对我们国家和世界作出了较大贡献。《大英百科全书》称他为“第一位知名的艺术大师”。
From the arrangement of the plot and the deions of the characters， we can indeed see that LuoGuanzhong embellished historical facts with fictional elements. Also， his artistic method was to combineinvention with authenticity and cater to both refined and popular tastes. Some scholars and writers havethought highly of Luo Guanzhong， who has often been compared to Sima Qian and Guan Hanqing. He hasmade a great contribution to the treasury of Chinese literature and world literature. He has made a greatercontribution to our country and the world. Encyclopedia Britannica acclaims him as“the first universallyrecognized artist”.
另外，《三国演义》众多版本中尚存最早的是1522年的明朝嘉靖壬午刻本，印有书名《三国志通俗演义》，由二十四卷二百四十则组成。在清朝康熙年间毛纶及其儿子毛宗岗对他们以前的所有版本进行全面整理并清除或修改了许多诗文和情节的细节，也增加了综合评论。毛氏父子在评改中使语言更加优美的同时，随意渗入了他们自己的意见。尽管如此，毛本《三国演义》也比其他任何版本更受读者喜爱，并且超越了所有较早的版本，成为我国三个多世纪以来最流行的版本。我们现在阅读和赏析的《三国演义》就是根据毛本（即17世纪60年代版）并参考1522年有序版出版的。因此我们有时用“小说”或《三国演义》指这两种版本。
In addition， the earliest of the many printed editions of The Romance of the Three Kindoms extantdates from the first year of the Jiajing reign period of the Ming Dynasty (1522). Bearing the title SanguozhiTongsu Yanyi or Historical Novel for Popular Reading Based on the Annals of the The Romance of the ThreeKindoms， it consists of 240 episodes in 24 volumes. Mao Lun and his son Mao Zonggang， during the reign ofEmperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty， made a thorough arrangement of all the previous editions， and removedor changed many of the verse passages and details of the plot. They also added a comprehensive critique. Butwhile the Maos improved the elegance of the language， they took liberties with the original text， to the extentof infiltrating their own opinions into it at times. Nevertheless， Mao’s version of the Romance of the ThreeKingdoms is much more readable than any of the others， and it has eclipsed the earlier versions and becomethe most popular version for over three centuries. Now we are reading and appreciating The Romance of theThree Kingdoms which is the edition based on Mao’s version (i.e. the mid-1660s version) and with referenceto the 1522 preface edition. That’s why at times we use“the novel”or Three Kingdoms referring to bothversions together.
至于对作者罗贯中的籍贯和出生年份的争论问题，我们同意大多数人的意见。关于籍贯，不同的历史资料写得不同，这是完全可以理解的，正如我们的籍贯常常与我们工作或生活的地方不同而使我们的同事或朋友容易误解我们的籍贯一样，何况罗贯中还是个“湖海散人”呢！关键在于罗贯中的生死年份。一些学者说罗贯中生于1330年，死于1400年。其他学者说罗贯中生于1315年，死于1385年。1552年版有明朝中叶弘治七年（1494年）庸愚子蒋大器为《三国志通俗演义》撰写的序言，其中作者署名是罗贯中并认可他生于1330年，死于1400年。
因此，在罗贯中逝世的1400年与序言1494年间有九十四年间隔。于是有学者就提出了《三国志通俗演义》是否仍是传统说法元末明初（比如说1350—1390年）成书的？相信对于这个问题，学术界肯定会给出一个令人信服的说法。
As to the controversial issues about the author Luo Guanzhong’s place and year of birth， we agree withthe majority’s opinions. About his place of birth， different historical materials were written differently. It’squite understandable. Just as our birth-places are often different from where we are working or living andour colleagues or friends easily misunderstand them， let alone Luo Guanzhong’s sobriquet was“Wandererby Lakes and Seas”. The key lies in the years of Luo Guanzhong’s birth and death. Some scholars saidLuo was born in 1330 and died in 1400. The others said Luo was born in 1315 and died in 1385. The 1522version is preceded by a preface dated the seventh year of the Hongzhi reign period of the Ming Dynasty(1494) and written by Yongyuzi (Jiang Daqi). Luo Guanzhong is the author named in the 1522 edition， and hisaccepted dates are 1330-1400. Thus， there is a gap of ninety-four years between the presumed date of LuoGuanzhong’s death (1400 and the 1494 preface). Consequently， some scholars put forward a question whetherSanguozhi Tongsu Yanyi was written as traditionally assigned to the late Yuan-early Ming (say， 1350-1390)？
It is believed that a convincing explanation will surely be given for the question in our academic circles.
2.3 作品赏析
2.3 Appreciation of the Novel
《三国演义》的浩瀚世界中有一千二百多个人物，在几个平面，围绕着所在领域的四面八方活动，并且小说主题复杂多变。在过去的几十年里，中国学者对其人物和主题进行了热烈讨论，试图确定一个单一的《三国演义》主题。一些学者说主题是“有德者治天下”；另一些说是“宣传正义的政治”；一些学者说主题是圣君发现贤相，兴旺获权；“不纳丞相之言，自取其败”（第八十五回）。一些学者认为圣君与奸贼的斗争是主题。一些理解为是小说揭露封建（王朝）统治本身的残忍和不正义。另一些人不那么看重人物和价值，他们强调在内战一个时期后恢复国家的统一才是重大而客观的主题，更有一些人认为小说主要是军事史，作者描写战争艺术的文采很好，对个人的战斗、袭击、出其不意、进攻、围攻、扎营战斗、拖延战役的记载给人留下了深刻的印象，所有这些主题或叫总的话题，在《三国演义》中都很重要，不过，这些都受在书的前三分之二中起支配作用的一种矛盾所制约，即刘备与曹操之间的矛盾，并且，当曹操和刘备都逝世以后，他们建立的北方魏国和西部（两川地带）的蜀汉之间的敌对仍在继续，在内战中两国都筋疲力尽。
In The Romance of the Three Kingdoms’ vast world nearly one thousand characters cross the stage. Theaction， moving on several planes at once， encompasses the four corners of the realm， and the novel’s themesare varied and complex. In lively discussion over the past decades Chinese scholars have attempted to identifya single main theme in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Some say it is the theme of“virtue qualifies forrule”. The others say the theme is“the propagation of righteous politics”. Some say it is the theme of idealliege finding ideal minister， their rise to power， rejecting the prime minister’s advice and being defeated andtheir tragic end. Some consider the struggle of ideal liege and ultimate villain to be the principal theme. Somesee in the novel an expose of the cruelties and injustice of feudal (i.e.， dynastic) government itself. Othersattach less importance to character and values； they emphasize the large， impersonal theme of the restorationof national unity after a period of civil wars. Still others see the book primarily as military history， a dramaticrecord of personal combat， raids， surprises， offensives， sieges， pitched battles， and protracted campaigns， byan author well versed in the art of war. All of theses themes or general topics are important in The Romanceof the Three Kingdoms； yet all of them are engaged by a single conflict that dominates the first two-thirdsof the novel， the conflict between Liu Bei and Cao Cao. Moreover， when Cao Cao and Liu Bei pass from thescene， their rivalry continues， as the Kingdoms they have founded， Wei in the north and Shu-Han in the west(the Two Plain) exhaust themselves in civil war.
不同的人从不同视角对《三国演义》的主题有不同的观点，这是非常自然的。但《三国演义》的内容极其丰富，三国时期的各种事件对其文学的错综复杂性和深刻性都起了很大的作用。它忠实地反映了当时主要人物在政治和军事上的盛衰命运，生动地描述了汉王朝的垮台，魏、蜀、吴三国的出现、发展、斗争和晋朝的统一。它是如此一部鸿篇巨着，以致我们认为，要确认它的单一的主题是不适合的，更不用说它的多维性——它达到综合历史、文学、军事、文化等许多传统的顶点，对文学大众而言，它超越了若干先前的着作，特别是《三国平话》和元杂剧三国戏等。
It is very natural that different people from different perspective have different views on The Romanceof the Three Kingdoms’ theme. But the novel is extremely rich in content and the events of the ThreeKingdoms period contribute much to its literary complexity and depth. It faithfully reflects the waxing andwaning of the political and military fortunes of the actors of the time and vividly describes the fall of theHan Dynasty， the emergence， development， struggle of the three Kingdoms—Wei， Shu and Wu and thereunification of the realm of the Jin dynasty. It is such a great full-length novel that we do not think it properto identify a single main theme， let alone its multi-dimensions—its culminating and synthesizing historical，literary， military， cultural， etc. many traditions. It eclipses a number of its predecessors—as far as the literarypublic is concerned—in particular， the Sanguo Pinghua and Yuan Three Kingdoms drama.
