Romance of the Three Kingdoms

"Soon Lu Su came in, to whom Zhou Yu said, "I simply must fight Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang till it is decided which shall have the upper hand. I must also recapture the cities. Perhaps you can assist me." "It cannot be done," replied Lu Su. "We are now at grips with Cao Cao, and victory or defeat is undecided. Our lord has not been successful in overcoming Hefei. Do not fight near home, or it will be like people of the same household destroying each other. Should Cao Cao take advantage of this position to make a sudden descent, we should be in a parlous condition. Further, you must remember that Liu Bei and Cao Cao are united by the bonds of old friendship. If the pressure becomes too great, Liu Bei may relinquish these cities, offer them to Cao Cao, and join forces with him to attack the south. That would be a real misfortune." "I cannot help being angry," said Zhou Yu, "to think that we should have used our resources for their benefit. They get all the advant"

"江山雨霁擁青螺，境界无憂樂最多。 昔日英雄凝目處，岩崖依舊抵風波。"

"[Sun Quan and Liu Bei] stood both entranced by the beautiful scene. And gradually along the vast river the wind whipped the waves into snowy foam and raised them high toward heaven. And in the midst of the waves appeared a tiny leaf of a boat riding over the waves as if all was perfect calm. "The northern people are riders and the southern people sailors. It is said quite true," sighed Liu Bei."

"蒼天既已生公瑾，塵世何須出孔明？"

"Ma Chao ground his teeth and cursed Cao Cao, "Rebel! Betrayer of both prince and people! Murderer of my father and brothers! My hate for you is to the death: The same sky shall not continue to cover us, for I will take you captive and satiate my appetite on your living flesh." With this he set his spear and rode over toward Cao Cao as if to slay him. But Yu Jin came out from behind and engaged Ma Chao in battle. These two fought some half score bouts, and then Yu Jin had to flee. Zhang He, however, took his place and the two warriors exchanged twenty passes. Then Zhang He, too, ran away. Next to come forth was Li Tong. Ma Chao's martial prowess was now at its height, and he made short work of Li Tong, who went out of the saddle at the first blow. Then Ma Chao flourished his spear at the troops behind him as a signal for them to come on, which they did like a flood. They overwhelmed Cao Cao's forces, and Ma Chao, Pang De, and Ma Dai rode forward to try to capture Cao Cao."

"良药苦口利于病，忠言逆耳利于行。"

"人主幾番存厚道，才臣一意進權謀。"

"三軍易得，一將難求。"

"'Chicken tendons' are tasteless things to eat, and yet it is a pity to waste them."

"卿不負孤，孤亦必不負卿也。"

"治病須分内外科，世間妙藝苦無多。 神威罕及惟關將，聖手能醫說華佗。"

"玉可碎而不可改其白，竹可焚而不可毀其節。"

"身雖殞，名可垂於竹帛也。"

"龍游溝壑遭蝦戲，鳳入牢籠被鳥欺。"

"功首罪魁非两人，遺臭流芳本一身。"

"煮豆燃豆萁，豆在釜中泣。本是同根生，相煎何太急！"

"You are many times more clever than Cao Pi, and you must safeguard the kingdom and complete the great work. If my son can be helped, help him. But if he proves a fool, then take the throne yourself and be a ruler."

"勿以恶小而为之，勿以善小而不为。"

"In arms even it is best to attack hearts rather than cities; to fight with sentiment is better than to fight with weapons."

"皓首匹夫！蒼髯老賊！汝即日將歸於九泉之下，何面目見二十四帝乎！"

"Do the unexpected; attack the unprepared."

"I shall strive on to the end, but the final result, whether success or failure, whether gain or loss, is beyond my powers to foresee."

"朝廷養軍千日，用在一時。"

"鞠躬盡瘁，死而後已！"

"謀事在人，成事在天。不可強也！"

"伏願陛下清心寡欲，約己愛民。"

"What a pity it is that of ten affairs in the world, one always meets with eight or nine vexations!"

"紛紛世事無窮盡，天數茫茫不可逃。 鼎足三分已成夢，後人憑弔空牢騷。"

"The San kuo chih yen i, attributed to one Lo Kuanchung, is an historical novel based upon the wars of the Three Kingdoms which fought for supremacy at the beginning of the third century A.D. It consists mainly of stirring scenes of warfare, of cunning plans by skilful generals, and of doughty deeds by blood-stained warriors. Armies and fleets of countless myriads are from time to time annihilated by one side or another,—all this in an easy and fascinating style, which makes the book an endless joy to old and young alike. If a vote were taken among the people of China as to the greatest among their countless novels, the Story of the Three Kingdoms would indubitably come out first."

"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is by design a historical narrative rather than a historical novel as we understand the term in the West. Hardly a single character in the book is ahistorical, and there is no plot to speak of beyond the plot of history. Though it borrows from the oral tradition of storytelling, it is clearly far more an epic than a romance. ... It attains the condition of good literature precisely because its slight fictional elaboration of history has restored for us the actuality of history."

"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is an encyclopedia of political tricks in China, collecting all the political schemes, strategies and subterfuges and demonstrating all their forms. All the political, military, diplomatic and social affairs described in the novel are centered on deception and all the tricks are tricks of deception."