Skip to Main Content (Press Enter)
The Story of the Stone, Volume IV by Cao Xueqin and Gao E
Add The Story of the Stone, Volume IV to bookshelf
Add to Bookshelf

The Story of the Stone, Volume IV

Best Seller
The Story of the Stone, Volume IV by Cao Xueqin and Gao E
Paperback $19.00
Dec 16, 1982 | ISBN 9780140443714

Buy from Other Retailers:

  • $19.00

    Dec 16, 1982 | ISBN 9780140443714

    Buy from Other Retailers:

Product Details

Praise

“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)

Table Of Contents

The Story of the Stone: Volume 4Note on Spelling
Preface

Chapter 81:
Four young ladies go fishing and divine the future; Bao-yu receives a homily and is re-enrolled in the Family School

Chapter 82:
An old pedant tries to instil some Moral Philosophy into his incorrigible pupil; And the ailing Naiad, in a nightmare, confronts the spectres of her fevered mind.

Chapter 83:
An Indisposition in the Imperial Bedchamber calls for a Family Visitation; While insubordination in the inner apartments reveals Bao-chai’s long-suffering nature

Chapter 84:
Bao-yu is given an impromptu examination, and his betrothal is discussed for the first time; Jia Huan visits a convulsive child, and old hostilites are resumed

Chapter 85:
It is announced that Jia Zheng has been promoted to the rank of Permanent Secretary; And it is discovered that Xue Pan has once more brought upon himself the threat of exile

Chapter 86:
Bribery induces an old mandarin to tamper with the course of justice; And a discourse on the Qin provides a young lady with a vehicle for romantic feelings

Chapter 87:
Autumnal sounds combine with sad remembrances to inspire a composition on the Qin; And a flood of passion allows evil spirits to disturb the serenity of Zen

Chapter 88:
Bao-yu gratifies his grandmother by praising a fatherless child; Cousin Zhen rectifies family discipline by chastising two unruly servants

Chapter 89:
Our hero sees the handiwork of a departed love, and is moved to write and ode; Frowner falls prey to hysterical fear and resolves to starve to death

Chapter 90:
A poor girl loses a padded jacket and puts up with some obstreperous behaviour; A young man accepts a tray of sweetmeats and is put out by some devious goings-on

Chapter 91:
In the pursuance of lust, Moonbeam evolves an artful strategem; In a flight of Zen, Bao-yu makes an enigmatic confession

Chapter 92:
Qiao-jie studies the Lives of Noble Women and shows a precocious enthusiasm for Virtue; Jia Zheng admires a Mother Pearl and reflect on the vicissitudes of Life

Chapter 93:
A Zhen retainer seeks shelter in the Jia household; And shady activities are revealed behind the Iron Threshold

Chapter 94:
Grandmother Jia gives a crab-blossom party – a celebration of the ominous; Bao-yu loses his Magic Jade – a strange disappearance of the numinous

Chapter 95:
A rumour comes true and the Imperial Consort passes away; A counterfeit is deceptively like the real thing, and Bao-yu loses his wits

Chapter 96:
Xi-feng conceives an ingenious plan of deception; And Frowner is deranged by an inadvertent disclosure

Chapter 97:
Lin Dai-yu burns her poems to signal the end of her heart’s folly; And Xue Bao-chai leaves home to take part in a solemn rite

Chapter 98:
Crimson Pearl’s suffering spirit returns to the Realm of Separation; And the convalescent Stone-in-waiting weeps at the scene of past affection

Appendix I:
Prefaces to the first Cheng-Gao edition Joint Foreword to the subsequent Cheng-Gao edition

Appendix II:
The Octopartite Composition or ‘bagu wenzhang’

Appendix III:
The Qin or Chinese Lute, and Knowing the Sound

Appendix IV:
Iron Threshold Temple and Water-moon Priory

Characters in Volume 4
Genealogical Tables

Looking for More Great Reads?
21 Books You’ve Been Meaning to Read
Back to Top