Story of the Stone (Volume III)

Cao Xueqin (Ts'ao Hsueh-ch'in) ca. 1715-1763Cao is considered to be China's greatest novelist, but little is known of his life. An unconventional, versatile man, he came from an eminent and wealthy family which suffered a reversal of fortune in 1728 after the death of the Kangxi Emperor and a power struggle between his sons. Cao seems to have spent about ten years writing and revising his novel, from roughly 1740 to 1750, but the last 40 of the 120 chapters were completed by a different author, probably after his death. He also worked for a period of time in the Imperial Clan's school for the children of the nobility and bannermen, but eventually settled in the countryside west of Peking. He earned some money by selling his own paintings, but his family seems to have been perpetually in poverty.

• The Story of the Stone Volume 3Note on SpellingPrefaceChapter 54:Lady Jia ridicules the cliches of romantic fiction; And Wang Xi-feng emulates the filifal antics of Lao Lia-ziChapter 55:A foolish concubine seeks to humiliate her own daughter; And an ill-natured stewardess tries to outwit her young mistressChapter 56:Resourceful Tan-chun abolilshes abuses in the interests of econoomy; And sapient Bao-chai shows how small consessions can be made without loss of dignityChapter 57:Nightengale tests Jade Boy with a startling message; And Aunt Xue comforts Frowner with words of loving kindnessChapter 58:In which the cock-bird who mourns his mate is found to be a hen; And a true heart is able to sympathize with a strange kind of loveChapter 59:By Willow Walk the conververs of property resort to violence and abuse; And at Green Delights the defenders of law and order invoke a higher authorityChapter 60:As a substiture for rose-orris Jia Huan is given jasmine face-powder; And in return for rose essence Cook Liu is given lycoperdon snowChapter 61:Bao-yu owns up to a crime he did not commit; And Patience bends authority in order that the innocent may be sparedChapter 62:A tipsy Xiang-yun sleeps on a peony-petal pillow; And a grateful Caltrop unfastens her pomegranate skirtChapter 63:Flower-maidens combine for nocturnal birthday revels; And a grass widow copes with funeral arrangments single-handedChapter 64:Five fair women make subjects for a chaste maid's verse; And nine jade dragons make a love-gift for a flirtChapter 65:Jia Lian's second marriage is celebrated in secret; And the future marriage of San-jie becomes a matter of speculationChapter 66:Shame drives a warm-hearted young woman to take her life; And shock leads a cold-hearted young gentleman to renounce the worldChapter 67:Frowner sees something that makes her homesick; And Xi-feng hears something that rouses her suspicionsChapter 68:Er-jie takes up residence in Prospect Garden; And Xi-feng makes a disturbance in Ning-guo HouseChapter 69:A scheming woman kills with a borrowed knife; And one who has ceased to hope swallows gold and diesChapter 70:Lin Dai-yu resuscitates the Poetry Club; And Shi Xiang-yun tries her hand at a song lyricChapter 71:Lady Xing deliberately humiliates her daughter-in-law; And Faithful inadvertently iterrupts a pair of love-birdsChapter 72:Wang Xi-fen refuses to see a doctor; And Brightie's wife seeks help with a betrothalChapter 73:A half-witted servant girl picks up a highly embarrassing object; And an easy-going young mistress refuses to inquire into a theftChapter 74:Lady Wang authorizes a raid on Prospect Garden; And Jia Xi-chun breaks off relations with Ning-guo HouseChapter 75:Midnight revellers are startled by a sound of evil omen; And Mid-Autumn moon-watchers listen to quantrains of unequal meritChapter 76:Flute-playing at Convex Pavillion provokes too much melancholy; And linked verses at Concave Pavilion betray a morbid sensitivityChapter 77:A wronged maid takes a loving last leave of her master; And three young actresses seek to escape matrimony in the cloisterChapter 78:Jia Zheng commissions the Ballad of the Winsome Colonel; And Bao-yu composes an Invocation to the Hibiscus SpiritChapter 79:Xue Pan finds to his sorrow that he is married to a termagant; And Ying-chun's parents betroth her to a Zhong-shan wolfChapter 80:Unfortunate Caltrop is battered by a philandering husband; And One Plaster Wang presribes for an insufferavle wifeAppendix I: Sandal, Musk, and SkybrightAppendix II: Suncloud, Sunset and MoonriseAppendix III: You San-jie, Liu Xiang-lian and Jia Lian's JourneysAppendix IV: Old Mrs. You and the ZhangsAppendix V: Fivey, Bao Er and The MattressAppendix VI: Euergesia and the Little ActressesCharacters in Volume 3Genealogical Tables

“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)