Timeless Classics of Ancient China

Explore full English translations of China’s most celebrated literary treasures: the Four Great Novels, legendary military treatises, and foundational philosophical texts. Read online for free.

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The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Novel

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Luo Guanzhong · 120 chapters

Romance of the Three Kingdoms (also known as Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms or Popular Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms) is a long-form historical romance novel written by the late Yuan and early Ming dynasty novelist Luo Guanzhong. It is based...
The Dream of Red Mansion
Novel

The Dream of Red Mansion

Cao Xueqin · 120 chapters

The Dream of Red Mansion, an ancient Chinese long fictional novel in the chapter-style genre, is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. The widely circulated version consists of 120 chapters, with the first 80 chapters...
The Journey to the West
Novel

The Journey to the West

Wu Chengen · 100 chapters

Journey to the West 'is the first ancient Chinese romantic episodic novel about gods and demons. The earliest version of 'Journey to the West' was 'Newly Engraved Official Board Characters of Journey to the West' by Shide Hall in Jinling in the...
Tao Te Ching
Novel

Tao Te Ching

Laozi · 81 chapters

Tao Te Ching, a philosophical work composed by Laozi during the Spring and Autumn period, is also known as De Dao Jing, Dao De Zhen Jing, Laozi, Five Thousand Words, or Laozi's Five Thousand Characters. Written before the divergence of the Hundred...
Six Strategies
Novel

Six Strategies

Jiang Ziya · 60 chapters

Six Tactics of War, traditionally attributed to Jiang Wang (also known as Taigong or Dangzi Ya), comprises sixty chapters in the extant version, totaling nearly 20,000 words, and is divided into six volumes: Tactics of the Civil, Tactics of the...
The Analects of Confucius
Novel

The Analects of Confucius

Confucius · 20 chapters

The Analects of Confucius (Lún Yǔ) is a collection of quotes compiled by the disciples and second-generation disciples of Confucius, a thinker and educator during the Spring and Autumn Period, recording the words and deeds of Confucius and his...
The Art of War
Novel

The Art of War

Sun Tzu · 13 chapters

The Art of War, also known as Wu Sunzi's Art of War, Sunzi, or Sun Wu's Art of War, is one of the ancient Chinese military treatises. It is the earliest extant military book in China and one of the earliest military works in the world, revered as the

The Military Strategies of Wu Qi
Novel

The Military Strategies of Wu Qi

Wu Qi · 6 chapters

Wu Qi's Military Strategy, also known as The Art of War by Wu Zi, is a pivotal military treatise penned by the renowned general Wu Qi of the Warring States period. It stands as one of the representative works reflecting ancient military...
The Military Tactics of Sima
Novel

The Military Tactics of Sima

Tian RangJu · 5 chapters

Sima's Rules of War was first recorded in the Treatise on Literature section of The Book of Han, classified under the category of rites and titled Military Rites: Sima's Rules of War, totaling 155 chapters. After the Han Dynasty, the book underwent...
The Water Margin
Novel

The Water Margin

Shi Nai'an · 1 chapters

The Water Margin 'is a long novel written by Shi Nai'an in the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties (most of the existing editions are signed by Shi Nai'an or Luo Guanzhong, or both). It is the first episodic novel written in vernacular Chinese in...
The Great Learning
Novel

The Great Learning

zengzi · 1 chapters

The Great Learning is a prose essay expounding on the Confucian ideas of self-cultivation, family regulation, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world. Originally the 42nd chapter of The Book of Rites compiled by Dai De, it is...
The Doctrine of the Mean
Novel

The Doctrine of the Mean

Zisi · 1 chapters

The Doctrine of the Mean represents the moral standard of Confucianism, adhered to and esteemed by Confucian scholars throughout history. Also known as 'zhongyong,' where 'zhong' signifies moderation and 'yong' denotes common practice or constancy,...
The Works of Mencius
Novel

The Works of Mencius

Mencius · 1 chapters

Mencius, a classic work of Confucianism, was composed by Mencius and his disciples, including Wan Zhang and Gongsun Chou, during the mid-Warring States period. It was first mentioned in Zhao Qi's 'Preface to Mencius,' which states, 'This book was...
The Book of Songs
Novel

The Book of Songs

Anonymous · 1 chapters

The Book of Songs, the inception of ancient Chinese poetry and the earliest anthology of poems, collects 311 poems dating from the early Western Zhou Dynasty to the mid-Spring and Autumn Period (11th century BC to 6th century BC). Among them, six are

Recently Updated Chapters

Tao Te Ching

Chapter 114 · Humility and selflessness in the Tao

The Military Tactics of Sima

Chapter 137 · The Command of Multitudes

Six Strategies

Chapter 196 · Quan Tao: Infantry Combat

The Military Strategies of Wu Qi

Chapter 27 · Judge Enemy's Intentions

The Book of Songs

Chapter 12 · A graceful lady, a gentleman is fond of pleasure

The Works of Mencius

Chapter 11 · king hui of liang

The Doctrine of the Mean

Chapter 10 · The Art of Harmonious Balance

The Great Learning

Chapter 9 · virtue

The Analects of Confucius

Chapter 118 · On Virtue and Governance (Gongye Chang)

The Art of War

Chapter 25 · The Use of Spies

The Dream of Red Mansion

Chapter 530 · Barring the Transcendent, Two Beauties Guard the Jade; Joyfully Gathering with Wicked Sons, One Alone Inherits the House

The Water Margin

Chapter 5 · Gao Qiu's Opportunistic Rise to Power

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 380 · Crossing River Lu-The Mang King Is Bound The Second Time; Recognizing A Pretended Surrender-Meng Huo Is Captured The Third Time.

The Journey to the West

Chapter 279 · Zhu Bajie Assists; Monkey Destroys Demons