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
Cao Xueqin (1715-63) was born into a family which for three generations held the office of Commissioner of Imperial Textiles in Nanking, a family so wealthy they were able to entertain the Emperor four times. However, calamity overtook them and their property was consfiscated. Cao Xueqin was living in poverty when he wrote his famous novel The Story of the Stone.
“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)
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