The Chinese Fairy Book

by Richard Wilhelm (Editor), Frederick H. Martens (Translator)

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Fairy Tales, Mythology, Fantasy, China

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1914

About the author

Richard Wilhelm was a German translator. He translated many philosophical works from Chinese into German that in turn have been translated into other major languages of the world, including English. His translation of the I Ching is still regarded as one of the finest, as is his translation of The Secret of the Golden Flower, both of which include introductions by Swiss psychologist Carl Jung, who was a personal friend.

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Stefano Lusoli · Rating 4 out of 5]

L'eleganza di un serpente dorato in riva a un fiume, il fascino di una volpe che canta al chiaro di luna, la volontà di uomini e donne che camminano sulla terra: 100 trame antiche come l'alba.

"Il dio re del fiume non chiede se gli uomini siano felici o infelici; giunge all'improvviso e all'improvviso se ne va, come più gli aggrada."

[JV]

Sobre Richard Wilhelm não preciso me repetir, já lhe tracei um breve esboço acá. Em resumo, ele se via como uma ponte entre China e Europa sendo bem sucedido em ambos os lados. O presente livro, servindo a esse propósito, não é - como o título enganosamente declara - uma coletânea de contos de fadas mas um retrato da China a partir de contos populares. Uma decisão com muitas consequências aos leitores.

Enquanto documento histórico as lacônicas notas de Wilhelm traem, através das numerosas fontes estrangeiras desses contos (de Esopo à Índia and all in between), a posição de centro cultural da China ocupada por milênios. Centro cultural e econômico, posto que em 1820 um terço do PIB global era contribuído apenas pela China. De revolução em Revolução, até o fundo do poço com o Partido Comunista Chinês, a "terra média"(中国) foi ficando mais pobre, isolada e provinciana que qualquer muralha - mesmo a que pode ser vista do espaço - jamais seria capaz de fazer.

Uma segunda consequência é a forma resumida, diluída e acadêmica da maioria dos contos. Trata-se de uma obra sem pretensão a se tornar definitiva mas que marca um primeiro contato, um bosquejo geral do folk-lore chinês.

Tal multiplicidade de temas explicam as divisões do livro em contos de fadas, lendas dos deuses, contos de santos e mágicos, contos sobre animais e natureza, histórias de fantasmas, contos históricos e contos literários. Meu foco foi as fábulas e gostei mais de "Who is the Sinner?", "Bird of 9 Heads", "The Great Flood" e "Cave of the Beasts". Também, só que na seção contos sobre animais e natureza, de "The Fox and The Raven" e "The King of The Ants"

Mitos de formação e origem achamos em "How the Five Ancients Became Men" e "The eight Immortals". Outros mitos instrutivos achamos em "The God of war", "Laotsze" e "The Kindly Magician". Uma representação assustadora do mundo inferior é "The Constable". Também digna de nota na seção de histórias de fantasmas é "The Ghost Who Was Foiled". Na seção histórica "Dschang Liang" é instrutivo sobre a formação dinastia Han. Por fim, gostei de "The heartless Husband" e "The Ape Sun Wu Kung" que inspirou o Goku de Dragon Ball.

[Lisioł Czyta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lisioły chińskie
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Na długie zimowe noce najlepsze są baśnie, dlatego Lisioł chętnie sięgnął po książkę „Baśnie chińskie” autorstwa Richarda Wilhelma. Jest to zbiór 74 opowieści podzielony na kilka kategorii – dla łatwiejszego namierzenia najlepszych tekstów (tych o lisach). Są to:
- Baśnie dla dzieci.
- Legendy o bogach – np. o takim wielkim i wspaniałym Li-xiu.
- Opowieści o świętych i magikach.
- Baśnie o naturze i zwierzętach.
- Historię o duchach.
- Legendy historyczne – zwłaszcza o dokonaniach pierwszego cesarza Li-xiu.
- Bajki literackie.
A wszystko to osadzone w realiach mitycznego Dalekiego Wschodu (albo Zachodu, w zależności od tego, w którą stronę obracacie globus). Jak tu się nie skusić? Niemożliwe!
.
Lisioł z ciekawością oglądał jak przyszły zarządca dobra i zła na ziemi, wnuczek Władcy Niebios Oerlang przybiera siedemdziesiąt dwie postacie. Ma taką możliwość, więc kto mu zabroni? Gorzej, że o mały włos nie był sprawcą pierwszego dużego kataklizmu na świecie.
.
Nie powinniście też być zdziwieni obecnością Konfucjusza pośród baśni. Zresztą do dzisiaj trwają spory czy był bóstwem, czytylko człowiekiem. Sam Konfucjusz uparcie milczy na ten temat! Podobnie jak Guan Yu o tym, co zrobił z jedwabną kieszenią na brodę. Tego nie wie nawet jego legendarny koń Czerwony Zająć – spróbujcie sobie to wyobrazić, połączenie konia i zająca, ale czekajcie, to tylko takie imię.
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Nie zabrakło też opowieści o lisach! Czy wiedzieliście, że to lisy przygotowują eliksir życia? Poświęcają na to własny oddech, dlatego przypomina kulę ognia. Jeśli starczy Wam odwagi, by taką kulę ukraść i połknąć, możecie stać się naprawdę bogaci. Lisioł jednak ostrzega, że kula się nie rozpuszcza, więc nawet po wielu latach można ją wyciągnąć za pomocą noża.
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Można też spotkać srebrne lisy, które faktycznie są żółte, czerwone lub białe, ale nazywane są srebrnymi. Lisioł chętnie przyłączył się do tej bandy, ubierając płaszcz i kapelusz, strasząc pielgrzymów wędrujących do Starej Matki na Wieżowej Górze. Zabawa jednak szybko się skończyła, a sprawca całego zamieszania jak był biedny, tak biedny pozostał.
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Lisioł na koniec piśnie, że część baśni może rozczarować długością jednej strony, ale co poradzić.

[Devin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Also posted at: https://devinhurd.herokuapp.com/singl...

This collection of Chinese Fairy Tales - compiled by Richard Wilhelm in 1914 and later translated from German by Frederick H. Martens - is diluted and refracted through a number of cultural prisms (and years). There is an academic rigor to each of these story with brief notes about the origin following each. But they read like a series of summaries of much better stories. Precious little story-telling verve or style survives these translations as the accounts wash over one another in a forgettable mash-up of detail-free stories with morals. The wealth of materials in this book deserves a better telling.

[ReadForDessert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Voto 3/4 stelle

Un bella raccolta di miti e leggende cinesi divise in capitoli tematici.
Una corposa raccolta di storie intrise di folklore asiatico: tra volpi mutaforma, demoni infernali, santi buddisti e divinità al servizio dell'Imperatore Celeste..ce n'è proprio per tutti i gusti, ed è interessante cogliere le varie influenze culturali e religiose.

Unica pecca, proprio la raccolta senza altro contesto se non il capitolo di appartenenza: "fiabe per bambini", "saghe degli dei", "di santi e maghi" e via dicendo...avrei preferito un pochino più di introduzione o qualche elemento in più per arricchire una raccolta che, se letta tutta d'un fiato, può risultare un po' pesante.

[Olena G · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Chinese Fairy Book” feels like sitting around a campfire with a really cool storyteller who keeps tossing out wild tales. Some of the words are a bit old-fashioned, but honestly, that just adds to the charm, like finding a hidden treasure in your grandpa’s attic. You never really know what’s coming next, which keeps things fresh and fun. If you’re curious about Chinese culture or just love a good yarn, this book’s like a friendly invitation to a whole new world of stories.

[Weronika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very repetitive. Some stories could be omitted and listed on more longer ones like in the last part

[Adrianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Same opowieści bardzo ciekawe. To ile nasze kultury łączy i dzieli zaskakuje, ale ciężko oprzeć się wrażeniu, że było to tłumaczone przez ai.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zbiór dużej ilości z reguły króciutkich chińskich baśni. Jako dodatek kilka chińskich rycin.

[BIblioteca Ponteschiavo]

A32

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this for a quarter at recess from the bin at my middle school library. Also got a copy of 20,000 Leagues that way that I'm no longer able to find. This is an easy read, enjoyable, and I'd let anyone borrow, if used gently.

[Ivy]

Last time, I read a Chinese Fairy Tale named Nightingale to them, and they liked it a lot. They told me they liked Chinese stories very much. So I decided to bring a Chinese Fairy Tale collections to read to them next time. In this book, there are lots of famous fairy tales in China. It is a pretty good collection. I will read to them and also explain the background knowledge to them. Since China has a long history, the stories are always mysterious and acttractive to people. In this book, there is a story named Why Dogs And Cats Are Enemies. I think it is also good to read this one and discuss whether they are enemies or not in the real life.
I was very suprised by how they liked me to talk about China and Chinese stories. I am more than willing to share my culture to them through our reading.

[Chu-Salyer Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the Chinese Fairy stories in this book;

[moi, k.y.a.]

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