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封神演义
《封神演义》叙述的故事内容，自纣王到女娲宫进香，题诗冒渎女神，神命三妖惑纣开篇；自此殷商朝政日非，在昆仑山修行四十年的姜子牙奉师元始天尊之命，下山助周灭商；而西昌伯姬昌于草莽间访得姜子牙，并委以丞相重任；姬昌身亡后，其次子姬发被立为西周之主；其后商纣几番西征，均以失败而告终；最后至周武王入殷，纣王自杀，姜子牙封神，武王分封诸侯为止。《封神演义》以商周易代为历史背景，演述商末政治纷乱和武王伐商的历史故事，其中颇多仙佛斗法的描写，末以姜子牙封诸神和周武王分封诸候作结。这是一部充分发挥想象的神魔小说，诸神导法力无穷，光怪陆离、奇幻无比，从中可以感受到明代文化的浪漫色彩和活跃气质。
670 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1550
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1240 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
January 25, 2013
There are Five Classic Chinese Novels that stand above all other Chinese novels and "Creation of the Gods" is one of them. All are available in at least one English translation.
Five Classic Chinese Novels
1. Outlaws of the Marsh (aka The Marshes of Mt. Liang, aka All Men Are Brothers)
2. Three Kingdoms
3. Journey to the West (aka Monkey)
4. The Story of the Stone (aka The Dream of the Red Chamber)
5. Creation of the Gods
All of these are magificent, epic novels. They are all worth the investment of the considerable time it takes to read them.
As one review noted above, they lack indices and reference material for the English reader.
For three of these novels, I have created a set of reader aides that include indices, notes on the appearance of characters, consistency between translations and chapter-by-chapter outlines and synopses.
These reading aides are called "The Somewhat Less Than Critical Commentaries" because my target audience is the reader who approaches these books as entertainment. The websites exist for "Outlaws of the Marsh", "Creation of the Gods", and "Three Kingdoms".
They are hosted by the Poison Pie Publishing House and are available free of charge here.
On a related note, the Poison Pie Publishing House has recently published a novel, "The Sutra of Reverse Possession", which includes as a major character, Earth Traveler Sun, one of the 365 gods created in "Creation of the Gods". More information on "The Sutra of Reverse Possession" is available here.
August 21, 2014
For the past month and a bit I've been reading the Ming dynasty novel Creation of the Gods in translation. The translation I have is by Gu ZhiZhong and seems to be the only English language translation available. It's unfortunately been abridged, there are still a 100 chapters and over a 1000 pages but it leaves you wondering what they left out.
The novel is in a lot of ways quite similar to Journey to the West though everyone is Daoist instead of Buddhist. But there is a lot of magic and kung fu and battles between immortals and from time to time even the gods themselves get involved, including the deified Lao Zi.
The story is set at the downfall of the Shang dynasty and covers the establishment of the Zhou. However such historical settings should not lead you to believe that this in anything other than a fantastic story. My favorite thing was the constant references to the three teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism, none of which had started by the time of the story. (roughly 1000BCE)
Despite all the extravagant trappings I found that the story had some very interesting insights. The biggest theme of the story was duty to heaven versus duty to your ruler. It was a story without real heroes of villains, the author very clearly wrote that everyone's motives were good, some felt their duty was to the dynasty, others who seemed more aware were able to tell that the mandate had gone and the dynasty should be opposed. Even the evil spirits leading the Emperor astray were said to be doing the will of Heaven. It was fascinating.
Another nice theme in the book was the role of women. Women were almost always portrayed as the equal of men. This was particularly interesting as the claims against the Emperor were that he was "wasting all his time with women". But the women were intelligent and fierce warriors fighting alongside the men.
It was a most enjoyable read. I felt that some of the battles towards the middle had lost a little in translation and probably would have looked much better on screen, but it was still an amusing and interesting book that even managed to be a little disturbing at times.
The novel is in a lot of ways quite similar to Journey to the West though everyone is Daoist instead of Buddhist. But there is a lot of magic and kung fu and battles between immortals and from time to time even the gods themselves get involved, including the deified Lao Zi.
The story is set at the downfall of the Shang dynasty and covers the establishment of the Zhou. However such historical settings should not lead you to believe that this in anything other than a fantastic story. My favorite thing was the constant references to the three teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism, none of which had started by the time of the story. (roughly 1000BCE)
Despite all the extravagant trappings I found that the story had some very interesting insights. The biggest theme of the story was duty to heaven versus duty to your ruler. It was a story without real heroes of villains, the author very clearly wrote that everyone's motives were good, some felt their duty was to the dynasty, others who seemed more aware were able to tell that the mandate had gone and the dynasty should be opposed. Even the evil spirits leading the Emperor astray were said to be doing the will of Heaven. It was fascinating.
Another nice theme in the book was the role of women. Women were almost always portrayed as the equal of men. This was particularly interesting as the claims against the Emperor were that he was "wasting all his time with women". But the women were intelligent and fierce warriors fighting alongside the men.
It was a most enjoyable read. I felt that some of the battles towards the middle had lost a little in translation and probably would have looked much better on screen, but it was still an amusing and interesting book that even managed to be a little disturbing at times.
February 2, 2014
As another reviewer noted, this is one of the five great classic Chinese novels. I read them all on a Chinese culture kick, and at the risk of sounding like a philistine, Three Kingdoms and Outlaws of the Marsh were each a bit of a slog, Dream of the Red Chamber was too foreign to my experience for me to relate to the characters, and Journey to the West was didactic and repetitive.
Creation of the Gods is as close to perfection as any book I've read.
Let's put aside the whole cultural aspect of this work, because it's completely unnecessary to recommend it for that reason and it might actually turn some people off. This story is just so damn entertaining. There's midair kung-fu fights, heroes and villains who are believably motivated, comic interludes that are actually funny, all set against a backdrop of realpolitik and shifting allegiances and telling a truly epic story that is (very loosely) based on historical events. Timeless, authentic-feeling vignettes of domestic life introduce many of the characters in memorable ways (lecherous King Zhou, King Wu's dutiful sons, Nezha's relationships with his father and mother and Jiang Ziya's commercial misfortune and short-lived marriage will all resonate with a modern reader, I think). And when it's all over, you'll find yourself pondering the ruler and the ruled's obligations to each other, God's (or Gods'?) relationship to humankind, the nature of duty, rights and morals and what this whole "good and evil" thing really means.
I got the Beijing University Press edition (two volumes, hardback) and I'm very happy with it. The translation is excellent, with none of the archaic or purposely foreign-sounding phrasing that is sometimes used in translations of this sort, presumably to make things more exotic or "authentic." The book is nicely illustrated and designed and just so well made that it makes contemporary Western hardcovers hang their heads in shame. Seriously, this is an heirloom quality edition.
Did I mention I really like this book? Because I really like this book.
Creation of the Gods is as close to perfection as any book I've read.
Let's put aside the whole cultural aspect of this work, because it's completely unnecessary to recommend it for that reason and it might actually turn some people off. This story is just so damn entertaining. There's midair kung-fu fights, heroes and villains who are believably motivated, comic interludes that are actually funny, all set against a backdrop of realpolitik and shifting allegiances and telling a truly epic story that is (very loosely) based on historical events. Timeless, authentic-feeling vignettes of domestic life introduce many of the characters in memorable ways (lecherous King Zhou, King Wu's dutiful sons, Nezha's relationships with his father and mother and Jiang Ziya's commercial misfortune and short-lived marriage will all resonate with a modern reader, I think). And when it's all over, you'll find yourself pondering the ruler and the ruled's obligations to each other, God's (or Gods'?) relationship to humankind, the nature of duty, rights and morals and what this whole "good and evil" thing really means.
I got the Beijing University Press edition (two volumes, hardback) and I'm very happy with it. The translation is excellent, with none of the archaic or purposely foreign-sounding phrasing that is sometimes used in translations of this sort, presumably to make things more exotic or "authentic." The book is nicely illustrated and designed and just so well made that it makes contemporary Western hardcovers hang their heads in shame. Seriously, this is an heirloom quality edition.
Did I mention I really like this book? Because I really like this book.
January 7, 2025
Oh this might be my second favorite (after water margin)
lets see what Journey brings!
lets see what Journey brings!
July 4, 2013
Der Untergang der Shang, der Aufstieg der Zhou-Dynastie
Ein weiterer Klassiker der chinesischen klassischen Literatur ist das hier übersetzte "Fengshen Yanyi". Es besteht aus 100 Kapiteln (auf 1000 Seiten in dieser Ausgabe). Während es im Allgemeinen nicht zu den "großen Vier/Fünf" gezählt wird, ist es doch ein überaus bereicherndes und unterhaltsames Leseerlebnis, das man auf keinen Fall verpassen sollte.
Der erste Band enthält die ersten 50 Kapitel der Erzählung. Für mich war das Leseerlebnis zweigeteilt - die ersten 40 Kapitel sind äußerst unterhaltsam: Sie erzählen die Geschichte des moralischen Niedergangs des letzten Kaisers der Shang-Dynastie, der von einem Fuchsgeist dazu verführt wird, Staatsgeschäfte schleifen zu lassen. Dabei geht es recht blutdürstig zu - Mahnende Minister werden an glühende Säulen gebunden, Augen werden ausgestochen und Hände zu Asche verbrannt, Dutzende Konkubinen nur aufgrund eines vagen Verdachts in Schlangengruben gestoßen. Ehrliche Leute, die sich mit diesem Tyrannen nicht abfinden wollen, wagen eine Revolte und gründen einen eigenen Staat. Unterhaltung pur - wirklich sehr amüsant geschrieben, mit vielen wundersamen Wendungen, geheimnisvollen Personen und Zaubergegenständen. Heutzutage würde das Buch gewiss als Fantasy veröffentlicht werden.
Die letzten Kapitel in diesem Band sind dagegen relativ formelhaft - die Angriffe des Tyrannen auf den neuen Staat werden in immer neuen Ausprägungen beschrieben. Besonders die Zerstörung der 10 Fallen, die Unsterbliche für den Tyrannen gebaut haben, ist inhaltlich immer wieder dasselbe. Allerdings ist diese Buchstelle nicht schlechter, nur anders: Was hier an Unsterblichen mit ihren Zauberwaffen und wundersamen Fähigkeiten aufgefahren wird, ist schon beeindruckend, und wenn man sich diese Passagen bildlich vorstellt, verblassen hier so manche Filme ob der Üppigkeit der Präsentation. Dieser Textteil schreit förmlich nach einer Verfilmung oder einer Verarbeitung in einem Comic.
Der zweite Band (Creation of the Gods) enthält die übrigen 50 Kapitel der Erzählung. Insgesamt auch hier eine unterhaltsame Lektüre, wenn auch der zweite Teil deutlich schwächer als die erste Hälfte des Romans ist, da die sich immer wieder wiederholenden Elemente und Formeln die Geduld des Lesers an manchen Stellen etwas überstrapazieren. Ich will da aber nicht zu sehr meckern - immerhin wurde der Text praktisch vollständig übersetzt, und der Leser kann selbst entscheiden, manche Stellen etwas schneller zu überlesen. Bei anderen Texten wurde dem Leser diese Entscheidung von einem Dritten ab- (oder sagen wir besser weg-)genommen; lieber lese ich langweilige Textstellen als dass irgendein Lektor in einem Verlag mir sagt, was ich zu lesen habe und was nicht.
Besonders hervorheben möchte ich deshalb auch die Illustrationen. Sehr gelungen präsentieren sie immer wieder eine Szene der Handlung, und helfen einem bei der Vorstellung der teilweise doch sehr überbordenden Beschreibung der Charaktere.
Die Gestaltung insgesamt ist recht gut gelungen, ein Hardcover mit Schutzumschlag und Lesebändchen. Das Papier ist dick und nur wenige Druckfehler sind vorhanden (im zweiten Band aber deutlich mehr als im ersten, was wohl auf nachlassende Energie des Korrekturlesers zurückzuführen ist).
Die Übersetzung liest sich in den ersten zwei, drei Kapiteln etwas holprig, dann aber findet der Übersetzer seinen Rhythmus und bietet solides Englisch, in dem die Namen der Unsterblichen übersetzt sind (z.B. "Pure Essence" oder "Burning Lamp"). Die restlichen chinesischen Personen- und Ortsnamen sind in Pinyin romanisiert.
Wer schon immer mal wissen wollte, wo die ganzen Animes wie Dragonball-Z oder ähnliche Prügelanimes ihre Inspiration hernehmen, sollte dieses Buch lesen - es ist praktisch eine lange Anime-Folge, mit vielen Helden und Bösewichten, magischen Gegenständen, Zweikämpfen und Schlachten im antiken China.
Insgesamt eine äußerst unterhaltsame Lektüre - ohne Probleme erreichen zumindest Teile des Fengshen Yanyi die Qualität von den anderen großen chinesischen Klassikern wie "Shuihuzhuan" oder "Reise nach Westen". Ähnliche Maniertheiten wie in den genannten Werken treten auch hier auf, sind also eigentlich eher Formelhaftigkeiten des chinesischen klassischen Romans im Allgemeinen, aber wenn man sich an diese gewöhnt hat, steht dem Lesegenuss nichts mehr im Weg. Fans der oben genannten Werke werden die Lektüre nicht bereuen, und, da dieses Werk im Vergleich zu bspw. "Drei Königreiche" recht einsteigerfreundlich ist, möchte ich dies auch allen Lesern ans Herz legen, die sich für einen Einstieg in die klassische chinesische Literatur interessieren.
Ein weiterer Klassiker der chinesischen klassischen Literatur ist das hier übersetzte "Fengshen Yanyi". Es besteht aus 100 Kapiteln (auf 1000 Seiten in dieser Ausgabe). Während es im Allgemeinen nicht zu den "großen Vier/Fünf" gezählt wird, ist es doch ein überaus bereicherndes und unterhaltsames Leseerlebnis, das man auf keinen Fall verpassen sollte.
Der erste Band enthält die ersten 50 Kapitel der Erzählung. Für mich war das Leseerlebnis zweigeteilt - die ersten 40 Kapitel sind äußerst unterhaltsam: Sie erzählen die Geschichte des moralischen Niedergangs des letzten Kaisers der Shang-Dynastie, der von einem Fuchsgeist dazu verführt wird, Staatsgeschäfte schleifen zu lassen. Dabei geht es recht blutdürstig zu - Mahnende Minister werden an glühende Säulen gebunden, Augen werden ausgestochen und Hände zu Asche verbrannt, Dutzende Konkubinen nur aufgrund eines vagen Verdachts in Schlangengruben gestoßen. Ehrliche Leute, die sich mit diesem Tyrannen nicht abfinden wollen, wagen eine Revolte und gründen einen eigenen Staat. Unterhaltung pur - wirklich sehr amüsant geschrieben, mit vielen wundersamen Wendungen, geheimnisvollen Personen und Zaubergegenständen. Heutzutage würde das Buch gewiss als Fantasy veröffentlicht werden.
Die letzten Kapitel in diesem Band sind dagegen relativ formelhaft - die Angriffe des Tyrannen auf den neuen Staat werden in immer neuen Ausprägungen beschrieben. Besonders die Zerstörung der 10 Fallen, die Unsterbliche für den Tyrannen gebaut haben, ist inhaltlich immer wieder dasselbe. Allerdings ist diese Buchstelle nicht schlechter, nur anders: Was hier an Unsterblichen mit ihren Zauberwaffen und wundersamen Fähigkeiten aufgefahren wird, ist schon beeindruckend, und wenn man sich diese Passagen bildlich vorstellt, verblassen hier so manche Filme ob der Üppigkeit der Präsentation. Dieser Textteil schreit förmlich nach einer Verfilmung oder einer Verarbeitung in einem Comic.
Der zweite Band (Creation of the Gods) enthält die übrigen 50 Kapitel der Erzählung. Insgesamt auch hier eine unterhaltsame Lektüre, wenn auch der zweite Teil deutlich schwächer als die erste Hälfte des Romans ist, da die sich immer wieder wiederholenden Elemente und Formeln die Geduld des Lesers an manchen Stellen etwas überstrapazieren. Ich will da aber nicht zu sehr meckern - immerhin wurde der Text praktisch vollständig übersetzt, und der Leser kann selbst entscheiden, manche Stellen etwas schneller zu überlesen. Bei anderen Texten wurde dem Leser diese Entscheidung von einem Dritten ab- (oder sagen wir besser weg-)genommen; lieber lese ich langweilige Textstellen als dass irgendein Lektor in einem Verlag mir sagt, was ich zu lesen habe und was nicht.
Besonders hervorheben möchte ich deshalb auch die Illustrationen. Sehr gelungen präsentieren sie immer wieder eine Szene der Handlung, und helfen einem bei der Vorstellung der teilweise doch sehr überbordenden Beschreibung der Charaktere.
Die Gestaltung insgesamt ist recht gut gelungen, ein Hardcover mit Schutzumschlag und Lesebändchen. Das Papier ist dick und nur wenige Druckfehler sind vorhanden (im zweiten Band aber deutlich mehr als im ersten, was wohl auf nachlassende Energie des Korrekturlesers zurückzuführen ist).
Die Übersetzung liest sich in den ersten zwei, drei Kapiteln etwas holprig, dann aber findet der Übersetzer seinen Rhythmus und bietet solides Englisch, in dem die Namen der Unsterblichen übersetzt sind (z.B. "Pure Essence" oder "Burning Lamp"). Die restlichen chinesischen Personen- und Ortsnamen sind in Pinyin romanisiert.
Wer schon immer mal wissen wollte, wo die ganzen Animes wie Dragonball-Z oder ähnliche Prügelanimes ihre Inspiration hernehmen, sollte dieses Buch lesen - es ist praktisch eine lange Anime-Folge, mit vielen Helden und Bösewichten, magischen Gegenständen, Zweikämpfen und Schlachten im antiken China.
Insgesamt eine äußerst unterhaltsame Lektüre - ohne Probleme erreichen zumindest Teile des Fengshen Yanyi die Qualität von den anderen großen chinesischen Klassikern wie "Shuihuzhuan" oder "Reise nach Westen". Ähnliche Maniertheiten wie in den genannten Werken treten auch hier auf, sind also eigentlich eher Formelhaftigkeiten des chinesischen klassischen Romans im Allgemeinen, aber wenn man sich an diese gewöhnt hat, steht dem Lesegenuss nichts mehr im Weg. Fans der oben genannten Werke werden die Lektüre nicht bereuen, und, da dieses Werk im Vergleich zu bspw. "Drei Königreiche" recht einsteigerfreundlich ist, möchte ich dies auch allen Lesern ans Herz legen, die sich für einen Einstieg in die klassische chinesische Literatur interessieren.
August 15, 2022
Quite repetitive in some places but it's an old book so I'll give it a pass
September 4, 2020
218-Investiture of the Gods-Xu Zhonglin-Methodology-1573
Barack
2019/04/29
2020/06/21
- fellow Please stay.
"Feng Shen Yanyi" was written in the Longqing and Wanli years. The book is one hundred times, describes King Wu Ji crusade supplier Zhou story. The novel has an obvious religious color. It explains teachings to help Zhou, cuts back to cut back to help Shang , and finally cuts back to cut back to school failed , King Zhou set himself on fire, and the Shang Dynasty perished. Such gods are involved in mortal war stories, like the ancient Greek mythology special Luo -Iraq war.
Xu Zhonglin was born in Yingtianfu (now Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province) around 1560 and died around 1630. His life and deeds are unknown. Masterpiece: "Feng Shen Yan Yi" and so on.
Part of the catalog
1. King Zhou's Nuwa Palace enters incense
2. Shangzhou Hou Suhu protects against business
3. Ji Chang breaks out and enters Daji
4. Enzhou post fox dies Daji
5. Yunzhongzi enters the sword to eliminate demons
6. Ziya sends out a card to capture Daji
7. King Zhou of the Zhanxinglou Tower sets himself on fire
8. Zhou Wu Wang Lutai scattered wealth
9. Jiang Ziya returned to the country and made a god
10. Zhou Tianzi seals the nations
Gods Yuanshi day respect life Nanjixianweng to a late-bloomer, bloomer ordered to build in Taiwan Qishan Gods, Gods put up on stage for three hundred sixty-five Packet heaven is God eight.
These three hundred and sixty-five righteous gods are divided into: Three realms leaders, eight parts, three hundred and sixty-five Qingfu righteous gods, three mountains and five mountain righteous gods, twenty-four Leibu gods who urge the clouds to help rain protect the law, and the fire department righteous gods. plague Department is God, five bucket stars Ji Yao Abomination is God, the stars measured out, phases of the moon, with the hopper portion thirty-six Tiangang, with the hopper portion seventy-two desperate rebels, with Jiuyao hopper portion star officer, Compass five gas water German god, Jupiter men straight day stars, Ying Xiang Hannaford fugitives caught dead four is God, five parties Lord pox is God, guarding the Peak palace four Noble Marshal, four kings, Yuzhong.
Humanity was created by one of the three friends ( one friend Taishang Laojun, two friends Yuanshi Tianzun, three friends Tongtian leader), one of the Taishang Laojun.
Explaining teaching was created by Yuanshi Tianzun. Illustrates teach generation of disciples Nanjixianweng, Lotus Lantern Taoist, cloud neutron, there are second-generation disciple wide as the child, red sperm, and other late-bloomer, three generations younger brother son of a Yang Jian, us, Zhen Zi and so on.
It was created by the master of Tongtian. There are four chief disciples in the church: Duobao Taoist, Our Lady of the Golden Spirit, Our Lady of Improperness, Our Lady of Turtle Spirit ; the four major disciples of the Outer Sect: Zhao Gongming, Fairy Yunxiao, Fairy Qiongxiao, Bixiao Fairy; Sui Shi Qixian: Wuyunxian, Jin Guxian, etc .; three-generation disciples: Wen Zhong, Yu Yuan, etc.; four-generation disciples: Yu Hua, Yu Qing, etc. Disciples outside the East China Sea islands are divided into two parts and in official business: Kowloon Island four holy, magic 4 will etc; Others: Luohou Ketu, auxiliary left and right Bute , nine Yao , phases of the moon, 36 Plow seventy Er Di Sha and so on.
Although "Fengshen Yanyi" has limited space and limited characterization, it borrows the story of King Wu's cutting down, and basically introduces the basic relationships and basic abilities of the Taoist gods. It provides a very broad posterity of creative material.
If there are literary works that can more comprehensively tell the stories of these three hundred and sixty-five righteous gods, at least in terms of scale, they have the opportunity to rank among the epic-level masterpieces. There are a lot of characters, and their images are different, which is a very good group portrait.
As far as the story is concerned, I have a doubt. Why don’t the two armies fight directly, but the generals are singled out first? If the generals win, often this battle will be won. Is it to reduce losses? When there is no absolute disparity between the strength of the enemy and ours, can the loss of the three armies be reduced by dividing the victory by the generals?
In addition, the interpretation of the teaching side often feels that the more bullying the less, the small ones come to the big ones, and the big ones come to the old ones. When Jiang Ziya faced the Jiejiao Shijue formation, he even invited Lao Tzu to take action. , Just like two children fighting each other, one of them even invited the champion of the World Fighting Championship to help.
In addition, the importance of formations and magic weapons is extremely important to the immortals. Shijue formations and immortal ropes and other magic weapons, when the strength of the enemy and the enemy are not worlds apart, almost occupy an absolute advantage, which is a stark explanation. The truth of "Krypton gold can become stronger".
" King Zhou was watching this house, and the house neat, pavilion Hong Leong; suddenly a gust of wind, roll up the veil, emerged Goddess icon, looks Ruili, Veris elegant national colors Tianzi, such as core hearted fairy palace where Pro , Yuedian Chang'e came to life. The old saying goes: "When the country is prosperous, there must be Zhenxiang ; when the country is about to die, there must be evildoers. "When King Zhou saw it, his soul wandered, he became lustful, and thought to himself: "I am the emperor, rich in the whole world, even if there are six houses and three palaces, there is no such beauty. "Sui Ming take four treasures, paternity busy driving officer will take, and offered the emperor and King Zhou Zihao deep run in the top of the palace Fenbi. Compose one:" Feng Luan Jing Bao account very, illuminated full of clever kind Makeup, Qu Qu Yuanshan Fei Cui, dancing sleeves reflect Xia Chang. Contention blooming pear rain, smoke cage peony Cheng pro makeup, but can move enchanting retrieved Changle paternity king. " "
History books always like to attribute the reason for the subjugation to women. Do kings of their own lust, do courtiers , and to cover up mistakes monarch, always blame concubines seduce the king. But the beloved concubine may not be voluntary .
" Niangniang told Caiyun to retreat from all the demons, leaving only the three demons in Xuanyuan's tomb. The three demons entered the palace and said, "Niangniang has no boundaries. "One of these three monsters is a thousand-year-old fox spirit, one is a nine-headed pheasant spirit, and the other is a jade pipa spirit, prostrated by Dan Chi. The mother said: "The three monsters listen to my secret decree!" Chengtang’s luck is depressed, and should lose the world; Fengming Qishan, the Western Zhou Dynasty has given birth to the Holy Lord. God's will has been determined, and the aura dictates. You can triple the demon hidden his demon form, body care palace courtyard, subverting your thoughts; as soon as King Wu to help succeed, not harm living beings. The things are after , so that you, are also immortal. "The Niangniang's instructions have been completed, and the three demons kowtowed their heads to thank you for your gratitude, and left with the breeze. "
It stands to reason that Nu Wa belongs to the fairy camp. Why can she send demons at will? Shouldn't gods and demons belong to two different camps? It looks , in the Shang and Zhou dynasties , good and evil , respectively, seem not so clear-cut later.
" Recency Master Wen Chung Feng Chi Ping North Sea, soldiers expedition, Xu outside meritorious, so the pet fee to Chung, especially muddy duo This duo Zhao Zhao confuse St. Cong, calumny flatter, not from King Zhou No Yes. Probably The world is in danger, and the minister is in charge. "
It is not the first, crafty , after headed. It is the king's own inability to distinguish right from wrong that attracts the traitor. No matter where it is, there are treacherous people . The point is to be able to identify yourself.
" At this time, the Taishi Wen Zhong was not in the capital, King Zhou favored Fei Zhong and You Hun, and the two princes and Kudos controlled the government and used power as a prestige. They had to bribe them with courtesy to tie their hearts. To go to the emperor, first come to pay respect . "There are bits in the princes, is Jizhou Hou surnamed Su Nago, this person be born of such fire, just straight Founder, then wrapped know Ben King Yin Yuan? Pingxi see a little unfair criminal matter, then enforcement action, under the guise of a lot, therefore the two both have never sent a gift. when something is close, check that day the two princes of the world, have all sent gifts, unique Su care and rude single, furious mind, bitter to the heart . "
The villain may not be able to accomplish things, but he is good at bad things. Not only that, but the villain is also narrow-minded, and he must be repaid . Such people hurt others and benefit themselves , but they can often gain power in a moment. But it is difficult to die well .
" At this time, under Soviet protection is rage, a heard remark, tripping feel resistance, actually not thinking, he said:" Great Fumio not do not understand something! "Call around, take four treasures, the Meridian Gate in the poem on the wall, table I never towards the business of Italian poem reads:." Jun Chen Gang bad, have lost five permanent members, Su Jizhou care, never not toward business. " "
Where is the plan to rebel , but preached it in advance? The so-called things are secreted, words are used to vent failures. Those who can do great things must be able to keep secrets. If you act publicly and things are not done successfully, you will encounter obstacles and eventually fail.
" Quan Zhong is bound to succeed. There are many ways forward. Heihu heard the golden bell ring behind his head, and turned around to see Quan Zhong rushing to leave; he hurriedly lifted the top of the red gourd from his spine and muttered something. Only the red gourd was wrapped. a gas black side out, the size of a snare is released, the black submerged there alas sound dumb, the shrouded reflect on flying, but eagle beak, an opening face to face sheets to bite. Quanzhong hero only know immediately that Knowing the black tiger's different skills, he hurriedly stretched his halberd to protect his body, sitting down on the horse, the condor had a beak and pecked his eye; the horse jumped up, and Su Quanzhong fell upside down with a golden crown, his armor was removed from the saddle, and he ran into the horse. The Black Tiger took the order, and the generals rushed forward and tied Su Quanzhong's arms; the black tiger's palm triumphed and returned to the camp and dismounted from the gate. "
Although young people are brave and brave , they have less experience in the end and are prone to offense. If young people can be more cautious. Adults can be more brave . Then they can do better than their peers .
" Furthermore, the eldest son of Jizhou Detective Horse Report and Su Hu was captured. Su Hu said: "Don't say anything! This son didn't listen to his father's words, and relied on his own ability. It is of course for him to be captured today. But I am a hero. Today, my parents and children are captured and the enemy is overwhelming. Jizhou will soon be owned by others, but why come? Just because I gave birth to Daji, the faint king listened to the slander, so I was full of misfortunes, Li Shu was miserable; these are all my daughters who were born this unsatisfactory, so I suffered from this endless misfortune! If long after this city a break, so I Chaoge to capture his wife and daughter, throwing the first appearance, the remains brutal, princes laugh at me for the mess the world without seeking generation. If not kill his wife and daughter, then after committing suicide, yet the end for the real man should do. " "
Observing what Su Hu said and did, he was not a hero. After losing the battle, the responsibility was placed on his son. On impulsiveness, he was quick to speak, and caused the disaster of the country's ruin and family destruction, and put the blame on his daughter. Where is a hero? When encountering danger, I only know how to sigh and sigh, without any strategy. Such incompetence, although not a tyrant, is nothing but mediocrity.
" Su Huyan, I can't help crying. Zheng Lun heard the words and exclaimed: "Jun Hou is drunk and obsessed today! Why say such unbearable words? Famous princes in the world, Xibo Jichang, Dongbo Jiang Huanchu, Nanbo E Chongyu, total eight hundred town princes. All went to Jizhou, not in the corner of my Zheng Lun's eyes. Why bother to consider yourself humble and weak? At the end of the day, he will follow the princes and princes since childhood, and the jade belt will hang down; at the end, he will be willing to follow the example to make the best. " Su hearing protectors Zhenglun words, for captains, saying:" This man reminder grain, every evil way, full of Luantan; and the only town in the world eight hundred princes. Only because of Chong Heihu once worshiped strangers. Teaching Taoism, the gods and ghosts are shocked, the chest is hidden, and the enemy is invincible. How do you despise this person? " I saw Zhenglun listening , Anjian cried, saying:" On Jun Hou, weekend is not captured black tiger came to see, the top of the head, and satisfied in before the captains. "After that, I couldn't help the military order. I turned on the fiery eye of the golden-eyed beast, and caused the two handles to drop the magic pestle, fired the cannon to open the city, and lined up three thousand crow soldiers, like a dark cloud. "
Business Zhou naturally not a good leader, but Su care is also not a good leader. It doesn't matter if you have no good countermeasures. It has not been able to fully mobilize the enthusiasm of the subordinates, on the contrary, it has disintegrated the internal military spirit. Such a person , even if the encounter evenly matched opponents , there are likely to fail, not to mention the enemies encountered it?
" Yi Cheng Kai master:" This Station San Nianqian out of a fairy to post where there should be a past master, neither resting on the inside, you can ask your human rights line camp rest. I don’t know what the master’s respect is like. " Su guard shout , saying:" Son of Heaven elegant, even even what demon charm ; conditions have Hall Station , temporarily there anything in the line of business. Hurry up and clean the inside of the post center hall, without any delay. "Yi Cheng hurriedly asked everyone to take care of the interior of the hall, prepare to shop, put incense and sweep them , and they should clean up. "
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December 10, 2024craziest corporate hiring practices manual ever
November 22, 2018
This is the first classic Chinese literature that I read. Overall, it was a good read but I find quite a few parts being repetitive. Whenever one side suffered defeat, they will just retreat and get help from outsiders to win back the battle. In my opinion, there are too many characters hence, I cannot see much development in the characters. In this story, people just come and go easily with the exception of the few main characters. The fighting segments were decent but it is too short in my opinion. The fights can be explained in 1 or 2 sentence and that is it but that is because there were too many characters and too many things happening in 1 go.
January 26, 2025
It certainly has kernel of genius to it; imagination being let loose, still it shows some lacking in coherence of notion that it opens itself up to begin with, unraveling itself not via resolution of contradictions but by brushing them off as unnecessary, rejecting its own premise, or altogether ignoring them. Due to lack of psychological insights on part of the author, the culture depicted is neither Shang or Zhou, nor is it Ming. Where it lacks in extreme standards of genius supreme, it covers in its brilliant use of language, vitality of thousands of years of cultural references, and unbound imagination and wit. A most certainly 'must read' for anyone diving into the Daoist canon.
August 6, 2007
This book is incredible. Not that it doesn't get tedious at times, but it really was worth it for me. Can definitely be read on more than one level. The only crummy thing is no index! Perhaps the bilingual edition (four volumes instead of two) has one. The best thing is to read it with E. T. C. Werner's (out of print) dictionary of Chinese mythology ready to hand.
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April 15, 202216th or c. 1567-1619. Another source claims it was published in 1605.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
October 24, 2022
Insanely long epic book. So many fights! And magic. And only volume one. Very entertaining stories.....so many characters though.
March 29, 2025
A mix of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, The Water Margin and Journey to the West that, though impressive, doesn't nearly cut it when it comes to the quality level of these earlier masterpieces (though I haven't read the 2nd yet, so this judgment currently only applies to the first two). It's almost as though this book's author was fascinated with all the surface-level "hooks" of the earlier books (army warfare, rebellion and magical duels, respectively) but didn't have the skill or vision to imbue his work with the depth, complexity and humanity of his inspirations.
Therefore Creation/Investiture of the Gods is inferior to the great Chinese classics in technique, style and depth, and sadly inherits their extreme misogyny, going as far as painting a horrid rape scene in a positive light; even if the misogyny could be largely ignored in the other classics, it's harder to do so on this one due to the existence of that scene alone.
These are reasons enough to avoid the book, both aesthetically and ethically. That said, in the former sense, it's not irredeemable: It still has a good structure, tells a good story (though the telling itself is victim to copious repetition and contrivance) and attempts some really interesting things due to the overflowing creativity it displays when it comes to minute plot details. As for the philosophical/thematic virtues of the book, though its moral foundation is mostly black-and-white (misogyny notwithstanding), the struggle of many a character to meet their destinies by coming to terms with the necessity of rebellion (especially in the deeply Confucian and loyalistic framework of Chinese culture at the time) is surprisingly compelling, though proven to be somewhat inconsistent in how it's explored as the novel goes on.
The tacit connections, one could even say conflict, between fate and folly are also quite remarkable in their subtlety, though at times these elements take on a nearly cringeworthy dimension when the folly becomes either too often repeated or too contrived. The manifestation of fate through human error is still a surprisingly humanistic touch, though, and this book never loses sight of its own (limited) view of humanity, which is a likely explanation for its popularity in the 17th century and even beyond.
In the end, this is a book of endless flaws, yet also one of endless fascination. The presentation of the plot, the hundreds of small inventions and the thematic grounding make up the main reasons to read and enjoy this one, though I definitely don't believe it justifies its running length, nor its status as so-called "classic."
Therefore Creation/Investiture of the Gods is inferior to the great Chinese classics in technique, style and depth, and sadly inherits their extreme misogyny, going as far as painting a horrid rape scene in a positive light; even if the misogyny could be largely ignored in the other classics, it's harder to do so on this one due to the existence of that scene alone.
These are reasons enough to avoid the book, both aesthetically and ethically. That said, in the former sense, it's not irredeemable: It still has a good structure, tells a good story (though the telling itself is victim to copious repetition and contrivance) and attempts some really interesting things due to the overflowing creativity it displays when it comes to minute plot details. As for the philosophical/thematic virtues of the book, though its moral foundation is mostly black-and-white (misogyny notwithstanding), the struggle of many a character to meet their destinies by coming to terms with the necessity of rebellion (especially in the deeply Confucian and loyalistic framework of Chinese culture at the time) is surprisingly compelling, though proven to be somewhat inconsistent in how it's explored as the novel goes on.
The tacit connections, one could even say conflict, between fate and folly are also quite remarkable in their subtlety, though at times these elements take on a nearly cringeworthy dimension when the folly becomes either too often repeated or too contrived. The manifestation of fate through human error is still a surprisingly humanistic touch, though, and this book never loses sight of its own (limited) view of humanity, which is a likely explanation for its popularity in the 17th century and even beyond.
In the end, this is a book of endless flaws, yet also one of endless fascination. The presentation of the plot, the hundreds of small inventions and the thematic grounding make up the main reasons to read and enjoy this one, though I definitely don't believe it justifies its running length, nor its status as so-called "classic."
April 15, 2025
This gets five stars largely for historical significance. There are tons of things that are jarring to a modern Western reader, and historical context is important for understanding a lot of the more seemingly bizarre narrative choices (I recommend the Chinese Lore Podcast for this, which adds context in addition to providing a translation).
All that being said - well, this is pretty epic. And gruesome. Seriously, the violence of Investiture of the Gods makes Game of Thrones look like a rambunctious episode of Caillou.
The first part was the hardest, since that focused the most on violence against innocent people. When an army rose up against the tyranny, it was sort of a breath of fresh air, though the gut-wrenching nature of a lot of the brutality didn't diminish.
I sought out this story after Journey to the West, and out of interest in Nezha, who's really kind of the breakout star of Investiture of the Gods. Delightfully punk rock, especially by Ancient Chinese standards. He's by far my favorite character, though many figures in Investiture intrigue and compel me.
I know modern novels like The Poppy War draw heavy inspiration from Investiture of the Gods, and now that I've finished the original story, I'm looking forward to reading those. But I think it's important to remember the original context of a lot of stories too, which have so much to say about history.
Grateful to have gone on this interesting, wild, bloody journey through history and myth!
All that being said - well, this is pretty epic. And gruesome. Seriously, the violence of Investiture of the Gods makes Game of Thrones look like a rambunctious episode of Caillou.
The first part was the hardest, since that focused the most on violence against innocent people. When an army rose up against the tyranny, it was sort of a breath of fresh air, though the gut-wrenching nature of a lot of the brutality didn't diminish.
I sought out this story after Journey to the West, and out of interest in Nezha, who's really kind of the breakout star of Investiture of the Gods. Delightfully punk rock, especially by Ancient Chinese standards. He's by far my favorite character, though many figures in Investiture intrigue and compel me.
I know modern novels like The Poppy War draw heavy inspiration from Investiture of the Gods, and now that I've finished the original story, I'm looking forward to reading those. But I think it's important to remember the original context of a lot of stories too, which have so much to say about history.
Grateful to have gone on this interesting, wild, bloody journey through history and myth!
April 27, 2025
Americans who follow international film might be noticing that more and more Chinese blockbusters are dominating the global charts for ticket sales. Many of these films are based off of this novel. Read it if you want to understand the Chinese film industry's current challenge to the USA's "Marvel Cinematic Universe." I also highly recommend the Chinese Lore Podcast for helpful retellings and historical commentaries on these tales.
May 26, 2023
读来好畅快！多少人物，风云四起。果真你方唱罢我登场。时代所限，自然也有糟粕。但读来仍是受益匪浅。
June 3, 2024
最魔幻的不是神仙打架，是商朝人说话做事都和明朝人一样。
September 11, 2025
I really enjoyed this book though the stories can be quite repetitive and can be tiring reading it. But it is a good read if you like Chinese mythological story.
January 12, 2012
I think I watched the serial TV about this when I was kid. But by reading this book, I get the big red line. I understand that all of small stories those I remember are actually part of one big story.
Some of them is actually a very fenomenal story, like story of Nezha vs Sea Dragon King, The Story of Three Eye General Erland, and the Legendary General Ziang Jiya.
The story is good, but somehow give a feel that god and man is in the same level. Dynasty Shang whose heroes are mostly human is very hard to be defeated by Dynasty Zhou that is helped by many gods. It seems like the god is actually a human which has special power.
The magic fighting in this story also remind me anime / manga Fairy Tail. The magic fight is not too much impress me. Because it doesn't expose technique of fighting, but exposes more about the kind of magic and its power. For example when Nezha vs Yu Hua, the flying blood blade easily defeat Nezha.
At the end I enjoy reading this book. And I'm also trying to collect all Tiongkok literature stories, so this one complete one step on my collection :)
Some of them is actually a very fenomenal story, like story of Nezha vs Sea Dragon King, The Story of Three Eye General Erland, and the Legendary General Ziang Jiya.
The story is good, but somehow give a feel that god and man is in the same level. Dynasty Shang whose heroes are mostly human is very hard to be defeated by Dynasty Zhou that is helped by many gods. It seems like the god is actually a human which has special power.
The magic fighting in this story also remind me anime / manga Fairy Tail. The magic fight is not too much impress me. Because it doesn't expose technique of fighting, but exposes more about the kind of magic and its power. For example when Nezha vs Yu Hua, the flying blood blade easily defeat Nezha.
At the end I enjoy reading this book. And I'm also trying to collect all Tiongkok literature stories, so this one complete one step on my collection :)
June 27, 2015
Beginning when there was actual moving plot was good although read more like historical fiction rather than fantasy as the name would imply. Ending (or I guess middle since this is the first volume) was pretty bad in that it was really repetitive how e.g. 10 traps were broken all in a similar fashion, but the book took an extra page to describe the details in each one. Also, it appears the solution to everything is to run crying to your master begging for help, and the power creep of the characters was as bad as Dragon Ball Z.
December 15, 2025
Much less fun than RoT3K or The Water Margin, for me, in that the protagonists aren't nearly as differentiated from each other, or even the antagonists. Characters have deeds, but not personalities. And, worse, those sometimes shift according to the needs of the story.
At least, unlike in those above two, the denouement is not fully a third of the novel cataloging the downfall of every character that came before.
At least, unlike in those above two, the denouement is not fully a third of the novel cataloging the downfall of every character that came before.
September 6, 2012
This novel concerns the celestial and worldly elements of creation and destruction that accompany the change into the great Chou dynasty.
It is wonderful and terrifying.
It is wonderful and terrifying.
January 19, 2018
多年后快速重读了一遍，很难想象这样一本没有多少文学水平的通俗读物当初会引起我的兴趣。这本著作是中国古典文学的代表作，其实正表明中国古代文学发展程度并不高。
February 8, 2017
I've read Japanese translation, which is notorious for its distortion.
May 18, 2021
无力吐槽……
October 25, 2023
看多了就看出门道来了。跟西游记一样，看似热闹，其实是个悲伤的故事。
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