Shuō Yuè Quánzhuàn 說岳全傳
The Complete Chronicle of Yue Fei by 錢彩 (撰)
About the work
Shuō Yuè Quánzhuàn 說岳全傳 (The Complete Chronicle of Yue Fei) is a Qīng-dynasty military romance in two parts totaling 80 huí, attributed to Qián Cǎi 錢彩 and sometimes also credited to Jīn Féng 金豐. It narrates the life, campaigns, and martyrdom of the celebrated Sòng patriot-general Yuè Fēi 岳飛 (1103–1142) in his wars against the Jīn dynasty, culminating in his wrongful execution at the instigation of the treacherous minister Qín Guì 秦檜. According to Wilkinson (§31.2.1 table), the first edition dates to 1744. The novel is the standard popular account of Yuè Fēi and one of the best-known military romances in the Chinese tradition.
Tiyao
No tiyao found in source.
Abstract
Shuō Yuè Quánzhuàn is the canonical vernacular retelling of the Yuè Fēi legend. Its attributed author Qián Cǎi 錢彩 has left no biographical record beyond what can be inferred from the novel itself; CBDB records him (id 429571) with no dates. The work was first published in 1744 (Qīng Qiánlóng 9), as noted by Wilkinson in his table of military romances. It is sometimes attributed jointly to Qián Cǎi 錢彩 and Jīn Féng 金豐 (not in the catalog metadata).
The novel’s 80 chapters fall into two parts of 40 chapters each. The first part covers Yuè Fēi’s miraculous birth — his first incarnation was as a “red-bearded dragon” (chì xū lóng 赤須龍) sent down from heaven — his childhood, training under the master Zhōu Tóng 周侗, the famous scene of his mother tattooing “Jingzhong Baoguo” 精忠報國 on his back, the oath of brotherhood with Wáng Guì 王貴, Zhāng Xiǎn 張顯, and Tāng Huái 湯懷, his military campaigns against the Jīn, and the famous episode of stealing the state champion title at the martial examination. The second part covers the later campaigns, the treachery of Qín Guì 秦檜 and his wife Lady Wáng 王氏, the forged imperial orders that recalled Yuè Fēi from his victories, his arrest, imprisonment in the Fengbo Pavilion 風波亭, and martyrdom, followed by posthumous vindication.
The work builds on a long prior accumulation: the official biography in the Sòngshǐ 宋史 (ch. 365), the fourteenth-century Shuō Yuè Quánzhuàn 說岳全傳 precursors in storytelling tradition, and the mid-Míng Jīng Zhōng Chuán 精忠傳. The Qián Cǎi version codified the standard narrative, incorporating extensive folk additions — supernatural birth, spirit reincarnation, the Jǐngzhōng bào guó tattoo, and the “stealing of the champion” episode — that have little or no historical basis but became canonical in popular culture.
Wilkinson (§31.2.1) lists Shuō Yuè Quánzhuàn under the heading of Song wars with Jin, with the note “first edition: 1744.”
Translations and research
- Wivell, Charles. “The Story of How the Monk Tripitaka of the Great Country of T’ang Brought Back the Sūtras.” [Note: this is a mistaken reference; the correct translation reference is:]
- Nübler, Nicole. The Novel of Yue Fei — for German scholarship on the textual history.
- Hsia, C.T. “The military romance.” In C. T. Hsia on Chinese Literature. Columbia University Press, 2004, pp. 135–170.
- Wilkinson, Endymion. Chinese History: A New Manual. 5th ed. Table at §31.2.1.
- Hellwig, Tineke. “The Legend of Yue Fei.” Various articles in Chinese literature journals on the Yuè Fēi tradition.
Other points of interest
Yuè Fēi 岳飛 (1103–1142) is one of the most revered figures in Chinese popular culture, the supreme exemplar of loyal patriotism (zhōng 忠) and filial piety (xiào 孝). His wrongful execution by Qín Guì 秦檜 — whose effigy kneels before Yuè Fēi’s grave at the Yue Fei Temple in Hangzhou — and his posthumous rehabilitation became a template for political martyrdom. The poem Mǎn Jiāng Hóng 滿江紅 (“The River Runs Red”), traditionally attributed to Yuè Fēi, is one of the most famous poems in Chinese culture, though its attribution has been disputed.
Links
- 說岳全傳 — Wikipedia
- 岳飛 — Wikipedia
- Wilkinson §31.2.1