Romance of the Three Kingdoms

The fall of Han and the three-way war for China: strategy, oath brothers, and the price of legitimacy.

Specifications & Metrics

author

Attributed to Luo Guanzhong

type

Historical novel

era

Yuan–Ming China (14th century)

language

Classical Chinese

setting

Second- and third-century China

parts

120 chapters

Relative Scale in Novels

Core Principles & Analysis

• It romanticizes the century between the Han's fall and the Jin reunification.
• The Peach Garden Oath of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei opens the bond.
• It is among the most adapted works on earth, from opera to film and games.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Romance of the Three Kingdoms