从小，我最期待的事，就是睡觉前可以听上侯文勇与蔡康永的《欢乐三国志》的CD。他们用了现代幽默风趣的对话方式来讲《三国演义》的故事，当时我中文能力不足以直接阅读罗贯中的《三国演义》，更是对历史毫无兴趣，但是我在听故事的过程中听得津津有味。
当我长大好好学习之后，第一个想阅读的中国的四大名著便是《三国演义》。 在阅读的过程中，我被各个鲜明的角色深深吸引。想复兴汉室的刘备，年纪轻轻就管理着江南的孙权，还有著作中的大反派“挟天子以令诸侯”的曹操。但是我最喜欢的人物还是诸葛亮。他 在赤壁之战前后扮演了一个很重要的角色，不管是“草船借箭”还是“三气周瑜”，都深深让我体会到不管是在哪个时代，有学问都是非常重要的。刘备有那么多猛将愿意跟随着他，但他还是需要有计谋的诸葛亮才得以三分天下。
从《三国演义》中，我深深体会了中国文化中文武双全的意义。说到《三国演义》，自然是离不开精彩的“赤壁之战”，不论是政治还是生意都离不开结盟，就如刘备与孙权的两个不被曹操看在眼里的合作者能扳倒号称有百万大军的曹操 ，不仅仅是有才智超群的诸葛亮、擅长水战的周瑜、再加上刘备的虎将以及勇敢的黄盖，曹操东拼西凑的降军哪里是他们的对手?
先是“草船借箭”减少了曹操的资源，接着是黄盖的 “苦肉计 ”，最后是诸葛亮神乎其技借来了东风打得曹军落花流水。一连串的连环计让我也挺同情曹操的。在华容道上，罗贯中安排了有情有义的关羽放了曹操一马，不仅让关羽的性格更加鲜明， 更是让赤壁之战结束在一个和气的场景中。
罗贯中对每个角色都刻画得淋漓尽致，也对每个角色的爱恨情仇描述得很完美。侯文咏与蔡康永的作品，能让听众在历史与现代中来回思考刘备以德服人的管理方式，把五虎上将的忠心耿耿放到现代的社会依然受用。中国人所谓的“德”跟刘备的“德”其实本质上是一样的。关羽的忠义也非常能体现中国的文化。不痛打落水狗、牢记恩情，是中国人的美德。在三国演义中，我不仅仅学到了历史，更能深深体会中华文化的博大精深。
Translation
When I was young, I looked forward to listening to the CD of “Happy Three Kingdoms” by Hou Wenyong and Cai Kangyong before going to bed. They told the story of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms in a modern, humorous, and witty style of dialogue. At that time, my Chinese was not good enough to read Luo Guanzhong’s The Romance of the Three Kingdoms directly, and I was not interested in history, but I had a great time listening to the story.
When I grew up and studied Chinese diligently, the first out of the four Chinese classics I wanted to read was The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In the process of reading, I was very impressed by the distinctive characters. Liu Bei who wanted to revive the Han Dynasty, Sun Quan who managed the south of the Yangtze River at a young age, and Cao Cao who was the villain in the book “Holding the Emperor to Order the Dukes”. But my favorite character is still Zhuge Liang. He played a very important role during the Battle of Chibi. Whether it was in “Straw Boat Borrowing Arrows” or “Zhou Yu’s three angers”, I understood that no matter what era you are in, having mastery of knowledge is especially important. Liu Bei has many talented generals willing to follow him, but he still needs Zhuge Liang, who devised the strategy to divide China into three.
From reading The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, I deeply understand the importance of having both knowledge and physical power in Chinese culture. When talking about The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it is impossible not to discuss the remarkable “Battle of Chibi”. Whether it is politics or business, both rely upon forming alliances, just like Liu Bei and Sun Quan, two partners who were initially overlooked by Cao Cao. They were able to defeat Cao Cao, despite his million-strong army through a combination of Zhuge Liang’s intelligence, Zhou Yu’s water warfare skills, Liu Bei’s talented generals and Huang Gai’s bravery. How could Cao Cao’s ragtag army of defectors, assembled from different places, ever compete with them?
First, “Straw boat borrowing arrows” reduced Cao Cao’s resources, followed by Huang Gai’s “taking the pain to gain trust”, and finally Zhuge Liang’s miraculous skills borrowed the east wind to defeat Cao’s army. This series of chain tricks made me sympathize with Cao Cao. On Huarong Road, Luo Guanzhong arranged for the virtuous and righteous Guan Yu to let Cao Cao go, not only making Guan Yu’s character more distinct, but also ending the Battle of Chibi in a peaceful manner.
Luo Guanzhong not only vividly portrays each character, but also perfectly describes the love and hatred of each character. The works of Hou Wenyong and Cai Kangyong allow the audience to reflect back and forth between history and modern times. Liu Bei’s leadership style of winning people over with virtue ensured the loyalty of the five Tiger generals, which is still applicable in modern society. Liu Bei’s morality is representative of the morals shared by many Chinese people. Guan Yu’s loyalty can also embody Chinese culture very well. It is a Chinese virtue not to beat a drowning dog, but instead to remember kindness. Thanks to The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, not only did I learn history, but also deeply understood the profoundness of Chinese culture.
Ariel Chen 陈敬柔
3rd Year Chinese Language Student at WWU.