Shi Nai'an (, ca. 1296–1372) was a Chinese writer from the Yuan and early

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han pe ...

periods. ''Shuihu zhuan'' (''

Water Margin ''Water Margin'' (''Shuihu zhuan'') is one of the earliest Chinese novels written in vernacular Mandarin, and is attributed to Shi Nai'an. It is also translated as ''Outlaws of the Marsh'' and ''All Men Are Brothers''. The story, which is ...

''), one of the

Four Great Classical Novels Classic Chinese Novels () are the best-known novels of pre-modern Chinese literature. These are among the world's longest and oldest novels. They represented a new complexity in structure and sophistication in language that helped to establish t ...

of Chinese literature, is traditionally attributed to him. There are few reliable sources for his biography, much less his literary activity.

Biography

Little is known about Shi. Traditionally, it was believed that he was a teacher of

Luo Guanzhong Luo Ben (c. 1330–1400, or c.1280–1360), better known by his courtesy name Guanzhong (Mandarin pronunciation: ), was a Chinese writer who lived during the Ming dynasty. He was also known by his pseudonym Huhai Sanren (). Luo was attri ...

, the editor or author of ''

Romance of the Three Kingdoms ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD ...

'', another of the

. The recent Chinese scholar Ge Liangyan writes that little is known about Luo, and about Shi even less. Late Ming and early Qing scholars claimed that Shi lived near the end of the Yuan dynasty and that he was a native of

Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also Chinese postal romanization, romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the prov ...

, but they may have been echoing each other or citing the conjectures that they did not endorse. The early 20th century scholar

Lu Xun Zhou Shuren (25 September 1881 – 19 October 1936), better known by his pen name Lu Xun (or Lu Sun; ; Wade–Giles: Lu Hsün), was a Chinese writer, essayist, poet, and literary critic. He was a leading figure of modern Chinese literature. ...

thought that the name "Shi Nai'an" might have been invented by composers of a later edition of the novel. Shortly after World War II, a memorial tablet bearing Shi's name was found in Xinghua county, Jiangsu, and in the early 1950s a team of researches was sent to investigate. The chief investigator declared "Not even the faintest vestige of Shi Nai'an was found to be there." Evidence in a family genealogy seemed to affirm his identity, but it is not clear that the genealogy was authentic. Ge Liangyan concludes that the debate over the existence of Shi will "never lead to a conclusive end." He adds that in any case, we will not be able to determine whether either Luo or Shi, if they existed, were involved with the compilation of ''Shuihu zhuan''.Roland Altenburger, endorses Ge's conclusions. "Appropriating Genius: Jin Shengtan's Construction of Authority," ''That Wonderful Composite Called Author: Authorship in East Asian Literatures from the Beginnings to the Seventeenth Century''. (Netherlands: Brill, 2014)
p. 184
/ref> The

Shi Nai'an Literary Prize The Shi Nai'an Literary Prize (施耐庵长篇叙事文学奖, abbreviated to 施耐庵文学奖) is awarded to a Chinese novel exhibiting an innovative style of narration. It is named after the Chinese author Shi Nai'an Shi Nai'an (, ca. 1296 ...

is named in his honour.

Notes

References

* Lu, Naiyan
"Shuihu Zhuan" ("Water Margin")
''

Encyclopedia of China The ''Encyclopedia of China'' () is the first large-entry modern encyclopedia in the Chinese language. The compilation began in 1978. Published by the Encyclopedia of China Publishing House, the encyclopedia was issued one volume at a time, begin ...

'' (Chinese Literature Edition). *

External links

* * 1296 births 1372 deaths Yuan dynasty novelists Ming dynasty novelists Water Margin Mythopoeic writers 14th-century Chinese novelists Chinese male novelists {{China-writer-stub