Asian Literature: Chinese, Japanese, and Indian

A comprehensive collection of vocabulary flashcards covering prominent authors, works, genres, and terms across Chinese, Japanese, and Indian literature.

The Novel of the Three Kingdoms

A classic Chinese novel (Sānguó Yǎnyì) by Luo Guanzhong recounting the historical events during the period when China was divided into Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Wu.

Luo Guanzhong

The Chinese author who wrote The Novel of the Three Kingdoms.

Journey to the West

A classic Chinese novel (Xī Yóu Jì) written by Wu Cheng'en, also known as "Monkey," featuring Sun Wukong on a quest for sacred scrolls.

Sun Wukong

The monkey character in Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West who travels with companions to search for the Chinese people's sacred scroll.

Dream of the Red Chamber

A novel (Hónglóu Mèng) written by Cao Xuequin in the mid-18th century, celebrated for its realism, psychological depth, and portrayal of late imperial China.

Cao Xuequin

The author of Dream of the Red Chamber, considered one of the greatest novels in Chinese literature.

Water Margin

A Chinese novel (Shuǐhǔ Zhuàn) by Shi Nai'an set during the Song dynasty that details the plight of 108 brigands from Mount Liang.

Shi Nai'an

The author of the Chinese novel Water Margin, also known as "Outlaws of the Marsh" and "All Men are Brothers."

Hanzi

Chinese characters (漢字), one of the earliest forms of written language in the world, dating back approximately five thousand years.

Shi

A category of Chinese poetry consisting of couplets.

Ci

A poetic genre in Chinese literature that resembles songs due to its specific syllabic and tonal patterns.

Ge

A Chinese literary term meaning song.

Qu

A Chinese poetic genre featuring a freer form that is typically used in theater plays.

Fu

Descriptive Chinese poems composed of both prose and couplets.

Du Fu

A Chinese poet who followed a structured poetic form to create realistic poems addressing themes such as war, poverty, and rural life.

Li Bai

A romantic Tang Dynasty Chinese poet who used free-form poetry while traveling widely across China's provinces.

Su Tungpo

A prolific poet of the northern Song era, also known as Su Shi, who wrote over 2000 poems.

The Tale of Genji

An 11th-century Japanese novel by Murasaki Shikibu recounting the life, romances, and court society of Prince Hikaru Genji; thought to be the world's oldest full novel.

Murasaki Shikibu

A Heian period Japanese writer and lady-in-waiting who authored Genji monogatari (The Tale of Genji).

Sei Shonagon

A Heian period writer and rival of Lady Murasaki who authored The Pillow Book.

The Pillow Book

A Japanese miscellany by Sei Shonagon consisting of short pieces categorized into narratives, thoughts, opinions, and lists detailing court life.

Matsuo Basho

The supreme Japanese haiku poet who transformed haiku into an accepted global artistic expression.

Haiku

An unrhyming Japanese verse form that conveys an image or feeling in three lines of syllables, typically focused on nature.

Watakushi-shôsetsu

The Japanese "I" novel; a 20th-century literary genre featuring self-revealing, colloquial fiction narrated from the author's personal perspective.

Yasunari Kawabata

Japan's first recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature, known for psychological fiction works such as Snow Country and The Izu Dancer.

Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji

The three distinct writing systems that work together to form the Japanese alphabet system.

Sanskrit

An ancient and classical language of India in which the majority of classic Indian literature and the Rigveda were compiled.

Panchatantra

An Indian collection of fables and magical tales in prose and poetry structured across five books.

Bhagavad Gita

An ancient Hindu text, meaning "The Name of the Lord," central to Indian literature and philosophical tradition.

Mahabharata

The longest epic in the world, recounting the dynastic struggle and civil war between the Pandavas and Kauravas in the kingdom of Kurukshetra.

Ramayana

The second longest epic in the world, following Prince Rama's journey to rescue his wife Sita from Ravana with an army of monkeys.

Kama Sutra

An Indian text meaning "Teachings on Desire," derived from "Kama" (desire, pleasure, love, or sex) and "Sutra" (thread or text).