Editing Romance of the Three Kingdoms (section)

==Cultural impact==
{{unreferenced section|date=June 2018}}
{{multiple image
|header=''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' in [[Chinese opera]]
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|image1=Battle of Changban Peking Opera 3.jpg
|caption1=[[Zhang He]], [[Xu Chu]], [[Cao Hong]], and [[Li Dian]] in [[Peking opera]]
|image2=35682-Chengdu_(49068206921).jpg
|caption2=[[Lü Bu]], [[Liu Bei]], and [[Zhang Fei]] in [[Sichuan opera]]
|image3=美周郎_19284301.jpg
|caption3=[[Xiao Qiao]] and [[Zhou Yu]] in Qingyangqiang
}}
Besides the famous Peach Garden Oath, many [[Wikiquote:Chinese proverbs|Chinese proverbs]] in use today are derived from the novel:
{| class="wikitable"
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!width=30%|Translation
!width=30%|Chinese
!width=40%|Interpretation
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|Brothers are like limbs, wives and children are like clothing. Torn clothing can be repaired; how can broken limbs be mended?
|{{zh|t=兄弟如手足，妻子如衣服。衣服破，尚可縫； 手足斷，安可續？|s=兄弟如手足，妻子如衣服。衣服破，尚可缝； 手足断，安可续？}}<ref>Luo Guanzhong. ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', Chapter 15.</ref>
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It means that wives and children, like clothing, are replaceable if lost but the same does not hold true for one's brothers (or friends).
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|Liu Bei "borrows" [[Jingzhou (ancient China)|Jing Province]] – borrowing without returning.
|{{zh|t=劉備借荆州——有借無還|s=刘备借荆州——有借无还}} <br /> {{zh|t=劉備借荆州，一借無回頭|s=刘备借荆州，一借无回头}}
|This proverb describes the situation of a person borrowing something without the intention of returning it.
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|Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives.
|{{zh|t=說曹操，曹操到|s=说曹操，曹操到}} <br /> {{zh|t=說曹操曹操就到|s=说曹操曹操就到}}
|Equivalent to [[speak of the devil]]. Describes the situation of a person appearing precisely when being spoken about.
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|Three reeking tanners (are enough to) overcome one Zhuge Liang.
|{{zh|t=三個臭皮匠，勝過一個諸葛亮|s=三个臭皮匠，胜过一个诸葛亮}} <br /> {{zh|t=三個臭皮匠，賽過一個諸葛亮|s=三个臭皮匠，赛过一个诸葛亮}} <br /> {{zh|t=三个臭裨将，頂個諸葛亮|s=三个臭裨将，顶个诸葛亮}}
|Three inferior people can overpower a superior person when they combine their strengths. One variation is "subordinate generals" ({{zh|t=裨將|s=裨将}}; ''píjiàng'') instead of "tanners" (皮匠; ''píjiàng'').
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|Eastern Wu arranges a false marriage that turns into a real one.
|{{zh|t=東吳招親——弄假成真|s=东吴招亲——弄假成真}}
|When a plan to falsely offer something backfires with the result that the thing originally offered is appropriated by the intended victim of the hoax.
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|Losing the lady and crippling the army.
|{{zh|t=周郎妙計安天下，賠了夫人又折兵|s=周郎妙计安天下，赔了夫人又折兵}}
|The "lady" lost here was actually [[Sun Quan]]'s sister [[Lady Sun]]. [[Zhou Yu]]'s plan to capture Liu Bei by means of a false marriage proposal failed and Lady Sun really became Liu's wife (see above). Zhou Yu later led his troops in an attempt to attack Liu Bei but fell into an ambush and suffered a crushing defeat. This saying is now used to describe the situations where a person either makes double losses in a deal or loses on both sides of it.
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|Every person on the street knows what is in [[Sima Zhao]]'s mind.
|{{zh|t=司馬昭之心，路人皆知|s=司马昭之心，路人皆知}}
|As [[Sima Zhao]] gradually rose to power in Wei, his intention to usurp state power became more obvious. The young Wei emperor [[Cao Mao]] once lamented to his loyal ministers, "Every person on the street knows what is in Sima Zhao's mind (that he wanted to usurp the throne)." This saying is now used to describe a situation where a person's intention or ambition is rather obvious.
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|The young should not read ''[[Water Margin]],'' and the old should not read ''Three Kingdoms.''
|{{zh|t=少不讀水滸, 老不讀三國|s=少不读水浒, 老不读三国}}
|The former depicts the lives of heroic outlaws and their defiance of the corrupted government system but results in bittersweet tragedy. The latter presents dynasties that came and go which reminds the old that nothing is permanent.
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The writing style adopted by ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' was part of the emergence of written vernacular during the Ming period, as part of the so-called "Four Masterworks" (''si da qishu'').<ref>Liangyan Ge, "Out of the margins: the rise of Chinese vernacular fiction", University of Hawaii Press, 2001</ref>

===Buddhist aspects===
{{See also|Chinese Buddhism#Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE)}}
''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' recorded stories of a Buddhist monk called Pujing (普净), who was a friend of [[Guan Yu]]. Pujing made his first appearance during Guan's arduous journey of crossing five passes and slaying six generals, in which he warned Guan of an assassination plot. As the novel was written in the [[Ming dynasty]], more than 1,000 years after the era, these stories showed that Buddhism had long been a significant ingredient of the mainstream culture and may not be historically accurate.{{clarify|date=August 2015}} [[Luo Guanzhong]] preserved these descriptions from earlier versions of the novel to support his portrait of Guan as a faithful man of virtue. Guan has since then been respectfully addressed as "Lord Guan" or ''Guan Gong''.

=== Adaptations ===
{{Main list|List of media adaptations of Romance of the Three Kingdoms
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The story of the ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' has been retold in numerous forms including television series, manga and video games.