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Water Margin
Water Margin (Chinese: ⽔滸傳; pinyin: Shuǐhǔ Zhuàn), also translated
as Outlaws of the Marsh, Tale of the Marshes, All Men Are
Water Margin
Brothers, Men of the Marshes or The Marshes of Mount Liang, is
a 14th century Chinese novel attributed to Shi Nai'an. Considered one of the
Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, the novel is written in
vernacular Chinese rather than Classical Chinese.[1]

The story, set in the Song dynasty, tells of how a group of 108 outlaws
gather at Mount Liang (or Liangshan Marsh) to form a sizable army before
they are eventually granted amnesty by the government and sent on
campaigns to resist foreign invaders and suppress rebel forces. It has
introduced to readers many of the best-known characters in Chinese
literature, such as Wu Song, Lin Chong and Lu Zhishen.

An illustration of the novel

Contents Author Shi Nai'an
Historical context and development Original title ⽔滸傳
Plot Country China
Outline of chapters
Language Vernacular Chinese
Authorship
Shi Nai'an Genre Historical fiction
Luo Guanzhong
Shi Hui Water Margin
Guo Xun
Editions
Simplified editions
Complex editions
Translations "Water Margin" in Traditional (top)
Influences and adaptations and Simplified (bottom) Chinese
Literature characters
Comics
Film Traditional Chinese ⽔滸傳
Television
Video games
Simplified Chinese ⽔浒传
Literal meaning "Water Margin
Music
Other
Story"

Notes Transcriptions

Further reading Standard Mandarin

External links Hanyu Pinyin Shuǐhǔ zhuàn
Gwoyeu Shoeihuu juann
Romatzyh
Historical context and development Wade–Giles Shui3-hu3 chuan4
IPA [ʂwèi.xù ʈʂwân]

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Water Margin was based on the exploits of the outlaw Song Jiang and his Wu
108 companions (The 36 "Heavenly Spirits" and the 72 "Earthly Demons"). Romanization Sy去 vhu平 tsuae
The group was active in the Huainan region and surrendered to the Song 平
government in 1121. They were recorded in the historical text History of
Yue: Cantonese
Song. The name of "Song Jiang" also appeared in the biography of Emperor
Yale Séui-wú jyuhn
Huizong of Song, which stated:
Romanization

The outlaw Song Jiang of Huainan and others attacked the Jyutping Seoi2-wu2 zyun6
army at Huaiyang, (the Emperor) sent generals to attack and IPA [sɵ̌y.wǔː tsỳːn]
arrest them. (The outlaws) infringed on the east of the capital Southern Min
(Kaifeng), Hebei, and entered the boundaries of Chu
Hokkien POJ Suí hóo tuān
(referring to present-day Hubei and Hunan) and Haizhou
(covering parts of present-day Jiangsu). The prefect Zhang
Shuye was ordered to pacify them.[2]

Zhang Shuye's biography further described Song Jiang and the outlaws' activities and how they were eventually
defeated by Zhang.[3]

Folk stories of Song Jiang circulated during the Southern Song. The first source to name Song Jiang's 36 companions
was Miscellaneous observations from the year of Guixin (癸⾟雜識) by Zhou Mi, written in the 13th century. Among
the 36 were Lu Junyi, Guan Sheng, Ruan Xiao'er, Ruan Xiaowu, Ruan Xiaoqi, Liu Tang, Hua Rong and Wu Yong.
Some of the characters who later became associated with Song Jiang also appeared around this time. They include Sun
Li, Yang Zhi, Lin Chong, Lu Zhishen and Wu Song.

A palace memorial by Hou Meng is included in the historical record History of Song, which states: "Song Jiang and 36
others cross Qi and Wei (the central belt of the North China Plain) at will. Government troops number tens of
thousands but no one dare oppose him. His abilities must be extraordinary. Since we also face plunders by Fang La and
his outlaws from Qingxi, why not grant Song Jiang and his men amnesty and allow them to lead a campaign against
Fang La to redeem themselves?"

A direct precursor of Water Margin was the Old incidents in the Xuanhe period of the great Song dynasty (⼤宋宣和
遺 事 ), which appeared around the mid 13th century. The text is a written version of storytellers' tales, based on
supposed historical events. It is divided into ten chapters, roughly covering the history of the Song dynasty from the
early 11th century to the establishment of the Southern Song regime in 1127. The fourth chapter covers the adventures
of Song Jiang and his 36 companions, and their eventual defeat by Zhang Shuye. Some of the more well-known stories
and characters in Water Margin are clearly visible, including "Yang Zhi sells his precious sabre", "Robbing the convoy
of birthday gifts", "Song Jiang kills Yan Poxi", "Fighting Fang La", among others. Song Jiang and his outlaws were said
to operate in the Taihang Mountains.

Stories about the outlaws became a popular subject for Yuan dynasty drama. During this time, the material on which
Water Margin was based evolved into what it is in the present. The number of outlaws increased to 108. Even though
they came from different backgrounds (including scholars, fishermen, imperial drill instructors etc.), all of them
eventually came to occupy Mount Liang (or Liangshan Marsh). There is a theory that Water Margin became popular
during the Yuan era as the common people (predominantly Han Chinese) resented the Mongol rulers.[4] The outlaws'
rebellion was deemed "safe" to promote as it was supposedly a negative reflection of the fallen Song dynasty.
Concurrently, the rebellion was also a call for the common people to rise up against corruption in the government. The
Chongzhen Emperor of the Ming dynasty, acting on the advice of his ministers, banned the book as a means of
preventing revolts.[5]

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The novel, praised as an early "masterpiece" of vernacular fiction,[6] is renowned for the "mastery and control" of its
mood and tone.[6] The work is also known for its use of vivid, humorous and especially racy language.[6] However, it
has been denounced as "obscene" by various critics since the Ming dynasty.[7]

These seduction cases are the hardest of all. There are five conditions that have to be met before you can
succeed. First, you have to be as handsome as Pan An. Second, you need a tool as big as a donkey's.
Third, you must be as rich as Deng Tong. Fourth, you must be as forbearing as a needle plying through
cotton wool. Fifth, you've got to spend time. It can be done only if you meet these five requirements."
"Frankly, I think I do. First, while I'm far from a Pan An, I still can get by. Second, I've had a big cock
since childhood.

— An excerpt from the novel with English translation by Sidney Shapiro.[8]

Plot
The opening episode in the novel is the release of the 108 Spirits, imprisoned under an ancient stele-bearing tortoise.[9]

The next chapter describes the rise of Gao Qiu, one of the primary antagonists of the story. Gao abuses his status as a
Grand Marshal by oppressing Wang Jin; Wang's father taught Gao a painful lesson when the latter was still a street-
roaming ruffian. Wang Jin flees from the capital with his mother and by chance he meets Shi Jin, who becomes his
apprentice. The next few chapters tell the story of Shi Jin's friend Lu Zhishen, followed by the story of Lu's sworn
brother Lin Chong. Lin Chong is framed by Gao Qiu for attempting to assassinate him, and almost dies in a fire at a
supply depot set by Gao's henchmen. He slays his foes and abandons the depot, eventually making his way to
Liangshan Marsh, where he becomes an outlaw. Meanwhile, the "Original Seven", led by Chao Gai, rob a convoy of
birthday gifts for the Imperial Tutor Cai Jing, another primary antagonist in the novel. They flee to Liangshan Marsh
after defeating a group of soldiers sent by the authorities to arrest them, and settle there as outlaws with Chao Gai as
their chief. As the story progresses, more people come to join the outlaw band, including military personnel and civil
officials who grew tired of serving the corrupt government, as well as men with special skills and talents. Stories of the
outlaws are told in separate sections in the following chapters. Connections between characters are vague, but the
individual stories are eventually pieced together by chapter 60 when Song Jiang succeeds Chao Gai as the leader of the
band after the latter is killed in a battle against the Zeng Family Fortress.

The plot further develops by illustrating the conflicts between the outlaws and the Song government after the Grand
Assembly of the 108 outlaws. Song Jiang strongly advocates making peace with the government and seeking redress for
the outlaws. After defeating the imperial army in a great battle at Liangshan Marsh, the outlaws eventually receive
amnesty from Emperor Huizong. The emperor recruits them to form a military contingent and sends them on
campaigns against invaders from the Liao dynasty and rebel forces led by Tian Hu, Wang Qing and Fang La within the
Song dynasty's domain. Although the former outlaws eventually emerge victorious against the rebels and Liao
invaders, the campaigns also led to the tragic dissolution of the 108 heroes. At least two-thirds of them died in battle
while the surviving ones either return to the imperial capital to receive honours from the emperor and continue serving
the Song government, or leave and spend the rest of their lives as commoners elsewhere. Song Jiang himself is
eventually poisoned to death by the "Four Treacherous Ministers" – Gao Qiu, Yang Jian (楊戩), Tong Guan and Cai
Jing.

Outline of chapters
The following outline of chapters is based on a 100 chapters edition. Yang Dingjian's 120 chapters edition includes
other campaigns of the outlaws on behalf of Song dynasty, while Jin Shengtan's 70 chapters edition omits the chapters
on the outlaws' acceptance of amnesty and subsequent campaigns.

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Chapter(s) Main events

1 Marshal Hong releases the 108 spirits
2 The rise of Gao Qiu
2–3 The story of Shi Jin
3–7 The story of Lu Zhishen
7–12 The story of Lin Chong
12–13 The story of Yang Zhi
The robbing of the birthday gifts by the "Original
13–20
Seven"
A 19th-century mural depicting Lu
20–22 The story of Song Jiang Zhishen uprooting a tree, a scene from
23–32 The story of Wu Song the novel

32–35 The story of Hua Rong

36–43 Song Jiang's encounters in Jiangzhou
44–47 The story of Shi Xiu and Yang Xiong
47–50 The three assaults on the Zhu Family Village
51–52 The story of Lei Heng and Zhu Tong
The outlaws attack Gaotangzhou; the search for
53–55
Gongsun Sheng
The first imperial assault on Liangshan Marsh (led by
55–57
Huyan Zhuo)
The outlaws attack Qingzhou; Huyan Zhuo defects
57–59
to Liangshan
The outlaws led by Gongsun Sheng attack Mount
59–60
Mangdang
The first assault by the outlaws on the Zeng Family
60
Village; the death of Chao Gai
The story of Lu Junyi; the outlaws attack Daming
60–67 Prefecture; the second imperial assault on
Liangshan Marsh (led by Guan Sheng)
Guan Sheng defects to Liangshan; The third imperial
67 assault on Liangshan Marsh (led by Shan Tinggui
and Wei Dingguo)
The second assault by the outlaws on the Zeng
68
Family Fortress;
The outlaws attack Dongping and Dongchang
69–70
prefectures
The Grand Assembly; the funny and lethal antics of
71–74
Li Kui
Emperor Huizong offers amnesty for the first time;
75–78 the fourth imperial assault on Liangshan Marsh (led
by Tong Guan)
The fifth imperial assault on Liangshan Marsh (led by
78–80
Gao Qiu)
81–82 The outlaws are granted amnesty
83–89 The Liangshan heroes attack the Liao invaders
90–99 The Liangshan heroes attack Fang La
100 The tragic dissolution of the Liangshan heroes
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The extended version includes the Liangshan heroes' expeditions against the rebel leaders Tian Hu and Wang Qing
prior to the campaign against Fang La.

Other stories tells such as the heroes fighting the Jurchen-ruled Jin dynasty or moving to Siam.[10][11][12]

Authorship
Since Chinese fiction was not at first a prestigious genre in the Chinese literary
world, authorship of early novels was not carefully attributed and may be
unknowable. The authorship of Water Margin is still uncertain, and in any
case derived from many sources and involved many editorial hands. While the
novel was traditionally attributed to Shi Nai'an, of whose life nothing is reliably
known, recent scholars think that the novel, or portions of it, may have been
written or revised by Luo Guanzhong (the author of Romance of the Three
Kingdoms).[13] Other contenders include Shi Hui (施惠) and Guo Xun (郭勛).

Shi Nai'an
Many scholars believe that the first 70 chapters were indeed written by Shi
Nai'an; however the authorship of the final 30 chapters is often questioned,
with some speculating that it was instead written by Luo Guanzhong, who may
have been a student of Shi.[13] Another theory, which first appeared in Gao
Ru's Baichuan Shuzhi (百川書志) during the Ming dynasty, suggests that the
Illustration of a game of cuju
whole novel was written and compiled by Shi, and then edited by Luo.
from Water Margin, from a 15th-
century woodcut edition.
Shi appropriated oral and written texts accumulated over time. Stories of the
Liangshan outlaws first appeared in Old incidents in the Xuanhe period of the
great Song dynasty (⼤宋宣和遺事) and have been circulating since the Southern Song dynasty, while folk tales and
opera related to Water Margin have already existed long before the novel itself came into existence. This theory
suggests that Shi Nai'an gathered and compiled these pieces of information to write Water Margin.

Luo Guanzhong
Some believe that Water Margin was written entirely by Luo Guanzhong. Wang Daokun (汪道昆), who lived during the
reign of the Jiajing Emperor in the Ming dynasty, first mentioned in Classification of Water Margin (⽔滸傳敘) that:
"someone with the family name Luo, who was a native of Wuyue (Yue (a reference to the southern China region
covering Zhejiang), wrote the 100-chapter novel." Several scholars from the Ming and Qing dynasties, after Wang
Daokun's time, also pointed out that Luo was the author of Water Margin. During the early Republican era, Lu Xun
and Yu Pingbo suggested that the simplified edition of Water Margin was written by Luo, while the traditional version
was by Shi Nai'an.

However, Huikang Yesou (惠康野叟) in Shi Yu (識餘) disagree with Wang Daokun's view on the grounds that there
were significant differences between Water Margin and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, therefore these two novels
could not have been written by the same person.

Hu Shih felt that the draft of Water Margin was done by Luo Guanzhong, and could have contained the chapters on
the outlaws' campaigns against Tian Hu, Wang Qing and Fang La, but not invaders from the Liao dynasty.[14]

Another theory states that Luo Guanzhong was from the Southern Song period vice the Ming dynasty. Cheng Muheng
(程穆衡) suggested in Notes on Water Margin (⽔滸傳注略) that Luo lived in the late Southern Song dynasty and early
Yuan era. Huang Lin'gen (⿈霖根) pointed out that the name of one of the compilers of Anecdotes of Jingkang (靖康稗

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史) was Nai'an, and suggested that this "Nai'an", who lived during the Southern Song dynasty, was Shi Nai'an. He also
felt that Shi wrote a simplified version of Water Margin, which is not the current edition.

Shi Hui
Another candidate is Shi Hui (施惠), a nanxi (southern opera) playwright who lived between the late Yuan dynasty and
early Ming dynasty. Xu Fuzuo (徐復祚) of the Ming dynasty mentioned in Sanjia Cunlao Weitan (三家村⽼委談) that
Junmei ( 君 美 ; Shi Hui's courtesy name)'s intention in writing Water Margin was to entertain people, and not to
convey any message. During the Qing dynasty, Shi Hui and Shi Nai'an were linked, suggesting that they are actually the
same person. An unnamed writer wrote in Chuanqi Huikao Biaomu (傳奇會考標⽬) that Shi Nai'an's given name was
actually "Hui", courtesy name "Juncheng" (君承), and he was a native of Hangzhou. Sun Kaidi (孫楷第) also wrote in
Bibliography of Chinese Popular Fiction that "Nai'an" was Shi Hui's pseudonym. Later studies revealed that Water
Margin contained lines in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang variety of Chinese, and that You Gui Ji (幽闺记), a work of Shi Hui,
bore some resemblance to Water Margin, hence the theory that Water Margin was authored by Shi Hui.

Guo Xun
Another theory attributes the authorship to Guo Xun (郭勛), a politician who lived in the Ming dynasty. Shen Defu (沈
德符) mentioned in Wanli Yehuo Bian (萬曆野獲編) that Guo wrote Water Margin. Shen Guoyuan (沈國元) added in
Huangming Congxin Lu (皇明從信錄) that Guo mimicked the writing styles of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and
Water Margin to write Guochao Yinglie Ji (國朝英烈記). Qian Xiyan (錢希⾔) also stated in Xi Gu (戲嘏) that Guo
edited Water Margin before. Hu Shih countered in his Research on Water Margin (⽔滸傳新考) that Guo Xun's name
was used as a disguise for the real author of Water Margin. Dai Bufan (戴不凡) had a differing view, as he suspected
that Guo wrote Water Margin, and then used "Shi Nai'an" to conceal his identity as the author of the novel.

Editions
The textual history of the novel is extraordinarily complex for it includes oral folklore, storytellers' tales, and printed
versions of different parts and variations. Not until the 1920s were there studies which began to set these questions in
order, and there is still disagreement.[1] The earliest components of the Water Margin (in manuscript copies) were
from the late 14th century. The earliest extant complete printed edition of Water Margin is a 100-chapter book dating
from the late-16th century in 1589.[15] Another edition, with 120 chapters by Yang Dingjian ( 楊 定 ⾒ ), has been
preserved from the reign of the Wanli Emperor (1573–1620) in the Ming dynasty. Yet other editions were published
since this era to the early Qing dynasty, including a 70-chapter edition by Jin Shengtan.

A printed copy of the Water Margin, dating from the Jiajing Emperor's reign in the Ming dynasty, titled Jingben
Zhongyi Zhuan (京本忠義傳), is currently preserved in the Shanghai Library. The various editions of Water Margin
can roughly be classified into two groups - simplified and traditional.

Simplified editions
The simplified editions include stories on the outlaws being granted amnesty, followed by their campaigns against the
Liao dynasty, Tian Hu, Wang Qing and Fang La, all the way until Song Jiang's death. At one point, the later chapters
were compiled into a separate novel, titled Sequel to Water Margin (續⽔滸傳), which is attributed to Luo Guanzhong.

Known simplified editions of Water Margin include:

A 115-chapter edition, Masterpieces of the Han and Song dynasties ( 漢宋奇書)

A 110-chapter edition, Chronicles of Heroes ( 英雄譜)
A 164-chapter edition, combined with Sequel to Water Margin

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Complex editions
The complex editions are more descriptive and circulated more widely than their simplified counterparts. The three
main versions of the complex editions are a 100-chapter, a 120-chapter and a 70-chapter edition. The most commonly
modified parts of the complex editions are the stories on what happened after the outlaws are granted amnesty.

100-chapter edition: Includes the outlaws' campaigns against the Liao dynasty and Fang La after they have been
granted amnesty.
120-chapter edition: An extended version of the 100-chapter edition, includes the outlaws' campaigns against Tian
Hu and Wang Qing.
70-chapter edition: Edited by Jin Shengtan in the late Ming dynasty, this edition uses Chapter 1 as a prologue and
ends at Chapter 71 of the original version, and does not include the stories about the outlaws being granted
amnesty and their campaigns.

Translations
Water Margin has been translated into many languages. The book was
translated into Manchu as Möllendorff: Sui hū bithe.[16] Japanese translations
date back to at least 1757, when the first volume of an early Suikoden (Water
Margin rendered in Japanese) was printed.[17] Other early adaptations include
Takebe Ayakari's 1773 Japanese Water Margin (Honcho suikoden),[18] the
1783 Women's Water Margin (Onna suikoden),[19] and Santō Kyōden's 1801
Chushingura Water Margin (Chushingura suikoden).[20]

In 1805, Kyokutei Bakin released a Japanese translation of the Water Margin

illustrated by Hokusai. The book, called the New Illustrated Edition of the
Suikoden (Shinpen Suikogaden), was a success during the Edo period and
spurred a Japanese "Suikoden" craze.

In 1827, publisher Kagaya Kichibei commissioned Utagawa Kuniyoshi to

produce a series of woodblock prints illustrating the 108 heroes in Water
Margin. The 1827–1830 series, called 108 Heroes of the Water Margin or Yang Lin, a hero from the novel,
Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori, catapulted Kuniyoshi to from Utagawa Kuniyoshi's series
fame. It also brought about a craze for multicoloured pictorial tattoos that of woodblock prints illustrating
covered the entire body from the neck to the mid-thigh.[21] the 108 Suikoden.

Following the great commercial success of the Kuniyoshi series, other ukiyo-e
artists were commissioned to produce prints of the Water Margin heroes, which began to be shown as Japanese
heroes rather than the original Chinese personages.

Among these later series was Yoshitoshi's 1866–1867 series of 50 designs in Chuban size, which are darker than
Kuniyoshi's and feature strange ghosts and monsters.[22]

The first Thai translation was done in 1867, originally in samud thai (Thai paper book) format, There were 82 volumes
in total. It was printed in western style in 1879 and distributed commercially by Dan Beach Bradley, an American
Protestant missionary to Siam.

Pearl S. Buck was one of the first English translators of the 70-chapter version. Titled All Men are Brothers and
published in 1933, the book was well received by the American public. However, it was also heavily criticised for its
errors and inaccuracies; an often cited example from this edition is Buck's mistranslation of Lu Zhishen's nickname
"Flowery Monk" as "Priest Hua".[23] In 1937, another complete translation appeared, titled Water Margin, by J. H.
Jackson, edited by Fang Lo-Tien.[24] The 70-chapter Jackson translation, which includes Shi Nai'an's foreword (1.5
pages) and prologue (nine pages), is estimated at about 365,000 words.

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Of the later translations, Chinese-naturalised scholar Sidney Shapiro's Outlaws of the Marsh (1980) is considered to be
one of the best. However, as it was published during the Cultural Revolution, this edition received little attention
then.[25] It is a translation of a combination of both the 70-chapter and 100-chapter versions. The most recent
translation, titled The Marshes Of Mount Liang, by Alex and John Dent-Young, is a five-volume translation of the 120-
chapter version.[26]

Jacques Dars translated the book into French and its 1st edition was published in 1978.[27]

Influences and adaptations

Literature
Jin Ping Mei is a 1610 erotic novel written by Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng (蘭陵笑
笑 ⽣ ) in the late Ming dynasty. The novel is based on the story of Wu Song
avenging his brother in Water Margin, but the focus is on Ximen Qing's sexual
relations with other women, including Pan Jinlian. In Water Margin, Ximen
Qing is killed by Wu Song for murdering the latter's brother, while in Jin Ping
Mei he dies a horrible death due to an accidental overdose of aphrodisiac pills.

Shuihu Houzhuan (⽔滸後傳), which roughly translates to The Later Story of

Water Margin, is a novel written by Chen Chen ( 陳 忱 ) in the Qing dynasty.
The story is set after the end of the original Water Margin, with Li Jun as the
protagonist. It tells of how the surviving Liangshan heroes are forced to
become outlaws again due to corruption in the government. When the armies
of the Jurchen-ruled Jin dynasty invade the Song dynasty, the heroes rise up to
defend their nation from the invaders. The heroes eventually decide to leave Illustration from a 15th-century
China for good and sail to distant lands. Apart from the surviving Liangshan woodcut edition
heroes from the original novel, Shuihu Houzhuan also introduces new
characters such as Hua Rong's son Hua Fengchun (花逢春), Xu Ning's son Xu
Sheng (徐晟) and Huyan Zhuo's son Huyan Yu (呼延鈺).

Dang Kou Zhi ( 蕩 寇 志 ), which roughly translates to The Tale of Eliminating Bandits, is a novel written by Yu
Wanchun (俞萬春) during the reign of the Daoguang Emperor in the Qing dynasty. Yu disagreed that the Liangshan
outlaws are loyal and righteous heroes, and was determined to portray them as ruthless mass murderers and
destroyers, hence he wrote Dang Kou Zhi. The novel, which starts at the Grand Assembly of the 108 outlaws at
Liangshan Marsh, tells of how the outlaws plundered and pillaged cities before they are eventually eliminated by
government forces led by Zhang Shuye (張叔夜) and his lieutenants Chen Xizhen (陳希真) and Yun Tianbiao (雲天彪).

The Qing dynasty writer Qian Cai intertwined the life stories of Yue Fei and the outlaws Lin Chong and Lu Junyi in The
Story of Yue Fei (1684). He stated that the latter were former students of the general's martial arts tutor, Zhou
Tong.[28] However, literary critic C. T. Hsia commented that the connection was a fictional one created by the
author.[29] The Republican era folktale Swordplay Under the Moon, by Wang Shaotang, further intertwines Yue Fei's
history with the outlaws by adding Wu Song to the list of Zhou's former students.[30] The tale is set in the background
of Wu Song's mission to Kaifeng, prior to the murder of his brother. Zhou tutors Wu in the "rolling dragon" style of
swordplay during his one-month stay in the capital city. It also said that Zhou is a sworn brother of Lu Zhishen and
shares the same nickname with the executioner-turned-outlaw Cai Fu.[31]

Frank Chin's novel, Donald Duk, contains many references to the Water Margin. Song Jiang and Li Kui make several
appearances in the protagonist's dreams.

Eiji Yoshikawa wrote Shin Suikoden (新⽔滸伝), which roughly translates to "New Tales from the Water Margin".

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Comics
Water Margin is referred to in numerous Japanese manga, such as Tetsuo Hara and Buronson's Fist of the North Star,
and Masami Kurumada's Fūma no Kojirō, Otokozaka and Saint Seiya. In both works of fiction, characters bearing the
same stars of the Water Margin characters as personal emblems of destiny are featured prominently. A Japanese
manga called Akaboshi: Ibun Suikoden, based on the story of Water Margin, was serialised in Weekly Shonen Jump.

A Hong Kong manhua series based on Water Margin was also created by the artist Lee Chi Ching. A reimagined series
based on Water Margin, 108 Fighters, was created by Andy Seto.

Between 1978 and 1988, the Italian artist Magnus published four acts of his work I Briganti, which places the Water
Margin story in a setting that mixes Chinese, Western and science fiction (in Flash Gordon style) elements. Before his
death in 1996, the four completed "acts" were published in a volume by Granata Press; two following "acts" were
planned but never completed.

In 2007, Asiapac Books published a graphic narrative version of portions of the novel.[32]

Film
Most film adaptations of Water Margin were produced by Hong Kong's Shaw Brothers Studio and mostly released in
the 1970s and 1980s. They include: The Water Margin (1972),[33][34] directed by Chang Cheh and others; Delightful
Forest (1972), directed by Chang Cheh again and starring Ti Lung as Wu Song;[35] Pursuit (1972), directed by Kang
Cheng and starring Elliot Ngok as Lin Chong; All Men Are Brothers (1975), a sequel to The Water Margin (1972)
directed by Chang Cheh and others; Tiger Killer (1982), directed by Li Han-hsiang and starring Ti Lung as Wu Song
again.[36]

Other non-Shaw Brothers production include: All Men Are Brothers: Blood of the Leopard, also known as Water
Margin: True Colours of Heroes (1992), which centers on the story of Lin Chong, Lu Zhishen and Gao Qiu, starring
Tony Leung Ka-fai, Elvis Tsui and others;[37] Troublesome Night 16 (2002), a Hong Kong horror comedy film which
spoofs the story of Wu Song avenging his brother.

Television
Television series directly based on Water Margin include: Nippon Television's The Water Margin (1973), which was
filmed in mainland China and later released in other countries outside Japan;[38][39] Outlaws of the Marsh (1983),
which won a Golden Eagle Award; CCTV's The Water Margin (1998), produced by Zhang Jizhong and featuring fight
choreography by Yuen Woo-ping; All Men Are Brothers (2011), directed by Kuk Kwok-leung and featuring actors from
mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Animations adapted from Water Margin include: Giant Robo: The Animation (1992), an anime series based on
Mitsuteru Yokoyama's manga series; Outlaw Star (1998), another cartoon series which makes several references to the
novel; Hero: 108 (2010), a flash animated series produced by various companies and shown on Cartoon Network.
Galaxy Divine Wind Jinraiger, an anime in the J9 Series planned for a 2016 broadcast, has also cited Water Margin
as its inspiration.[40][41]

The 2004 Hong Kong television series Shades of Truth, produced by TVB, features three characters from the novel
who are reincarnated into present-day Hong Kong as a triad boss and two police officers respectively.

Video games

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Video games based on the novel include Konami's console RPG series Suikoden and Koei's strategy game Bandit Kings
of Ancient China. Other games with characters based on the novel or were partly inspired by it include: Jade Empire,
which features a character "Black Whirlwind" who is based on Li Kui; Data East's Outlaws Of The Lost Dynasty, which
was also released under the titles Suiko Enbu and Dark Legend; Shin Megami Tensei: IMAGINE. There is also a beat
em' up game Shuǐhǔ Fēngyún Chuán (Chinese: ⽔滸風雲傳; literally: 'Water and Wind'), created by Never Ending Soft
Team and published by Kin Tec in 1996.[42] It was re-released for the Mega Drive and in arcade version by Wah Lap in
1999.[43] An English version titled "Water Margin: The Tales of Clouds and Winds" by Piko Interactive translated and
released in 2015. Some enemy sprites are taken from other beat 'em ups and modified, including Knights of the Round,
Golden Axe and Streets of Rage.

Music
Yan Poxi, a Pingju form of the story focused on the concubine Yan Poxi, was performed by Bai Yushuang and her
company in Shanghai in the 1930s.

Water Marginised (⽔滸後傳) (2007) is a folk reggae narrative by Chan Xuan. It tells the story of a present-day jailbird
who travels to Liangshan Marsh in hope of joining the outlaw band, only to find that Song Jiang and his men have all
taken bureaucratic jobs in the ruling party.

"108 Heroes" is a three-part Peking Rock Opera (first shown in 2007, 2011 and 2014 respectively) formed through a
collaborative effort between the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the Shanghai International Arts Festival, Taiwan
Contemporary Legend Theater, and the Shanghai Theater Academy. The show combines traditional Peking Opera
singing, costumes, martial arts and dance with elements of modern music, costume and dance.[44]

Other
Characters from the story often appear on Money-suited playing cards, which are thought to be the ancestor of both
modern playing cards and mahjong tiles. These cards are also known as Water Margin cards (⽔滸牌).

The trading card game, Yu-Gi-Oh! has an archetype based on the 108 heroes known as the "Fire Fist" (known as
"Flame Star" in the OCG) ( 炎 え ん 星 せ い , Ensei) where the monsters aside from Horse Prince, Lion Emperor, and
Spirit are based on those heroes.

The Jurchen chief and Khan Nurhaci read the Chinese novels Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin
learning all he knew about Chinese military and political strategies from them.[45][46][47]

Notes
1. Yenna Wu, "Full-Length Vernacular Fiction," in Victor Mair, (ed.), The Columbia History of Chinese Literature (NY:
Columbia University Press, 2001), pp. 627–629.
2. Toktoghan et al. History of Song, Volume 22, Biography of Emperor Huizong (Part Four).
3. Toktoghan et al. History of Song, Volume 353, Biography of Zhang Shuye.
4. Miyamoto, Yoko. "Water Margin: Chinese Robin Hood and His Bandits" (http://www.demystifyingconfucianism.info/
water-margin). Demystifying Confucianism. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
5. (in Chinese) 明代⽂学教案：第⼆章《⽔浒传》（之⼀） (http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_476624c9010008qf.html)
6. Findlay, Bill (2004). Frae ither tongues: essays on modern translations into Scots. Multilingual Matters. p. 21.
ISBN 1-85359-700-7.
7. Chinese literature. Foreign Languages Press, original from University of Michigan. 1998. p. 138.
8. "The Goriest, Raunchiest Chinese Classic of All Time" (http://asiaobscura.com/2011/11/the-goriest-raunchiest-chin
ese-classic-of-all-time.html#below).

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9. Wang, Jing (1992), The story of stone: intertextuality, ancient Chinese stone lore, and the stone symbolism in
Dream of the red chamber, Water margin, and The journey to the west (https://books.google.com.au/books?id=49
brOdOKlD0C), Duke University Press, pp. 252–254, ISBN 0-8223-1195-X, which includes the English translation
⽔滸傳 第 回
of the relevant excerpt from the novel. The original text of the chapter can be seen e.g. at / 001 , starting
只中央⼀個⽯碑，約⾼五六尺，下⾯⽯⻱趺坐
from "  ..."
10. ⽔浒续书 (http://www.cclawnet.com/shuihu/21/mydoc177.htm)
11. 简述《⽔浒传》的成书过程与作者 (http://www.confucianism.com.cn/html/wenxue/1887695.html)
12. 《⽔滸》縱橫談 (http://chowkafat.net/Fiction1.html)
13. Wilt Idema and Lloyd Haft. A Guide to Chinese Literature. (Ann Arbor: Center for Chinese Studies, The University
of Michigan, 1997; ISBN 0-89264-123-1), p. 203.
14. Hu Shih. Research on Water Margin ( ⽔滸傳考證).
15. Endymion Wilkinson. Chinese History: A New Manual. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Center, Harvard-
Yenching Institute Monograph Series, 2012; ISBN 978-0-674-06715-8), p. 413.
16. Crossley, Pamela Kyle; Rawski, Evelyn S. (June 1993). "A Profile of The Manchu Language in Ch'ing History".
Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies. Harvard-Yenching Institute. 53 (1): 94. doi:10.2307/2719468 (https://doi.org/10.
2307%2F2719468). JSTOR 2719468 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/2719468).
17. Shirane and Brandon, Early Modern Japanese Literature, p564 (https://books.google.com/books?id=RJ4nUp-iOs
wC&pg=RA1-PA564&sig=jPfGJp3zz6u8AXnyBUnpdzUrblA).
18. Shirane and Brandon. Early Modern Japanese Literature, p555 (https://books.google.com/books?id=RJ4nUp-iOs
wC&pg=RA1-PA555&sig=BpZ2mIBTjKx7Nv2OzfZsD5tWC1s) and 886 (https://books.google.com/books?id=RJ4n
Up-iOswC&pg=RA1-PA886&sig=XFSUHmj9-zPPtQSIZBgLSivmqp8).
19. Shirane and Brandon. Early Modern Japanese Literature, p13 (https://books.google.com/books?id=RJ4nUp-iOsw
C&pg=PA13&sig=ETJAI92VUBIRdqGOjXru5kAZbvw).
20. Shirane and Brandon. Early Modern Japanese Literature, p656 (https://books.google.com/books?id=RJ4nUp-iOs
wC&pg=RA1-PA656&sig=OLk5L7Rt3vq4e2erQKy7K7NrMRM) and 886 (https://books.google.com/books?id=RJ4n
Up-iOswC&pg=RA1-PA886&sig=XFSUHmj9-zPPtQSIZBgLSivmqp8)
21. Guth, Christine. Longfellow's Tattoos: Tourism, Collecting, and Japan. University of Washington Press (2004),
p147 (https://books.google.com/books?id=nkLs55k2vqMC&pg=PA147&sig=LxaZmNZEzluaeJBQ3QLt510KBWY).
ISBN 0-295-98401-5.
22. "Of brigands and bravery - Kuniyoshi's heroes of the Suikoden", Hotei Publishing, Leiden, Breestraat 113, 2311 CL
Leiden, The Netherlands, 1998, ISBN 90-74822-08-8.
23. 'All Men Are Brothers (New York: The John Day Co., 2 vols. 1933.); reprinted, All Men Are Brothers (New York:
Moyer Bell, 2010 ISBN 978-1-55921-303-5).
24. (Shanghai: Commercial Press, 1937; rpr. North Clarendon, Vt: Tuttle, 2010 ISBN 978-0-8048-4095-8).
25. Nai'an Shi, Guanzhong Luo and Sidney Shapiro. Outlaws of the Marsh. Beijing; Bloomington: Foreign Languages
Press; Indiana University Press, 4 vols. 1981. ISBN 0-253-12574-X.
26. Nai'an Shi, Guanzhong Luo, John Dent-Young and Alex Dent-Young. The Marshes of Mount Liang: A New
Translation of the Shuihu Zhuan or Water Margin of Shi Naian and Luo Guanzhong. (Hong Kong: Chinese
University Press, 5 Vols,1994–2002). Vol 1 ISBN 978-962-201-602-6 Vol 2 ISBN 978-962-201-751-1 Vol 3
ISBN 978-962-201-847-1 Vol 4 ISBN 978-962-201-989-8 Vol 5 ISBN 978-962-201-990-4.
27. Au Bord De L'eau: Shui-Hu-Zhuan. (Paris: Gallimard, Bibliotheque De La Pleiade, 1983). 2 vols. ISBN 2-07-
010910-0 (v. 1) ISBN 2-07-010911-9 (v. 2).
28. Qian, Cai. General Yue Fei. Trans. Honorable Sir T.L. Yang. Joint Publishing (H.K.) Co., Ltd.,1995 (ISBN 978-962-
04-1279-0), page 39
29. Hsia, C.T. C. T. Hsia on Chinese Literature. Columbia University Press, 2004 (ISBN 0-231-12990-4), pg. 149
30. Børdahl, Vibeke. Four Masters Of Chinese Storytelling: Full-length Repertoires Of Yangzhou Storytelling On
Video. Nordic Institute of Asian Studies; Bilingual edition, 2004 (ISBN 87-91114-64-0), pg. 166
31. Hsia: pp. 448–449, footnote #31
32. Shi, Nai'an (2007). Ng, Keng Yeow (ed.). Water Margin Compact Classic (https://books.google.com/books/about/
Water_Margin.html?id=7oPpAgAAQBAJ) (reprint ed.). Asiapac Books. ISBN 9812294589. Retrieved 22 August
2018.
33. Kung Fu Cinema (http://www.kungfucinema.com/reviews/watermargin.htm)

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34. Dragon's Den UK (http://www.dragonsdenuk.com/reviews/water_margin.htm)

35. The Delightful Forest (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068821/) on IMDb
36. Tiger Killer (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084922/) on IMDb
37. All Men Are Brothers: Blood of the Leopard (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105400/) on IMDb
38. BFI Entry (http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/series/40004)
39. "Originally screened on British TV in 1976" (http://fabulousfilms.co.uk/site/Home/Index.htm)
40. "銀河神⾵ジンライガー » Story" (http://jinraiger.com/story). Jinraiger.com. 9 April 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
41. "新J9始動！アニメ『銀河神⾵ジンライガー』制作決定、モチーフは⽔滸伝 | おたくま経済新聞" (http://otakei.otak
uma.net/archives/2014040810.html). Otakei.otakuma.net. 8 April 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
【 東亜】 アジア版
42. " MD/ MEGA DRIVE ROM ⽤ カートリッジ Vol.2 (1989年頃～) ≪⾮ライセンス≫" (http://blogs.yah
oo.co.jp/rig_veda/60655515.html).
43. Shuǐhǔ Fēngyún Chuán (http://baike.baidu.com/view/9922581.htm) on Baidu Baike
44. "Brave new sequel" (http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2011/06/10/2003505396). Taipei Times.
45. Parker, Geoffrey (2013). Global Crisis: War, Climate and Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century (https://books.g
oogle.com/books?id=gjdDP15N4FkC&pg=PT801&dq=three+kingdoms+nurhaci+romance&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ah
UKEwjZtfzltP7hAhWQTN8KHUDOB_YQ6AEITDAG#v=onepage&q=three%20kingdoms%20nurhaci%20romance
&f=false) (illustrated ed.). Yale University Press. ISBN 0300189192.
46. Swope, Kenneth M. (2014). The Military Collapse of China's Ming Dynasty, 1618-44 (https://books.google.com/bo
oks?id=WRaoAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA16&dq=three+kingdoms+nurhaci+romance&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZtfzltP
7hAhWQTN8KHUDOB_YQ6AEINDAC#v=onepage&q=three%20kingdoms%20nurhaci%20romance&f=false)
(illustrated ed.). Routledge. p. 16. ISBN 1134462093.
47. Mair, Victor H.; Chen, Sanping; Wood, Frances (2013). Chinese Lives: The People Who Made a Civilization (http
s://books.google.com/books?id=agI7CwAAQBAJ&pg=PT159&dq=three+kingdoms+nurhaci+romance&hl=en&sa=
X&ved=0ahUKEwjZtfzltP7hAhWQTN8KHUDOB_YQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=three%20kingdoms%20nurhaci%
20romance&f=false) (illustrated ed.). Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0500771472.

Further reading
C. T. Hsia, "The Water Margin," in C.T. Hsia, The Classic Chinese Novel: A Critical Introduction (1968; rpr. Cornell
University Press, 1996), pp. 75–114.
Ge, Liangyan (2001). Out of the Margins: The Rise of Chinese Vernacular Fiction (https://books.google.com/book
s?id=zlCZrLCl6UEC&pg=PA225&lpg=PA225&dq=shi+nai%27an&source=bl&ots=CQQJGkd3B0&sig=ACfU3U04y
PTjZBwKOYyipn6UqzVoCkJxxw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj34LPzx4nmAhUGPK0KHcFIBQQ4HhDoATAHegQ
IChAB#v=onepage&q=shi%20nai'an&f=false). Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press.

⽔滸伝 (Water Margin). Yoshikawa Kojiro and Shimizu Shigeru (translators). Iwanami Shoten. 16 October 1998.
Haruo Shirane and James Brandon. Early Modern Japanese Literature: An Anthology, 1600–1900. Columbia
University Press (2002). ISBN 0-231-10990-3.
John Dent-Young, "Translating Chinese Fiction: The Shui Hu Zhuan," in Sin-Wai Chan and David Pollard, An
Encyclopedia of Translation: Chinese-English, English-Chinese (Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, 1995),
249–261. [1] (https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=4fWf1WlCStcC&oi=fnd&pg=PA249&dq=Shuihuzhua
n&ots=39Yx7UDoF_&sig=xvEYkVGeS4dQYtmPTiGQMyRpQOA#v=onepage&q=Shuihuzhuan&f=false)
Wai-Yee Li. Full-Length Vernacular Fiction. in Victor Mair, (ed.), The Columbia History of Chinese Literature (NY:
Columbia University Press, 2001), esp. pp. 626–332.

External links
Outlaws of the Marsh: A Somewhat Less Than Critical Commentary (http://www.poisonpie.com/words/others/som
ewhat/outlaws/index.html)
Yoko Miyamoto, Water Margin: Chinese Robin Hood and His Bandits (http://www.demystifyingconfucianism.info/w
ater-margin) (2011)
(in Chinese) Article about the three major editions (http://gb2.chinabroadcast.cn/1015/2002-9-24/99@96216.htm)
(in Japanese) Nicknames of the 108 heroes (http://homepage3.nifty.com/suikosai/dankin_dir/dankin_28.htm)
(in Japanese) Stylized illustrations of the 108 heroes (http://www.suikoden.com)

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Steve Donoghue. Book Review: The Water Margin (http://www.openlettersmonthly.com/book-review-the-water-ma

rgin/). Open Letters Monthly.

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