Editing Water Margin

{{Short description|One of the Chinese Classic Novels}}
{{redirect-multi|3|Shui Hu Zhuan|Outlaws of the Marsh|All Men are Brothers||Shui Hu Zhuan (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2017}}
{{Infobox book
| name              = Water Margin
| title_orig        = 水滸傳
| translator        = J. H. Jackson, Fang Lo-Tien (editor), [[Sidney Shapiro]], Alex and John Dent-Young
| image             = Shuihu zhuan - juan 15-19 - page 1.jpg
| caption           = A page from a [[Woodblock printing|block-printed]] version of the novel ''Water Margin'', brought to [[Copenhagen]], [[Denmark]] in the early part of the 17th-century
| author            = [[Shi Nai'an]] (subject to academic debate)
| country           = China
| language          = [[Written vernacular Chinese]]
| genre             = [[Historical fiction]]
| pub_date          = Uncertain, perhaps mid-14th century; definitely before 1524
| english_release_date = 
| pages             = 
| isbn              = 
| oclc              = 
| orig_lang_code    = zh
| native_wikisource = 水滸傳
| dewey             = 895.1346
| set_in            = [[Mount Liang]], c. 1120
| english_pub_date  = 1937, 1980, and 1994–2002
| followed_by =
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| title = ''Water Margin''
| pic = Shuihuzhuan (Chinese characters).svg
| piccap = "''Water Margin''" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
| picupright = 0.5
| t = 水滸傳
| s = 水浒传
| l = "Water Margin Story"
| p = Shuǐhǔ zhuàn
| w = Shui<sup>3</sup>-hu<sup>3</sup> chuan<sup>4</sup>
| mi = {{IPAc-cmn|sh|ui|3|.|h|u|3|-|zh|uan|4}}
| wuu = Sy<sup>去</sup> vhu<sup>平</sup> tsuae<sup>平</sup>
| j = {{tonesup|Seoi2-wu2 zyun6}}
| y = Séui-wú jyuhn
| ci = {{IPAc-yue|s|eoi|2|.|w|u|2|-|z|yun|6}}
| poj = Suí hóo tuān
}}
'''''Water Margin''''' ({{zh|t=|p=Shuǐhǔ Zhuàn|s=水浒传}}), also called '''''Outlaws of the Marsh''''' or '''''All Men Are Brothers''''',{{NoteTag|Other English translated names for the novel include '''''Tale of the Marshes''''' and '''''The Marshes of Mount Liang'''''.}} is a Chinese novel from the [[Ming dynasty]] that is one of the preeminent [[Classic Chinese Novels]]. Attributed to [[Shi Nai'an]], ''Water Margin'' was one of the earliest Chinese novels written in vernacular [[Mandarin Chinese]].<ref name="methodology" /> 

The story, which is set in the [[Song dynasty|Northern Song]] dynasty (around 1120), tells of how a group of [[108 Heroes|108 outlaws]] gathers at [[Mount Liang]] (or ''Liangshan'' Marsh) to rebel against the government. Later they are granted amnesty and enlisted by the government to resist the nomadic conquest of the [[Liao dynasty]] and other rebels. While the book's authorship is traditionally attributed to Shi Nai'an (1296–1372), the first external reference to the novel only appeared in 1524 during the [[Jiajing Emperor|Jiajing reign]] of the [[Ming dynasty]], sparking a long-lasting academic debate on when it was actually written and which historical events the author had witnessed that inspired him to write the book.<ref name="methodology"/>

The novel is considered one of the masterpieces of early vernacular fiction and [[Chinese literature]].{{sfnb|Li|2001|p=626}} It has introduced readers to some of the best-known characters in Chinese literature, such as [[Wu Song]], [[Lin Chong]], [[Pan Jinlian]], [[Song Jiang]] and [[Lu Zhishen]].  ''Water Margin'' also exerted a significant influence on the development of fiction elsewhere in East Asia, such as on Japanese literature.<ref name=Hedberg2/><ref name=D'haen/>

==Historical context and development==
''Water Margin'' is based on the exploits of the outlaw [[Song Jiang]] and his 108 companions (The 36 "Heavenly Spirits" (三十六天罡) and the 72 "Earthly Demons" (七十二地煞)). The group was active in the [[Huainan]] region and surrendered to the [[Song dynasty|Song]] government in 1121. They were recorded in the historical text ''[[History of Song (Yuan dynasty)|History of Song]]'' in the annals of [[Emperor Huizong of Song]], which states:
{{blockquote|(When) the outlaw Song Jiang of Huainan and others attacked the army at [[Huaiyang County|Huaiyang]], (the Emperor) sent generals to attack and arrest them. (The outlaws) infringed on the east of the capital ([[Kaifeng]]), [[Henan]], and entered the boundaries of Chu (referring to present-day [[Hubei]] and [[Hunan]]) and Haizhou (covering parts of present-day [[Jiangsu]]). The general Zhang Shuye was ordered to pacify them.<ref>Toktoghan et al. ''History of Song'', Volume 22, Annals of Emperor Huizong (Part Four).</ref>}}
Zhang Shuye's biography further describes the activities of Song Jiang and the other outlaws, and tells they were eventually defeated by Zhang.<ref>Toktoghan et al. ''History of Song'', Volume 353, Biography of Zhang Shuye.</ref>

Folk stories about Song Jiang circulated during the [[Southern Song]]. The first known 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 are [[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 (Water Margin)|Sun Li]], [[Yang Zhi (Water Margin)|Yang Zhi]], [[Lin Chong]], [[Lu Zhishen]] and [[Wu Song]].
[[File:Shuipo Liangshan (2910793053).jpg|thumb|right|A flag that says "Enforcing the Way in Heaven's Name" ({{zh|c=替天行道|p=Tì Tiān Xíng Dào}}) on [[Mount Liang]] in [[Liangshan County]].]]
A palace memorial by Hou Meng, included in the ''History of Song'', 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 dares 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 request them to lead a campaign against Fang La to redeem themselves?"

A direct precursor of ''Water Margin'' is ''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. Versions of some of the 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", and "Fighting [[Fang La]]". Song Jiang and his outlaws are 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 its current form. The number of outlaws increased to 108. Even though they come from different backgrounds, and include scholars, fishermen, imperial drill instructors, officers, and others, all of them eventually come to occupy [[Mount Liang]] (or Liangshan Marsh).

===Author's inspiration and dates===
While the book's authorship is attributed to Shi Nai'an (1296–1372), there is an extensive academic debate on what historical events the author had witnessed that inspired him to write the book, which forms a wider debate on when the book was written.<ref name="methodology"/>  The first external reference of this book, which dated to 1524 during a discussion among [[Ming dynasty]] officials, is a reliable evidence because it presents strong [[falsifiability]].<ref name="methodology"/> Other scholars put the date to the mid-14th century, sometime between the fall of the Mongol-ruled [[Yuan dynasty]] and the early Ming dynasty.<ref name="methodology">{{cite journal|title=关于《水浒传》成书时间研究的方法论思考|last=温庆新|journal=清华大学学报哲学社会科学版|trans-title=Thoughts on the historiography of the methodology of dating the Water Margin|date=2014|page=|url=http://www.lunwenstudy.com/gudaiwx/45439.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019172129/http://www.lunwenstudy.com/gudaiwx/45439.html|archivedate=2021-10-19}}</ref>

Both the Jiajing reign of the Ming dynasty (1521–1568) and the closing years of the Mongol-ruled [[Yuan dynasty]] (1360s) were marked by a chain of rebellions, which confused scholars a lot as to which of the two inspired the author, and hence when was the book written. The proponents of the Yuan dynasty argued that ''Water Margin'' became popular during the Yuan as the common people (predominantly [[Han Chinese]]) resented the [[Mongols|Mongol]] rulers.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Miyamoto |first1=Yoko |title=Water Margin: Chinese Robin Hood and His Bandits |url=http://www.demystifyingconfucianism.info/water-margin |website=Demystifying Confucianism |access-date=4 July 2018}}</ref> The ambivalence persisted into later times, and the [[Chongzhen Emperor]] of the [[Ming dynasty]], acting on the advice of his ministers, banned the book.<ref>{{in lang|zh}} [http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_476624c9010008qf.html 明代文学教案：第二章《水浒传》（之一）]</ref>

==Plot==
The opening episode in the novel is the release of the [[108 Stars of Destiny|108 Spirits]], imprisoned under an ancient [[bixi (tortoise)|stele-bearing tortoise]].<ref>{{citation|first=Jing |last=Wang|publisher=Duke University Press |year=1992|isbn=0-8223-1195-X
|title=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
|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=49brOdOKlD0C | pages=252–254
}}, which includes the English translation of the relevant excerpt from the novel. The original text of the chapter can be seen e.g. at [[:zh:s:水滸傳/第001回|水滸傳/第001回]], starting from "只中央一個石碑，約高五六尺，下面石龜趺坐&nbsp;..."</ref>
[[File:Lu Zhishen Water Margin 2.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Lu Zhishen]] uproots a tree ([[Summer Palace]] mural)]]
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.
[[File:Wu Song Water Margin.jpg|thumb|200px|Wu Song slaying a tiger (Summer Palace mural)]]
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 of Song|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 (Water Margin)|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 lead to the tragic dissolution of the 108 heroes. At least two-thirds of them die 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 (Song dynasty)|Yang Jian]], [[Tong Guan]] and [[Cai Jing]].

===Characters===
{{main|List of Water Margin characters}}

The [[108 Heroes]] (一百单八将) are at the core of the plot of ''Water Margin''. Based on the Taoist concept that each person's destiny is tied to a "Star of Destiny" (宿星), the 108 Stars of Destiny are stars representing 108 demonic overlords who were banished by the deity Shangdi. Having repented since their expulsion, the 108 Stars are accidentally released from their place of confinement, and are reborn in the world as 108 heroes who band together for the cause of justice. They are divided into the 36 Heavenly Spirits and 72 Earthly Fiends.

===Chapters===
This 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.
[[File:Suikoden.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Yang Lin (Water Margin)|Yang Lin]], a hero from the novel, from [[Utagawa Kuniyoshi]]'s series of woodblock prints illustrating the 108 Suikoden.]]
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! 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 (Water Margin)|Yang Zhi]]
|-
| 13–20 || The stealing of the birthday gifts by the "Original Seven"
|-
| 20–22 || The story of [[Song Jiang]]
|-
| 23–32 || The story of [[Wu Song]]
|-
| 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 (Water Margin)|Yang Xiong]]
|-
| 47–50 || The three assaults on the Zhu Family Village
|-
| 51–52 || The story of [[Lei Heng]] and [[Zhu Tong]]
|-
| 53–55 || The outlaws' attack on Gaotangzhou; the search for [[Gongsun Sheng]]
|-
| 55–57 || The first imperial assault on Liangshan Marsh (led by [[Huyan Zhuo]])
|-
| 57–59 || The outlaws' attack on Qingzhou; Huyan Zhuo's defection to Liangshan
|-
| 59–60 || The outlaws, led by Gongsun Sheng, attack [[Mount Mangdang]]
|-
| 60 || The first assault by the outlaws on the Zeng Family Village; the death of Chao Gai
|-
| 60–67 || The story of [[Lu Junyi]]; the outlaws attack Daming Prefecture; the second imperial assault on Liangshan Marsh (led by [[Guan Sheng]])
|-
| 67 || Guan Sheng defects to Liangshan; The third imperial assault on Liangshan Marsh (led by [[Shan Tinggui]] and [[Wei Dingguo]])
|-
| 68 || The second assault by the outlaws on the Zeng Family Fortress;
|-
| 69–70 || The outlaws attack Dongping and Dongchang prefectures
|-
| 71–74 || The Grand Assembly; the funny and lethal antics of [[Li Kui (Water Margin)|Li Kui]]
|-
| 75–78 || Emperor Huizong offers amnesty for the first time; the fourth imperial assault on Liangshan Marsh (led by Tong Guan)
|-
| 78–80 || The fifth imperial assault on Liangshan Marsh (led by 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
|}

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 are told such as the heroes fighting the [[Jurchen people|Jurchen]]-ruled [[Jin dynasty (1115–1234)|Jin dynasty]] or moving to [[Siam]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cclawnet.com/shuihu/21/mydoc177.htm |title=水浒续书 |access-date=29 August 2010 |archive-date=8 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708125333/http://www.cclawnet.com/shuihu/21/mydoc177.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.confucianism.com.cn/html/wenxue/1887695.html |title=简述《水浒传》的成书过程与作者 |access-date=29 August 2010 |archive-date=11 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311002210/http://www.confucianism.com.cn/html/wenxue/1887695.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[http://chowkafat.net/Fiction1.html 《水滸》縱橫談]</ref>

==Reception and themes==
[[File:CADAL02111774 李卓吾先生批評忠義水滸傳（二）.djvu|thumb|page=21|201px|A critical commentary of ''Water Margin'' by philosopher and writer Li Zhi (1527–1602)]]
[[File:CADAL06200337 古本小說集成：錘伯敬批評忠議水滸傳·二.djvu|thumb|page=306|201px|A critical commentary of the novel by Zhong Bojing, 1625]]
[[File:Jin Shengtan's edition of Water Margin.jpg|thumb|201px|A critical commentary on the novel by Jin Shengtan (1608–1661)]]
''Water Margin'', praised as an early "masterpiece" of [[Vernacular literature|vernacular fiction]],<ref name="Findlay">{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/55630249|title=Frae Ither Tongues: Essays on Modern Translations into Scots|date=2004|publisher=Multilingual Matters Ltd|others=Bill Findlay|isbn=1-85359-701-5|location=Clevedon [England]|pages=21|oclc=55630249}}</ref> is renowned for the "mastery and control" of its mood and tone.<ref name=Findlay/> The novel is also known for its use of vivid, humorous and especially racy language.<ref name=Findlay/> However, it has been denounced as "obscene" by various critics since the Ming dynasty.<ref>{{cite book|title=Chinese literature|publisher=Foreign Languages Press, original from [[University of Michigan]]|year=1998|page=138}}</ref>
{{blockquote|王婆道：「大官人，你聽我說：但凡捱光的，兩個字最難，要五件事俱全，方才 行得。第一件，潘安的貌；第二件，驢兒大的行貨；第三件，要似鄧通有錢；第四件 ，小就要棉裏針忍耐；第五件，要閒工夫：——這五件，喚作『潘、驢、鄧、小、閑 』。五件俱全，此事便獲著。」西門慶道：「實不瞞你說，這五件事我都有些：第一 ，我的面兒雖比不得潘安，也充得過；第二，我小時也曾養得好大龜；第三，我家裏 也頗有貫百錢財，雖不及鄧通，也得過；第四，我最耐得，他便打我四百頓，休想我 回他一下；第五，我最有閒工夫，不然，如何來的恁頻？乾娘，你只作成我！完備了 時，我自重重的謝你。」
"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 Yue (poet)|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."|<small>An excerpt from the novel with English translation by [[Sidney Shapiro]].</small><ref>{{cite web|url=http://asiaobscura.com/2011/11/the-goriest-raunchiest-chinese-classic-of-all-time.html#below|title=The Goriest, Raunchiest Chinese Classic of All Time}}</ref>}}

[[Susan L. Mann]] writes that the "desire for male camaraderie" is "far from a mere plotline," for it is a basic theme of this and other classic novels. She places the novel's male characters in a tradition of men's culture of mutual trust and reciprocal obligation, such as figures known as the Chinese [[knight-errant]].  Sima Qian, the [[Han dynasty]] historian, devoted a section to biographies: "Their words were always sincere and trustworthy, and their actions always quick and decisive. They were always true to what they promised, and without regard to their own persons, they would rush into dangers threatening others." She finds such figures in this and other novels, such as ''[[Romance of the Three Kingdoms]]'' and ''[[Journey to the West]]'', all of which dramatized the "empathic emotional attraction between men who appreciate and play off against one another's complementary qualities."{{sfnb|Mann|2000|p= 1610}}

Licentious and treacherous women are another recurring theme. Modern critics have debated whether ''Water Margin'' is [[Misogyny|misogynistic]].<ref>{{cite book|title=中国文学史新著|last=章培恒|date=2014|quote=《水浒传》歌颂了男性英雄，却贬低了女性。在《水浒传》中没有真正意义上的对女性的描写，其中所写的女性大致可分两类，一类是孙二娘、扈三娘、顾大嫂这样的男性化了的女性，另一类是潘金莲、潘巧云、阎婆惜等"淫妇"。作者把潘金莲等女性写成天生的淫贱，既不顾及社会对妇女（例如潘金莲）的迫害以及由此引起的她们心理上的扭曲，又将对她们的迫害（例如石秀、杨雄的杀潘巧云）视作英雄的行为，这是其主要的历史局限。至其成因，则是我国封建社会长期流行着的对性爱的压抑和对女性的歧视。}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=知堂回想录|last=周作人|date=1964|quote=在这上面作者似乎无意中露出了一点马脚，即是他对女人憎恶的程度。}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cuhk.edu.hk/rct/pdf/e_outputs/b01/v01p099.pdf|title=Renditions No.1|date=1973|quote= To be accurate, the world of The Water Margin does not hate the female sex as a whole. There are individual good women commended in the book; on the other hand, traits commonly held to be feminine shortcomings, such as pusillanimity, narrow-mindedness and naivete, have not been singled out for stricture. What is detested here is lascivious thought and behaviour. Women slain in the book have either committed adultery, or aided and abetted it. Slain too are the male offenders, e.g., Hsi-men Ch'ing and P'ei Ju-hai; when heroes like Li K'uei meet a pair of adulterous "dog and bitch", they put both to the sword without discrimination. This is actually fairer, and more respectful, to the fair sex than what often happens in the tales of Chaucer or Boccaccio and other medieval fabliaux, where the adulteress customarily gets away unscathed. However, owing to the distaste for carnality, women in the novel seldom combine beauty and virtue in their persons.}}</ref>  Most beautiful women in the novel are depicted as immoral and cruel, and they are often involved in schemes against the protagonists. Among them is [[Pan Jinlian]], the sister-in-law of [[Wu Song]], who has later become an archetypal [[femme fatale]] and one of the most notorious villainesses of Chinese culture. On the other hand, the few "good" women in the story, like [[Sun Erniang]] and [[Gu Dasao]], are not particularly noted for their beauty, or are even described as being plain or ugly.  The leader of the outlaws, [[Song Jiang]] admonishes: "Any outlaw that meddles with women is contemptible."<ref>《水滸全傳·第三十二回　武行者醉打孔亮　錦毛虎義釋宋江》：宋江道：「但凡好漢犯了『溜骨髓』三個字的，好生惹人恥笑。......」</ref>

Critics offer various explanations for ''Water Margin'''s prejudice against women. Most common among modern Chinese critics is the [[Patriarchy|patriarchal society]] of the [[Imperial China]].<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://gb.oversea.cnki.net/KCMS/detail/detail.aspx?filename=CJZG200703024&dbcode=CJFD&dbname=cjfd2007|title=另一种丑化——以扈三娘、孙二娘、顾大嫂为考察对象|last=解舒淇|journal=长江工程职业技术学院学报|date=2007|issue=3|pages=67–70}}</ref><ref>{{cite thesis|url=http://gb.oversea.cnki.net/KCMS/detail/detailall.aspx?filename=1013259231.nh&dbcode=CMFD&dbname=CMFD2013|title=《水浒传》女性观探究|last=潘星晔|date=2013|publisher=曲阜师范大学}}</ref> Professor Sun Shuyu of [[The Chinese University of Hong Kong]] argues that the author(s) of ''Water Margin'' intentionally vilified women in order to discipline their would-be-outlaw audiences.<ref>{{Cite book|last=孙述宇|url=http://www.apabi.com/julaccdc/pub.mvc?pid=book.detail&metaid=m.20110811-YPT-889-0128&cult=TW|title=水滸傳: 怎样的强盗书|date=2011|publisher=上海古籍出版社|location=上海|language=Chinese|oclc=876870757}}</ref>

In addition, the novel is notable for its gruesome and often gory and over-the-top depictions of violence.  Some of the protagonists of the novel engage in "wanton killing, excessive retribution, and various forms of [[Human cannibalism|cannibalism]]".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sin |first1=William |title=''The Water Margin'', Moral Criticism, and Cultural Confrontation |journal=Dao |date=March 2017 |volume=16 |issue=1 |page=97 |doi=10.1007/s11712-016-9536-4}}</ref> When celebrating a victory, it is suggested they sometimes "share their enemies' flesh piece by piece, an action combining cannibalism with ''[[lingchi]]''", the slow slicing of somebody to death.{{sfn|Sin|2017|p=106}}  This type of violent imagery in the novel is mentioned in a "causal tone", with human flesh being eaten not just "in acts of revenge", but also "as a way of living".{{sfn|Sin|2017|p=105}} Noting that the outlaws celebrated in the novel were nevertheless widely regarded as "heroes and heroines" over centuries, educator William Sin states that one cannot divide "the meanings of [their] actions" from "the cultural background under which they [were] performed" and that it would be "hasty" to project concepts and values of today "onto the situation of a distant culture" where they may not have applied.{{sfn|Sin|2017|pp=97, 107}}

==Authorship==
Since fiction was not at first a prestigious genre in the Chinese literary world, authorship of early novels was often not carefully attributed and may be unknowable. The authorship of ''Water Margin'' is still in some sense uncertain, and the text 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]]'').<ref name="Wilt">{{Cite book|last=Idema|first=W. L.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/39106374|title=A guide to Chinese literature|date=1997|publisher=Center for Chinese Studies, University of Michigan|others=Lloyd Haft|isbn=978-0-89264-123-9|location=Ann Arbor|pages=203|oclc=39106374}}</ref> Other contenders include Shi Hui (施惠) and Guo Xun (郭勛).

===Shi Nai'an===
[[File:Shuihu5.PNG|thumb|200px|Illustration of a game of [[cuju]] from ''Water Margin'', from a 15th-century woodcut edition.]]

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.<ref name=Wilt/> Another theory, which first appeared in [[Gao Ru]]'s ''Baichuan Shuzhi'' (百川書志) during the Ming dynasty, suggests that the whole novel was written and compiled by Shi, and then edited by Luo.

Shi drew from oral and written texts that had 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 had 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 [[Wu (region)|Wuyue]] (Yue (a reference to the southern China region covering [[Zhejiang]]), wrote the 100-chapter novel." Several scholars from the Ming and [[Qing dynasty|Qing]] dynasties, after Wang Daokun's time, also said that Luo was the author of ''Water Margin''. During the early [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|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.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}

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 (Water Margin)|Wang Qing]] and [[Fang La]], but not invaders from the [[Liao dynasty]].<ref>Hu Shih. ''Research on Water Margin'' (水滸傳考證).</ref>

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.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}

===Shi Hui===
Another candidate is Shi Hui (施惠), a ''[[Nanxi (Chinese opera)|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 [[Wu Chinese|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.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}

===Guo Xun===
Early scholars attributed the authorship to Guo Xun (郭勛), a politician who lived in the Ming dynasty. [[Shen Defu]] (沈德符), a late Ming dynasty scholar, 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.{{sfnb|Ge|2001|p= 104-106}}

==Editions==
[[File:MET 2013 715 a d a 02.jpg|thumb|300px|Pages of an illustrated woodblock version of ''Water Margin'' by [[Hokusai]], 1805–38, from the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]]]
[[File:The Water Margin- Wang Qing Crossing the River MET DP-18167-001.jpg|thumb|300px|Illustrations in a 1610 edition of the novel depicting Wang Qing crossing the river, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art]]
[[File:NLC892-GBZX0301010873-252121 第五才子書水滸傳 七十五卷，七十囘 第6冊.pdf|thumb|300px|page=32|Pages from volume six of the novel in an edition collected by the [[Tianjin Library]]]]
The textual history of the novel is extraordinarily complex for there are early editions of varying lengths, different parts, and variations. The scholar Scott Gregory comments that the text could be freely altered by later editors and publishers who also could add prefaces or commentaries.{{sfnb|Gregory|2023|p=Introduction}} Not until the early 20th-century were there studies which began to set these questions in order, and there is still disagreement.{{sfnb|Li|2001|p=626-627}} The earliest components of the ''Water Margin'' (in manuscript copies) were from the late 14th century. A printed copy dating from the [[Jiajing Emperor|Jiaqing]] reign (1507–1567) titled ''Jingben Zhongyi Zhuan'' (京本忠義傳), is preserved in the [[Shanghai Library]].<ref>李永祜;《京本忠義傳》的斷代斷性與版本研究; 水滸爭鳴(第十一輯); 2009年.</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.nlcpress.com/ProductView.aspx?Id=10564 | title = 容与堂刊忠义水浒传(全六册) | website = nlcpress.com | quote=(一)藏于上海图书馆，乃明正德、嘉靖年间所刻 ... }}</ref> The earliest extant complete printed edition of ''Water Margin'' is a 100-chapter version published in 1589.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Wilkinson|first=Endymion Porter|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/792887523|title=Chinese history : a new manual|date=2013|publisher=Harvard University Asia Center|others=Harvard University. Asia Center|isbn=978-0-674-06715-8|edition=2nd rev.|location=Cambridge, MA|pages=413|oclc=792887523}}</ref>  An edition, with 120 chapters and an introduction 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 in the early [[Qing dynasty]].

The most widely read [[Jin Shengtan#Major works|version]] is a truncated recension published by Jin Shengtan in 1643, reprinted many times,{{sfnb|Li|2001|p=626-627}} which became the standard text for later editions and most translations.{{sfnb|Plaks|1987 |p=[https://archive.org/details/fourmasterworkso0000plak/page/292/mode/2up?q=292&view=theater 242]}}  Jin provided three introductions that praised the novel as a work of genius and inserted commentaries into the text that explained how to read the novel. He cut matter that he thought irrelevant, reduced the number of chapters to 70 by turning chapter 1 into a prologue, and added an ending in which all 108 heroes are executed.{{sfnb|Li|2001|p=627}}

The various editions can be classified into simplified and complex. The simplified editions, edited for less sophisticated audiences, can contain all the events but in less detail. There is no way of knowing whether a simplified edition came before or was derived from another by adding or cutting text.{{sfnb|Li|2001|p=627}}

===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 (Water Margin)|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''
* A 109-chapter edition, ''2-Carved Heroes' Compendium''
* A 124-chapter version, ''Daodao Tang Edition''
* A 104-chapter edition, ''Water Margin Chronicles Commentary''

===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 (Water Margin)|Wang Qing]] (chapters 91 to 110).
* 71-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.
* There is another 120-chapter version known as ''Mei's Collection Water Margin''. The first 70 chapters of this version are consistent with Jin Shengtan's Guanhuatang version, but the last 50 chapters are completely different from other versions. There is no plot of recruiting and Liangshan still fights against the government. There is controversy about the authenticity of the last 50 chapters of this version and the value of this version itself, with many people believing that the last 50 chapters were forged by Mei Jihe.

==Translations==
''Water Margin'' has been translated into many languages. The book was translated into [[Manchu language|Manchu]] as {{MongolUnicode|}}[[Transliterations of Manchu|Möllendorff]]: Sui hū bithe.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Crossley|first1=Pamela Kyle|last2=Rawski|first2=Evelyn S.|date=June 1993|title=A Profile of The Manchu Language in Ch'ing History|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2719468|journal=Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies|volume=53|issue=1|pages=63|doi=10.2307/2719468|jstor=2719468|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Japanese translations date back to at least 1757, when the first volume of an early ''Suikoden'' (''Water Margin'' rendered in Japanese) was printed.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RJ4nUp-iOswC&pg=RA1-PA564|title=Early modern Japanese literature : an anthology, 1600-1900|date=2002|publisher=Columbia University Press|others=Haruo Shirane|isbn=0-231-50743-7|location=New York|pages=564|oclc=213305152}}</ref> Other early adaptations include [[Takebe Ayakari]]'s 1773 ''Japanese Water Margin'' (''Honcho suikoden''),<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/213305152|title=Early modern Japanese literature : an anthology, 1600-1900|date=2002|publisher=Columbia University Press|others=Haruo Shirane|isbn=0-231-50743-7|location=New York|pages=555–886|oclc=213305152}}</ref> the 1783 ''Women's Water Margin'' (''Onna suikoden''),<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/213305152|title=Early modern Japanese literature : an anthology, 1600-1900|date=2002|publisher=Columbia University Press|others=Haruo Shirane|isbn=0-231-50743-7|location=New York|pages=13|oclc=213305152}}</ref> and [[Santō Kyōden]]'s 1801 ''Chushingura Water Margin'' (''Chushingura suikoden'').<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/213305152|title=Early modern Japanese literature : an anthology, 1600-1900|date=2002|publisher=Columbia University Press|others=Haruo Shirane|isbn=0-231-50743-7|location=New York|pages=656–886|oclc=213305152}}</ref>
[[File:Shuihu.png|thumb|left|An illustration of the novel from an early Qing edition]]
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 ''Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori'', catapulted Kuniyoshi to fame. It also brought about a craze for multicoloured pictorial tattoos that covered the entire body from the neck to the mid-thigh.<ref name="tattoo">{{Cite book|last=Guth|first=Christine|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53477203|title=Longfellow's tattoos : tourism, collecting, and Japan|date=2004|publisher=University of Washington Press|isbn=0-295-98402-3|location=Seattle|pages=147|oclc=53477203}}</ref>

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 [[Tsukioka Yoshitoshi|Yoshitoshi]]'s 1866–1867 series of 50 designs in Chuban size, which are darker than Kuniyoshi's and feature strange ghosts and monsters.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Klompmakers|first=Inge|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/39162440|title=Of brigands and bravery : Kuniyoshi's heroes of the Suikoden|date=1998|publisher=Hotei Pub|others=国芳(1797-1861) 歌川|isbn=90-74822-08-8|location=Leiden|oclc=39162440}}</ref>
A recent Japanese translation is {{cite book|translator=Yoshikawa Kojiro |translator2=Shimizu Shigeru |title=水滸伝 (Suikokuden)|publisher=Iwanami Shoten|date=1998-10-16}}

The book was first translated into Thai in 1867, originally in [[Samud Thai]] (Thai paper book) format, consisting of 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.

[[Jacques Dars]] translated the 70 chapter version into French in 1978, reprinted several times.<ref>''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).</ref>

[[Pearl S. Buck]] was the first English translator of the entire 70-chapter version. Titled ''All Men are Brothers'' and published in 1933.<ref>''All Men Are Brothers'' (New York: The John Day Co., 2 vols. 1933.); reprinted: New York: Moyer Bell, 2010 {{ISBN|978-1-55921-303-5}}). The 71-chapter version, excluding the foreword by [[Shi Nai'an]].</ref> The book was well received by the American public. However, it was also criticised for its errors, such as the mistranslation of [[Lu Zhishen]]'s nickname "Flowery Monk" as "Priest Hua".{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} In 1937, another complete translation appeared, titled ''Water Margin,'' by J. H. Jackson, edited by [[Fang Lo-Tien]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/436027537|title=The water margin : outlaws of the marsh|date=2010|publisher=Tuttle Pub|others=Nai'an, Shi, J. H. Jackson, Edwin Lowe|isbn=978-0-8048-4095-8|edition=1st|location=North Clarendon, Vt|oclc=436027537}} 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.</ref> A translation of Jin's Preface was published in 1935 by the Shanghai journal, ''The China Critic''.{{sfnb|Chin|1935}}

Later translations of the 70 chapter version include Chinese-naturalised scholar [[Sidney Shapiro]]'s ''Outlaws of the Marsh'' (1980), which also does not include the verse. However, as it was published during the [[Cultural Revolution]], this edition received little attention then.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/6863157|title=Outlaws of the marsh|date=1981|publisher=Foreign Languages Press|others=Shi Nai'an, Luo Guanzhong, Sidney Shapiro|isbn=0-253-12574-X|location=Beijing|oclc=6863157}}</ref> 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'' (1994), by Alex and John Dent-Young, is a five-volume translation of the 120-chapter version. It includes a prologue but omits the foreword by Shi Nai'an and some passages related to the official details of the Ming Dynasty.<ref>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}}.</ref>

These translations differ in the selection of texts and completeness. The Jackson translation is the only translation to contain [[Shi Nai'an]]'s foreword. The Shapiro translation omits the prologue, the foreword, and most of the poems. The Dent-Young translation omits the author's foreword and the passages concerning the [[Ming Dynasty]] administration and the translators admitted to compromising some details and retaining inconsistencies in their ''Brief Note on the Translation''.

==Influence and adaptations==
[[File:Shuihu7.PNG|thumb|200px|Illustration from a 15th-century woodcut edition]]

===Literature===
''[[Jin Ping Mei]]'' is an erotic novel written under the [[pen-name]] Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng (蘭陵笑笑生) ("The Scoffing Scholar of Lanling") 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 (Water Margin)|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 people|Jurchen]]-ruled [[Jin dynasty (1115–1234)|Jin dynasty]] invade the Song dynasty, the heroes rise up to defend their nation from the invaders. The heroes eventually decide to leave China for good and sail to distant lands. Apart from the surviving Liangshan 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).

{{rquote|left|<small>It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of Chinese fiction and drama to the literary culture of early modern Japan. The rise to ubiquitous prominence of Chinese texts such as ''Shuihu zhuan'', ''Xiyou ji'' (''Journey to the West''), and the short fiction of Feng Menglong (1574–1646) was a gradual occurrence.... From a certain vantage point, the Chinese novel ''Shuihu zhuan'' [''Water Margin''] is a ubiquitous presence in the literary and visual culture of early modern Japan. Indeed, Japanese engagement with ''Shuihu zhuan'' is nearly coeval with the establishment of Tokugawa hegemony itself, as evidenced by the presence of a 1594 edition of the novel in the library of the Tendai abbot and adviser to the fledgling Tokugawa regime, Tenkai. Tenkai's death in 1643 provides us with a lower limit for dating the novel's importation into Japan, demonstrating the remarkable rapidity with which certain Chinese texts found their way into Japanese libraries.</small>|<small>William C. Hedberg on the influence of ''Water Margin'' on Japanese fiction</small><ref name=Hedberg1>Hedberg, W. (2020). SINOPHILIA, SINOPHOBIA, AND VERNACULAR PHILOLOGY IN EARLY MODERN JAPAN. In ''The Japanese Discovery of Chinese Fiction: The Water Margin and the Making of a National Canon'' (pp. 25-53). New York: [[Columbia University Press]]. doi:10.7312/hedb19334.6</ref><ref name=Hedberg2>Hedberg, W. (2020). HISTORIES OF READING AND NONREADING: Shuihu zhuan as Text and Touchstone in Early Modern Japan. In ''The Japanese Discovery of Chinese Fiction: The Water Margin and the Making of a National Canon'' (pp. 54-94). New York: [[Columbia University Press]]. doi:10.7312/hedb19334.7</ref>}}

''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 ''[[Media about Yue Fei#The Story of Yue Fei|The Story of Yue Fei]]'' (1684). He stated that the latter were former students of the general's martial arts tutor, [[Zhou Tong (archer)|Zhou Tong]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Qian|first1=Cai, active|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/34896897|title=General Yue Fei : a novel|last2=錢彩|first2=active|date=1995|publisher=Joint Pub. (H.K.) Co|isbn=962-04-1279-6|location=Hong Kong|pages=39|oclc=34896897}}</ref> However, literary critic C. T. Hsia commented that the connection was a fictional one created by the author.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hsia|first=Chih-tsing|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/213305050|title=C.T. Hsia on Chinese literature|date=2004|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=0-231-50347-4|location=New York|pages=149|oclc=213305050}}</ref> The Republican era folktale ''[[Media about Zhou Tong#How Wu Song becomes Zhou's student|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.<ref>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</ref> 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 [[Blood brother|sworn brother]] of [[Lu Zhishen]] and shares the same nickname with the executioner-turned-outlaw [[Cai Fu]].<ref>Hsia: pp. 448–449, footnote #31</ref>

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

''Rise of the Water Margin''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SNY8YY8|website=Amazon|title=Rise of the Water Margin: A Novel of the Near Future}}</ref> (水滸再起) is a novel launched in 2022 by the American author Christopher Bates in which all of the Chinese characters and their approximate character arcs are 21st century modernizations of people in ''The Water Margin''.  In this cyber-thriller, the characters of [[Lin Chong]], [[Lu Da]], [[Gao Qiu]], Gao Yanei, Zhang Zhenniang, Fu An, Cai Jing, Chai Jin, Wang Lun, Zhu Gui, Zhao Ji, Li Shishi and many others appear.  The location of Liangshanpo is a deserted ghost city known to its investors as Mount Liang Swamp, repurposed as a hacker enclave.

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

''[[The Water Outlaws]]'', a novel by [[S. L. Huang]], is a [[Gender flip|gender-flipped]] version of the story in which many of the outlaws are queer women.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Tor.com|accessdate=2023-07-29|title=S. L. Huang's New Take on the Most Famous Chinese Novel You've Never Read in English: Announcing The Water Outlaws|url=https://www.tor.com/2020/10/15/book-announcements-s-l-huang-the-water-outlaws/|date=15 October 2020|website=Tor.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|accessdate=2023-07-29|title=The Water Outlaws by S L Huang|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781250180421|website=www.publishersweekly.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|accessdate=2023-07-29|title=Sapphic Book Club: The Water Outlaws|url=https://www.solidstatebooksdc.com/events/2023/9/25/sapphic-book-club-the-water-outlaws|date=24 September 2023|website=Solid State Books}}</ref>

In addition to its colossal popularity in China, ''Water Margin'' has been identified as one of the most influential works in the development of early modern Japanese literature.<ref name=Hedberg2/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2020/02/22/books/book-reviews/japanese-discovery-chinese-fiction-literary-classics-outsize-impact-japan#.XsL-oWhKi70|title='The Japanese Discovery of Chinese Fiction': A literary classic's outsize impact on Japan|work=The Japan Times|date=22 February 2020 |quote=Remarkably, it [''Water Margin''] also remained for a long time largely incomprehensible to its readers. For centuries, classical Chinese united the intellectual elites of East Asia, much as Latin did in Europe. But the kind of popular fiction that entered Japan from the 17th century was written in the vernacular [Chinese], a tongue that only a tiny minority of Japanese interpreters in the port city of Nagasaki understood. For most others, it might as well have been Greek. Understanding this type of fiction required a serious commitment, and a variety of reference guides and dictionaries were published in Japan to facilitate its reading.}}</ref><ref name=D'haen>{{cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/769432607|title=The Routledge Companion to World Literature|publisher=Routledge|year=2011|isbn=9780415570220|editor1=Theo D'haen|pages=464–475|oclc=900201453|quote=During the Edo period (1603-1868), when early modern Japanese fiction was developed, its greatest influence came from Chinese vernacular fiction.|editor2=David Damrosch|editor3=Djelal Kadir}}</ref>

===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 [[Roberto Raviola|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.<ref>{{cite book|title=Water Margin Compact Classic|year=2007|edition=reprint|last=Shi|first=Nai'an|author-link=Shi Nai'an|editor-last=Ng|editor-first=Keng Yeow|isbn=978-9812294586|publisher=Asiapac Books|access-date=2018-08-22|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7oPpAgAAQBAJ}}</ref>

{{multiple image
|header=''Water Margin'' in [[Chinese opera]]
|direction=vertical
|width=250
|image1=IMGP9843 (19677562944).jpg 
|caption1=[[Wang Ying (Water Margin)|Wang Ying]] and [[Hu Sanniang]] in [[Peking opera]]
|image2=坐楼杀惜142326.jpg
|caption2=[[Yan Xijiao]] and [[Song Jiang]] in [[Yangzhou opera]]
|image3=因为一个熟悉的名字而去，从而认识到了昆曲，虽然不是真心懂得和喜爱，但是总是自己家乡的艺术。 (16963519006).jpg
|caption3=[[Pan Jinlian]] in [[Kunqu]]
}}

===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 (film)|The Water Margin]]'' (1972),<ref>{{Cite web|title=All about movies, games, gambling and martial arts|url=http://www.kungfucinema.com/|access-date=2021-06-15|language=en-US|archive-date=14 April 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050414031604/http://www.kungfucinema.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[http://www.dragonsdenuk.com/reviews/water_margin.htm Dragon's Den UK]</ref> directed by [[Chang Cheh]] and others; ''[[Delightful Forest]]'' (1972), directed by Chang Cheh again and starring [[Ti Lung]] as [[Wu Song]];<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q5253955|id=tt0068821|title=The Delightful Forest}}</ref> ''[[Pursuit (1972 Hong Kong film)|Pursuit]]'' (1972), directed by Kang Cheng and starring [[Yueh Hua (actor)|Yueh Hua]] as [[Lin Chong]]; ''[[All Men Are Brothers (film)|All Men Are Brothers]]'' (1975), a sequel to ''The Water Margin'' (1972) directed by Chang Cheh and others; and ''Tiger Killer'' (1982), directed by [[Li Han-hsiang]] and starring Ti Lung as Wu Song again.<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q11124379|id=tt0084922|title=Tiger Killer}}</ref>

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;<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q11130278|id=tt0105400|title=All Men Are Brothers: Blood of the Leopard}}</ref> and ''[[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 TV series)|The Water Margin]]'' (1973), which was later released in other countries outside Japan;<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121022063229/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/series/40004 BFI Entry]</ref><ref>[http://fabulousfilms.co.uk/site/Home/Index.htm "Originally screened on British TV in 1976"]</ref> ''[[Outlaws of the Marsh (TV series)|Outlaws of the Marsh]]'' (1983), which won a [[Golden Eagle Awards (China)|Golden Eagle Award]]; [[China Central Television|CCTV]]'s ''[[The Water Margin (1998 TV series)|The Water Margin]]'' (1998), produced by [[Zhang Jizhong]] and featuring fight choreography by [[Yuen Woo-ping]]; ''[[All Men Are Brothers (TV series)|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 (OVA)|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jinraiger.com/story |title=銀河神風ジンライガー » Story |publisher=Jinraiger.com |date=2014-04-09 |access-date=2014-05-20 |archive-date=28 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128100221/http://www.jinraiger.com/story |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=otakuma>{{cite web|url=http://otakei.otakuma.net/archives/2014040810.html |title=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 {{pipe}} おたくま経済新聞 |publisher=Otakei.otakuma.net |date=2014-04-08 |access-date=2014-05-20}}</ref>

The 2004 Hong Kong television series ''[[Shades of Truth]]'', produced by [[Television Broadcasts Limited|TVB]], features three characters from the novel who are reincarnated into present-day Hong Kong as a [[Triad (organized crime)|triad]] boss and two police officers respectively.

===Video games===
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 (Water Margin)|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'' ({{zh|t=水滸風雲傳|l=Water and Wind}}), created by Never Ending Soft Team and published by Kin Tec in 1996.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/rig_veda/60655515.html|title=【MD/東亜】 アジア版MEGA DRIVE用ROMカートリッジ Vol.2 (1989年頃～) ≪非ライセンス≫}}</ref> It was re-released for the [[Mega Drive]] and in arcade version by Wah Lap in 1999.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}} 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 (video game)|Knights of the Round]]'', ''[[Golden Axe (video game)|Golden Axe]]'' and ''[[Streets of Rage]].''

In 2023 Video game [[Limbus Company]], in the 8th [[Canto]] of the game, a character based on Lei Heng appears as a boss and antagonist.<ref>{{https://limbuscompany.wiki.gg/wiki/Lei_Heng</ref>

===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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2011/06/10/2003505396|title=Brave new sequel|work=Taipei Times|date=10 June 2011}}</ref>

===Other===
The [[temple fair]] in Southern Taiwan [[Song Jiang Battle Array]] is based on the acrobatic fighting from ''Water Margin''.

Characters from the story often appear on [[Chinese playing cards#Money-suited cards|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! 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 people|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.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Parker |first1=Geoffrey |title=Global Crisis: War, Climate and Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century |date=2013 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0300189193 |edition=illustrated |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gjdDP15N4FkC&q=three+kingdoms+nurhaci+romance&pg=PT801}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Swope |first1=Kenneth M. |title=The Military Collapse of China's Ming Dynasty, 1618-44 |date=2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1134462094 |page=16 |edition=illustrated |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WRaoAgAAQBAJ&q=three+kingdoms+nurhaci+romance&pg=PA16}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Mair |first1=Victor H. |last2=Chen |first2=Sanping |last3=Wood |first3=Frances |title=Chinese Lives: The People Who Made a Civilization |date=2013 |publisher=Thames & Hudson |isbn=978-0500771471 |edition=illustrated |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=agI7CwAAQBAJ&q=three+kingdoms+nurhaci+romance&pg=PT159}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{NoteFoot}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{citation|last= Chin|first = Shen T'an (Jin Shengtan)|url=http://www.chinaheritagequarterly.org/030/features/pdf/Preface%20to%20Shuihu.pdf |title= Preface to 'Sui Hu'] (translated by "T.K.C.")|journal = The China Critic |date= 7 March 1935|pages= 234–235}} reprinted at ''[[China Heritage Quarterly]]''. Written by Jin, but attributed to Shi Nai'an.
* Dent-Young, John. "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 [https://books.google.com/books?id=4fWf1WlCStcC&dq=Shuihuzhuan&pg=PA249].
* {{cite book |last = Ge|first = Liangyan   |year = 2001 |title = Out of the Margins: The Rise of Chinese Vernacular Fiction |publisher = University of Hawai'i Press| location = Honolulu|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zlCZrLCl6UEC&q=shi+nai%27an&pg=PA225 |isbn = 9780824823702}}
* {{cite book |last = Gregory  |first = Scott W.  |year = 2023 |title = Bandits in Print: "The Water Margin" and the Transformations of the Chinese Novel |publisher = Cornell University Press| location = Ithaca |isbn = 9781501769191}} Available [https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501769214/bandits-in-print/#bookTabs=1 Free Download Open Access].
* [[C. T. Hsia|Hsia, C.T.]], "The Water Margin," in C.T. Hsia, ''The Classic Chinese Novel: A Critical Introduction'' (1968; rpr. Cornell University Press, 1996), pp.&nbsp;75–114.
* {{cite journal |last =Jenner|first = William|authorlink = |title =Tough Guys, Mateship and Honour: Another Chinese Tradition |journal =East Asian History |volume=12 |issue =  |pages =1–34 |publisher =Australian National University |location =Melbourne |date =1996 |language = |url = http://www.eastasianhistory.org/sites/default/files/article-content/12/EAH12_01.pdf |jstor = |issn =1036-6008|doi = |accessdate = }}
* {{cite encyclopedia|first=Wai-Yee |last=Li |chapter=Full-Length Vernacular Fiction |editor-first=Victor |editor-last=Mair |title=The Columbia History of Chinese Literature |place= NY |publisher= Columbia University Press |year=2001}}, esp. pp.&nbsp;626–332.
*{{Cite book |last = Knight |first = Sabina |year = 2012 |title = Chinese Literature: A Very Short Introduction |publisher = Oxford University Press| location = Oxford; New York |isbn = 9780195392067}}
* {{cite journal|last=Mann|first=Susan|author-link=Susan L. Mann|title=The Male Bond in Chinese History and Culture|journal=American Historical Review|volume=105|issue=5|pages=1600–1614|date=2000|jstor=2652032|doi=10.2307/2652032}}
* {{cite book|last= Plaks |first= Andrew H. |chapter=Shui-hu-chuan: Deflation of Heroism |title=The Four Masterworks of the Ming Novel: Ssu ta ch'i-shu|chapter-url= |pages= 279–360 |location= Princeton, NJ |publisher= Princeton University Press |year= 1987}}
* {{cite journal |last =Porter |first= Deborah  |authorlink = |title =Toward an Aesthetic of Chinese Vernacular Fiction: Style and the Colloquial Medium of Shui-Hu Chuan |journal =T'oung Pao |volume =79 |issue = 1/3 |pages =113–153 |date =1993 |language = |url =  |jstor =4528584 |issn = |doi = 10.1163/156853293X00044|accessdate = }}

* {{citation|first=Yenna |last= Wu|title=Ming-Qing Fiction |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2013 |series=Oxford Online Bibliographies (Chinese Studies) |url= http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199920082/obo-9780199920082-0015.xml}}

==External links==
{{wikisourcelang|zh|水滸傳}}
{{Commons category|Water Margin}}
*[http://www.poisonpie.com/words/others/somewhat/outlaws/index.html ''Outlaws of the Marsh'': A Somewhat Less Than Critical Commentary]
*[https://chinesenotes.com/shuihuzhuan.html ''Outlaws of the Marsh'']: Chinese text with embedded Chinese-English dictionary
*Yoko Miyamoto, [http://www.demystifyingconfucianism.info/water-margin Water Margin: Chinese Robin Hood and His Bandits] (2011)
*{{in lang|zh}} [http://gb2.chinabroadcast.cn/1015/2002-9-24/99@96216.htm Article about the three major editions] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205234256/http://gb2.chinabroadcast.cn/1015/2002-9-24/99@96216.htm |date=5 February 2012 }}
*{{in lang|ja}} [http://homepage3.nifty.com/suikosai/dankin_dir/dankin_28.htm Nicknames of the 108 heroes]
*{{in lang|ja}} [http://www.suikoden.com Stylized illustrations of the 108 heroes]
* {{cite magazine|url=http://www.openlettersmonthly.com/book-review-the-water-margin/|title=Book Review: The Water Margin|author=Steve Donoghue|magazine=[[Open Letters Monthly]]|access-date=23 December 2011|archive-date=9 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609011348/http://www.openlettersmonthly.com/book-review-the-water-margin/|url-status=dead}}

{{Water Margin}}
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