Which famous novels have stunning opening and closing verses?

The opening words of "Water Margin" and "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" govern the entire text and finish all the unfinished words of the author. Personally, I think it is the highest peak of ancient Chinese novels, and no work can surpass it so far. "The Red Mansion" is famous, but its opening words and ending poems are not as good as the two.

The opening words of "Water Margin": How many handsome scholars are there in the hidden places of the forest?

It is about the literati in the peaceful and prosperous times, who had enough to eat and drink. , Jinkou smiled heartily and commented on the history of the country, commenting on the former kings, queens and emperors, and the chaos of the Spring and Autumn Period. There are some true and some false, which is particularly exciting.

In an era, some people succeeded, some failed, and some even fled deep into the mountains. In an instant, the light of the new moon shines on the river head, and there are many strange things. Let me tell you, please listen. There is no need to make a fuss, but you must broaden your knowledge so that you can make clear decisions when encountering problems.

I don’t know whether Shi Naian’s poem is original. It is majestic and heroic, yet calm and aloof. It is somewhat different from Yang Shen's "Moon on the West River" in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". However, here, Shi Naian still has the tone of "storyteller". But Yang Shen, a great talent, directly got rid of this traditional tone.

In addition to this poem in "Water Margin", there is also a poem quoting Shao Kangjie from the Song Dynasty. This Shao Kangjie is known as China's first metaphysician. He was a Taoist priest from the Song Dynasty. The beginnings of two of the four famous novels are related to him. He is mentioned in the opening chapter of Journey to the West, and his poems are also quoted in the opening chapter of "Water Margin". His famous quotes are often mentioned in the traditional novel "Shuo Yue".

The meaning expressed in Shao Kahn's poem actually overlaps with the words, but it is written in one person to express the storyteller's personal emotions. In peaceful and prosperous times, without worries, let's listen to the drama of troubled times. Just like people who live a smooth life, they always like to see a little bit of tragedy. This poem is closer to the reader than the previous words. The grass and trees are covered with new rain and dew for a hundred years, and the ancient mountains and rivers are covered with thousands of miles of history. The sense of time and space are both revealed.

The poems are well chosen. It is no wonder that Jin Shengtan included "Water Margin" as one of the six books of talented scholars.

However, the opening quote of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" from Yang Shen's Xijiang Yue is even more shocking. I don’t know if it’s because the CCTV version composed the music for it in the past and the song conveyed the feeling.

The rolling Yangtze River flows eastward, and the waves wash away the heroes. Right or wrong, success or failure is gone, the green mountains are still there, and the sunset is red several times.

Simple and simple, easier to understand than the song from Water Margin. The vicissitudes of historical changes are written down with ease.

Later, the Hong Kong drama "Shanghai Beach" had lyrics that sang: The waves are running, the waves are rolling. Thousands of miles of surging river water never stops. Although it is far inferior to the talent of Yang Dacaizi, it is still simple and combined with the sonorous and powerful voice of the singer Ye Liyi, which is like the sound of gold and iron, making people's blood rush as soon as they listen to it.

As for "Red Mansions", of course there are still good poems, but they are not among the opening and closing poems.