8 h 43 minAudiobook11 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when the law drives honorable people into outlaw life—and loyalty becomes as dangerous as anger?
In Song-dynasty China, powerful officials use the law for private gain. At Liangshan Marsh, 108 outlaws gather after injustice, revenge, and dangerous tempers push them outside society. Water Margin, traditionally attributed to Shi Nai'an, follows their growing brotherhood through fierce friendships and frightening violence.
Song Jiang helps bind these very different people together through his generosity. Lin Chong faces persecution, Lu Zhishen strikes against cruelty, and Wu Song pursues fierce revenge. Yet their shared enemies do not settle their future. Song Jiang remains loyal to the emperor, even as corrupt officials drive men into rebellion.
What you’ll discover
- A brotherhood of fugitives Enter Liangshan Marsh, where separate lives gather into a powerful, troubled fellowship of outlaws.
- Justice turned against people Follow Lin Chong as corrupt power forces a law-abiding arms instructor toward outlaw life.
- Fighters with dangerous tempers Meet Lu Zhishen and Wu Song, whose strength confronts cruelty but also brings frightening violence.
- Loyalty without easy answers Explore Song Jiang's devotion to the emperor and the tension it creates within his brotherhood.
- Devotion with a dark edge Encounter Li Kui, whose fierce attachment to Song Jiang makes loyalty a reckless, dangerous force.
Who will love it
Readers who love sprawling adventure, vivid fighters with colorful nicknames, sworn brotherhood, clever schemes and rescues, and stories of ordinary people who stand against corrupt power and find a family among outcasts.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A Rogue Rises and Wang Jin Flees
- Lu Da Strikes Out for Justice
- Lin Chong's Fall
- Seizing the Birthday Gifts
- Song Jiang the Timely Rain
- Wu Song and the Tiger Slayers
- Gathering at Liangshan
- Heaven's Roll and the Oath
- What the Novel Is Really About
Who’s who
- Song JiangA generous county clerk known as the Timely Rain, who gives freely to the needy and hopes for a pardon from the court.
- Lin ChongA skilled weapons instructor of the imperial guard, ruined by a powerful marshal's family, who is driven to the marsh against his wishes.
- Lu ZhishenA fierce army officer turned monk, strong and hot-tempered, who defends the weak with his fists and a heavy iron staff.
- Wu SongA tiger-slaying constable, loyal to his brother, who takes brutal justice into his own hands.
- Chao GaiThe village chief who first gathers the band, takes the birthday gifts, and becomes the early master of Liangshan.
- Wu YongA village schoolteacher called the Resourceful Star, who plans the schemes and rescues that keep the band alive.
- Li KuiA fierce, loyal man called the Black Whirlwind, who fights with two axes and speaks his mind to Song Jiang.
- Lu JunyiA rich and gifted fighter of Beijing called the Jade Unicorn, lured to the marsh and betrayed by his own household.
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- Audiobook
- 8 h 43 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 11 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
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Read and hear A la orilla del agua in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
A la orilla del agua
by Shi Nai'an · 1350
A ball-kicking rogue rises at court, and the men he wrongs become 108 outlaws gathering at Liangshan Marsh.
Challenging5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
Water Margin is a long Chinese novel attributed to Shi Nai'an, written in the late Ming period from older tales of outlaws in the Song dynasty. It follows how one hundred and eight men and women, driven out of ordinary life by corrupt officials, gather at Liangshan Marsh in Shandong and swear to stand together.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A Rogue Rises and Wang Jin Flees
The book opens with a prologue. A plague strikes the capital, and the emperor sends Grand Marshal Hong to Mount Longhu to fetch a Taoist master. Hong ignores every warning, breaks the seals on a sealed hall, and frees one hundred and eight spirits that had been held beneath a stone tablet. They scatter across the land as golden light.
Then the story turns to Gao Qiu, an idler from the capital who is skilled at kicking a ball. A prince admires his skill, and when the prince becomes the emperor, Gao Qiu is made Grand Marshal of the Palace Command. He remembers an old grudge against the family of Wang Jin, an instructor of the imperial guard.
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What is Water Margin about?
It tells how one hundred and eight men and women, driven out of ordinary life by corrupt officials, gather at Liangshan Marsh and swear brotherhood. It follows their separate stories, their battles with the government, and their search for justice.
Who wrote Water Margin and when?
It is traditionally credited to Shi Nai'an, though little is known about him. The novel took its form in the late Ming period, drawing on older storytelling about Song dynasty outlaws. Several versions exist.
Why is it called Water Margin?
The title refers to the marsh at the water's edge where the outlaws make their stronghold. Liangshan Marsh, ringed by reeds and channels, is the setting where most of the heroes finally gather.
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