A Study on the Discourse Regarding the Handover and Continuation of Power of the Ruling Class Under the Succession System in Ancient Chinese Patriarchal Society in the Chinese Novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”

Authors

• Pantagarn Uswachoke
• Suree Choonharuangdej

Publication Date

2025-06-26

Abstract

This article aims to study and analyze the discourse regarding the handover and continuation of power of the ruling class under the succession system in the patriarchal society during the Late Han Dynasty in the Chinese novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” by using a critical discourse analysis approach, to study the language strategies used in the construction of discourse about class, and to analyze the ideology reflected through this discourse. The study found that on the issue of handing over and continuing the power of the ruling class, the novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” reproduces the construction of class discourse in the context of hierarchical relationships between king and vassal and between father and son under the zongfa system in ancient Chinese patriarchal society with Confucianism as its state ideology. This can be separated into two types: succession through usurpation of the throne, and lineage succession under the zongfa system. It was also found that word choice, reference, storytelling, analogy, hyperbole, and other factors are among the language strategies used in the construction of this discourse.

First Page

79

Last Page

100

Recommended Citation

Uswachoke, Pantagarn and Choonharuangdej, Suree (2025) "A Study on the Discourse Regarding the Handover and Continuation of Power of the Ruling Class Under the Succession System in Ancient Chinese Patriarchal Society in the Chinese Novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”," Journal of Letters: Vol. 54: Iss. 1, Article 6.
Available at: https://digital.car.chula.ac.th/jletters/vol54/iss1/6