Similarities in the Functions of “Dream” in Chinese and Arabic Dream Literature

Ephemeral yet thought-provoking, dream has been portrayed as a connection between reality and fantasy in literature masterpieces throughout various epochs in both China and the Arab world, occupying a well-deserved literary status inspiring numerous masterpieces of poetry, theatrical art and fiction. Encompassing exuberant emotions, unconstrained imagination and profound reflections of the reality, dream constitutes one of the favorite topics in both Arabic and Chinese literary traditions and has inspired some of the most prominent literature works in both cultures, such as A Dream of Red Mansions in China and Alf Laylah wa Laylah in the Arab world. Despite the distinct stylistic characteristics of different genres, the influence of different literary canons and poetic traditions as well as inherent Arabic-Chinese cultural differences, there is considerable commonality in the way dream is portrayed and viewed in Arabic and Chinese literature works. This article offers an overview of dream literature in the Arab world and in China, followed by a close observation of three main functions of dream in literature, namely a vehicle of morals and admonition, a literary device of lyricism and a means of voicing irony and ridicule. Striking similarities are identified in all these three functions of dream between Arabic and Chinese literature. Explorations into such intertextuality shall provide new inspirations for Arabic-Chinese comparative cultural studies and offer new insights into the history of cultural exchange and mutual influence in literary traditions between China and the Arab world.