Abstract: Confucian culture is the cardinal representative of ancient Chinese culture. After thousands of years of development, Confucian influence has infiltrated cultural works of both ancient and modern times. A Dream of Red Mansions, an immortal masterpiece that embodies traditional culture, is no exception. In it, every word, every character, and every action contain elements or connotation of Confucian culture. In the words of Leng Zixing, the sentence “a family which spent its time in feasting and revelry, a household devoted to the pursuit of culture and learning” tells it all by accurately pointing out the mainstream social ideology in the novel–Confucianism. Under the influence of Confucian culture, the plots, characters and even their names in the novel reflect Confucian culture. But Confucianism is not without criticism, even in this very novel. Through in-depth study of it, we can gain a deeper understanding of Confucian culture.

Key words: A Dream of Red Mansions, Confucian culture, plot, character, criticism