Abstract The issue of ‘desire’ is one that is of deep interest to both Balzac and Cao Xueqin. The purpose of the article is to show that the focus and development of these two authors on the issue of desire present astonishing similarities and a common aim to show that there is no final solution. Instead, there is a similar approach that impacts the entire life of their heroes and can be considered as the cursed part of the human condition. Recognition of desire as the chimera that it is and renouncing the pursuit of its satisfaction could be one solution. Yet is not desire what constitutes being human? Renouncing it could turn out to be as chimerical as the original problem, the hope for its fulfillment.

中文翻译：

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Problématique du désir et du plaisir chez Honoré de Balzac et Cao Xueqin

摘要 “欲望”是巴尔扎克和曹雪芹都深感兴趣的问题。这篇文章的目的是表明，这两位作者在欲望问题上的关注和发展呈现出惊人的相似性和共同的目标，表明没有最终的解决方案。相反，有一种类似的方法会影响他们英雄的整个生活，并且可以被视为人类状况中被诅咒的部分。承认欲望是一种幻想，放弃追求满足感可能是一种解决方案。然而，欲望难道不是构成人类吗？放弃它可能会像最初的问题一样荒诞不经，希望它实现。