1. Version and translation situation

The English version is titled "The sign of four", and the standard abbreviation is: SIGN.

First published in "Lippincott's Monthly Magazine" in February 1890 in the United States.

Early translations of the Chinese version include: "The Case of the Four Detectives" translated by Ji Changkang and Wu Mengcheng in 1903, "The Case in the Case" by the Commercial Press Compilation Office in 1904, and "Buddha" translated by Liu Bannong in 1916 National Cases" (included in "The Complete Works of Detective Sherlock Holmes" (Case 44) published by Shanghai Zhonghua Book Company in May 1916)

"The Complete Works of Detective Sherlock Holmes" (1979) published by Zhongzhong Publishing House in 1979 ), in "The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes" (Part 1) published in 1981, this article was translated as "The Four Signatures", both translators were Yan Renzeng. Previously, in 1958, Zhongzhong Publishing House published a single volume of "The Four Signs" (Sherlock Holmes 2), with the translator Yan Renzeng. Since I have not seen the original book of the 1958 edition, I have not made a comparison, and I do not know whether it has been revised.

For other Chinese translations, please refer to "The Book of Sherlock Holmes: Appendix: List of Chinese Translations of Sherlock Holmes Detective Stories"

2. Appearing Characters

Four signatures:

Johnathan Small

Mahomet Singh

Abdele Khan Abdullah Kahn

Dost Akbar

Captain Arthur Morstan: British Army officer.

Mary Morstan: Captain Morstan’s daughter.

Major John Sholto: late British Army officer.

Thaddeus Sholto: Son of Major Sholto.

Bartholomew Sholto: Thaddeus' twin brother.

Mcmurdo: Bartholomew's servant.

Lal Rao: Bartholomew's butler.

Mrs. Bernstone: Bartholomew's housekeeper.

Athelney Jones: Detective Inspector at England Ground.

Old Sherman: Toby's master.

Toby: an ugly, long-haired, floppy-eared dog, but with an amazing sense of smell.

Mordecai Smith Boat Lessor. Owner of the Aurora.

Tonga: a native of Andaman Island.

Wiggins: Captain of the Baker Street Irregulars.

3. Summary of the story

This is July 7, 1887. When the story begins, Holmes is injecting a 7% solution of cocaine. This bad behavior of his has been going on for some time. Watson expressed strong opposition to this.

Merry comes to visit Holmes, asking for help. Her mother died when she was still very young, and her father was a British Army officer stationed in India. She hasn't seen her father in years, and she was sent to a boarding school many years ago.

About ten years ago, her father took a leave of absence and returned to England. On December 3, 1878, she received a telegram from her father saying that he had arrived at a London hotel and asked her to come over. But when she rushed to the hotel that day to reunite her father and daughter, she was told that her father had left the day before her arrival and never came back.

Major Sholto was a retired comrade from the same regiment as her father. Sholto was living in London at the time of her father's disappearance.

The two of them served together in the garrison on Amanda Island. On April 28, 1882, four years after Captain Moston disappeared, Major Sholto died.

After Sholto's death, that is, starting from May 4, 1882, six years ago, Mellie began to receive a valuable pearl on the same date every year.

On July 7, 1887, the day she came to visit Holmes, she received an anonymous letter asking her to meet him outside a theater.

Meili found a treasure map with four signatures among her father's things.

They went to the theater and were whisked away in a carriage to meet Thaddeus.

Thaddeus lives in a luxurious apartment. He told them that his father brought back a large amount of treasure from India, part of which should belong to Captain Morstan. As soon as Captain Morstan arrived in London, he came to his father to clarify the matter. Before Major Sholto died, he told his two sons that he had had a fierce quarrel with Captain Morstan over disagreements about dividing the treasure equally. Captain Morstan, who had a serious heart disease, suffered a heart attack during the process. Sudden onset of illness and death.

Thaddeus and Bartholomew immediately began searching their home thoroughly after their father's death, but found no clues.

Finally, just one day ago, Bartholomew finally discovered this treasure. Thaddeus hopes to give Mellie her due share to make up for the mistakes his father made. Bartholomew reluctantly agreed.

When Watson, Holmes, Merry and Thaddeus arrived at Bartholomew's residence, they found that he had been murdered with poisonous spines and the treasures had been missing.

Tong Ge stepped on the pomegranate oil in Bartholomew's laboratory, and Holmes used Toby's sensitive sense of smell to start tracking. Toby finally took them to a pier on the Thames River. Holmes found out that the target he was following had rented a motorboat and left 24 hours ago.

Holmes asked Wiggins, the captain of the Baker Street team, to lead his men to search for the steamboat "Dawn" along the upper and lower reaches of the Thames. But they found nothing.

Holmes disguised himself as a sailor and began to investigate in person. He eventually discovered that the missing ship was undergoing repairs, and learned that Mosquet Smith and others would leave the shipyard at 8 p.m. He contacted Jones and asked him to prepare a police motorboat on the other side of the shipyard to follow and pursue the Dawn when it left.

The "Dawn" sailed towards the Esmeida, which was about to sail to Brazil.

The police motorboat caught up with the "Dawn". During the chase, the Amanda native used a blowpipe to blow a poisonous thorn at Holmes and Watson. He was immediately shot by Holmes and Watson and fell into the river and drowned.

Watson carried the treasure box to see Mei Li. But when the box was opened, it was found to be empty. Because at this time, the obstacle formed by the huge "wealth" between them has disappeared, Watson mustered up the courage to propose to Meili, and Meili agreed.

It turned out that when Simao realized that he was about to be caught up by the police, he had scattered the treasures and thrown them into the Thames River, which was about 5 miles long.

Smao told Holmes and others his story:

He was a soldier of the British Army in India. Due to a series of changes, he finally died during the "Great Rebellion" Arrive at a castle in Agra. He and three Sikh warriors killed a servant of the Tuwang and stole the treasure he brought.

Sholto and Morstan were officers stationed at the prison at the time. Si Mao reached an agreement with the two of them. If he could help Si Mao and the other four escape, he would tell them the location of the treasure. But Sholto deceived Simao, Morstan and others, and returned to England immediately after getting the treasure.

Si Mao's job is to help the prison doctor, so he also learned some medical knowledge. Once, he found a native named Tong Ge who was seriously ill and on the verge of death. Under his careful care, Tong Ge slowly recovered to health. In this way, they became close friends. Tonge has a boat, which Smao uses to escape from prison. It took Smao and Tonge several years to return to London. Because Major Sholto hired people to guard him tightly, Simao had no chance to get close until his death.

The story of "The Sign of Four" is over, and the life of our great protagonist continues: Watson will soon be happily married to Mellie, and Holmes is addicted to cocaine due to his unsolved case. Bottle...

4. Other cases mentioned

1. Research on the word in blood.

2. A case involving a will that French detective Fran?ois Le Viard asked for advice.

3. The Riga case in 1857.

4. The case against the City of St. Louis in 1871.

5. A family dispute involving Mrs. Cecil Forrester.

6. India and Senegambia cases.

7. The Bishop’s Treasure Case.

5. Sherlock Holmes’s detective skills

1. Examine the envelope.

2. Handwriting inspection.

3. Check newspaper advertisements.

4. Clear geographical indications (urban buildings).

5. Footprint inspection.

6. Police dog tracking.

7. Use the Baker Street Squad.

8. Makeup: old sailor.

9. Use transportation to track: police motorboat.

6. Sherlock Holmes Quotes

1. About Sherlock Holmes

I have a very special physique. I don't feel tired at all when I'm working, but it would make me exhausted if I was idle.

I have a curious constitution. I never remember feeling tired by work, though idleness exhausts me completely.

I am very active and restless. When I have nothing to do, I will become restless.

My mind rebels at stagnation.

I pursue spiritual excitement.

I crave for mental exaltation.

I cannot live without brainwork. What else is there to live for?< /p>

2. About women and love

Even the best women can never be completely trusted.

Women are never to be entirely trusted - not the best of them.

But love is an emotional thing, which is inconsistent with the calm thinking that I think is the most important thing. . I would never marry for fear of clouding my judgment.

Love is an emotional thing, and whatever is emotional is opposed to that true cold reason which I place above all things. I should never marry myself, least I bias my judgment.

The influence of emotions affects the waking mind.

The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning.

3. About detective skills

Excluding other factors, what remains must be the truth.

Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth.

Have I not told you many times that when you eliminate all the impossible factors? After you get out, no matter what is left - no matter how unbelievable it is - is that the truth?

How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?

Detection is-or should be a Exact science should be approached with the same dispassionate rather than emotional approach.

Detection is, or ought to be, an exact science and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner.

I never make any exceptions. There are no exceptions to the law.

I never make exceptions. An exception disproves the rule.

Winwood Read has a good explanation of this problem. He argued that although each person is a difficult mystery, when humans are gathered together, there are laws. For example, you cannot predict a person's personality, but you can definitely know the human nature. Personalities are different, but personality is eternal. This is what statisticians say.

Winwood Reade is good upon the subject. He remarks that, while the individual man is an insoluble puzzle, in the aggregate he becomes a mathematical certainty. You can, for example, never foretell what any one man will do, but you can say with precision what an average number will be up to. Individuals vary, but percentages remain constant. So says the statistician.

I never guess. Guessing is a very bad habit and is harmful to logical reasoning.

I never guess. It is a shocking habit -- destructive to the logical faculty.