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Back To The Beginning Of Ming To Do Charity
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Web Novel (CN)
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Rating(4.5 / 5.0, 360 votes)
5    76% (272 votes)
4    12% (42 votes)
3    6% (23 votes)
2    3% (9 votes)
1    4% (14 votes)
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2018
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Status in Country of Origin. One entry per line
191 Chapters + 2 Extras (Completed)
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Completely Translated
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N/A
Release Frequency
Every 78.8 Day(s)
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Weekly Rank: #3829
Monthly Rank: #6544
All Time Rank: #1527
Reading List
[Graph]
On 5287 Reading Lists
Monthly Rank: #1507
All Time Rank: #1415

Description

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After traversing to the end of the Yuan dynasty but just before the start of the Ming dynasty, Lin Yuan originally prepared to follow in the footsteps of his time travelling seniors. Invent tanks, cannons, and steam engines while gaining underlings and dominating the world.

However, before he realized it, Lin Yuan’s followed by a crowd of impoverished and destitute people——

“Follow after Boss! There will be food to eat!”

“Follow after Boss! No more starvation!”

The goal is to dominate the world, the tragic reality however is more about building and farming.

This is a story about a straight(?) Gary Stue protagonist ‘forced’ into becoming a male living Buddha.

Associated Names
One entry per line
回到明初搞慈善
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Royal Road (11)
The Only Favourite Ugly Husband (4)
Stone Age Husband Raising Journal (2)
Banished to Another World (2)
To Rule in a Turbulent World (2)
Every Day the Protagonist Wants to Capture Me (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Summer Book List
  2. ~The Fairest of Them All: Danmei Edition~
  3. Scheming Couple in Ancient Times (BL)
  4. To see a new world
  5. Tier 1 novels

Latest Release

Date Group Release
04/30/22 The BL Muse c193 (end)
04/30/22 The BL Muse c192
04/30/22 The BL Muse c191
04/28/22 The BL Muse c190
04/26/22 The BL Muse c189
04/23/22 The BL Muse c188
04/21/22 The BL Muse c187
04/19/22 The BL Muse c186
04/16/22 The BL Muse c185
04/14/22 The BL Muse c184
04/12/22 The BL Muse c183
03/30/22 The BL Muse c182
03/28/22 The BL Muse c181
03/25/22 The BL Muse c180
03/23/22 The BL Muse c179
123…13
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101 Reviews sorted by


cottonTins
cottonTins rated it
January 27, 2025
Status: Completed
Romance department is very pitiful BUT the plot and characters are very well written.

If you like satisfying kingdom building then this is for you. I particularly liked that the author showed many side character povs to emphasize the powerful positive effect of MC's decisions and policies, such as the povs of refugees who found much needed hope under MC's rule.

MC is really big on women empowerment. He tries his best to propagate gender equality in this really traditional and misogynistic time period, which is very refreshing from the previous kingdom... more>> building novels I've seen so far.

I'm was pleasantly surprised that MC is shown to be on the as*xual spectrum and is pretty much only interested in career building and improving the lives of the common people (as well as the ML but that's at the very end). It makes his playful interactions with those beauties more endearing haha.

Although it's just a story I still feel very proud of what MC has achieved and improved for the good of the common people, I love this MC so much!

10/10 might reread again <3 <<less
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tiaglory
tiaglory rated it
May 21, 2024
Status: Completed
i think the author has done a great job finishing the novel. It’s a new kind of experience for me, the plot its too fast maybe, I almost getting lost in 44th chapter until later I see the direction. Its no romantic at all, it’s rather farming story.

it cannot be compared to Banished to another world and Chronicles of primordial wars, which these two were the best farming novel I have ever read. So when I face this Back To The Beginning Of Ming To Do Charity I know my... more>> standards are, nevertheless the author give it best and the story is not bad <<less
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thecrud
thecrud
February 11, 2024
Status: --
Overall, a good story with so much detail to the point people like me who only want to read about the protagonist skipped over few chapters because it tells too much about the development of the country rather than the story about the MC himself. But it's not a bad way.

Although I must say, it's a very well written story but the flaw is, it's too red for me who is not a PRC (lol) but it's good read if you take it from general view of it. It teaches... more>> you the importance of nation and patriotism. The MC is considered a saint/prophet (Buddha here in the story) but all due to his transmigration. It's silly to see the reverence and adoration from the folks.

I can't write much without spoiling the story but all I can say, this story is a very well written empire building story, although to me the MC is a but OP but not the point he's without flaw. The timeline is a bit blurry since it's not told in detail, only mentioned in passing and suddenly so many years has passed already.

In term of realistic-ness, the timeline make sense, because there's no way you can easily conquer a place that easily in few years. The value of the ancients and how it clashes with the MC moderness but somehow he tried to make it work (and it worked, bc he hold the protagonist halo) but the author emphasize it and not simply dismissing the old and only taking the modern. <<less
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Sumer Sun
Sumer Sun rated it
March 10, 2023
Status: Completed
Small explanation: loved it

First, I will say a few things which may make my review biased so: I don't know any chinese history. So, while some characters were "real people" for me, they were just characters. This is my first time reading a historical rebirth, ancient china setting, and also a rags to emperor story. So I am not aware of the cliches. This novel also included some of the obscure stuff I like to read (ex, sufferings of the daily people or the poor)

Now, the pros:

1. True character... more>> balance and development. MC, Lin Yuan, on his road to conquering cities and governing them, never loses his goal and prevents himself from becoming a tyrant, a dictator and losing himself to power.

Other side characters also go through many things and they also develop maturely

2. Since the setting is this dark, civil wars, poverty, famines, chaos type, there are no "generic" cliche personality characters. Every one of them are unique, with their own stories and just these... small... things that make them differ.

3. I really liked the one/half chapter stories of different people inserted inbetween. They are not repeatative, sometimes sad, sometimes fulfilling, funny, basically all kinds. It reminds you that Lin Yuan is doing all this for the benefit of all these people.

4. The progress is true. LY's growth feels real as he grows older, and the pride that surges inside is awesome too. It really makes you think, "where we started and now we are here"

Hm some Cons:

1. So many... so damn many characters omg even I couldnt remember them all (〒﹏〒)

2. Tbh this type of story fits better if they have like a thousand chapters.. but since this has 200, a lot of things are resolved in a few lines. So don't expect detailed visual and fight or mind games descriptions.

3. There was a lack of drive in the story...i felt like that. If not for the novelty I experienced, I think if I had read a few other similar novels I probably would have dropped this.

4. The romance... it's more like a few chapters then they seal their relationship. It's just there... somehow. But it's also an important thing for LY. It's just that the author did a truly terrible job at this one important chapter. LY's feelings were all basically "told". There were no hints at all throughout the novel.

One plot hole:

Spoiler

I think it was forgotten...? It's mentioned that in the beginning refugees fled from the north bcs of a plague. Then... well god knows what happened to the plague bruh

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bethatcat
bethatcat
February 22, 2023
Status: --
Wow. An "Epic" in the truest sense of the word. I feel like the author is genuinely so passionate about history here- and that makes it fun to read.

The changes are so fun, interesting and unpredictable. Follows a lot of view points, many of whom you only meet for that one chapter, but it all serves to create an extremely rich tapestry of the "common people" this story is ultimately about- but never abandoning the main character, the epic hero of the story.

So satisfying. Minimal romance- it only takes a... more>> front seat in the final 50 or so chapters, but I think this is good. It's not what the story is about, just a part of it.

Funnily enough, even though the readers of bl are generally women and queers, this might be the first BL I've come across that I would actually try to convince a straight male to try to read 💀 <<less
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Aliliiiiiiiiii
Aliliiiiiiiiii rated it
December 26, 2022
Status: Completed
This is actually my first review here, and I don't usually make a habit of writing any. This is sincerely the BEST empire building novel I have ever read. The novel is beautifully and logically built, telling the tale of a transmigrated character that tries to survive in turbulent times and somehow ends up becoming powerful to save people from starvation.

One of the main charms is the multiple point of views, from the smallest commoners that will only appear once to the more recurring characters that accompany the MC. Each,... more>> (even those that only show up once!) are full of life.

Importantly, it's great how the MC goes about implementing his programme of bettering people's lives by using modern management, administration and other techniques but without imposing it in direct clash to the ways of the ancients. Changes are only implemented little by little, and this brings so much realism to the novel.

Moreover, the novel feels logical and realistic by using (seemingly) real historical characters. Note that I haven't source checked the accuracy, but it feels quite real. I loved how the author took into consideration that a kingdom building novel is not just about the economy and technological advances, but also societal and political. The TL did a great job to help the reader find their way through complicated Chinese history, 10/10!

The novel more than fulfilled my previously frustrated needs to find gender balance recognition in Chinese novels, and acceptance of all types of attraction :)

And last, the romance part. There is no large, flamboyant passion to be expected, and it comes in quite late in the novel. I personally think the CP is pretty cute, though others might find it lackluster. While I kept wishing to see a bit more of them, the novel doesn't need to rely on romance to be the masterpiece that it is. <<less
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Ladyk18
Ladyk18
October 30, 2022
Status: Completed
Romance is very low key here, if you skip the parts where ML and MC got together is can be regarded as no romance at all. Pretty realistic take on a transmigrator waking up in the past whose only learned skill is humanities and business. Very slow going plot till the about chapter 70-80. The slow progression was not for me, but for those who are interested in realistic transmigration stories and little to no romance, this is for you.
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Rhiech
Rhiech rated it
October 12, 2022
Status: Completed
No mushy² romance, don't get wrong, this novel is over the top when we talking about character development, esp LY.

His IQ, EQ, and SQ growth in each chapter. And it's not boring to read.

Must Read!
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trash_generalist
trash_generalist rated it
August 14, 2022
Status: Completed
This is Kingdom-building at its truest form lolol! In the early chapters, the TL-er makes a comment somewhere and says that this isn't really a dark work. But I disagree, it's quite dark -- at least, when compared to other Shounen Ai novels. In any case, it's set in the Yuan Dynasty, and follows history pretty closely (I imagine, I actually know nothing about Ancient Chinese History). The MC transmigrates into a young 14yo boy who had been sent away because the country was experiencing upheaval (the Emperor was inept... more>> and the people under him were all anxious to rebel). Taking advantage of this perilous time, the MC slowly makes a name for himself. Starting with establishing a farmstead and then taking cities under his own name.

This novel is quite fast-paced, and it doesn't focus only on one perspective. In order to show how the MC's choices affects the country, the author will constantly change POVs to show off the new lives of the affected people. In this way, it kind of makes for dry reading. As in, you're still technically reading a novel about a man rising up from being a poor transmigrator into the proud Son of Heavens -- the Emperor himself. However, you really only see glimpses of it since the lense of the narrative doesn't stick only on him.

Overall, I do recommend that you read it, but only if you're interested in history or kingdom-building novels. I learned quite a bit reading this, and I consider the time invested a worthwhile investment, but most people may not~ Especially since the characters, while great, don't have much screen time and the romance is non-existent.

CHARACTERS:

The characters of this novel deserve a lot of praise for being realistic. Everyone has their own motivations and fears, and act accordingly. There's definitely no cannon fodder villain stuffed in just to cause trouble. Everyone is portrayed very realistically!

ROMANCE:

The romance is between the MC (Lin Yuan) and the ML (Chen Baisong). It's not very romantic, with the MC coming off as both aromantic and asexual, but they have a good ending~ Their romance is not featured often though! The Shounen Ai tag is quite honest. So, don't expect to see a blooming romance. Their romance is quite mature and subtle.

SETTING:

The novel shines when it comes to the setting. It's quite large scale, so the small matters are only briefly mentioned, while things like city planning, economical upheavals, law reforms, etc. Are the main focus. You get to see what the world was like back in these feudalistic times and how MC's modern-man aesthetic was able to change things up.

PLOT:

As mentioned, the central focus of the story is the kingdom-building aspect. That is, the MC's ascension to Emperor. From growing his own soldiers to taking down other rebels, to fighting for the golden throne itself from the hands of the reigning monarch. Everything is outlined in detail.

RATING: 4.25/5

Usually, I rate each aspect (character, romance, plot, setting, etc.) separately. But I felt that this novel deserves a bit of distinction because it isn't really trying to be anything else. Just what it is. I saw a review that said that this is probably more popular with men -- at least, it would have been without the Shounen Ai tag, and I agree. This type of kingdom-building plot is rare in this genre. I rated it as such because of this. I think that it's worth the read, but that not many who usually read Shounen Ai will like it. <<less
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strongflsaremything
strongflsaremything rated it
August 9, 2022
Status: c193
This is a great nation building story. I don't read much BL but then again the romance is so minimal it can't be tagged so. The plot, the story, the translation all are 5/5.
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ffeverywhere293
ffeverywhere293 rated it
July 27, 2022
Status: Completed
This is such an amazing story and the protagonist was not what I expected when I first saw the description and title but as I read further into it, It just made me more happier. Love this and support much ☺️💞💞
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WallEyeKnee
WallEyeKnee rated it
July 8, 2022
Status: Completed
This is the first time I read the genre of farming type of novel. I was really fascinated and learn many things in this novel. Especially the suffering of the people during those dynasties. Life was so difficult, hunger, living standards, sexism, corrupt officials. You get so many people's POV and you experience many people's life in one chapter. So many of them lost their parents and siblings and still struggling to live on, it makes it really heart wrenching collections of stories, but more gratifying when they reach the... more>> light at the end of the tunnel

Lin Yuan watching his growth was really satisfying, you watch him step by step to reach where he was by the end. How his whole person changed but his goal and ideals never waivers, I would like to work by his side too. Watching him bring salvation to every where he steps. God really made him go back in time to do all these things and save some people who should've better endings.

I do have to say it does get repetitive later the down the road, that I felt the ending should be sooner, after reaching where he was then there wasn't anything that was that new to see. Ah! How could I forget there's a ML lol. This novel didn't really need a ML, but maybe they pity the MC being alone for two life times, let him have a bed warmer, and damn the first time how fierce was ML they did more than can be counted by one hand!! ML is more like a loyal dog next to MC, it was fine but I support MC with Mister Song ahh only if Mister Song have youth potion sigh.

Overall this is a great read, I learned alot of history. The growth of our MC Ling Yuan and his methods are very satisfying to read. I recommend people to read this to see how MC who had nothing in the beginning and build his world step by step, and also learn some history along the way. <<less
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earlgreyt
earlgreyt rated it
May 10, 2022
Status: Completed
A really excellent story!

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this base/nation-building, army-building, politics & war was a delicious surprise!

MC is surprisingly believable - a normal white-collar worker, except he fought from the ground up, promoted from the most basic coffee-carrying intern to a big manager in his previous company.

... more>> What he excels at is being resourceful and alert/aware of how to gather and use people's strengths to their fullest. Seriously impressive.

His only other skillset is only having some knowledge of historical events and figures from his history major in college.

Spoiler

No genius MC trying to invent gunpowder all by himself.

This MC is able to leverage groups of people to get them to do the research for him. Great leadership skills!

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I'm super impressed at his modern thinking/ethics; he has a ruthless side, but it's not wanton slaughter. Rather, he cherishes the common people and is only ruthless towards the officials in power.

The character development was done very well. MC had to really toughen up for the times. Normally I wouldn't condone some of the actions but... the author foreshadowed and set up stuff well enought that they became more understandable and sympathetic.

A little later on, the text got quite dry. Not sure if it was an author or a translation issue. But overall the translation was an enjoyable read, just a bit simple.

Do not read this if you are obsessed with romance, the romance parts are VERY VERY subplot. VERY subplot. Read this if you enjoy nation-building! <<less
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Fullname
Fullname rated it
May 5, 2022
Status: Completed
I just finished the story so I want to write this review while it is fresh on my mind.

When I started this book, I was looking for a funny somehow intense bl story... this is not it. The BL parts is more like an after though and starts at almost the end of the story. No romance, no funny part and no innuendo but still I was hooked! It starts with the usual transmigration story where MC, who know history very well, just wants to find a place where he... more>> can pass the difficult times (famine, civil war,...) and who ends up changing his goal over time to help people around him then upgrade his goal to not only be emperor but to use his past life knowledge to put a solid foundation for a prosperous country.

the different POV of unrelated and unnamed people, soldiers from both sides and even villains just added more depth to the story. There are some chapters though where I had to stop reading to forget them (war and famine horrible consequences) , the translator put at the beginning some warnings if you want to skip <<less
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Cham
Cham
May 2, 2022
Status: Completed
Started really well and ended well. When it ended, I thought there was more so I was a little disappointed. However, I do think it ended at the right moment. I love all the characterizations. It was also beautiful to see their growth and specifically, how LY and CBS evolved over time. LY is a righteous ruler and I love that
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NetherCostallion
NetherCostallion
April 20, 2022
Status: Completed
I loved it. This novel is more than what I expected. For someone like me who's a sucker for kingdom/nation-building novel it's really a treasure.
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wolflord1307
wolflord1307 rated it
April 11, 2022
Status: Completed
I like this novel but I understand some of the low ratings. It is a narration of how the MC slowly ... more>>
Spoiler

becomes emperor

[collapse]
.

So it can get dry and like the others said, it's really a political novel/guide on what to do to build a kingdom. MC has quite a bit of historic knowledge of the era and uses it to his advantage. As mentioned often in the novel, he is kind to the common people but cruel to the corrupt officials. I do like all the world building and stuff but it can get dry because there's nothing that really goes wrong or much character drama. No one is really good or evil, they are just showing human nature mostly, they can be greedy, selfish, motivated by a better life or sometimes just kind. The MC also tries and manages to improve women rights and advancement technology by encouraging invention rather than him miraculously inventing stuff. Overall, I did enjoy the novel a lot.

About Romance.

Spoiler

So the ML is Chen Baisong who was the MC's nanny's son and childhood bodyguard basically. Who becomes a general under the MC and they only get together in the chapter 180s. The romance is meh? Its more of slow slow burn romance that came about because MC and ML realised how much they would hate the other getting married. ML doesn't get a title or is noted in history like other novels though its sorta known by the court. Some reviews said that this was bad but I think it was realistic for the time. They loved each other yes but ML was a general being named any sorta male empress or what not like in other novels would have been unrealistic and a downgrade. The romance was cute but really more like an afterthought by the author tho they did drop hints in the novel

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Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus rated it
June 7, 2021
Status: --
I like to read this kind of story. Even tho this is just a fiction, but still there are a lot of things that I can learn about. Especially, this story had roused my interest in farming LOL

Ah, I don't really take importance in romance part, so for me, I don't mind the slow pace.

someone like the MC is truly likeable, I think. What did they say about him, a living Buddha? Truly admireable!

... more>> I haven't read the ML part, so no comment about him for now.

So far, it's very enjoyable to read this story. Especially the comedy part. You won't regret wasting your times reading it! <<less
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Justadreamer87
Justadreamer87 rated it
March 17, 2025
Status: Completed
Overall, it's a good novel with a lot of details about the societal and economic dimensions at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and start of the Ming Dynasty. It's focus is on the sociological aspects of kingdom building rather than the military aspects, which I think you can tell from the storyline as it progresses.

The author creates more side-stories of average people in this era, struggling to survive and strive in this ever-changing environment, plus there's a lot of friendly aspects to female empowerment and anti-traditionalism. If you like... more>> touching stories about how a new social order can improve the life of common people in detail, you will enjoy this. It's very people oriented.

Now, why did I give this 4 stars instead of 5 stars, it's primarily due to 2 factors: 1. The minor issue of MC/ML relationship being far too subtle to the point of "was it really there", even the author made a joke about it in the Extra (It's a minor point, this is kingdom-building first and Danmei second, which is fine and I might have overlooked it and rounded up to 5), and 2. The serious problem is the lack of knowledge of technology, agricultural products, and military tactics, which is why I reduced the story by -1 point. The MC says he's a liberal arts major constantly as an excuse for not knowing a lot of things (fair point), but historical knowledge should have been far more functional in various aspects. Chinese blacksmithing and pig-iron production was far more well-developed at this time in history, along with agriculture and irrigation knowledge (The 4 inventions of Ancient China were already available). Chinese military tactics were also not being presented, which I assume is a matter of the author's lack of knowledge in this area. But, Song Dynasty Generals like Yue Fei were famous for their military tactics, which most liberal arts majors should have learned a bit about (Heck Jin Yong made a plot point in his Condor Trilogy for a reason and that was focused on Wuxia)

The biggest reason for point deduction though is "potato" crops that the MC introduces in his territory, Potatoes were discovered by Spanish in the 16th century Americas, there was no way to get that crop to China in 1360-1380s.

However, despite those problems, I thought the author did a good job at portraying the life and times of this period. Popular history is not something that is often discussed and reading this story, I can tell the author really wanted to emphasize the lives of those people, especially women, living in turbulent times.

Personally, I preferred Royal Road, which I did give 5 stars, as being a more well-rounded story with details surrounding the late Western Jin Dynasty and Five Barbarian turmoil. Similar MC archetype and ML, but Royal Road's author I felt integrated the romance, the history, and common people side-stories better in my view. <<less
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SalamiSammich
SalamiSammich rated it
March 19, 2023
Status: --
A good story that starts off incredibly well but the impact lessens towards the end. My interest was peaked when I saw a low status, but modern MC who was looking to make the world a better place for all people.

It's rare to see a MC that is able to stick to his values and morals, while still undergoing a change in the way he interacts with his people as he grows more powerful. Most authors completely change the MC's personality and just make them a tyrant, but not this... more>> one.

The love story also does not develop until more than halfway through the story, so if you want love with a side of transmigration, don't, because this is transmigration with a side of love. The ML and MC love story is also very abrupt. We are informed that they have some sort of feelings for each other, but we are never given any timelines for confessions, dates, or literally anything else. It's all very vague that it ends up feeling like a surprise, even though we knew it was coming.

The translation, however, is amazing. Thank you very much to the translators for making this novel possible to read! <<less
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