本书的注释遵循四条原则：其一，对于一般的疑难词语，重在疏通文意；其二，对于成语、典故，则既要注明出典，又要说明其引申义或比喻义；其三，对于各种名物（如建筑、服饰、琴棋书画、医卜星相等），则力求变专门术语为通俗用语；其四，对于具有隐寓或暗示意味的诗、词、曲、文、成语、典故、谜语、酒令等，因其关系到故事情节的发展和人物性格、命运的描写，重在揭示隐藏的含义。对于《红楼梦》这部"百科全书"式的作品，这样的注释也许是最合适的。(Notes in the book are made in accordance with four rules: first, the main idea is clarified for general difficult words and phrases; second, for idioms and allusions, their sources are identified and their extended meaning or figurative sense are illustrated; third, for various objects (such as buildings, costumes, lute-playing, chess, calligraphy and painting, medicine, astrology and others), the author tries to change special terms into popular ones; fourth, for poems, ci, songs, articles, idioms, allusions, riddles and drinkers' wager game, the author focuses on disclosing the implied meanings because those literary art forms are related to the story plots' development, figures' character and their fate description. For Dream of the Red Chamber, an encyclopedic book, such notes may be most suitable.)