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搜神記
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%90%9...
搜神記是中國晉朝人干寶撰寫的志怪筆記。
干寶，原是晉朝的史官──著作郎，作品有《晉記》。後來由於家貧，請求改為山陰縣令，後升為始安太守，4世紀中葉升為散騎常侍。據記載他年輕時父親去世，母親善妒，在埋葬他父親時趁機將他父親的妾推入棺材一起活埋。過了十年，他母親去世，和他父親合葬，開棺後發現他父親的妾伏在他父親屍體上，尚有體溫，救回家後又活了數年。另外據說他兄長也是死了「氣絕數日」又活過來了。因此引起他對鬼神事的興趣，寫了這部《搜神記》。
這部書共分二十捲，主要是搜集各種民間關於鬼怪、奇跡、神異以及神仙方士的傳說，也有采自正史中記載的祥瑞、異變等情況，其中不乏情節重複的故事，每個故事的敘述非常簡短，文學水平也不是非常出色，但對中國後世的傳奇小說發展影響很大，以後很多傳奇小說如「唐人傳奇」、《聊齋志異》等的寫作方法和《搜神記》相似。
《搜神記》記載的部分志怪，有的被後來發揚、演變成戲劇、小說等的題材，如《三國演義》中的「左慈戲曹操」、「孫策殺于吉」，部分「廿四孝」的故事，關於彭祖長壽，葛永成仙，南海鮫人，神農架野人，相思樹的故事，成語「含沙射影」的由來，「黃粱一夢」的故事，皆源自於《搜神記》。魯迅所寫的《故事新編》中的眉間尺和嫦娥奔月基本上也受到《搜神記》的影響。黃梅戲《天仙配》的主要情節也是改編自《搜神記》。
搜神記是中國晉朝人干寶撰寫的志怪筆記。
干寶，原是晉朝的史官──著作郎，作品有《晉記》。後來由於家貧，請求改為山陰縣令，後升為始安太守，4世紀中葉升為散騎常侍。據記載他年輕時父親去世，母親善妒，在埋葬他父親時趁機將他父親的妾推入棺材一起活埋。過了十年，他母親去世，和他父親合葬，開棺後發現他父親的妾伏在他父親屍體上，尚有體溫，救回家後又活了數年。另外據說他兄長也是死了「氣絕數日」又活過來了。因此引起他對鬼神事的興趣，寫了這部《搜神記》。
這部書共分二十捲，主要是搜集各種民間關於鬼怪、奇跡、神異以及神仙方士的傳說，也有采自正史中記載的祥瑞、異變等情況，其中不乏情節重複的故事，每個故事的敘述非常簡短，文學水平也不是非常出色，但對中國後世的傳奇小說發展影響很大，以後很多傳奇小說如「唐人傳奇」、《聊齋志異》等的寫作方法和《搜神記》相似。
《搜神記》記載的部分志怪，有的被後來發揚、演變成戲劇、小說等的題材，如《三國演義》中的「左慈戲曹操」、「孫策殺于吉」，部分「廿四孝」的故事，關於彭祖長壽，葛永成仙，南海鮫人，神農架野人，相思樹的故事，成語「含沙射影」的由來，「黃粱一夢」的故事，皆源自於《搜神記》。魯迅所寫的《故事新編》中的眉間尺和嫦娥奔月基本上也受到《搜神記》的影響。黃梅戲《天仙配》的主要情節也是改編自《搜神記》。
710 pages, Paperback
First published November 23, 2012
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August 18, 2016
In Search of the Supernatural is a short stories/folklore/legends collection by Gan Bao, a low-ranking governmental official of the Jin Dynasty (350 A.D). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Sear...)
All of the stories are short: many of them have only the length of one page or less, therefore some of the stories/legends in this collection feel like they have only the bare bones of a full story, but some are better developed and more complicated and intriguing.
In Search of the Supernatural most likely isn't as well known as Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio from the Qing Dynasty, and many of the stories do not read as interesting nor dramatic as the latter, still In Search Of... did lay out the groundwork for the many famous Chinese strange tales/ghost tales that were to come after it. Plus, by now many of the stories in the book have long become part of our culture.
The three stories below are among my favorite:
Note: the translation is by my own effort, it is not a professional translation.
All of the stories are short: many of them have only the length of one page or less, therefore some of the stories/legends in this collection feel like they have only the bare bones of a full story, but some are better developed and more complicated and intriguing.
In Search of the Supernatural most likely isn't as well known as Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio from the Qing Dynasty, and many of the stories do not read as interesting nor dramatic as the latter, still In Search Of... did lay out the groundwork for the many famous Chinese strange tales/ghost tales that were to come after it. Plus, by now many of the stories in the book have long become part of our culture.
The three stories below are among my favorite:
Note: the translation is by my own effort, it is not a professional translation.
The Priest's Magic
A beloved concubine of the Emperor of Han passed away, the Emperor missed her very much and requested a priest/mage to bring her spirit back to meet him.
At night the mage drew a screen up to separate the Emperor from part of the chamber and called the concubine's spirit up. All the Emperor could see was a female figure appearing behind the screen, the figure walked very slowly around the chamber and it looked very much like the dead concubine. The Emperor could do nothing to approach her.
As the night dept the Emperor became sadder, he recited: "Is that her, is that not her? Why she takes so long to arrive?", then he requested his musicians to write a song for his sadness.
Li Kei Slayed the Giant Serpent
In the ancient Kingdom of Minyue, a giant serpent plagued the mountains and its people. In the form of a dream sent to the local officials, the serpent demanded a yearly sacrifice of young virgin girl. So in each year during the August Festival, a daughter of slave or criminal would be brought up to the serpent's cave for the giant serpent to devour.
Nine years passed, nine girls lost their lives in order to bring peace to the mountains. In the same region, there lived a very poor man who had six daughters but no son. Li Kei, the youngest daughter, offered herself to be the sacrifice in exchange for rewards for her parents. Her parents did not agree. So Li Kei sneaked out to offer herself.
When she was about to be sent to the serpent's cave, Li Kei requested for a fine sword and snake-searching hound, and she brought honey cake mixed with wine with her. Then Li Kei brought the honey cake to the mouth of the cave and waited until the serpent appeared and devoured the cake. Only after the serpent was drunk with wine and heavy with honey cake, Li Kei ordered her hound to attack, after the serpent was wounded, she slayed it with her sword.
Afterward she walked into the serpent's cave and saw the nine skeletons of the nine dead girls, she sighed: "Poor girls, none of you had thought of fighting back, so you died."
So the mountains was plagued by the giant serpent no more. Hearing Li Kei's brave deed, the King made her Queen and her family was also heavily rewards.
Daughter of the King of Wu
The King of Wu had a beautiful daughter named Purple Jade, she was in love with a young man who was from a far humbler background. Before the young man went to study, he asked his parents to beg the King of Wu for his daughter's hand. After hearing this propose, the King was outraged and he ordered Purple Jade to marry another man from a more fitting family.
A few years later, Purple Jade's lover came back only to learn she withed and died shortly after her unwilling marriage. The young man went to her grave and cried sorrowfully then unexpectedly, the ghost of Purple Jade appeared. Touched by the young man's sorrow, Purple Jade invited him to come within the tomb with her. Her lover agreed only after Purple Jade promised not to harm him.
In the next three days, the young man and Purple Jade lived together in her tomb like husband and wife, feasting and enjoying their short-lived happiness, until Purple Jade sent her lover out because him staying any longer with her would be harmful to him. Before he went, Purple Jade gifted him a round-shaped piece of jade to show to her father.
The young man went to the palace with the jade and showed it to the King of Wu. Mistaking the young man for a grave-robber, the King was outraged but the young man escaped before he was captured. He ran to Purple Jade's grave and begged for help. Purple Jade again appeared and went to the palace and pleaded her lover's case with her father.
The King of Wu could hardly believe his dead daughter had come back, he pardoned the young man nonetheless. Whilst the King's wife, Purple Jade's mother, hearing the miraculous return of her daughter, rushed in to try hugging her, but at this moment, Purple Jade disappeared like smoke.
March 11, 2018
What a wonderful book! It's ostensibly a 4th century AD collection of tales of the supernatural and other unusual incidents, but all of the stories felt very real to me in how they mirrored the workings of the human heart. And it's a great way to work on your literary Chinese. The large font made this edition easy to read, and the annotations and translations into modern Chinese are excellent - minus a little typo here and there. Traditional Chinese edition converted from the original PRC simplified edition, with pronunciations in Mandarin Phonetic Symbols. I give it my highest recommendation.
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