San Yan Er Pai - Family Bookshelf

Author: Feng Menglong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: "Three Words and Two Stories" (San Yan Er Pai) is a widely circulated collection of short stories in ancient China and holds an important position in the history of Chinese literature. "Three Words" refers to the "Clarifying World Stories" (Yu Shi Ming Yan), "Warning World Stories" (Jing Shi Tong Yan), and "Awakening World Stories" (Xing Shi Heng Yan) compiled by Feng Menglong during the Ming Dynasty, while "Two Stories" refers to the "First Case of Surprising Stories" (Chu Ke Pai An Jing Qi) and "Second Case of Surprising Stories" (Er Ke Pai An Jing Qi) compiled by Ling Mengchu. Since "Three Words" and "Two Stories" were compiled in similar eras and shared similar forms, later generations often combined them as "Three Words and Two Stories." "Three Words and Two Stories" is a widely circulated collection of short stories in ancient China. "Three Words" refers to the "Clarifying World Stories," "Warning World Stories," and "Awakening World Stories" compiled by Feng Menglong during the Ming Dynasty, which is the first grand anthology of vernacular short stories in the history of Chinese literature and a monumental milestone in the evolution of vernacular short stories from folk oral art to literary works. These works cover a wide range of themes and complex contents, reflecting the life and thoughts of the urban class from various perspectives to varying degrees. "Two Stories" refers to the "First Case of Surprising Stories" and "Second Case of Surprising Stories" compiled by Ling Mengchu, which were created based on historical anecdotes, classical vernacular tales, and contemporary social rumors. The main themes reflect the social atmosphere in urban life that pursues wealth and pleasure, while also embodying the liberalist ideals of longing for love and equality during the early stages of capitalism. "Three Words and Two Stories" totals over 4 million words, including more than 200 stories. This book selects 71 widely circulated, representative, and highly readable stories from it, helping readers to distill the essence and gain a glimpse of the whole.