Chapter 25 The Twenty-Third Satire Novels of the Qing Dynasty

The Twenty-Third Satire Novels of the Qing Dynasty There have been people in the Jin and Tang Dynasties who have used ridicule and bombardment in history, and it was prosperous in the Ming Dynasty, especially in novels of human feelings.However, this kind of novels generally set a mediocre person in an extremely ugly state, so as to set off the handsome man and show his talent, so it is often very unreasonable, and its use is better than "playing jokes". If the better works, the description is also deep, the sarcasm is sharp, and it seems to be concentrated on one person or family, then it is suspected of selfish grievances. , I criticized it for taking a hair.It is close to scolding the whole group, there are ten chapters in "The Legend of Zhong Kui Catching Ghosts" [1]. The meaning is shallow, and I have already scolded him. The so-called "wanqu" is really unknown.When Wu Jingzi published it, he upholds the public mind, points out the disadvantages of the times, and points out the direction of the machine, especially in Shilin;

Wu Jingzi, courtesy name Minxuan, was born in Quanjiao, Anhui Province. He was very talented when he was young, and he was good at memorizing and recitation.However, he is not good at managing his life, and his personality is arrogant. After a few years, he will use up his old products, and sometimes he will run out of food. Yongzheng Yimao, Anhui Governor Zhao Guolin said that he should be erudite, and he did not go. He moved to Jinling and became the leader of the literary world. He also gathered comrades to build a sage's shrine at the foot of Yuhua Mountain, offering sacrifices to 230 people below Taibo, who were short of funds, and sold their houses to make it, and the family benefited from poverty.In his later years, he called himself Wenmu Old Man, a guest in Yangzhou, and You Luotuo indulged in wine. He died in Kezhong in the 19th year of Qianlong, at the age of fifty-four (1701-1754).His works include seven volumes of "Shishuo", five volumes of "Wenmu Shanfang Collection", and seven volumes of poems, all of which are not very popular (see the beginning of the new punctuation volume for details).

Wu Jingzi's works are all odd-numbered, so there is one example, fifty-five chapters; it was completed at the end of Yongzheng, and the author Fang Qiao lived in Jinling.Not a hundred years after the fall of the Ming Dynasty, Shiliugai still has the legacy of the Ming Dynasty, and the craftsmanship is out of the ordinary.What Jingzi describes is this Cao, who is based on what he has heard and seen, and the pen is good enough to express it, so he can candle and hide, and there is nothing to hide. All officials and teachers, Confucians, celebrities, mountain people, and ordinary There are also small people in the market, who all appear on the paper, and their voices and postures are combined, so that the other world is like it is now, but the whole book has no main body, and only drives various characters to come in ranks. Things arise as they come and go as they go After all, although it is a long article, it is quite similar to a short one; but it is like collecting all kinds of broken brocades and combining them into a post.Jingzi also loves talented scholars, "If you can't attract enough, you are jealous of the 'literati of the time', especially the workers." The ones are also very strong, such as Mr. Ma Er, the selector, said in his own words why the craftsmanship is so valuable:

"...The word 'juye' is what everyone has to do from ancient times to the present. Just like when Confucius was born in the Spring and Autumn Period, he was an official with "words and deeds", so Confucius only said "Speak few words, do few regrets, and earn money in it": This is Confucius' career.In the Han Dynasty, virtuous founders were used to open subjects, so Gongsun Hong and Dong Zhongshu promoted virtuous founders: this is the career of the Han people.In the Tang Dynasty, scholars were selected with poems and prose; if they talked about Confucius and Mencius, there would be no official positions, so people in Tang Dynasty could write a few lines of poems: this is the career of people in Tang Dynasty.In the Song Dynasty, it was all right again, and people who studied Confucianism were used as officials, so Cheng Zhu taught Confucianism: this is the career of the people of Song Dynasty.In this dynasty, it is an excellent rule to use articles to select scholars.Even if the master is here today, he still has to read articles and do careers, and he will never say the words of "speaking little, doing little regret".Why?Just pay attention to 'speak little, do little regret' every day, which one will you do?The way of Confucius will not work. "(thirteenth chapter)

Most of the characters passed on are real people, and their names are represented by pictographic homophony or thin words and hidden words. If you refer to the anthology of Yong and Qianjian, it is often ten or nine out of ten (see the postscript of Yuan Jinhe in this book for details).This Mr. Ma Er is pure in character, a native of Chuzhou, in fact Quanjiao Feng Cuizhong [3], is the author's close friend, his words are sincere, and he is well-versed in the Spring and Autumn, Han and Tang Dynasties. He is a scholar, but his discussions not only reveal the views on learning at that time, but also insight into the heart and soul of the so-called Confucianists.As for sexual behavior, he is also a gentleman. For example, on a trip to the West Lake, although he has no understanding at all, he kills the scenery, but he returns home after chewing in a daze. The true nature of pedantry is inherent:

Mr. Ma Er was alone, took some money, walked out of the Qiantang Gate, ate a few bowls of tea in the tea pavilion, sat down in front of the archway along the West Lake, and saw the boats of country women coming to burn incense... They all followed their own men... went ashore and scattered to various temples.Mr. Ma Er read it again and didn't care.I got up and walked for a few miles, looking at several hotels along the lake,...Mr. Ma Er had no money to buy food,...he had to go into a noodle shop, and ate a bowl of noodles for 16 yuan. I was not full, so I went to a tea room on the next wall and had a bowl of tea. I bought two "prescription tablets" to chew, and I felt a little taste.After eating, come out...go forward and cross the six bridges.Turning around, it looks like some villages.There is also someone else's coffin, in the middle of the house, it is difficult to walk clearly; it is very disgusting.Mr. Ma Er wanted to go back, when he met a walker, he asked, "Is there still something stubborn in front?" The man said, "Turn around and you will see Jingci, Lei Feng. Why not be stubborn?" Mr. Ma Er then Go forward again. ...

After passing Leifeng, I can see many houses covered with glazed tiles from a distance,... Mr. Ma Er came to the front and saw a very high mountain gate, a straight plaque with gold characters on it, which read "Imperial Ci Jingci Temple" and a small gate beside the mountain gate.Mr. Ma Er walked in;... Those female guests from rich and noble families came and went in groups, inside and out. ...Mr. Ma Er is tall, wearing a tall square scarf, has a dark face, a big belly, and wears a pair of thick-soled broken boots. He runs sideways and bumps into people's nests.Women don't look at him, and he doesn't look at women.After running back and forth for a while, I came out and sat in the tea pavilion,... having a bowl of tea.There are many plates on the cabinet: orange cakes, sesame candies, zongzi, sesame cakes, sliced ​​slices, black dates, boiled chestnuts, Mr. Ma Er bought each for a few dollars, no matter how good or bad he was, he was full.Mr. Ma Er felt tired, so he ran straight into the Qingbo Gate; when he got to the lower place, he closed the door and fell asleep.Because I had to walk a lot, I slept in the lower place for a day; when I got up on the third day, I had to go to Chenghuang Mountain for a walk. ...

(Chapter Fourteen) As far as Fan Jin's family is humble, he broke out in the Chinese style of the rural examination, and his mother was worried, and he was very courteous, but there was not a single derogatory word, but his love and hypocrisy were exposed. ... Two people (Zhang Jingzhai and Fan Jin) came in. First, Jingzhai paid homage, and Fan Jin came up to talk about the ceremony of teachers and students.The magistrate of Tang gave way again and again and sat down to have tea.Talked some farewell words to Jingzhai; then praised Fan Jin's article, and asked, "Why didn't you go to the exam?"

The magistrate of Tang was shocked and hurriedly asked to change into auspicious clothes.Arch into the back hall and serve wine. ... The magistrate set up a table and sat down, all using silver inlaid cups and chopsticks.Fan Jin retreated and did not raise his cup and chopsticks, the magistrate was puzzled.Jing Zhai said with a smile, "Mr. Shi, because he complies with the regulations, thinks he doesn't need this cup and chopsticks." The county magistrate hurriedly asked to change it.A magnetic cup and a pair of ivory chopsticks were exchanged, but Fan Jin refused to move.Jingzhai said, "I don't need this chopstick either."

Then I changed to a pair of white bamboo ones, that's all.The magistrate is puzzled: "He is so respectful in his funeral, if he doesn't use meat and wine, he is not prepared." Later, he saw that he picked a prawn ball from the bird's nest bowl and put it in his mouth, so he was relieved. ... (fourth round) In addition, there are still many hypocritical depictions, and those who attack customs are also common.It said that Wang Yuhui's daughter died for her husband, Yuhui was overjoyed, but when she entered the ancestral hall and built a workshop, she "felt heartbroken and refused to come after resigning". "(Chapter 48), it describes the conflict between conscience and ethics, which is extremely profound (see the preface of Qian Xuantong for details); Barnyard said to express regret, and it is almost likely that this will be the case.To talk about a gentleman, there are still people, Du Shaoqing is the author himself, there are Du Shenqing (his brother Qingran), Yu Yude (Wu Mengquan), Zhuang Shangzhi (Cheng Mianzhuang), [4] are all chaste men; sages.Famous scholars in Nanjing have gradually disappeared, and the Pantheon has also been abandoned; but there are still strange people in the market, one is "a man who can write", another is a "seller of fire paper tubes", a third is "a teahouse owner", and a " a tailor."The last one is You Tiandan, who lives in Sanshan Street, named Jingyuan, who can play the piano and compose poems. When he is sewing, he often entertains himself with it; occasionally he also visits his colleagues.

One day, after Jing Yuan had eaten, he thought it was all right, so he walked all the way to Qingliang Mountain. ...He has an old friend named Yu who lives behind the mountain.This is because the old man does not study or do business... Du led his five sons to irrigate the garden. ... On this day, Jing Yuan stepped in, and greeted the old man and said, "I haven't seen my brother for a while, business is busy?" Jing Yuan said, "Exactly. I just cleared it up today. Come and see the old man." Dad." The old man said, "I just cooked a pot of ready-made tea, please use a cup." He poured it and brought it over.Jing Yuan took it, sat down to eat it, and said, "This tea has a good color and fragrance. Where did Dad get such good water?" Yu the old man said, "The west of our city is no better than the south of your city, and there are wells and springs everywhere. Got it." Jing Yuandao, "The ancients used to say 'Taoyuan to hide from the world', and I remembered, what kind of Taoyuan is there. Just like Dad, who is so leisurely, living in such an 'urban mountain forest', is now a living fairy " said the old man, "it's just that I'm old and clumsy and can't do anything. How can I play a piano like my brother, and I think it's more entertaining. Recently, I think it's good to play it once, but I'll ask for advice every now and then. " Jing Yuan said, "It's easy too, my father is not too dirty, and I will bring my piano to ask for advice tomorrow." After talking for a while, he said goodbye and came back.The next day, Jing Yuan took the qin by himself and came to the garden. The old man had already burned a furnace of good incense and was waiting there. ... The old man put the piano on the stone bench for Jing Yuan, Jing Yuan sat down on the floor, and the old man sat beside him.Jing Yuan slowly chorded the strings and started to play, clanging and clanging, vibrating the forest trees. ... After playing for a while, there is a sudden sound of Bianzheng, which is desolate and melodious.When the old man heard the subtleties, he burst into tears.Since then, the two of them have been in frequent contact.Don't let it go now. (Chapter fifty-fifth) However, I am not happy to communicate with scholars, and those who know scholars also disdain to make friends: I am definitely not a member of the "Scholar".As for whether there will be sages and gentlemen in the future, the author only has doubts. At the beginning, only banknotes were passed on, and later they were published in Yangzhou, [5] but the engraved editions were not uniform. Some people arranged the characters in the whole book and made them a "quiet list", saying that Shenzong used floods and droughts to dispel disasters, and the refugees spread the way, hoping that "talented people who are depressed" would pray for welfare. It also splits the parallel words in the author's anthology, and accumulates them to create imperial edicts (gold and postscript clouds), which are unified into one chapter and appended at the end: so there are fifty-six chapters in one volume.Another person wrote four chapters by himself, the things were not ethical, and the language was vulgar, and they were also mixed into the fifty-six chapters, which were published in the world: so there are sixty chapters in one volume [6]. After that, there are few books that satirize the world with a public heart. ※ ※ ※ [1] "The Legend of Zhong Kui Catching Ghosts" is also titled "The Legend of Killing Ghosts", and the title of the old issue is "Edited by Yang Zhiqiao Yunshanren".Xu Kun's "Liu Ya Wai Bian" is said to be written by Liu Zhang in the early Qing Dynasty. [2] "Shi Shuo" has been lost.From the thirty-fourth chapter and the fragments quoted in Jin He's postscript, we can know that this book is an explanation. "Wen Mu Shan Fang Ji", "Quan Jiao Zhi" contains twelve volumes, five volumes of literature, and seven volumes of poems.There are four volumes in existence today, that is, one volume of Fu, two volumes of poems, and one volume of Ci. 〔3〕Feng Cui, whose middle name is Zuotai, was born in Quanjiao (now Anhui) in the Qing Dynasty. 〔4〕The prototype of Du Shenqing was Qingran, that is, Wu Xie (1696-1750), with the style name Qingran, and a native of Quanjiao in Qing Dynasty.Brother Wu Jingzi, head of Zeng Guan's Criminal Department.The prototype of Yu Yude below is Wu Mengquan, whose name is Peiyuan and whose style name is Touzhan. He was born in Wuxi (now Jiangsu) in the Qing Dynasty.Zeng Guan Shangyuan County Jiaoyu, Suian County Magistrate. The prototype of Zhuang Shangzhi, Cheng Mianzhuang (1691-1767), named Tingzuo and styled Qisheng, was born in Shangyuan (now Nanjing, Jiangsu).Author of "Qingxi Anthology". 〔5〕As for the age of the first edition in Yangzhou, according to Jin He's postscript: "The book was written by Mr. Quanjiao Zongting, a professor in Yangzhou Prefecture, Shi Ziyi, and the engraved editions of Yangzhou Shusi have not been the same since then." During Hai (1768-1779), he served as a professor of Yangzhou Prefecture, so it can be inferred that the book was engraved before the year of Qianlong Jihai (1779). 〔6〕Fifty-six chapters, that is, the Woxian Caotang edition, was published in the eighth year of Jiaqing (1803), and it is the earliest engraved edition seen today.Jin He's postscript contains: "This book was originally only fifty-five volumes. After the four masters of qin, chess, calligraphy and painting finished, they followed the word "Qinyuanchun"; It is formed by the accumulation of parallel words in the anthology of Mr. Jiejiao, and it is even more crude and inferior, so it is better to return it to the old." Sixty chapters, that is, the Supplementary Qixing Tang edition, was published in the 14th year of Guangxu (1888). Tobu Cherishes the Birth Order.Among them, the four supplementary chapters narrate the story of Shen Qiongzhi marrying Song Weifu.