Yu Shimingyan

Author: Feng Menglong Publisher: Yuelu Publishing House

"Yu Shi Ming Yan", formerly known as "Ancient and Modern Novels", also known as "Holistic Ancient and Modern Novels", is a collection of novels compiled by Feng Menglong, a Chinese writer in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. It was published around the Taichang and Tianqi years of the Ming Dynasty (around 1621) [1 ]. Together with the subsequent publications "Warning the World Tongyan" and "Awakening the World Hengyan", they are called "Three Words". Later, under the direct influence of "Sanyan", Ling Yuchu wrote two collections of short stories: "Surprise at the First Moment" and "Surprise at the Second Moment", which are also called "Sanyan Erpai".

"Yu Shi Ming Yan" has 40 volumes, and each volume is a short story. The eras of each story include the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties. A few of them are imitated scripts of the Ming Dynasty, such as "Jiang Xingge meets Pearl Shirt again" and "Shen Xiaoxia meets and becomes a teacher". In addition, some are adaptations of old Song and Yuan works by the Ming people, such as "Han Wu in Xinqiao City Sells Sex", "Nao Yinsi Sima Mao Breaks Prison" and so on. Due to the different ages of production, there are certain differences in content, technique, language, style, etc., but because they belong to the same novel development system, and their themes are closely related to urban life, there are many commonalities among the novels. place.

Most of the novels in "Yu Shi Ming Yan" are based on real life, and the themes cover love, marriage, and friendship among friends. Among them, "Jin Yu Slave Beats the Boss Lover" condemned the heartless man's infidelity to love; "Jiang Xingge Reunited with the Pearl Shirt" described the unforgettable reunion of his lost wife's old love; "Friends" and "Fan Juqing Chicken Millet Life and Death" and so on extol the spirit of being loyal to friendship regardless of life and death; It touches on realistic political themes such as alien invasion and powerful ministers wronging the country. "Yu Shi Ming Yan" also included and adapted some historical legends, such as "Yan Pingzhong, Two Peaches Killing Three Men", which described the wisdom of Yan Ying in the Qi State during the Spring and Autumn Period.