Description
In this first of a planned five-volume set, David Roy provides a complete and annotated translation of the famous Chin P'ing Mei, an anonymous sixteenth-century Chinese novel that focuses on the domestic life of Hsi-men Ch'ing, a corrupt, upwardly mobile merchant in a provincial town, who maintains a harem of six wives and concubines. This work, known primarily for its erotic realism, is also a landmark in the development of the narrative art form--not only from a specifically Chinese perspective but in a world-historical context.
Chapter
PREFACE TO THE CHIN P’ING MEI TZ' U-HUA
PREFACE TO THE CHIN P’ING MEI
FOUR LYRICS TO THE TUNE “BURNING INCENSE”
LYRICS ON THE FOUR VICES TO THE TUNE “PARTRIDGE SKY”
CHAPTER 1: Wu Sung Fights a Tiger on Ching-yang Ridge; P'an Chin-lien Disdains Her Mate and Plays the Coquette
CHAPTER 2: Beneath the Blind Hsi-men Ch’ing Meets Chin-lien; Inspired by Greed Dame Wang Speaks of Romance
CHAPTER 3: Dame Wang Proposes a Ten-part Plan for “Garnering the Glow”; Hsi-men Ch’ing Flirts with Chin-lien in the Teahouse
CHAPTER 4: The Hussy Commits Adultery behind Wu the Elder’s Back; Yün-ko in His Anger Raises a Rumpus in the Teashop
CHAPTER 5: Yün-ko Lends a Hand by Cursing Dame Wang; The Hussy Administers Poison to Wu the Elder
CHAPTER 6: Hsi-men Ch’ing Suborns Ho the Ninth; Dame Wang Fetches Wine and Encounters a Downpour
CHAPTER 7: Auntie Hsüeh Proposes a Match with Meng Yü-lou; Aunt Yang Angrily Curses Chang the Fourth
CHAPTER 8: All Night Long P'an Chin-lien Yearns for Hsi-men Ch’ing; During the Tablet-burning Monks Overhear Sounds of Venery
CHAPTER 9: Hsi-men Ch'ing Conspires to Marry P'an Chin-lien; Captain Wu Mistakenly Assaults Li Wai-ch'uan
CHAPTER 10: Wu the Second Is Condemned to Exile in Meng-chou; Hsi-men and His Harem Revel in the Hibiscus Pavilion
CHAPTER 11: P'an Chin-lien Instigates the Beating of Sun Hsüeh-o; Hsi-men Ch'ing Decides to Deflower Li Kuei-chieh
CHAPTER 12: P'an Chin-lien Suffers Ignominy for Adultery with a Servant; Stargazer Liu Purveys Black Magic in Pursuit of Gain
CHAPTER 13: Li P'ing-erh Makes a Secret Tryst over the Garden Wall; The Maid Ying-ch'un Peeks through a Crack and Gets an Eyeful
CHAPTER 14: Hua Tzu-hsü Succumbs to Chagrin and Loses His Life; Li P'ing-erh Invites Seduction and Attends a Party
CHAPTER 15: Beauties Enjoy the Sights in the Lantern-viewing Belvedere; Hangers-on Abet Debauchery in the Verdant Spring Bordello
CHAPTER 16: Hsi-men Ch’ing Is Inspired by Greed to Contemplate Matrimony; Ying Po-chüeh Steals a March in Anticipation of the Ceremony
CHAPTER 17: Censor Yü-wen Impeaches Commander Yang; Li P'ing-erh Takes Chiang Chu-shan as Mate
CHAPTER 18: Lai-pao Takes Care of Things in the Eastern Capital; Ch'en Ching-chi Supervises the Work in the Flower Garden
CHAPTER 19: Snake-in-the-grass Shakes Down Chiang Chu-shan; Li P'ing-erh's Feelings Touch Hsi-men Ch’ing
CHAPTER 20: Meng Yü-lou High-mindedly Intercedes with Wu Yüeh-niang; Hsi-men Ch’ing Wreaks Havoc in the Verdant Spring Bordello
APPENDIX I: Translator’s Commentary on the Prologue
APPENDIX II: Translations of Supplementary Material