What the Master Would Not Discuss

What the Master Would Not Discuss (Chinese: 子不語; pinyin: zǐbùyǔ, alternatively known as Xin Qixie Chinese: 新齊諧; pinyin: xīnqíxié) is a collection of supernatural stories compiled by Qing Dynasty scholar and writer Yuan Mei.[1]

What the Master Would Not Discuss
AuthorYuan Mei
Original title子不語
CountryQing dynasty China
LanguageChinese
GenreBiji, Gods and demons fiction, supernatural, fantasy, adventure
Publication date
1788 CE
Media typePrint
What the Master Would Not Discuss
Traditional Chinese子不語
Simplified Chinese子不语
Literal meaningmaster not discuss
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese新齊諧
Simplified Chinese新齐谐

Title

The title of the work refers to the passage of the Analects that states, 'Confucius did not speak of strange events, violence, riots and supernatural things.'[2] His reference to the master was criticised as a 'heretical' use of Confucian texts.[3]

Yuan later changed the title to Xin Qixie ("New Strange Events") when he discovered there was a Yuan dynasty text with the title What the Master Would Not Discuss. However, Yuan's collection is still commonly known by its original title.[4]

Release

What the Master Would Not Discuss first appeared in 1788.[5] In contrast to the prevailing Confucian orthodoxy of the imperial court, the 746 short stories depicted a rich tapestry of daily life, including themes of ghosts, sex, betrayal, revenge, transvestism, homosexuality, and corruption.[3] However, Yuan defended the collection, as the whims of an ageing man enjoying his last days as much as possible,[6] though the content of his stories relates to many of his personal grievances with the Confucian establishment.[7]

The work was so popular that the government censored it in 1836 during attempts to suppress anti-establishment sentiment.[3]

Stories

The stories were collected over a lengthy period of time.[5] The sources included oral accounts from friends and relatives, official gazettes, or other collections.[8]

One of the supernatural creatures mentioned in this collection called the Hua Po (花魄), literally Floral Spirit, is a recurring demon in the popular Japanese video game series Megami Tensei.

References

Citations
  1. Yuan (2013).
  2. Shu Er, Analects（《论语·述而》）: "子不语怪、力、乱、神。”
  3. Yuan (1996), p. xxiii.
  4. Yuan (1996), p. xxxiii.
  5. Yuan (1996), p. xxx.
  6. Yuan (1996), p. xxiv.
  7. Thome (2008), p. 27.
  8. Yuan (2013), p. 1.

Works cited
  • Thome, Jennifer (2008). STRANGE OVERTONES: THE EXPRESSIONS OF RESENTMENT AND COMPASSION IN YUAN MEI'S WHAT THE MASTER DOES NOT SPEAK OF (MA). Arizona State University.
  • Yuan, Mei (1996). Louie, Kam; Edwards, Louise (eds.). Censored by Confucius: Ghost Stories by Yuan Mei. New York: M. E. Sharpe. ISBN 9781563246807.
  • Yuan, Mei (2013). Santangelo, Paolo; Yan, Beiwen (eds.). Zibuyu, What the Master Would Not Discuss. Netherlands: BRILL. ISBN 9789004216280.


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