In Search of the Supernatural
Encyclopedia
In Search of the Supernatural (搜神記, "Sou shên chi" or "Sou shen ji", pinyin
: "Sōushénjì," literally "Records of Searching for Spirits") is a 4th century CE Chinese
compilation of legends, short stories and hearsay concerning spirits, ghosts and other supernatural phenomena. Although the authorship of the book is not made explicit in the text, it is believed to have been written and compiled by Gan Bao
, a historian at the court of Emperor Yuan of Jin
(sometimes wrongly referred to as Yü Pao) in 350 AD. The book consists of 464 stories. Pu Songling
cites Gan Bao's work as a far greater work than his own, the now famous Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio
.
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: "Sōushénjì," literally "Records of Searching for Spirits") is a 4th century CE Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
compilation of legends, short stories and hearsay concerning spirits, ghosts and other supernatural phenomena. Although the authorship of the book is not made explicit in the text, it is believed to have been written and compiled by Gan Bao
Gan Bao
Gan Bao was a Chinese historian and writer at the court of Emperor Yuan of Jin. He was a native of southern Henan. After diligent study of the classics during his childhood and youth, Gan Bao was appointed head of Office of History at the court...
, a historian at the court of Emperor Yuan of Jin
Emperor Yuan of Jin
Emperor Yuan of Jin , personal name Sima Rui , courtesy name Jingwen , was an emperor of the Jin Dynasty and the first of the Eastern Jin Dynasty...
(sometimes wrongly referred to as Yü Pao) in 350 AD. The book consists of 464 stories. Pu Songling
Pu Songling
Pu Songling was a Qing Dynasty Chinese writer, best known as the author of Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio.-Biography:Pu was born into a poor landlord-merchant family from Zichuan...
cites Gan Bao's work as a far greater work than his own, the now famous Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio
Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio
Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio or Liaozhai Zhiyi is a collection of nearly five hundred mostly supernatural tales written by Pu Songling in Classical Chinese during the early Qing Dynasty.Pu borrows from a folk tradition of oral storytelling to put to paper a series of captivating,...
.
External links
- 搜神記 (Sou Shen Ji) at Project GutenbergProject GutenbergProject Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
(in Chinese) - Journal of the American Oriental Society
- http://www.renditions.org/renditions/authors/ganb.html Renditions.org]