The Plum in the Golden Vase or, Chin P'ing Mei

by Roy, David Tod

  39. The first three lines of this quatrain are taken verbatim from one in Yü-huan chi, scene 12, p. 42, ll. 8–9.

  40. This line has already occurred in the Chin P’ing Mei tz’u-hua, vol. 2, ch. 21, p. 10b, l. 5. See Roy, The Plum in the Golden Vase, vol. 2, chap. 21, p. 18, ll. 39–40.

  41. On Liu Hai, see ibid., vol. 1, chap. 15, n. 9.

  42. A variant of this proverbial expression occurs in a fragment of the lost Sung-Yüan hsi-wen drama Meng Yüeh-mei hsieh-hen Chin-hsiang T’ing (Meng Yüeh-mei expresses her resentment in Chin-hsiang Pavilion), in Sung-Yüan hsi-wen chi-i (Collected fragments of Sung and Yüan hsi-wen drama), comp. Ch’ien Nan-yang (Shanghai: Shang-hai ku-tien wen-hsüeh ch’u-pan she, 1956), p. 78, l. 18; Yüan-ch’ü hsüan, 1:213, ll. 4–5; and Yüan-ch’ü hsüan wai-pien, 3:714, l. 12.

  43. This line occurs in Feng-yüeh Nan-lao chi, scene 2, p. 4b, l. 8; and Shui-hu ch’üan-chuan, vol. 2, ch. 35, p. 550, l. 13.

  44. This four-character expression occurs in a song suite by Chu T’ing-yü (14th century), Ch’üan Yüan san-ch’ü, 2:1221, l. 3; and a song suite by Tsung Ch’en (1525–60), Ch’üan Ming san-ch’ü, 2:2391, l. 9.

  45. This formulaic four-character expression occurs ubiquitously in Chinese vernacular literature. See, e.g., Wu-wang fa Chou p’ing-hua, p. 14, ll. 12–13; Yüan-ch’ü hsüan, 1:115, ll. 17–18; Yüan-ch’ü hsüan wai-pien, 3:759, l. 21; the anonymous Yüan-Ming tsa-chü drama Shou-t’ing hou nu chan Kuan P’ing (The Marquis of Shou-t’ing angrily executes Kuan P’ing), in Ku-pen Yüan Ming tsa-chü, vol. 3, scene 3, p. 9a, l. 1; Pai-she chi, chüan 2, scene 26, p. 26b, l. 6; Yü-huan chi, scene 32, p. 121, l. 9; Hei Hsüan-feng chang-i shu-ts’ai, scene 2, p. 102, ll. 2–3; and a host of other occurrences, too numerous to list.

  46. This quatrain occurs verbatim in Hsi-hu san-t’a chi, p. 29, ll. 7–8.

  Chapter 92

  1. This four-character expression occurs ubiquitously in Chinese literature. See, e.g., a quatrain by Chang Yu-hsin (9th century), Ch’üan T’ang shih, vol. 7, chüan 479, p. 5453, l. 3; the prose commentary to a long poem by Emperor T’ai-tsung of the Sung dynasty (r. 976–97), Ch’üan Sung shih, 1:332, l. 16; a quatrain by the Buddhist monk Huai-shen (1077–1132), ibid., 24:16148, l. 17; a lyric by Hou Shan-yüan (12th century), Ch’üan Chin Yüan tz’u, 1:506, lower register, l. 1; a lyric by Wang Chi-ch’ang (12th century), ibid., 1:570, upper register, l. 4; a poem by Ch’iu Ch’u-chi (1148–1227), Ch’üan Chin shih, 2:170, l. 4; a lyric by Chao Yung (b. 1289), Ch’üan Chin Yüan tz’u, 2:1034, upper register, l. 16; Chien-teng yü-hua, chüan 5, p. 300, l. 12; Chin-ch’ai chi, scene 56, p. 94, l. 14; a lyric by Huang Hsi (1468–1525), Ch’üan Ming tz’u pu-pien, 1:165, lower register, ll. 13–14; a song suite by P’eng Tse (cs 1490), Ch’üan Ming san-ch’ü, 1:840, l. 9; a song suite by T’ang Yin (1470–1524), ibid., 1:1078, l. 9; the tsa-chü drama Wang Lan-ch’ing chen-lieh chuan (The story of Wang Lan-ch’ing’s heroic refusal to remarry), by K’ang Hai (1475–1541), in Ku-pen Yüan Ming tsa-chü, vol. 2, scene 4, p. 8b, l. 8; a song in Feng-yüeh chin-nang [chien-chiao], p. 46, l. 5; a song suite by Hu Ju-chia (cs 1553), Ch’üan Ming san-ch’ü, 3:2621, l. 12; a set of songs by Hsüeh Lun-tao (c. 1531–c. 1600), ibid., 3:2742, l. 10; T’ou-pi chi, chüan 2, scene 29, p. 22a, l. 1; the ch’uan-ch’i drama Chin-tiao chi (The golden sable), in Ku-pen hsi-ch’ü ts’ung-k’an, ch’u-chi, item 41, chüan 1, scene 2, p. 3b, l. 1; Ta-T’ang Ch’in-wang tz’u-hua, vol. 1, chüan 2, ch. 9, p. 2b, l. 6; and a host of other occurrences, too numerous to list.

  2. This line occurs independently in a quatrain by the Buddhist monk K’o-wen (1025–1102), Ch’üan Sung shih [ting-pu] (Complete poetry of the Sung [revised and supplemented]), comp. Ch’en Hsin et al. (Cheng-chou: Ta-hsiang ch’u-pan she, 2005), p. 177, l. 13; a poem by Hua Chen (b. 1051, cs 1079), Ch’üan Sung shih, 18:12349, l. 8; Yüan-ch’ü hsüan, 2:1351, l. 13; an anonymous song suite in Yung-hsi yüeh-fu, ts’e 6, p. 31a, l. 7; Hai-fu shan-t’ang tz’u-kao, chüan 1, p. 29, l. 7; and the ch’uan-ch’i drama Fu-jung chi (The story of the hibiscus painting), by Chiang Chi (late 16th century), in Ku-pen hsi-ch’ü ts’ung-k’an, wu-chi (Collectanea of rare editions of traditional drama, fifth series) (Shanghai: Shang-hai ku-chi ch’u-pan she, 1986), item 6, chüan 1, scene 9, p. 28a, l. 7.

  3. This four-character expression occurs ubiquitously in Chinese literature. See, e.g., a lyric by Yen Shu (991–1055), Ch’üan Sung tz’u, 1:89, upper register, l. 7; a lyric by K’ang Yü-chih (12th century), ibid., 2:1305, lower register, ll. 4–5; a lyric by Lu Ping (early 13th century), ibid., 3:2165, lower register, l. 11; a lyric by Chiang Chieh (cs 1274), ibid., 5:3434, upper register, l. 8; the early (13th or 14th century) hsi-wen drama Huan-men tzu-ti ts’o li-shen (The scion of an official’s family opts for the wrong career), in Yung-lo ta-tien hsi-wen san-chung chiao-chu, scene 9, p. 239, l. 4; Yüan-ch’ü hsüan, 3:1081, l. 3; a lyric by Wang Yün (1228–1304), Ch’üan Chin Yüan tz’u, 2:683, upper register, l. 5; a lyric by Chang Chu (1287–1368), ibid., 2:1001, upper register, l. 12; a set of songs by Chao Yü-kuei (14th century), Ch’üan Yüan san-ch’ü, 1:571, l. 3; a song by Hsü Tsai-ssu (14th century), ibid., 2:1032, ll. 8–9; a song by Cha Te-ch’ing (14th century), ibid., 2:1162, l. 6; a set of songs by Chu Yu-tun (1379–1439), Ch’üan Ming san-ch’ü, 1:270, l. 6; Chin-yin chi, chüan 3, scene 24, p. 16a, l. 9; Ssu-hsi chi, scene 14, p. 37, l. 3; Huan-sha chi, scene 2, p. 4, l. 4; a song suite by Liang Ch’en-yü (1519–91), Ch’üan Ming san-ch’ü, 2:2239, l. 2; Mu-lien chiu-mu ch’üan-shan hsi-wen, chüan 1, p. 46b, l. 9; Mu-tan t’ing, scene 28, p. 148, l. 2; the ch’uan-ch’i drama Han-tan meng chi (The dream at Han-tan), by T’ang Hsien-tsu (1550–1616), author’s pref. dated 1601, in T’ang Hsien-tsu chi (Collected works of T’ang Hsien-tsu), ed. Hsü Shuo-fang and Ch’ien Nan-yang, 4 vols. (Peking: Chung-hua shu-chü, 1962), vol. 4, scene 2, p. 2286, ll. 2–3; and a host of other occurrences, too numerous to list.

  4. Synonymous variants of this line occur independently in a poem by Li Shen (772–846), Ch’üan T’ang shih, vol. 8, chüan 482, p. 5488, l. 12; a poem by Shen Pin (10th century), ibid., vol. 11, chüan 743, p. 8457, l. 4; and a poem by the Buddhist monk K’o-wen (1025–1102), Ch’üan Sung shih [ting-pu], p. 193, l. 13. It occurs in the same form as in the novel in a quatrain by Ts’ui T’u (cs 888), Ch’üan T’ang shih, vol. 10, chüan 679, p. 7784, l. 16; [Chiao-ting] Yüan-k’an tsa-chü san-shih chung (A collated edition of Thirty tsa-chü dramas printed during the Yüan dynasty), ed. Cheng Ch’ien (Taipei: Shih-chieh shu-chü, 1962), p. 384, l. 6; a set of songs by Chung Ssu-ch’eng (c. 1279–c. 1360), Ch’üan Yüan san-ch’ü, 2:1358, l. 9; a lyric by Li Ch’i-hsien (1287–1367), Ch’üan Chin Yüan tz’u, 2:1027, lower register, ll. 7–8; an anonymous song in Li-yüan an-shih yüeh-fu hsin-sheng, chüan 2, p. 44, l. 15; Chien-teng yü-hua, chüan 1, p. 154, ll. 8–9; a song suite by Yang Shen (1488–1559), Ch’üan Ming san-ch’ü, 2:1417, l. 13; and Mu-lien chiu-mu ch’üan-shan hsi-wen, chüan 2, p. 66a, ll. 4–5. The first two lines of this poem occur together independently in Yüan-ch’ü hsüan, 4:1389, l. 3; and the second and last lines occur together in Mu-lien chiu-mu ch’üan-shan hsi-wen, chüan 2, p. 66a, ll. 4–5.

  5. This line has already occurred in the Chin P’ing Mei tz’u-hua, vol. 2, ch. 29, p. 4a, l. 8. See Roy, The Plum in the Golden Vase, vol. 2, chap. 29, p. 170, ll. 38–39.

  6. This four-character expression occurs independently, together with the first four characters of the last line, in a song by Chang K’o-chiu (1270–1348), Ch’üan Yüan san-ch’ü, 1:943, l. 3.

  7. This line occurs independently in a song by Ch’iao Chi (d. 1345), Ch’üan Yüan San-ch’ü, 1:577, ll. 1–2; and two anonymous songs in Yung-hsi yüeh-fu, ts’e 19, p. 21a, l. 1; and p. 56b, l. 10. It occurs together with the following line in Yüeh Fei p’o-lu tung-ch’uang chi, chüan 2, scene 28, p. 12b, l. 3; and an anonymous song in Feng-yüeh chin-nang [chien-chiao], p. 170, l. 6.

  8. This four-character expression occurs ubiquitously in Chinese literature. See, e.g., a poem wr
itten in 1091 by Ho Chu (1052–1125), Ch’üan Sung shih, 19:12573, l. 14; a poem by Chou O (1057–1131), ibid., 20:13486, l. 1; a quatrain by Hsü Ching-heng (1072–1128), ibid., 23:15580, l. 7; a quatrain by the Buddhist monk Huai-shen (1077–1132), ibid., 24:16131, l. 14; a lyric by Wang Chih (1135–89), Ch’üan Sung tz’u, 3:1648, upper register, l. 9; a lyric by Hsin Ch’i-chi (1140–-1207), ibid., 3:1958, lower register, l. 10; a lyric by Ko Ch’ang-keng (1134–1229), ibid., 4:2584, lower register, l. 12; a lyric by Chang Chih-han (late 13th century), Ch’üan Chin Yüan Tz’u, 2:711, lower register, l. 2; a song suite by Ch’iao Chi (d. 1345), Ch’üan Yüan san-ch’ü, 1:639, l. 9; Yang Wen lan-lu hu chuan, p. 183, l. 15; Yüan-ch’ü hsüan, 2:537, l. 7; Yüan-ch’ü hsüan wai-pien, 2:563, l. 17; Ching-ch’ai chi, scene 41, p. 122, ll. 9–10; Yu-kuei chi, scene 31, p. 92, l. 7; [Hsin-pien] Liu Chih-yüan huan-hsiang Pai-t’u chi, p. 28a, l. 9; Chin-t’ung Yü-nü Chiao Hung chi, p. 55, l. 1; a lyric by Shih Chien (1434–96), Ch’üan Ming tz’u, 1:344, upper register, l. 13; a lyric by Wang Chiu-ssu (1468–1551), ibid., 2:489, lower register, l. 9; Yü-chüeh chi, scene 31, p. 94, l. 7; Hai-fu shan-t’ang tz’u-kao, chüan 2b, p. 137, l. 8; Hsi-yu chi, vol. 1, ch. 23, p. 256, l. 5; the ch’uan-ch’i drama Tzu-ch’ai chi (The story of the purple hairpin), by T’ang Hsien-tsu (1550–1616), ed. and annot. Hu Shih-ying (Peking: Jen-min wen-hsüeh ch’u-pan she, 1982), scene 46, p. 174, l. 15; and a host of other occurrences, too numerous to list. It has occurred already in the Chin P’ing Mei tz’u-hua, vol. 1, ch. 5, p. 1a, l. 5.

  9. The proximate source of this poem, with insignificant textual variations, is Shui-hu ch’üan-chuan, vol. 1, ch. 3, p. 43, ll. 3–4. The opening and closing couplets form a famous quatrain, dubiously attributed to Confucius (551–479 B.C.), which is quoted, in full or in part, in many works of Chinese literature from the T’ang dynasty on. See Ku yao-yen (Ancient songs and proverbial sayings), comp. Tu Wen-lan (1815–81) (Peking: Chung-hua shu-chü, 1958), chüan 90, p. 967, l. 5. This quatrain is quoted in full in Yüan-ch’ü hsüan, 2:740, l. 19; the allegorical Taoist drama on internal alchemy Hsing-t’ien Feng-yüeh t’ung-hsüan chi (The Master of Breeze and Moonlight utilizes his Heaven-bestowed nature to penetrate the mysteries), by Lan Mao (1403–76), pref. dated 1454, in Ku-pen hsi-ch’ü ts’ung-k’an, wu-chi, item 1, scene 19, p. 39b, l. 1; Hsiang-nang chi, scene 24, p. 67, l. 2; Ch’ien-chin chi, scene 40, p. 129, ll. 1–2; the ch’uan-ch’i drama Tuan-fa chi (The severed tresses), by Li K’ai-hsien (1502–68), in Ku-pen hsi-ch’ü ts’ung-k’an, wu-chi, item 2, chüan 2, scene 28, p. 16a, ll. 7–8; Huan-sha chi, scene 40, p. 141, l. 10; and the ch’uan-ch’i drama Nan-k’o meng chi (The dream of the southern branch), by T’ang Hsien-tsu (1550–1616), completed in 1600, ed. and annot. Ch’ien Nan-yang (Peking: Jen-min wen-hsüeh ch’u-pan she, 1981), chüan 2, scene 9, p. 113, ll. 4–5. The last line occurs independently in San-kuo chih p’ing-hua, p. 66, l. 3; Yüan-ch’ü hsüan wai-pien, 1:52, l. 8; P’o-yao chi, chüan 2, scene 18, p. 5b, l. 4; Hsiang-nang chi, scene 34, p. 102, l. 8; Nan Sung chih-chuan, vol. 1, chüan 2, p. 27a, l. 4; the ch’uan-ch’i drama Pai-p’ao chi (Story of the white robe), in Ku-pen hsi-ch’ü ts’ung-k’an, ch’u-chi, item 46, chüan 1, scene 11, p. 16b, l. 8; a collection of poetic riddles by Li K’ai-hsien (1502–68), author’s pref. dated 1555, in Li K’ai-hsien chi, 3:1019, l. 5; Pa-i chi, scene 22, p. 49, l. 12; and Ta-T’ang Ch’in-wang tz’u-hua, vol. 2, chüan 7, ch. 49, p. 4b, l. 4.

  10. This formulaic four-character expression occurs in Yüan-ch’ü hsüan wai-pien, 1:66, l. 11; 1:131, ll. 10–11; and 2:699, l. 21; an anonymous Yüan dynasty song suite, Ch’üan Yüan san-ch’ü, 2:1822, l. 5; and Shui-hu ch’üan-chuan, vol. 4, ch. 88, p. 1444, l. 7.

  11. This four-character expression occurs in an anonymous song suite in Yung-hsi yüeh-fu, ts’e 9, p. 66b, l. 8.

  12. On this term, see Roy, The Plum in the Golden Vase, vol. 2, chap. 33, n. 34.

  13. Variants of this couplet occur in the early vernacular story Ch’ien-t’ang meng (The dream in Ch’ien-t’ang), included as part of the front matter in the 1498 edition of Hsi-hsiang chi (The romance of the western chamber), fac. repr. (Taipei: Shih-chieh shu-chü, 1963), p. 1b, ll. 9–10; San Sui p’ing-yao chuan, chüan 1, ch. 1, p. 1a, l. 9–p. 1b, l. 1; and Pai-chia kung-an, chüan 1, p. 6b, ll. 6–7.

  14. This four-character expression occurs in a poem by Ts’ui Hao (cs 723, d. 754), Ch’üan T’ang shih, vol. 2, chüan 130, p. 1324, l. 6.

  15. According to a story celebrated in a set of quatrains by Po Chü-i (772–846), during the yüan-ho reign period (806–20) of the T’ang dynasty the patron of a singing girl named Kuan P’an-p’an built a structure called the Swallows’ Belvedere to house her, and she loved him so much that she chose to continue to reside there after his death. See Ch’üan T’ang shih, vol. 7, chüan 438, p. 4869, l. 12–p. 4870, l. 4.

  16. According to a sixteenth-century tsa-chü drama, the fisherman from Wu-ling who stumbled into the utopia of the Peach Blossom Spring while boating on a spring day encountered the two immortal maidens from the T’ien-t’ai Mountains who asked him to convey a message to their former lovers Liu Ch’en and Juan Chao. See Wu-ling ch’un (Springtime in Wu-ling), by Hsü Ch’ao (16th century), in Sheng-Ming tsa-chü, erh-chi (Tsa-chü dramas of the glorious Ming dynasty, second collection), comp. Shen T’ai (17th century), fac. repr. of 1641 edition (Peking: Chung-kuo hsi-chü ch’u-pan she, 1958), pp. 10a–11a; and Roy, The Plum in the Golden Vase, vol. 1, chap. 6, n. 28. The first three lines of this quatrain are derived, with some textual variation, from the first three lines of a quatrain in Yü-chüeh chi, scene 17, p. 52, l. 5.

  17. This formulaic couplet appears ubiquitously in Chinese vernacular literature. See, e.g., Hsiao Sun-t’u, scene 16, p. 313, l. 7; Yüan-ch’ü hsüan, 4:1547, l. 2; Yüan-ch’ü hsüan wai-pien, 1:145, l. 17; Ching-ch’ai chi, scene 8, p. 24, ll. 10–11; Sha-kou chi, scene 18, p. 68, l. 1; Chao-shih ku-erh chi, chüan 1, scene 18, p. 35a, l. 7; Pai-t’u chi, scene 10, p. 33, l. 11; Yü-huan chi, scene 22, p. 82, ll. 11–12; Yü-chüeh chi, scene 10, p. 30, l. 8; Hsün-ch’in chi, scene 3, p. 5, l. 7; Lien-huan chi, chüan 2, scene 27, p. 73, l. 4; Ch’ien-chin chi, scene 8, p. 17, l. 12; Shuang-chu chi, scene 14, p. 43, l. 9; Tuan-fa chi, chüan 1, scene 4, p. 10a, l. 6; Hung-fu chi, scene 31, p. 67, l. 2; Mu-lien chiu-mu ch’üan-shan hsi-wen, chüan 3, p. 34b, l. 2; Shuang-lieh chi, scene 29, p. 86, l. 5; San-pao t’ai-chien Hsi-yang chi t’ung-su yen-i, vol. 1, ch. 23, p. 298, l. 3; Ta-T’ang Ch’in-wang tz’u-hua, vol. 2, chüan 7, ch. 50, p. 15a, ll. 6–7; and an abundance of other occurrences, too numerous to list.

  18. This four-character expression occurs in Shui-hu ch’üan-chuan, vol. 3, ch. 67, p. 1146, l. 3.

  19. This proverbial saying occurs verbatim in the anonymous Ming ch’uan-ch’i drama Ku-ch’eng chi (The reunion at Ku-ch’eng), in Ku-pen hsi-ch’ü ts’ung-k’an, ch’u-chi, item 25, chüan 2, scene 24, p. 25a, l. 8. It occurs with a synonymous variant in Pao-chien chi, scene 51, p. 93, ll. 5–6; and three times, with the couplets in reverse order, in San-pao t’ai-chien Hsi-yang chi t’ung-su yen-i, vol. 1, ch. 2, p. 25, ll. 8–9; ch. 45, p. 586, l. 4; and vol. 2, ch. 76, l. 5. The first couplet also occurs independently in Hsi-yu chi, vol. 1, ch. 5, p. 53, l. 9; and San-pao t’ai-chien Hsi-yang chi t’ung-su yen-i, vol. 2, ch. 88, p. 1131, l. 4.

  20. Synonymous variants of this proverbial saying occur in I-chien chih, chia-chih (first collection), chüan 8, p. 65, l. 7; Ch’i-kuo ch’un-ch’iu p’ing-hua, p. 68, l. 10; Shui-hu ch’üan-chuan, vol. 2, ch. 33, p. 515, l. 6; and Jen hsiao-tzu lieh-hsing wei shen, p. 581, l. 8.

  21. This four-character expression occurs ubiquitously in Chinese vernacular literature. See, e.g., Yüan-ch’ü hsüan, 2:404, l. 8; Yüan-ch’ü hsüan wai-pien, 3:709, l. 18; Ch’ien-Han shu p’ing-hua, p. 40, l. 10; Chin-t’ung Yü-nü Chiao Hung chi, p. 39, l. 14; Shui-hu ch’üan-chuan, vol. 2, ch. 35, p. 557, l. 8; T’ang-shu chih-chuan t’ung-su yen-i, vol. 1, chüan 3, p. 3b, l. 8; Ts’an-T’ang Wu-tai shih yen-i chuan, ch. 38, p. 157, l. 3; Sui-T’ang liang-
ch’ao shih-chuan, chüan 3, ch. 25, p. 25b, l. 4; and an abundance of other occurrences, too numerous to list.

  22. This formulaic five-character expression occurs in Yüan-ch’ü hsüan, 1:19, l. 17; Yüan-ch’ü hsüan wai-pien, 2:391, l. 21; Huai-hsiang chi, scene 19, p. 57, ll. 2–3; Shih Chen-jen ssu-sheng so pai-yüan, scene 4, p. 12a, l. 2; Pai-chia kung-an, chüan 7, ch. 64, p. 27a, l. 13; and an abundance of other occurrences, too numerous to list.

  23. This four-character expression occurs in Hsi-kua chi, scene 10, p. 626, l. 7; and Pai-chia kung-an, chüan 5, ch. 48, p. 16b, ll. 9–10.

  24. This four-character expression occurs ubiquitously in Chinese vernacular literature. See, e.g., [Chi-p’ing chiao-chu] Hsi-hsiang chi, play no. 5, scene 3, p. 189, l. 13; Yüan-ch’ü hsüan, 1:298, l. 17; Yüan-ch’ü hsüan wai-pien, 3:790, l. 21; Lü Tung-pin hua-yüeh shen-hsien hui, scene 2, p. 5b, l. 7; an anonymous song suite published in 1471, Ch’üan Ming san-ch’ü, 4:4534, l. 12; Nan Hsi-hsiang chi (Li Jih-hua), scene 7, p. 21, l. 7; Hsün-ch’in chi, scene 23, p. 76, l. 7; Shui-hu ch’üan-chuan, vol. 1, ch. 21, p. 312, l. 13; Ts’o-jen shih, p. 215, l. 5; verse 49 of a suite of one hundred songs to the tune “Hsiao-t’ao hung” that retells the story of the Ying-ying chuan by a Ming dynasty figure named Wang Yen-chen, Yung-hsi yüeh-fu, ts’e 19, p. 41b, l. 7; and a song by Su Tzu-wen (16th century), Ch’üan Ming san-ch’ü, 4:4009, l. 6.

  25. This four-character expression occurs in an anonymous Yüan dynasty song suite, Ch’üan Yüan san-ch’ü, 2:1847, l. 6; Hsün-ch’in chi, scene 23, p. 76, l. 7; and Ts’o-jen shih, p. 215, l. 5.

  26. This four-character expression occurs ubiquitously in Chinese literature. See, e.g., a quatrain by Chu Ts’un (10th century), Ch’üan T’ang shih pu-pien, 1:470, l. 6; a quatrain by Yang Pei (11th century), Ch’üan Sung shih, 3:1436, l. 3; a lyric by Chang Hsiao-hsiang (1132–69), Ch’üan Sung tz’u, 3:1718, upper register, l. 3; a lyric by Hsin Ch’i-chi (1140–1207), ibid., 3:1955, upper register, l. 14; a lyric by Li T’ing-chung (cs 1181), ibid., 4:2267, upper register, l. 13; a lyric by Hung Tzu-k’uei (1176–1236), ibid., 4:2467, upper register, l. 3; a lyric by Tuan Ch’eng-chi (1199–1279), Ch’üan Chin Yüan tz’u, 1:157, upper register, ll. 11–12; a song by Ch’iao Chi (d. 1345), Ch’üan Yüan san-ch’ü, 1:609, l. 8; a song by Chang K’o-chiu (1270–1348), ibid., 1:801, l. 5; a song by Hsü Tsai-ssu (14th century), ibid., 2:1053, l. 5; Yüan-ch’ü hsüan, 2:795, l. 14; a lyric by Ch’ü Yu (1341–1427), Ch’üan Ming tz’u, 1:170, upper register, l. 7; a lyric by Ku Hsün (1418–1505), ibid., 1:284, upper register, l. 6; a song suite by Huang O (1498–1569), Ch’üan Ming san-ch’ü, 2:1764, l. 13; and an abundance of other occurrences, too numerous to list.