ChinaKnowledge.de -
An Encyclopaedia on Chinese History, Literature and Art

Xiaolin 笑林

Sep 12, 2012 © Ulrich Theobald

Xiaolin 笑林 "Forest of Humour" is an early collection of stories written during the Wei period 曹魏 (220-265) by Handan Chun 邯鄲淳 (c. 132-221), also called Handan Zhu 邯鄲竺, courtesy name Zishu 子叔 or Zili 子禮, who hailed from Yingchuan 穎川 (modern Yuxian 禹縣, Henan). He was a famous writer and poet. The most important essay of his is the tomb inscription Xiaonü Cao E bei 孝女曹娥碑. When Cao Pi 曹丕 became emperor of the Wei dynasty (as Emperor Wen 魏文帝, r. 220-226), Handan Chun was appointed erudite supervising secretary (boshi jishizhong 博士給事中).

His collection Xiaolin was originally 3 juan long, of which only fragments have survived. It included humorous stories about contemporary individuals and was clearly influenced by popular stories of that era. The most famous of these were Hanshi laoren 漢世老人, Churen yinxing 楚人隱形, Zhi changgan zhe ru chengmen 執長竿者入城門, Jiayi zhengdou 甲乙戰鬬 or Churen you dan shanji zhe 楚人有擔山雞者. The stories mock the simplicity of men or the narrow-mindedness of avarice.

The book seems still to have existed during the Song period 宋 (960-1279). The Qing-period 清 (1644-1911) scholar Ma Guohan 馬國翰 (1794-1857) collected fragments surviving as quotations in other books and compiled the series Yuhan shanfang jiyi shu 玉函山房輯佚書. The Xiaolin is also included in Lu Xun's 魯迅 (1881-1936) story collection Gu xiaoshuo gouchen 古小說鉤沉.

Sources:
Deng Guoren 鄧國任. 2023. "Lun gudai xiexue xiaoshuo de di yi yi shanbian: Cong Xiaolin dao Qiyanlu 論古代諧謔小說的第一次嬗變——從《笑林》到《啟顏錄》." Jingu wenchuang 今古文創 2023 (42): 49-51.
Zhang Weili 張偉麗. 2019. "Handan Chun Xiaolin yanjiu yu bianjiao manyi 邯鄲淳《笑林》研究與編校漫議." Tianzhong xuekan 天中學刊 34 (5): 63-66.
Hei Jinfu 黑金福. 2018. "Handan Chun yu qi Xiaolin 邯鄲淳與其《笑林》." Ningxia Daxue xuebao (Renwen shehui kexue ban) 寧夏大學學報(人文社會科學版) 40 (4): 155-158.
Li Xiaofeng 劉小鳳. 2018. "Handan CHun wei Linzi Hou wenxue guanshu shijian kao 邯鄲淳為臨淄侯文學官屬時間考." Hunan Renwen Keji Xueyuan xuebao 湖南人文科技學院學報 35 (2): 86-89.
Li Xueqin 李學勤, and Lü Wenyu 呂文郁, eds. 1996. Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典, vol. 2, 2138. Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe.
Song Yang 宋揚. 2015. "Lun Wei Jin xiaohua de wenti chengshu: Yi Handan Chun wei zhongxin 論魏晉笑话的文體成熟——以邯鄲淳《笑林》為中心." Lanzhou Daxue xuebao (Shehui kexue ban) 蘭州大學學報(社會科學版) 43 (2): 48-54.
Gu Nong 顧農. 2000. "Zhongguo zui zao de xiaoshuojia: Handan Chun 中國最早的小說家——邯鄲淳." Gudian wenxue zhishi 古典文學知識 2000 (4): 77-80.
Shan Ren 山人. 1996. "Youmo zhuanzhu di yi bu: Handan Chun de Xiaolin 幽默專著第一部——邯鄲淳的《笑林》." Yuedu yu xiezuo 閱讀與寫作 1996 (7): 8-9.
Zhang Yaxin 張亞新. 1985. "Handan Chun ji qi Xiaolin 邯鄲淳及其《笑林》." Guizhou daxue xuebao (Shehui kexue ban) 貴州大學學報(社會科學版) 1985 (4): 34-39.