Chuanqi 傳奇

Chuanqi 傳奇 "Transmission of strange tales" is a collection of fantastic stories compiled during the Tang period 唐 (618-907) by Pei Xing 裴鉶 (fl. 878).

The stories of the supernatural and of love are of excellent narrative quality and were therefore quite widespread. Many of them are quoted by later authors or were used in novels and theatre plays. The literary style is mixed of prose and rhymed prose, a method known as "couplet texts" (pianliju 駢儷句 or pianwen 駢文) that was typical for late Tang-period writings. The Chuanqi was even epoch-making with its mixed style tied to a certain literary content, which was therefore, during the Song period 宋 (960-1279), also called "strange story style" (chuanqiti 傳奇體).

The imperial bibliography in the official dynastic history Xintangshu 新唐書 speaks of a 3-juan-long Chuanqi, which is lost. The received version is a reconstruction on the base of quotations mainly from the encyclopaedias Taiping guangji 太平廣記 and Leishuo 類說. The edition of Zheng Zhenduo 鄭振鐸 (1898-1958) is included in the series Shijie wenku 世界文庫. In 1980, the Shanghai Guji Press 上海古籍出版社 published a modern edition, which is commented by Zhou Langqie 周楞伽.