Table of Contents

焚驴志 ／ 王若虚
送秦中诸人引 ／ 元好问
送张叔夏西游序 ／ 戴表元
《辋川图》记 ／ 刘因
《录鬼簿》序 ／ 钟嗣成
大龙湫记 ／ 李孝光
送东阳马生序 ／ 宋濂
楚人养狙 ／ 刘基
卖柑者言 ／ 刘基
书博鸡者事（节选） ／ 高启
指喻 ／ 方孝孺
游龙门记 ／ 薛瑄
中山狼传（节选） ／ 马中锡
记王忠肃公翱事 ／ 崔铣
说琴 ／ 何景明
项脊轩志 ／ 归有光
任光禄竹溪记 ／ 唐顺之
题《海天落照图》后 ／ 王世贞
题孔子像于芝佛院 ／ 李贽
极乐寺纪游 ／ 袁宗道
满井游记 ／ 袁宏道
虎丘记 ／ 袁宏道
与丘长孺书 ／ 袁宏道
晚游六桥待月记 ／ 袁宏道
山居斗鸡记 ／ 袁宏道
江行日记二则 ／ 袁中道
夏梅说 ／ 钟惺
浣花溪记 ／ 钟惺
避风岩记 ／ 张明弼
再游乌龙潭记 ／ 谭元春
游黄山日记（后）（节选） ／ 徐宏祖
核舟记 ／ 魏学洢
西湖七月半 ／ 张岱
湖心亭看雪 ／ 张岱
五人墓碑记 ／ 张溥
海市记 ／ 吴伟业
《奇零草》自序 ／ 张煌言
狱中上母书 ／ 夏完淳
原君 ／ 黄宗羲
芙蕖（节选） ／ 李渔
与人书 ／ 顾炎武
李姬传 ／ 侯方域
就亭记 ／ 施闰章
芋老人传 ／ 周容
大铁椎传 ／ 魏禧
口技 ／ 林嗣环
送王进士之任扬州序 ／ 汪琬
地震（节选） ／ 蒲松龄
狱中杂记（节选） ／ 方苞
左忠毅公逸事 ／ 方苞
范县署中寄舍弟墨第四书 ／ 郑燮
游三游洞记 ／ 刘大櫆
骡说 ／ 刘大櫆
为学一首示子侄 ／ 彭端淑
梅花岭记（节选） ／ 全祖望
黄生借书说 ／ 袁枚
祭妹文 ／ 袁枚
《鸣机夜课图》记 ／ 蒋士铨
弈喻 ／ 钱大昕
登泰山记 ／ 姚鼐
问说 ／ 刘开
病梅馆记 ／ 龚自珍
己亥六月重过扬州记 ／ 龚自珍
作家小传
An Appeal from a Donkey at the Stake / Wang Ruoxu
On the Departure of My Friends from Qin / Yuan Haowen
A Farewell Note on Zhang Shuxia’s Departure for the West / Dai Biaoyuan
The Picture of Wangchuan Mountain Villa / Liu Yin
Preface to the Records of Ghosts / Zhong Sicheng
The Great Dragon Pond / Li Xiaoguang
A Farewell to Young Scholar Ma from Dongyang / Song Lian
A Monkey-Raiser from the Chu Area / Liu Ji
A Fruit-Pedlar’s Words / Liu Ji
The Brave Deeds of a Cockfight Gambler (excerpts) / Gao Qi
The Enlightenment from a Sick Thumb / Fang Xiaoru
A Trip to Longmen / Xue Xuan
The Zhongshan Wolf (excerpts) / Ma Zhongxi
The Noble Deeds of the Revered Mr. Wang Ao / Cui Xian
The Secret of the Musical Instrument, Qin / He Jingming
The Hut Called Xiangjixuan / Gui Youguang
Guanglu Ren’s Bamboo-Stream Garden / Tang Shunzhi
The Inscription on The Sea and Sky in the Glow of the Setting Sun / Wang Shizhen
Paying Tribute to Confucius in the Zhifo Temple / Li Zhi
Visiting the Happy Temple / Yuan Zongdao
Travelling to the Scenic Spot Manjing / Yuan Hongdao
The Tiger Hill / Yuan Hongdao
A Letter to Qiu Changru / Yuan Hongdao
Visiting the Six Bridges at Night to Await the Moon / Yuan Hongdao
Watching Cockfighting in the Mountain / Yuan Hongdao
Two Diary Entries about My Voyage on the Yangtze River / Yuan Zhongdao
The Summer Plum / Zhong Xing
The Flower-Washing Stream / Zhong Xing
The Wind-Shelter Cliff / Zhang Mingbi
Revisiting the Black-Dragon Lake / Tan Yuanchun
A Diary Entry about Touring Mount Huangshan (Second Visit) (excerpts) / Xu Hongzu
A Miniature Boat Carved from a Peach Stone / Wei Xueyi
The West Lake in the Middle of the Seventh Month / Zhang Dai
Viewing the Snow Scene from the Mid-Lake Pavilion / Zhang Dai
The Epitaph Inscribed on the Five-Men’s Tomb / Zhang Pu
The Castles in the Air / Wu Weiye
Preface to Sparse Withered Grass / Zhang Huangyan
A Letter Written in Jail to My Mother / Xia Wanchun
On the Obligation of Monarchs / Huang Zongxi
Lotus (excerpts) / Li Yu
A Letter to an Anonymous Person / Gu Yanwu
The Story of Lady Li / Hou Fangyu
The Ready-Made Pavilion / Shi Runzhang
The Old Taro Man / Zhou Rong
The Story of Big Iron Club / Wei Xi
The Magic of Vocal Mimicry / Lin Sihuan
Seeing Off Palace Graduate Wang to His Post in Yangzhou / Wang Wan
The Earthquake (excerpts) / Pu Songling
The Events in a Prison (excerpts) / Fang Bao
Anecdotes of the Revered Mr. Zuo Zhongyi / Fang Bao
The Fourth Letter to My Younger Brother Mo / Zheng Xie
Travel Notes on Touring the Sanyou Cave / Liu Dakui
About Mules / Liu Dakui
A Note about Study Written for My Sons and Nephews / Peng Duanshu
The Plum Blossom Ridge (excerpts)/ Quan Zuwang
Advice to Young Scholar Huang on Borrowing Books / Yuan Mei
Lamenting for My Younger Sister / Yuan Mei
The Picture of Teaching while Weaving at Night / Jiang Shiquan
The Metaphor of a Chess Game / Qian Daxin
Ascending Mount Tai / Yao Nai
The Importance of Asking Questions / Liu Kai
The Home for Sick Plum Trees / Gong Zizhen
Revisiting Yangzhou in Early Midsummer of 1839 / Gong Zizhen
Brief Biographies of Writers 
 

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岁己未，河朔大旱，远迩焦然无主赖。镇阳帅自言忧农，督下祈雨甚急。厌禳小数，靡不为之，竟无验。既久，怪诬之说兴。适民家有产白驴者，或指曰：“此旱之由也。云方兴，驴
辄仰号之，云辄散不留。是物不死，旱胡得止？”一人臆倡，众万以附。帅闻，以为然，命亟取，将焚之。
In the 4th year of the Cheng’an Reign (1199), during the Jin Dynasty, a severe drought hit the area north of the Yellow River. All the crops, far and near, were scorched and people had no food on which to live. The commander in chief of Zhenyang District, claiming that he was worried about the farmers, urged his subordinates to pray for rain. All sorts of witchcrafts which were supposed to have superpowers for vanquishing calamities had been tried out but without any success. Before long, groundless assumptions and ridiculous theories followed. A white donkey happened to be born in the stable of an ordinary household. After this someone conjectured about the abnormal donkey by saying: “This animal is the cause of the drought. Look, whenever clouds gathered in the sky, this white donkey would raise its head and bray loudly. Every time it brayed, the clouds would immediately disperse. If this animal is not killed, how can we expect this drought to subside?” One man proclaimed this absurd proposition, thousands of people blindly supported it. The commander heard this story and believed it. He ordered his subordinates to find the donkey and burn it.