vernacular story script; Song dynasty storybook
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
vernacular story script from the Song Dynasty; written vernacular stories used as texts for storytelling and ballad singing
formalSpecifically refers to the popular literature of the Song and Yuan dynasties, written in vernacular Chinese rather than classical Chinese. These texts served as scripts for professional storytellers (说话人). Surviving collections include 'Qingping Shantang Huaben' and 'Quanxiang Pinghua Wuzhong'. The genre significantly influenced the development of later Chinese chapter-based novels (章回小说).
Vernacular story scripts are an important part of ancient Chinese literature.
'Qingping Shantang Huaben' is one of the earliest surviving collections of vernacular story scripts.
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Song and Yuan dynasty vernacular scripts had a profound influence on later chapter-based novels.
The storyteller narrated stories to the audience based on the content of the vernacular scripts.