13. This four-character expression occurs ubiquitously in Chinese literature. See, e.g., a poem by Yin Yao-fan (cs 814), Ch’üan T’ang shih, vol. 8, chüan 492, p. 5568, l. 15; a lyric by Su Shih (1037–1101), Ch’üan Sung tz’u, 1:297, lower register, l. 9; a lyric by Wang Chih-tao (1093–1169), ibid., 2:1145, upper register, l. 4; a lyric by Chao I-fu (1189–1256), ibid., 4:2663, lower register, l. 1; a lyric by Ch’en Yün-p’ing (13th century), ibid., 5:3102, upper register, l. 11; a lyric written in 1243 by Tuan K’o-chi (1196–1254), Ch’üan Chin Yüan tz’u, 1:135, lower register, l. 6; a lyric by Shen Hsi (14th century), ibid., 2:1041, lower register, l. 4; and an abundance of other occurrences, too numerous to list.
14. This quatrain is taken, with one textual variant, from the literary tale Ying-ying chuan (Story of Ying-ying), by Yüan Chen (775–831), in T’ang Sung ch’uan-ch’i chi (An anthology of literary tales from the T’ang and Sung dynasties), ed. Lu Hsün (Peking: Wen-hsüeh ku-chi k’an-hsing she, 1958), p. 129, ll. 9–10. It is quoted verbatim from the original in the preface to a lyric by Chao Ling-chih (1051–1134), Ch’üan Sung tz’u, 1:493, upper register, ll. 12–13; and the twelfth-century chantefable version of the same tale entitled Tung Chieh-yüan Hsi-hsiang chi (Master Tung’s Western chamber romance), ed. and annot. Ling Ching-yen (Peking: Jen-min wen-hsüeh ch’u-pan she, 1962), chüan 4, p. 89, l. 6. It is quoted in the same form as in the novel in [Chi-p’ing chiao-chu] Hsi-hsiang chi, play no. 3, scene 2, p. 112, ll. 9–10; the ch’uan-ch’i drama Nan Hsi-hsiang chi (A southern version of the Romance of the western chamber), usually attributed to Li Jih-hua (fl. early 16th century), Liu-shih chung ch’ü ed., scene 22, p. 63, l. 2; and the ch’uan-ch’i drama of the same name Nan Hsi-hsiang chi (A southern version of the Romance of the western chamber), by Lu Ts’ai (1497–1537), in Hsi-hsiang hui-pien (Collected versions of the Romance of the western chamber), comp. Huo Sung-lin (Chi-nan: Shan-tung wen-i ch’u-pan she, 1987), chüan 2, scene 21, p. 377, ll. 9–10.
15. This four-character expression occurs in Kuan-shih-yin p’u-sa pen-hsing ching (Sutra on the deeds of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara), also known as Hsiang-shan pao-chüan (Precious scroll on Hsiang-shan), attributed to P’u-ming (fl. early 12th century) n.p., n.d. (probably 19th century), p. 57b, l. 6; Ju-ju chü-shih yü-lu (The recorded sayings of layman Ju-ju), by Yen Ping (d. 1212), pref. dated 1194, photocopy of manuscript in the Kyoto University Library, chia-chi (first collection), chüan 2, p. 3b, l. 6; a set of songs by Ch’en To (fl. early 16th century), Ch’üan Ming san-ch’ü, 1:548, l. 6; a set of songs by Hsüeh Lun-tao (c. 1531–c. 1600), ibid., 3:2780, l. 8; and Yang-chia fu shih-tai chung-yung yen-i chih-chuan, vol. 2, chüan 5, p. 15b, l. 7.
16. This four-character expression occurs in Jen hsiao-tzu lieh-hsing wei shen (The apotheosis of Jen the filial son), in Ku-chin hsiao-shuo (Stories old and new), ed. Feng Meng-lung (1574–1646), 2 vols. (Peking: Jen-min wen-hsüeh ch’u-pan she, 1958), vol. 2, chüan 38, p. 573, l. 10; and Pai-chia kung-an, chüan 10, ch. 93, p. 10a, l. 11.
17. Versions of this lyric, with some textual variation, occur in the early vernacular story Chang Yü-hu su nü-chen kuan chi (Chang Yü-hu spends the night in a Taoist nunnery), in Yen-chü pi-chi, vol. 2, chüan 6, p. 17b, lower register, ll. 4–7; the middle-period vernacular story Chieh-chih-erh chi (The story of the ring), in Ch’ing-p’ing shan-t’ang hua-pen (Stories printed by the Ch’ing-p’ing Shan-t’ang), ed. T’an Cheng-pi (Shanghai: Ku-tien wen-hsüeh ch’u-pan she, 1957), p. 255, l. 16–p. 256, l. 1; and the original unexpurgated text of the middle-period vernacular story Jen hsiao-tzu lieh-hsing wei shen (The apotheosis of Jen the filial son), in Ku-chin hsiao-shuo (Stories old and new), ed, Feng Meng-lung (1574–1646), 2 vols., fac. repr. of original edition published in 1620–24 (Taipei: Shih-chieh shu-chü, 1958), vol. 2, chüan 38, p. 3b, l. 9–p. 4a, l. 2.
18. This four-character expression occurs in Yüan-ch’ü hsüan, 4:1690, l. 7; Shui-hu ch’üan-chuan, vol. 1, ch. 2, p. 17, l. 8; Ch’un-wu chi, scene 11, p. 26, l. 3; and Hai-ling i-shih (The debauches of Emperor Hai-ling of the Chin dynasty [r. 1149–61]), in Ssu wu-hsieh hui-pao (No depraved thoughts collectanea), comp. Ch’en Ch’ing-hao and Wang Ch’iu-kuei, 45 vols. (Taipei: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1995–97), 1:131, l. 7.
19. These two lines are taken, almost verbatim, from the two middle lines in a quatrain that occurs in a similar context in Chien-teng yü-hua, chüan 5, p. 286, l. 12. On the relationship between the Goddess of Witch’s Mountain and King Hsiang of Ch’u, see Roy, The Plum in the Golden Vase, vol. 1, chap. 2, n. 47.
20. This five-character expression occurs in Yüan-ch’ü hsüan, 1:334, l. 10; and 4:1679, l. 14.
21. This song is by Wang Ho-ch’ing (13th century). See Ch’üan Yüan san-ch’ü, 1:40, ll. 7–8. Versions of this song are preserved in [Hsin-chiao chiu-chüan pen] Yang-ch’un pai-hsüeh ([Newly collated text of the nine-chüan edition of] Warm spring and White snow), comp. Yang Ch’ao-ying (14th century), collated and ed. Sui Shu-sen (Peking: Chung-hua shu-chü, 1958), p. 93, ll. 14–15; Yung-hsi yüeh-fu, ts’e 20, p. 31b, ll. 1–3; and Pei-kung tz’u-chi wai-chi (Supplementary collection to northern-style song lyrics), comp. Ch’en So-wen (d. c. 1604), 3 chüan, in Nan-pei kung tz’u-chi chiao-pu (Collation notes and supplements to Nan-pei kung tz’u-chi), comp. Wu Hsiao-ling (Peking: Chung-hua shu-chü, 1961), chüan 3, p. 62, l. 11–p. 63, l. 1.
Chapter 83
1. A version of this poem, with minor textual variations, has already occurred in the novel as the closing verse of chapter 18. See Chin-p’ing Mei tz’u-hua, vol. 1, ch. 18, p. 12b, ll. 4–7; and Roy, The Plum in the Golden Vase, vol. 1, chap. 18, p. 375, ll. 25–39.
2. On this festival, see Roy, The Plum in the Golden Vase, vol. 1, chap. 18, n. 17.
3. This formulaic four-character expression occurs ubiquitously in Chinese vernacular literature. See, e.g., Ching-ch’ai chi, scene 15, p. 45, l. 4; Chin-ch’ai chi, scene 59, p. 100, l. 22; the anonymous Ming tsa-chü drama Feng-yüeh Nan-lao chi (Romance in the South Prison), in Ku-pen Yüan Ming tsa-chü, vol. 4, scene 1, p. 3a, l. 13; San-kuo chih t’ung-su yen-i (The romance of the Three Kingdoms), attributed to Lo Kuan-chung (14th century), pref. dated 1522, 2 vols. (Shanghai: Shang-hai ku-chi ch’u-pan she, 1980), vol. 1, chüan 7, p. 334, l. 21; Nan Hsi-hsiang chi (Li Jih-hua), scene 19, p. 53, l. 7; Shui-hu ch’üan-chuan, vol. 3, ch. 62, p. 1052, l. 8; San-ming t’ung-hui (Comprehensive compendium on the three fates), comp. Wan Min-ying (cs 1550), in [Ying-yin Wen-yüan ko] Ssu-k’u ch’üan-shu ([Facsimile reprint of the Wen-yüan ko Imperial Library copy of the] Complete library of the four treasuries), 1,500 vols. (Taipei: T’ai-wan Shang-wu yin-shu kuan, 1986), vol. 810, chüan 2, p. 110a, l. 5; and Sui-T’ang liang-ch’ao shih-chuan (Historical chronicle of the Sui and T’ang dynasties), 12 chüan (Su-chou: Kung Shao-shan, 1619), microfilm of unique copy in Sonkeikaku Bunko, Tokyo, chüan 4, ch. 32, p. 10b, l. 6.
4. For the allusion behind this line, see Roy, The Plum in the Golden Vase, vol. 1, chap. 8, n. 5. Versions of this anonymous song are preserved in the fourteenth-century anthology of song lyrics entitled Li-yüan an-shih yüeh-fu hsin-sheng (Model new song lyrics from the Pear Garden), modern ed. ed. Sui Shu-sen (Peking: Chung-hua shu-chü, 1958), chüan 3, p. 115, ll. 9–10; Yung-hsi yüeh-fu, ts’e 19, p. 24b, l. 10–p. 25a, l. 1; and Ch’üan Yüan san-ch’ü, 2:1670, ll. 7–8. The version in the novel is closest to that in Yung-hsi yüeh-fu.
5. This four-character expression occurs in a lyric by the singing girl Sha Wan-tsai (16th century), Ch’üan Ming tz’u, 3:1255, upper register, l. 2.
6. A synonymous variant of this proverbial couplet occurs in Chiang Shih yüeh-li chi, chüan 4, scene 42, p. 25a, l. 9. It occurs in the same form as in the novel in San-pao t’ai-chien Hsi-yang chi t’ung-su yen-i, vol. 2, ch. 63, p. 810, l. 10. It also recurs in the Chin P’ing Mei tz’u-hua, vol. 5, ch. 91, p. 13b, l. 11–p. 14a, l. 1.
7. This four-character expression occurs in Yü-huan chi, scene 15, p. 53, l. 12; and recurs in the Chin P’ing Mei tz’u-hua,
vol. 5, ch. 85, p. 6b, l. 5.
8. A slightly abbreviated version of this couplet recurs in the Chin P’ing Mei tz’u-hua, vol. 5, ch. 85, p. 4b, ll. 1–2.
9. This composite poem, with insignificant textual variation, has already occurred in the novel as the closing verse of chapter 69. For its sources, see The Plum in the Golden Vase or, Chin P’ing Mei, Volume 4: The Climax, trans. David Tod Roy (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011), chap. 69, notes 63, 64, and 65.
10. This is an example of the type of wordplay that involves the splitting of characters into their component parts. If the graph for “eye” is placed next to that for “wood,” and the character for “heart” is placed under that for “field,” the result is the two-character compound hsiang-ssu, which means “yearning for one’s loved one.” This example of wordplay occurs in the middle-period vernacular story Wen-ching yüan-yang hui (The fatal rendezvous), in Ch’ing-p’ing shan-t’ang hua-pen, p. 163, l. 8; and recurs in the Chin P’ing Mei tz’u-hua, vol. 5, ch. 98, p. 10b, ll. 4–5.
11. This four-character expression occurs in a song suite by Ch’en Wan (1359–1422), Ch’üan Ming san-ch’ü, 1:253, l. 9; and a song suite by Cheng Jo-yung (16th century), ibid., 2:1511, ll. 8–9.
12. This four-character expression occurs in a song suite by Wang Ch’ung (1494–1533), ibid., 2:1572, l. 1; and the anonymous ch’uan-ch’i drama Han Hsiang-tzu chiu-tu Wen-kung sheng-hsien chi (Han Hsiang-tzu nine times endeavors to induce Han Yü to ascend to the realm of the immortals), in Ku-pen hsi-ch’ü ts’ung-k’an, ch’u-chi, item no. 47, chüan 1, scene 13, p. 33b, l. 6.
13. This four-character expression occurs in a lyric by Huang T’ing-chien (1045–1105), Ch’üan Sung tz’u, 1:395, lower register, l. 5; and a lyric by Chao Ch’ang-ch’ing (12th century), ibid., 3:1805, lower register, l. 10.
14. This four-character expression occurs in T’ang-shu chih-chuan t’ung-su yen-i, vol. 2, chüan 7, p. 41a, l. 2.
15. This four-character expression occurs in Yüan-ch’ü hsüan wai-pien, 3:828, l. 17.
16. A version of this anonymous song, with some textual variation, is preserved in Yung-hsi yüeh-fu, ts’e 20, p. 42a, l. 3–5.
17. These two clauses are quotations from [Chi-p’ing chiao-chu] Hsi-hsiang chi, play no. 4, scene 1, p. 143, l. 4; and play no. 3, scene 1, p. 101, l. 11. They are both spoken by Hung-niang, the loyal and witty maidservant of the heroine Ts’ui Ying-ying, who assists her mistress in consummating an affair with her lover Chang Chün-jui. The second clause is also quoted in Huai-hsiang chi, scene 15, p. 41, l. 9; and Hai-ling i-shih, p. 96, l. 9.
18. This four-character expression occurs in a quatrain by the Buddhist monk I-ch’ing (1032–83), Ch’üan Sung shih, 12:8203, l. 9; and an anonymous song in the anthology Tz’u-lin chai-yen (Select flowers from the forest of song), comp. Chang Lu, pref. dated 1525, 2 vols., fac. repr. (Peking: Wen-hsüeh ku-chi k’an-hsing she, 1955), vol. 1, p. 60, l. 2.
19. This four-character expression occurs in Hai-fu shan-t’ang tz’u-kao, chüan 2b, p. 135, l. 7; and the ch’uan-ch’i drama Chin-chien chi (The brocade note), by Chou Lü-ching (1549–1640), Liu-shih chung ch’ü ed., scene 10, p. 29, l. 12.
20. This line occurs in a lyric by Yen Chi-tao (c. 1031–c. 1106), Ch’üan Sung tz’u, 1:223, upper register, l. 9. This lyric has also been attributed to Chao Ling-chih (1051–1134), ibid., 1:498, upper register, ll. 4–7.
21. This five-character expression occurs in a song suite by Kuan Yün-shih (1286–1324), Ch’üan Yüan san-ch’ü, 1:376, l. 1.
22. This five-character expression occurs ubiquitously in Chinese literature. See, e.g., a lyric by Chu Shu-chen (fl. 1078–1138), Ch’üan Sung tz’u, 2:1405, upper register, ll. 8–9; a lyric by Liu Kuo (1154–1206), ibid., 3:2152, upper register, l. 2; the early hsi-wen drama Hsiao Sun-t’u (Little Butcher Sun), in Yung-lo ta-tien hsi-wen san-chung chiao-chu (An annotated recension of the three hsi-wen preserved in the Yung-lo ta-tien), ed. and annot. Ch’ien Nan-yang (Peking: Chung-hua shu-chü, 1979), scene 7, p. 278, l. 5; [Chi-p’ing chiao-chu] Hsi-hsiang chi, play no. 2, scene 1, p. 49, l. 2; Yüan-ch’ü hsüan, 3:1222, l. 9; Yüan-ch’ü hsüan wai-pien, 1:205, l. 3; a lyric by Yang Chi (1326–78), Ch’üan Ming tz’u, 1:115, lower register, l. 10; the Yüan-Ming ch’uan-ch’i drama Yu-kuei chi (Tale of the secluded chambers), Liu-shih chung ch’ü ed., scene 26, p. 83, ll. 9–10; the tsa-chü drama Chin-t’ung Yü-nü Chiao Hung chi (The Golden Lad and the Jade Maiden: The story of Chiao-niang and Fei-hung), attributed to Liu Tui (fl. early 15th century), in Ming-jen tsa-chü hsüan (An anthology of Ming tsa-chü drama), comp. Chou I-pai (Peking: Jen-min wen-hsüeh ch’u-pan she, 1958), p. 55, l. 1; a set of songs by Ch’en To (fl. early 16th century), Ch’üan Ming san-ch’ü, 1:475, l. 3; a song by Wang Ch’ung (1494–1533), ibid., 2:1566, l. 10; a song suite written in 1561 by Liang Ch’en-yü (1519–91), ibid., 2:2218, l. 13; the ch’uan-ch’i drama Huan-sha chi (The girl washing silk), by Liang Ch’en-yü (1519–91), Liu-shih chung ch’ü ed., scene 23, p. 80, l. 5; and an abundance of other occurrences, too numerous to list. This song is derived from one in the lost tsa-chü drama Chu-ch’uang yü (Rain on the bamboo window), by Shih Tzu-chang (13th century). See Yüan-jen tsa-chü kou-ch’en (Rescued fragments from tsa-chü drama by Yüan authors), comp. Chao Ching-shen (Shanghai: Shang-hai ku-tien wen-hsüeh ch’u-pan she, 1956), p. 46, ll. 6–7. Versions of it are preserved in Tz’u-lin chai-yen, vol. 1, p. 543, ll. 4–6; and Yung-hsi yüeh-fu, ts’e 19, p. 20b, ll. 5–7. The version in the novel is closest to that in Yung-hsi yüeh-fu.
23. A version of this lyric, with considerable textual variation, has already occurred in the novel. See the Chin P’ing Mei tz’u-hua, vol. 1, ch. 20, p. 3b, ll. 7–9; and Roy, The Plum in the Golden Vase, vol. 1, chap. 20, p. 406, ll. 23–38, and n. 13.
24. This four-character expression occurs in Ch’un-wu chi, scene 21, p. 58, ll. 1–2.
25. Versions of this anonymous song, with some textual variation, are preserved in the Ming anthology Yüeh-fu ch’ün-chu (A string of lyric pearls), modern ed. ed. Lu Ch’ien (Shanghai: Shang-wu yin-shu kuan, 1957), chüan 1, p. 68, l. 9; and Yung-hsi yüeh-fu, ts’e 20, p. 40a, ll. 9–10.
26. See Roy, The Plum in the Golden Vase, vol. 1, chap. 13, n. 23.
27. This four-character expression occurs in the scurrilous mid-sixteenth-century novelette Ju-i chün chuan (The tale of Lord As You Like It), Japanese movable type edition, colophon dated 1880, p. 17b, ll. 9–10; and Hai-ling i-shih, p. 54, l. 12.
28. This four-character expression occurs in a memorial submitted in 1071 by Ssu-ma Kuang (1019–86), Ssu-ma Kuang tsou-i (The memorials of Ssu-ma Kuang), ed. Wang Ken-lin (T’ai-yüan: Shan-hsi Jen-min ch’u-pan she, 1986), chüan 28, p. 309, l. 9; San-kuo chih p’ing-hua (The p’ing-hua on the history of the Three Kingdoms), originally published in 1321–23 (Shanghai: Ku-tien wen-hsüeh ch’u-pan she, 1955), p. 139, l. 3; San-kuo chih t’ung-su yen-i, chüan 2, p. 91, l. 18; [Hsiao-shih] Chen-k’ung sao-hsin pao-chüan ([Clearly presented] Precious volume on [the Patriarch] Chen-k’ung’s [instructions for] sweeping clear the mind), published in 1584, in Pao-chüan ch’u-chi (Precious volumes, first collection), comp. Chang Hsi-shun et al., 40 vols. (T’ai-yüan: Shan-hsi jen-min ch’u-pan she, 1994), 19:19, l. 1; and the Ming ch’uan-ch’i drama T’ou-pi chi (Throwing down the brush), in Ku-pen hsi-ch’ü ts’ung-k’an, ch’u-chi, item 38, chüan 1, scene 4, p. 11a, l. 9.
29. This four-character expression occurs in [Chi-p’ing chiao-chu] Hsi-hsiang chi, play no. 3, scene 1, p. 101, l. 7; and Yüan-ch’ü hsüan, 3:1154, l. 13.
30. For this allusion, see Roy, The Plum in the Golden Vase, vol. 1, chap. 20, n. 42.
31. A very similar set piece of descriptive parallel prose has already appeared in the Chin P’ing Mei tz’u-hua, vol. 1, ch. 12, p. 6b, ll. 2–7, where it is used to depict P’an Chin-lien’s illicit affair with Ch’in-t’ung. For the relevant sources, see Roy, The Plum in the Golden Vase, vol. 1, chap. 12, n. 20.
32. The first line of this couplet occurs in
dependently in a song suite by Chou Wen-chih (d. 1334), Ch’üan Yüan san-ch’ü, 1:562, l. 10. The two lines occur together, with insignificant variants in the second line, in I-k’u kuei lai tao-jen ch’u-kuai, p. 190, l. 14; the early vernacular story Cheng Chieh-shih li-kung shen-pi kung (Commissioner Cheng wins merit with his magic bow), in Hsing-shih heng-yen, vol. 2, chüan 31, p. 666, l. 11; and K’ung Shu-fang shuang-yü shan-chui chuan, p. 65, l. 2. The couplet as given here also recurs verbatim in the Chin P’ing Mei tz’u-hua, vol. 5, ch. 86, p. 2b, l. 6.
33. Orthographic variants of this four-character expression occur in I-chien chih (Records of I-chien), comp. Hung Mai (1123–1202), 4 vols. (Peking: Chung-hua shu-chü, 1981), vol. 3, san-chih, chi (third record, section six), chüan 4, p. 1333, l. 7; Hsi-yu chi, vol. 2, ch. 70, p. 757, l. 9; the anonymous Ming ch’uan-ch’i drama Ts’ao-lu chi (The story of the thatched hut), in Ku-pen hsi-ch’ü ts’ung-k’an, ch’u-chi, item 26, chüan 1, scene 9, p. 13b, l. 8; Ts’an-T’ang Wu-tai shih yen-i chuan, ch. 40, p. 163, l. 6; and San-pao t’ai-chien Hsi-yang chi t’ung-su yen-i, vol. 1, ch. 24, p. 319, l. 9. It occurs in the same form as in the novel in Yü-huan chi, scene 21, p. 80, l. 11; and Yen-chih chi, chüan 2, scene 31, p. 17a, l. 11. It also recurs in the Chin P’ing Mei tz’u-hua, vol. 5, ch. 91, p. 2b, l. 8.
34. This song is by Tseng Jui (c. 1260–c. 1330), Ch’üan Yüan san-ch’ü, 1:483, ll. 14–15. Versions of it are preserved in Yüeh-fu ch’ün-chu, chüan 4, p. 213, ll. 4–5; and Yung-hsi yüeh-fu, ts’e 18, p. 30b, ll. 5–7. The version in the novel is closest to that in Yung-hsi yüeh-fu.
35. This proverbial couplet occurs in the thirteenth-century hsi-wen drama Chang Hsieh chuang-yüan (Top graduate Chang Hsieh), in Yung-lo ta-tien hsi-wen san-chung chiao-chu, scene 5, p. 33, l. 2; Sha-kou chi, scene 23, p. 88, ll. 5–6; Ming-hsin pao-chien, chüan 2, p. 2b, ll. 5–6; P’i-p’a chi (The lute), by Kao Ming (d. 1359), ed. Ch’ien Nan-yang (Peking: Chung-hua shu-chü, 1961), scene 10, p. 71, l. 2; the anonymous early Ming ch’uan-ch’i drama P’o-yao chi (The dilapidated kiln), in Ku-pen hsi-ch’ü ts’ung-k’an, ch’u-chi, item 19, chüan 1, scene 14, p. 41b, l. 10; Huai-hsiang chi, scene 28, p. 93, l. 10; and the ch’uan-ch’i drama Kuan-yüan chi (The story of the gardener), by Chang Feng-i (1527–1613), Liu-shih chung ch’ü ed., scene 26, p. 54, l. 5. The first line of the couplet occurs independently in Ta-Sung chung-hsing yen-i (The romance of the restoration of the great Sung dynasty), by Hsiung Ta-mu (mid-16th century), 8 chüan (Chien-yang: Ch’ing-pai t’ang, 1552), fac. repr. in Ku-pen hsiao-shuo ts’ung-k’an, ti san-shih ch’i chi (Collectanea of rare editions of traditional fiction, thirty-seventh series) (Peking: Chung-hua shu-chü, 1991), vol. 2, chüan 8, p. 18a, l. 11; and the ch’uan-ch’i drama Shih-i chi (The story of ten righteous persons), in Ku-pen hsi-ch’ü ts’ung-k’an, ch’u-chi, item 42, chüan 1, scene 4, p. 6b, l. 6. The same couplet, with a variant in the first line, also recurs in the Chin P’ing Mei tz’u-hua, vol. 5, ch. 85, p. 6b, ll. 3–4.
The Plum in the Golden Vase or, Chin P'ing Mei Page 63
