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Jin Shengtan Wikipedia

Jin Shengtan (金聖歎, pinyin: Jīn Sh?ngt?n) (1608-1661) was a China|Chinese editor, writer and critic, who has been called the champion of the bai hua (vernacular) Chinese literature. He was considered an eccentric and fixed what he called the Six Works of Genius : the Li Sao, the Shiji of Sima Qian, Du Fu's poems, Record of the West Room and Water Margin, where highly classical works, like Li Sao and Du Fu's, are mixed with novels in vernacular Chinese that were, at this time, considered by his peers as "entertainement."

From 1940s to 1970s in Mainland China, Jin was regarded as a person who did not appreciate the peasant revolutions in the books he edited.

Birth Chinese family name|family name: Zhang (張 Zhāng)

Birth given name: Cai (采 Cǎi)

Changed Chinese family name|family name: Jin (金 Jīn)

Changed given name: Kui (喟 Ku?)

Zi (字): Shengtan (聖歎 Sh?ngt?n)

Jin edited, commented on, and added introductions and interlinear notes to the popular novels: Shui hu zhuan (《水滸傳》 Water Margin), San guo yanyi (《三國演義》 Romance of the Three Kingdoms), and Xi xiang ji (《西廂記》 Record of the West Room).

Falsely accused, Jin Shengtan was guillotined at the age of 54 with 18 of his friends. This incident is called "Weeping for the Temples" (哭廟案). His last words were:

"Beheading, an excruciating thing; drinking, an exhilarating thing. To drink before to be beheaded, very excruciatingly exhilarating. Very."

「割頭，痛事也；飲酒，快事也。割頭而先飲酒，痛快痛快。」

<small>Note: to be "painfully happy" in Chinese language|Chinese does not have any pain-related connotation, it merely means "happy without restraint".</small>

It is said that before his death, he asked a letter to be sent home. The official was, however, suspicious of Jin defaming him or the royalty, so he opened it after the Jin was guillotined, discovering two sentences:

"If you eat salty vegetable with yellow beans (soybeans), somehow it tastes eerily like walnut. If this recipe is spread around, I have died without any regret."

「鹽菜與黃豆同吃，大有胡桃滋味。此法一傳，我無遺憾矣。」

Category:1608 births|Jin Shengtan
Category:1661 deaths|Jin Shengtan
Category:Chinese writers

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zh:金聖嘆

Last Modified:   2005-04-13