李慶辰《醉茶誌怪》狐精故事的敘述特色及意涵

The Narrative Features and Implication of Fox Spirit Stories in Lee Qing-Chen's "Zui Cha Zhi Guai"

10.6207/ART-VISION.202410_(28).049-059

李昭鴻(Lee, Chao-Hung)

李慶辰 ； 《醉茶誌怪》 ； 狐精 ； 天津 ； 文言小說 ； Lee Qing Chen ； Zui Cha Zhi Guai ； fox spirit ； Tianjin ； Classical Short Story

藝見學刊

28期（2024 / 10 / 01）

49 - 59

繁體中文;英文

《醉茶誌怪》乃清末天津文人李慶辰撰作的文言短篇小說集，今傳諸本皆題作四卷，凡346篇；是書所記雖係少見而怪異之事，且受到《聊齋誌異》和《閱微草堂筆記》不同程度的影響；還都以狐精故事居最大宗，共21篇，約占全書的6%。《醉茶誌怪》雖同時收錄情節簡單、篇幅短小和以傳奇筆法寫志怪等較長篇作品，又篇幅長短影響人物形象塑造及故事情節安排，卻使狐精情態可以更多元地呈現。尤其《醉茶誌怪》的狐精故事背景主要集中在河北、天津一帶，反映著清代中後期民間信仰狐精的實際狀況，對地方文獻的保存也有相當貢獻。特別是《醉茶誌怪》載錄狐精故事之際，或對時事議題有所呼應，而透過狐精之口或「醉茶子曰」來說明，藉此達到批判、諷喻或抒懷等目的。這是《醉茶誌怪》能在《聊齋誌異》和《閱微草堂筆記》以下，兼容二書之長的同時，還能特出於其他續書之優勢，亦應是其在成書後的十數年間廣受讀者青睞的最主要原因。

"Zui Cha Zhi Guai" is a collection of classical Chinese short stories written by Lee Qing-Chen, a literati from Tianjin during the late Qing dynasty. The extant versions are all divided into four volumes, comprising a total of 346 stories. Although the content records rare and bizarre occurrences, it is influenced to varying degrees by "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" and "Yuewei Cottage Notes". Fox spirit stories make up the largest category in the collection, with 21 entries, accounting for about 6% of the entire work. While "Zui Cha Zhi Guai" includes both short, simple stories and longer works written in a legendary style, the varying lengths of the stories affect character development and the arrangement of the plot, which allows for more diverse depictions of the fox spirits' personalities. Notably, the settings of these fox spirit stories are mainly concentrated in the Hebei and Tianjin regions, reflecting the actual beliefs in fox spirits among the common people in the mid-to-late Qing dynasty, contributing significantly to the preservation of local folklore. Moreover, in the recording of fox spirit tales, "Zui Cha Zhi Guai" often echoes contemporary social issues, using the voice of the fox spirits or the opinion of "Zui Cha Zhi" to comment, critique, or express personal sentiments. This ability to integrate the strengths of "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" and "Yuewei Cottage Notes", while standing out among other sequel works, is likely the main reason the book was widely appreciated by readers in the years following its publication.