Engaged to a Nun by Pu Songling
Calling himself P‘an, Chên Yü becomes engaged to the Taoist nun Yün-ch‘i, who asks him to bring silver to secure her freedom and promises to wait three years. His father's death delays his return, and subsequent searches fail to locate her. His mother later brings home Miss Wang as a prospective bride; she proves to be Yün-ch‘i, and after their assumed names are explained, a wedding date is fixed.
By Pu Songling · Genre: Short Story, Romance · 2,969 words
First lines
At I-ling, in Hupei, there lived a young man named Chên Yü, the son of a graduate. He was a good scholar and a handsome fellow, and had made a reputation for himself even before he arrived at manhood. When quite a boy, a physiognomist had predicted that he would marry a Taoist nun; but his parents regarded it only as a joke, and made several attempts to get him a different kind of wife. Their efforts, however, had not hitherto proved successful, the difficulty being to find a suitable match.
Genres
- Short Story — A compact prose narrative follows Chên's engagement, unsuccessful searches and reunion with Yün-ch‘i.
- Romance — A promise of marriage survives separation and maternal opposition until the lovers recognize each other and a wedding date is set.
Tags
betrothal · Taoist nuns · assumed names · matchmaking · separated lovers · parental opposition
What this Textopian page supports
Engaged to a Nun is listed on Textopian as a short story by Pu Songling, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Pu Songling
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Short Story, Romance
- Length: 2,969 words
- Structure: 1 section, 8 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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- Work identity for Engaged to a Nun by Pu Songling
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