The Young Gentleman who couldn't Spell
Wên-chi secretly visits a seventeen-year-old examination candidate, who accepts her as his wife after learning she is a spirit. She accompanies him to his parents' home, where he refuses their demands to give her up. When she discovers errors in his written instructions, she reproaches his lack of learning and disappears; he fails to understand her complaint and becomes a laughing-stock.
By Pu Songling · Genre: Short Story, Ghost Story · 1,109 words
First lines
Note on the title: Of course there is no such thing as spelling, in our sense of the term, in Chinese. But characters are frequently written with too many or too few strokes, and may thus be said to be incorrectly spelt.
Genres
- Short Story — A brief prose narrative follows a secret courtship through the revelation of Wên-chi's death to her departure over her husband's writing errors.
- Ghost Story — Wên-chi confirms that she is a disembodied spirit and accompanies her husband while remaining invisible to others.
Tags
ghost bride · courtship · literacy · spelling errors · family opposition
What this Textopian page supports
The Young Gentleman who couldn't Spell 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, Ghost Story
- Length: 1,109 words
- Structure: 1 section, 10 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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