Original Text
Wang Zixun said: When he was in the capital, he once saw a man performing acrobatics on the street. The man carried a wooden box divided into twelve compartments, each containing a crouching frog. He tapped the frogs' heads with a thin stick, and the frogs would croak incessantly. If someone gave him money, he would strike the frogs' heads randomly, like playing a set of cloud gongs, and the melodies and musical tones could be heard distinctly.
Commentary
Wang Guowei believed that in poetry, "the realm may be grand or small, but this does not determine superiority or inferiority." He said: "'In fine rain, fish leap forth; in gentle breeze, swallows slant'—how is it necessarily inferior to 'The setting sun shines on the great banner; horses neigh, the wind howls'? 'The precious curtain idly hangs on a small silver hook'—how is it necessarily inferior to 'Fog obscures the tower and terrace; the moon confuses the ferry crossing'?" In truth, the same applies to fiction: length of narrative or scope of subject does not decide quality. This tale, set in the capital, uses the croaking of frogs as a jest—concise, vivid, and exquisite. Especially the comparison of the frogs' calls to "striking a cloud gong" is not only apt and fitting but also reveals Pu Songling's profound musical cultivation.