Original Text
Instructor Zhan was a man of unrestrained character, possessing the demeanor of a renowned scholar. However, whenever he became drunk, he would cast aside all propriety. On returning home inebriated, he would gallop his horse along the steps before the county school's Confucian temple, where many ancient cypress trees stood. One day, he recklessly rode into the grove, striking his head against a tree and splitting it open. Muttering to himself, he said, "Zilu blames me for my lack of decorum and has broken my head!" That very midnight, he died. A man from the county, traveling on business to Zhan's hometown, lodged overnight in an old temple. In the dead of night, when all was quiet, he suddenly saw four or five men carrying wine enter the temple to drink, and among them was Instructor Zhan. After several rounds of wine, someone proposed a drinking game using character riddles. He said, "The character 'tian' is not wind-penetrating, with 'shi' in its center. Push 'shi' upward, and 'gu' wins a cup." Another said, "The character 'hui' is not wind-penetrating, with 'kou' in its center. Push 'kou' upward, and 'lv' wins a cup." Yet another said, "The character 'ling' is not wind-penetrating, with 'ling' in its center. Push 'ling' upward, and 'han' wins a cup." A fourth said, "The character 'kun' is not wind-penetrating, with 'mu' in its center. Push 'mu' upward, and 'xing' wins a cup." Finally, it was Zhan's turn. He pondered deeply for a long time but could not come up with an answer. The others laughed and said, "Since you cannot produce a riddle, you must be punished." They handed him a large cup of wine. Zhan said, "I have thought of one: The character 'yue' is not wind-penetrating, with 'yi' in its center." The others laughed again and asked, "What character does it become when pushed upward?" Zhan, after finishing the last sip of wine, said, "Push 'yi' upward, and it becomes 'yi kou yi da zhong'!" Everyone burst into laughter, and soon they departed. The man did not know that Zhan had already died; he assumed Zhan had been dismissed from office and returned to his hometown. When he returned to the county and inquired, he learned that Zhan had been dead for a long time, and only then did he realize that what he had seen were ghosts.
Commentary
Drinking games are a form of entertainment during feasts, varying in elegance and vulgarity across ancient and modern times. When literati gather for drinking, they often compete in wit and learning, reciting poetry, composing couplets, solving riddles, or playing with words. This tale recounts five amusing drinking games based on wordplay, likely all originating from Pu Songling's imagination. What is especially remarkable is that these games are not only novel and entertaining but also woven into a narrative, linked to the protagonist's character, "Master Zhan, who was free-spirited and bore the air of a true scholar," thereby showcasing Pu Songling's dual talents in playful wordcraft and storytelling.