Author of The Scholars, founder of the satirical novel
A Qing-dynasty novelist who, with The Scholars, opened the way for the classical Chinese satirical novel. He observes with a cold eye the antics of scholars under the examination system: Fan Jin going mad with joy at passing the exam; the miser Yan refusing to die over two lamp-wicks left burning. Without raising his voice, he sets these figures out one by one and lets the absurdity reveal itself. No classical novel surpasses it in the depth of its dissection of fame and gain, or the coldness of its satire.
The poor scholar Fan Jin sat the exams most of his life; the moment he passes, he goes mad with joy on the spot. With this scene Wu Jingzi shows to the extreme how the examinations warped the human heart — a person’s whole fortune, joy and sorrow and dignity, hangs on a single posted list, and between passing and failing lies a whole self, its dignity and its madness.
Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.