宋定伯宋定伯故事主人公，南阳人。年少时胆大机智，夜行遇鬼非但不惧，反而巧妙周旋，最终将鬼变卖获利。，南阳南阳古郡名，位于今河南省南部。南阳自古人才辈出，是东汉光武帝刘秀的故乡，有"帝乡"之称。人。年少时夜行逢鬼鬼人死后的灵魂。中国传统文化中的鬼与西方不同，通常可以与人交流，甚至有弱点可以被利用。，问之，鬼亦自称鬼。定伯诳之，言己亦鬼，遂同行。
途中定伯套问鬼所惧，鬼言唯不喜人唾。至市，定伯唾之，鬼化为羊羊此处指鬼被唾后化为羊形。定伯随即卖之，得钱千五百。故事结尾意味深长：人不怕鬼，鬼反怕人。，遂卖之。得钱千五百，时人传为笑谈。
Song Dingbo宋定伯 Song DingboThe protagonist, from Nanyang. As a young man, he was bold and resourceful — encountering a ghost at night, he not only refused to fear it but cleverly outwitted it and sold it for profit. of Nanyang南阳 NányángAn ancient commandery in present-day southern Henan. Nanyang has produced many notable figures since antiquity; it was the birthplace of Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han. was walking at night when he met a ghost鬼 guǐThe spirit of a deceased person. In Chinese tradition, ghosts differ from Western notions — they can converse with the living and even have exploitable weaknesses.. He asked who it was; the ghost admitted it was a ghost. Dingbo lied and said he too was a ghost, and they walked on together.
Along the way, Dingbo coaxed out the ghost's fear — it confessed it dreaded being spat upon. At the market, Dingbo spat on it; the ghost transformed into a sheep羊 yángThe ghost, once spat upon, takes the form of a sheep. Dingbo promptly sells it for 1,500 coins. The ending is richly ironic: the man fears not the ghost — the ghost fears the man., which he sold for fifteen hundred coins. It became a laughingstock among the people.
南阳南阳今河南南阳一带，东晋时为重要郡城。宋定伯年少时，夜行逢鬼。问曰：「谁？」鬼曰：「鬼也。」鬼问：「卿复谁？」定伯诳诳欺骗、说谎。定伯毫不犹豫地撒谎，显示其机敏过人。之，言：「我亦鬼。」
鬼问：「欲至何所？」答曰：「欲至宛市宛市宛城的集市。宛为南阳郡治所所在地，即今河南南阳市区。。」鬼言：「我亦欲至宛市。」遂行。
When Song Dingbo宋定伯 Sòng Dìng BóHere the story begins with a simple night encounter — no elaborate setting, just a youth walking alone who bumps into a ghost. of Nanyang南阳 Nán YángIn the Eastern Jin period, Nanyang was a significant regional center in present-day Henan. was young, he was walking one night when he met a ghost. He asked: "Who goes there?" The ghost replied: "A ghost." The ghost asked: "And who are you?" Dingbo lied诳 kuángTo deceive, to lie. Dingbo's instant lie shows his quick wit and presence of mind., saying: "I am a ghost too."
The ghost asked: "Where are you headed?" He answered: "To Wan Market宛市 Wǎn ShìThe marketplace of Wancheng, the administrative seat of Nanyang commandery — present-day Nanyang city in Henan.." The ghost said: "I too am going to Wan Market." And so they walked together.
行数里，鬼言：「步行太迟，可共递相担递相担轮流背负对方。鬼提议交替背人行走以加快速度，这是故事中人鬼互动的有趣细节。也。」定伯曰：「大善。」鬼便先担定伯数里。鬼言：「卿太重，将非鬼也？」定伯言：「我新鬼，故身重耳。」
定伯因复担鬼，鬼略无重。如是再三。定伯复言：「我新死，不知鬼悉何所畏忌畏忌害怕和顾忌。定伯此问极为巧妙——装作不懂鬼道的新鬼，实则套取鬼的弱点。？」鬼答言：「唯不喜人唾。」
After several li里 lǐA Chinese unit of distance, about 500 meters., the ghost said: "Walking is too slow. Let us carry each other in turns递相担 dì xiāng dānTo take turns carrying each other. The ghost's suggestion to alternate carrying is a humorous detail of their interaction.." Dingbo said: "Excellent." The ghost carried Dingbo first for several li. Then it said: "You are too heavy — are you not a ghost?" Dingbo replied: "I am a new ghost, that is why my body is heavy."
Then Dingbo carried the ghost, which weighed almost nothing. This happened several times. Dingbo said again: "I have just died — I do not know what ghosts fear and avoid畏忌 wèi jìTo fear and avoid. Dingbo's question is brilliantly calculated — pretending to be an ignorant new ghost, he coaxes out the ghost's vulnerability.?" The ghost answered: "We only dislike being spat upon by humans."
于是共行。道遇水，定伯令鬼先渡，听之了无声。定伯自渡，漕漼漕漼形容涉水发出的声音。定伯渡水有声而鬼无声，这一细节暴露了定伯是人而非鬼。作声。鬼言：「何以有声？」定伯曰：「新死不习渡水耳，勿怪。」
行欲至宛市，定伯便担鬼著肩上，急持之。鬼大呼，声咋咋然，索下。不复听之，径至宛市中。下著地，化为羊羊鬼被唾后失去变形能力，只能化为羊形任人宰割。。便卖之。恐其变化，唾之。得钱千五百，乃去。
They walked on together. Coming to a river, Dingbo told the ghost to cross first; he listened but heard nothing. When Dingbo crossed himself, the water splashed audibly漕漼 cáo cuǐThe sound of splashing water. Dingbo's noisy crossing versus the ghost's silent one reveals that Dingbo is human.. The ghost asked: "Why is there sound?" Dingbo said: "I am newly dead and not yet used to crossing water. Do not blame me."
As they neared Wan Market, Dingbo hoisted the ghost onto his shoulder and gripped it tight. The ghost shrieked loudly, demanding to be put down. Dingbo paid no heed and marched straight to the market. Setting it on the ground, it turned into a sheep羊 yángHaving been spat upon, the ghost lost its power to shift forms and could only become a helpless sheep.. He sold it at once. Fearing it might change back, he spat on it again. He received fifteen hundred coins and departed.
文学价值
《宋定伯捉鬼》是《搜神记》中最脍炙人口的短篇之一。全文不过数百字，却完整讲述了一个"人胜鬼"的故事，结构紧凑，语言简练。干宝以极其平实的笔法，刻画了一个胆大心细的少年形象：面对超自然力量，他不恐惧、不逃跑，反而主动周旋、套取情报、最终获利。
此篇的文学意义在于：它是中国文学中极少数"人完全战胜鬼"的叙事之一。不同于多数志怪故事中鬼的强大与人的渺小，这里反转了力量关系——鬼反成了被人戏弄的对象。这种叙事策略，反映了古代中国人"人定胜天"的朴素信念。
比较研究
与后世《聊斋志异》中人鬼关系的复杂性不同，此篇的人鬼关系极其简单直接：鬼即是对手，人即是赢家。没有暧昧、没有同情、没有浪漫化，只有赤裸裸的智斗与利益计算。这反映了早期志怪文学的质朴特征——故事的目的不是探索人性的幽微，而是满足"人不怕鬼"的民间愿望。
Literary Merit
"Song Dingbo Catches a Ghost" is one of the most beloved short tales in In Search of the Supernatural. In just a few hundred characters, it tells a complete "man defeats ghost" story — tightly structured, economically written. Gan Bao uses a remarkably plain style to portray a bold and quick-witted youth: facing supernatural power, he feels no fear, does not flee, but instead engages the ghost in conversation, extracts intelligence, and ultimately profits.
The literary significance lies in its rarity: this is one of the few early Chinese tales where a human completely vanquishes a ghost. Unlike most zhiguai stories where ghosts are powerful and humans are helpless, this tale reverses the power dynamic — the ghost becomes the object of human manipulation. This narrative strategy reflects the ancient Chinese folk belief that human wit can overcome supernatural forces.
Comparative Study
Compared to the nuanced human-ghost relationships in later works like Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, this tale is strikingly simple: the ghost is an adversary, the human is the victor. No ambiguity, no sympathy, no romanticization — only a bare contest of wits and cold calculation. This reflects the unadorned character of early zhiguai literature, where the purpose is not to explore the subtleties of human nature but to satisfy the folk desire for "man who fears no ghost."
东晋干宝所著志怪小说集，共二十卷，是中国最早的志怪小说专集之一。干宝字令升，新蔡人，官至散骑常侍。因家中发生数起灵异事件，遂"撰集古今神祇灵异人物变化"，成此书。《搜神记》保存了大量上古至晋代的民间传说、神话故事，是中国古代小说发展史上的重要里程碑。
A collection of supernatural tales compiled by Gan Bao of the Eastern Jin dynasty (c. 350 CE), in twenty volumes — one of China's earliest dedicated collections of zhiguai (tales of the strange). Gan Bao, styled Lingcheng from Xincai, served as Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary. After several paranormal incidents in his household, he resolved to "compile all records of spirits, marvels, and transformations from ancient to modern times." The work preserves numerous folk legends and myths from high antiquity through the Jin period, marking a milestone in the development of Chinese fiction.
中国古代民间信仰中，唾液被认为具有驱邪的神力。"唾鬼"习俗源于远古巫术观念，认为人的唾液蕴含阳气，可以克制鬼魅的阴气。这一信仰延续数千年，在各地民间传说中反复出现。《宋定伯捉鬼》是这一信仰在文学中的经典体现——人只需一口唾液，便可令鬼失去变形之力。
In ancient Chinese folk belief, human saliva was thought to possess apotropaic power against ghosts and evil spirits. The practice of "spitting on ghosts" derives from archaic shamanic notions that saliva contains vital yang energy capable of suppressing the yin energy of the dead. This belief persisted for millennia and recurs throughout Chinese folk literature. "Song Dingbo Catches a Ghost" is the classic literary embodiment of this tradition — a single spit robs the ghost of its power to shapeshift.