张生入海

Zhang Sheng lived by the South Sea, making his living as a fisherman. One day while fishing, a great wind大风 dà fēngA storm or tempest. In zhiguai narratives, storms often serve as portals to other realms — carrying people from the real world into supernatural spaces. arose and blew his boat for three days and nights, arriving at a wondrous place.

The water was so clear he could see the bottom, where a palace of golden splendor stood. An emissary emerged to greet him: "The Dragon King knows of your arrival — please enter the palace for a word." Zhang followed him beneath the water, finding himself perfectly dry. Entering the gates, he beheld towering halls with coral pillars and giant clam砗磲 chē qúA massive marine mollusk with shells white as jade, often used as building material or decoration. In Buddhist and Chinese tradition, giant clam is counted among the Seven Treasures. steps.

The Dragon King sat in majesty端坐 duān zuòSeated with dignity. The Dragon King sits upon his throne with a dragon's head and human body, robed as a sovereign, commanding awe. upon his throne — dragon-headed, human-bodied, robed in royal garments. Seeing Zhang Sheng arrive, he descended the steps to welcome him: "You have a karmic connection — that is why I have invited you here." A great feast was prepared.

The feast offered a hundred delicacies found nowhere in the mortal world. Merfolk鲛人 jiāo rénLegendary merfolk of the South Sea. They are skilled weavers of silk, and when they weep, their tears become pearls. performed dances, and luminous pearls lit the hall. When the feast ended, the Dragon King said: "Whatever you desire, speak it."

Zhang Sheng dared not ask for much — a single pearl珠 zhūA pearl or precious orb. Zhang's modest request for a single pearl reveals his prudence and lack of greed — perhaps precisely why the Dragon King chose to reward him. would suffice. The Dragon King smiled and bestowed it, then sent an escort to bring him home. In an instant, he was at his own door.

Zhang Sheng grew rich from the pearl, and his neighbors marveled. Later, he sailed again seeking the old path, searching through every misty expanse烟波 yān bōMist-covered waters. Here it describes the vast, hazy sea across which Zhang Sheng can never again find the path to the Dragon Palace. — but it was never found. He never saw the Dragon Palace again in all his life.

Literary Merit

"Zhang Sheng Enters the Sea" is a classic representative of the "Dragon Palace" motif. Dragon Palace narratives run deep in Chinese literature — from The Story of Liu Yi to the Dragon Palace treasure-borrowing in Journey to the West, the Dragon Palace has always been the most imaginative space between the mortal world and the supernatural. This tale's distinction lies in its simplicity and restraint: Zhang Sheng is not greedy, the Dragon King is not stingy, and all is accomplished in harmony.

The "could never be found again" ending is in the same tradition as Peach Blossom Spring and The Kingdom of Rats — other realms open their doors only once to the fortunate. This is both a narrative strategy (giving the story a perfect closing) and a philosophical statement: karmic opportunity cannot be forced — to find it is fortune; to lose it is fate.

Comparative Study

Strikingly similar to the Japanese tale of "Urashima Tarō" — both involve entering the sea, visiting a supernatural realm, receiving treasures, and being unable to return. But Zhang's tale lacks the "opening the box and aging" punishment element; it is more a pure lament of "gained and then lost." This gentle narrative tone reflects Chinese zhiguai literature's tolerant attitude toward the relationship between humans and the supernatural.