This entry explains idiom “Wang yang xing tan” originating from Zhuangzi ‑ Autumn Floods. Originally for humbling self‑awareness, it now means feeling helpless or inadequate facing overwhelming, unattainable things.
Strange Tales from Liaozhai Studio features numerous tales of scholars and imperial examinations. Though plots vary, they consistently orbit the core theme of “scholars’ fraught destinies under the examination system,” refracting the psychological and existential crises of ancient literati beneath its crushing weight.