Record of Places Outside the Tributaries

Now that they appear, the private feelings of the woman suddenly become as firm and resolute as cutting iron. I feel that this is the foremost masterpiece in the History of Emotions a genre of literary collections focused on romantic sentiment. As for his choice of words and phrasing, they are elegant and inspired. They are based on fact without being illusory, touching the heart without being licentious, intricate without being revealing, and heart-wrenching without being frivolous. [Authors from] Linchuan, Wanling, and Songling all yield their refinement, talent, and discipline [to this work], while [those such as] Fan Yufeng...

...their richness turning to simplicity, transcending technique itself. I deeply mourn the beginning of [the story of] Jiao and Hong, and I praise the end of it, clapping my hands in exclamation. At the Tomb of the Mandarin Ducks, I have found that Master Meng is eternal. I took up my brush and narrated it.

Written in the second month of spring in the Jimao year of the Chongzhen reign 1639, by your younger brother Wang Yehao.