The Adaptation and Dissemination of The Romance of the Western Chamber in Prologues to Suzhou-dialect Tanci Storytelling: A Focus on “Cui Yingying Prays to the Moon”

Modern Media Studies

MMS, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2026, pp.99-108.

Print ISSN: 3078-3151; Online ISSN: 3104-5049

Journal homepage: https://www.mmsjournal.com

DOI: Https://doi.org/10.64058/mms260109adrwc

《西厢记》在弹词开篇中的改编与传播

——以“莺莺拜月”开篇为中心

李城铭（Li Chengming）

摘要：莺莺拜月、烧香初见于董解元《西厢记诸宫调》，王实甫《西厢记》在虚化“拜月”的同时拓展了“烧香”的书写，使其成为推动张生与莺莺情感发展的重要情节。在弹词开篇的改编中，《莺莺拜月》是《西厢记》题材里被改编频次最高、收录次数最多的篇目。20世纪三四十年代该题材作品共存8首，并呈现出“同题多作、双峰并峙”的传播格局。8首“莺莺拜月”开篇形成于晚清、民国两个时期，为不同作家所作。“莺莺拜月”之月较《西厢记》里描写的月亮更加复杂，且具有明显的民俗化、抒情化倾向。“莺莺拜月”开篇之所以广为流传，与名家的改编演唱、开篇的吉祥寓意和广播电台的盛行密不可分。当下“蒋调”“徐调”“薛调”等《莺莺拜月》仍是弹词开篇的代表作，其发展历程体现了弹词和《西厢记》的生命力。

关键词：《西厢记》；弹词开篇；莺莺拜月

作者简介：李城铭，江苏师范大学文学院硕士研究生，研究方向：戏曲与曲艺。电邮：lichengming2001@163.com。

Title: The Adaptation and Dissemination of The Romance of the Western Chamber in Prologues to Suzhou-dialect Tanci Storytelling: A Focus on “Cui Yingying Prays to the Moon”

Abstract: The episodes of Cui Yingying praying to the moon and burning incense first appeared in Dong Jieyuan’s The Romance of the Western Chamber in Zhugongdiao-Style Songs. While toning down the ritual connotations of moon worship, Wang Shifu’s The Romance of the Western Chamber amplifies the depiction of incense burning, turning it into a crucial episode that fosters the emotional bond between Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying.Among adapted prologues to Suzhou-dialect Tanci storytelling, “Cui Yingying Prays to the Moon” stands as the piece based on The Romance of the Western Chamber with the highest frequency of adaptation and the largest number of anthologized versions. Eight extant texts centered on this episode date from the 1930s to the 1940s, revealing a dissemination pattern of “multiple texts for one core theme, with two dominant versions”.These eight prologues revolving around “Cui Yingying Prays to the Moon” were composed by various writers active in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. The moon imagery embedded in these prologue texts carries richer, more layered connotations than that in The Romance of the Western Chamber and shows distinct folk and lyrical tendencies.The wide circulation of the Suzhou-dialect Tanci storytelling prologue “Cui Yingying Prays to the Moon” can be attributed to revisions and vocal renditions by renowned performers, the text’s auspicious implications, and the rise of early radio broadcasting. To this day, different versions of “Cui Yingying Prays to the Moon”, performed in distinct Tanci melodic styles including the Jiang Tune, the Xu Tune, and the Xue Tune, serve as iconic pieces among prologues to Suzhou-dialect Tanci storytelling.The evolution of “Cui Yingying Prays to the Moon” embodies the enduring vitality of tanci and The Romance of the Western Chamber.

Keywords: The Romance of the Western Chamber; Cui Yingying Prays to the Moon; Prologues to Suzhou-dialect Tanci Storytelling

Author Biography: Li Chengming, Master’s student, School of Chinese Language and Literature, Jiangsu Normal University, Research Interests: Chinese Opera and Quyi. E-mail: lichengming2001@163.com.