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HSK 4 Chinese reading practice

聂小倩

niè xiǎo qiàn

Nie Xiaoqian

A scholar meets a ghost bound to a demon and chooses compassion over fear.

RECOMMENDEDHSK 4
READ7 min
HANZI149
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文化
CULTURE

A ghost with a human heart

Nie Xiaoqian comes from Pu Songling’s Liaozhai Zhiyi. Later adaptations often expand its themes of love, freedom, and the possibility that a supernatural being may act more humanely than people do.

Key vocabulary8 words from this story
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阅读理解 · COMPREHENSION

Check your understanding

Answer three questions without looking at the English translation.

01聂小倩为什么必须帮助妖怪害人？
02聂小倩为什么把妖怪的秘密告诉宁采臣？
03宁采臣打败妖怪以后，为小倩做了什么？
0 / 3questions answered
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Ghost story guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about Xiao Qian and 聂小倩

Who is Xiao Qian (Nie Xiaoqian)?

Xiao Qian is Nie Xiaoqian (聂小倩, Niè Xiǎoqiàn), the ghost at the center of a story from Pu Songling’s Liaozhai Zhiyi. She is controlled by a demon until the scholar Ning Caichen helps free her.

What is the story of Nie Xiaoqian about?

The story follows Ning Caichen, a principled scholar who meets the ghost Nie Xiaoqian in an abandoned temple. His kindness moves her to reveal the demon’s secret, allowing him and a swordsman to defeat it and give her a new life.

How do you pronounce 聂小倩?

聂小倩 is pronounced Niè Xiǎoqiàn. 小倩 (Xiǎoqiàn), often shortened to Xiao Qian in English searches, is her given name.