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Overview
A tiger eats the only son of an elderly woman, who presses the magistrate to issue a warrant despite his first dismissal. The attendant Li Neng drunkenly volunteers, is made to search and is punished for failing. Praying at the Cheng-huang temple, he meets a tiger that lets him bind its neck and lead it to court.
The tiger answers questions by nodding. Rather than execute it, the magistrate offers pardon if it becomes a son to the mother and supports her old age. She objects at first, but next morning finds a deer whose flesh and skin she sells; further game, money and valuables make her prosperous.
The tiger sleeps peacefully on her veranda and harms neither people nor animals during its visits. When she dies it roars in grief at her grave without attacking the fleeing mourners. The narration closes by saying local people built a shrine to the Faithful Tiger that still stood in the narrator's time.
Origins & earliest records
Literary narrative by Pu Songling, attested here in the 1880 Giles translation. This is neither an origin date nor proof of an oral source.
Records & interpretation
Giles, Volume I, story XXX, The Tiger of Chao-ch'eng, pp. 219–223.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio
Selected bibliography; public-domain English translation by Giles.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary text, public-domain translationStrange Stories from a Chinese Studio, volumes I and II (plain text)Research access: 2026-10-06
- Catalogue recordStrange Stories from a Chinese Studio, Project Gutenberg catalogue recordResearch access: 2026-10-06
Image credits
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