6 h 1 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 6 h 1 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A fortune can turn, a charge can be false, and justice can depend on solving a puzzle.
In Slapping the Table in Amazement, Ling Mengchu brings together two collections of short tales about luck, cunning, money and judgment. Merchants, scholars, wives, officials, thieves and monks fill his world. Drawn from older tales and stories circulating in his time, these quick narratives place ordinary lives within reach of something strange and wonderful.
Both the first and second collections draw on the art of the street storyteller. Trade offers the chance to rise, but fortunes can fall just as quickly. Several stories turn on crimes, false charges or puzzles an official must solve. Through these sharp turns, Ling Mengchu gives you a lively view of Ming society, from its money to its courts.
What you’ll discover
- Fortune on the turn Follow merchants through a world where money and luck can change their prospects in a season.
- The search for justice Enter tales of false charges and crimes, where fair judgment is something to hope for.
- A storyteller's lively manner Enjoy quick tales shaped by the spoken rhythms of street and teahouse storytelling.
- Daily life in Ming China Meet scholars, wives, thieves and monks in stories alive with trade, money and cunning.
- Something strange and wonderful Discover the unexpected turns behind a title that invites listeners to strike the table in amazement.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy stories told aloud will love these tales of swindlers, clever judges, ghosts and brave women. Those curious about daily life in Ming China will find surprises and morals.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Fortune is settled by fate, not effort
- An unlucky merchant sells oranges for silver
- A matching face can fool a household
- Brave women prove strength needs no beard
- Marriages arrive by strange roads and exact dates
- A quiet plan can answer a cruel trick
- Immortals and magicians test an emperor
- Kindness comes back from unexpected hands
- Courts and ghosts bring hidden crimes to light
- A storyteller's voice guides every tale
Who’s who
- Wen RuoxuA talented but unlucky Suzhou merchant who joins a sea voyage with one tael and a basket of oranges, hoping only for some company and fun.
- Zhang DaThe seasoned overseas trader known as the Connoisseur, generous to decent people, who brings Wen aboard and later guides him through the Persian's shop.
- Yao DizhuA pampered sixteen-year-old bride who flees her harsh in-laws at dawn and wants only to reach her parents' house.
- Wang XiA ferry rogue nicknamed Maggot in the Snow, who lures runaway women to a hideout and sells them to rich men.
- Liu YuanpuAn old, childless official who shelters his dead friend's family and a ruined official's daughter, and hopes for an heir.
- Pei YuekeA young Tang scholar promised to Zhang Derong, racing by river toward a wedding date a fortune-teller has set long before.
- Scholar JiaA learned husband who guards his wife's good name and plans a quiet, careful answer to a scheming nun.
- Zhang GuoA Daoist who seems more than a thousand years old and laughs off every test the emperor devises.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
¡Asombro que hace golpear la mesa!
by Ling Mengchu · 1628
A struggling merchant sells a basket of oranges for silver and brings home something a Persian wants.
ChallengingOver 20 hours to readEspañol
Learn a language with challenging classicsEspañolFrancésAlemánItalianoJaponésPortuguésInglésHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
What would you do if the silver you saved for a lifetime got up and walked out of your bedroom? In the first tale of this book, an old merchant named Jin Weihou ties eight ingots with red thread.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Fortune is settled by fate, not effort
Ling Mengchu opens with a claim. Fame, rank and wealth are set by fate, he says, and a clever man can starve while a dull one prospers. If everything is fixed, why work at all? His answer is that fortune often shows up in the blink of an eye, and nobody can predict it.
To prove it, he tells of Jin Weihou, who saves every hundred taels as one silver ingot tied with red thread. In his whole life he makes exactly eight. That night he dreams of eight tall men in white. They say their time in his household is up, and they name a man called Wang in another village. Jin wakes, and the ingots are gone.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1628
- Language
- Español
- Reading time
- 3 h 55 min
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Ling, Mengchu. Slapping the Table in Amazement. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/slapping-the-table-in-amazement.
Ling, M. (2026). Slapping the table in amazement. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/slapping-the-table-in-amazement (Original work published 1628)
Ling, Mengchu. Slapping the Table in Amazement. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/slapping-the-table-in-amazement.
@book{ling2026slapping,
author = {Ling, Mengchu},
title = {Slapping the Table in Amazement},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/slapping-the-table-in-amazement},
note = {First published 1628}
}
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about ¡Asombro que hace golpear la mesa!
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Slapping the Table in Amazement about?
It is a collection of forty tales from Ming dynasty China about luck, greed, love and justice. Merchants, scholars, judges, ghosts, swordswomen and immortals appear, and each story ends with a surprise or a moral drawn by the storyteller.
What does the title Slapping the Table in Amazement mean?
The title names the reaction of a listener who hears something so astonishing that he slaps the table. The author promises tales strange enough to cause that reaction, from shells filled with pearls to ghosts who testify in court.
Who wrote Slapping the Table in Amazement and when?
Ling Mengchu wrote it in the late Ming dynasty, and he died in 1644. He retold older notebook tales, gossip and market stories, then added poems, comments and a storyteller's voice. A second series followed this first one.
The author
Ling Mengchu
1580–1644 · Chinese Ming dynasty writer
Ling Mengchu (1580–1644) was a Chinese writer of the Ming dynasty. He was born in Wucheng, now part of Huzhou, Zhejiang. He wrote short stories and plays. His two collections known as Slapping the Table in Amazement appeared in 1628 and 1632. He also served as a government official.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
