Abstract: The "drama-inserted mode" of the novel refers to the insertion of drama stories, diction, and other elements into the plot or the narration of the novel. In this way, these dramatic elements can be connected with the plot, the narration, or the theme of the novel, thus creating a unique aesthetic effect. The "drama-inserted mode", which can be seen as one of the "layer structures", is not only the narrative method of the novel, just like analogy, intermingled plots and repeated relation, but also the narrative structure of the novel. This skill has been frequently usedin the the world history of the novel. In ancient Chinese novels, it was generally used in the popular fiction of the Ming and the Qing dynasties, which is a vital phenomenon in the history of the novel and deserves more research.

Key words: popular novels of the Ming and the Qing dynasties, drama-embedded mode, play–in–a–play, analogy, interconnection