Abstract: Among about 200 fiction anthologies published in the Ming Dynasty, there were nearly 70 that included chuanqi. Compilers often rewrote the original text according to their own aesthetic tastes and ideas of fiction. There existed three strategies of rewriting. First, compilers added or deleted verses, which consolidated or undermined the style of chuanqi by working on its form, making verse a variable of the style of fiction. Second, they changed characterization, plot design, narration, etc., and even transformed the style, which reflected compilers' understanding of characterization and the art of narration. Third, they changed the language by making the original text either popular or refined. These strategies of adaptation were tied to its time and had unique stylistic significance. To conclude, the compilation method of verse fiction in this period was constantly changing, the emerging chuanqi novella had wide influence, and elements of the vernacular novel were comprehensively integrated into chuanqi.

Key words: fiction anthologies, chuanqi, adaptation, significance for stylistics