xī pō gōng cháng qiáng rén shào píng guǐ cí yuē wú yǒu, zé yuē" gū wàng yán zhī". hàn yì wén zhì yún:" xiǎo shuō jiā zhě liú, gài chū yú bài guān, jiē tán xiàng yǔ dào tīng tú shuō zhě zhī suǒ wèi yě." yóu shì yán zhī, hé bì yǐn jīng jù diǎn ér zì xǔ wèi guǐ zhī dǒng hú zāi? wú wén zhū: tiān yǒu guǐ xīng dì yǒu guǐ guó nán hǎi xiǎo yú shān zhōng yǒu guǐ mǔ lú chōng yǒu guǐ qī, shēng guǐ zi lǚ lǎn zài lí qiū qí guǐ hàn shū jì lí tíng yuān guǐ ér chǐ guō zhī cháo tūn è guǐ sān qiān, yè tūn bā bǎi, yǐ guǐ wèi fàn, zé jiào zhōng jìn shì zhī dàn guǐ yóu shén. rán huò zhě zào wú wèi yǒu, diǎn ér bù diǎn. ruò nǎi" sān nián fá guǐ", zé jiàn yú shū" yī chē zài guǐ", zé xiáng yú yì" xīn guǐ dà, gù guǐ xiǎo", zé zhe yú chūn qiū. qǐ zhī hán chāng lí zhī sòng qióng guǐ, luó yǒu zhī lù jiàn yé yú guǐ, jiè tí fā huī, yī wèi dǎo guǐ ér yǐ zāi? jīn guò lù rén wù yǐ jiē tán xiàng yǔ, jì qí dào tīng tú shuō, míng zhī yuē hé diǎn qí yán zé guǐ huà yě, qí rén zé guǐ míng yě, qí shì shí zé bù lí hū kāi guǐ xīn, bàn guǐ liǎn, huái guǐ tāi, diào guǐ huǒ, qiǎng guǐ fàn, dīng guǐ mén, zuò guǐ xì, dā guǐ péng, shàng guǐ dāng, dēng guǐ lù, zhēn kě chēng yī bù yī gè guǐ yǐ. cǐ bù diǎn ér diǎn zhě yě. wú zhǐ kǒng dú shì biān zhě yí xīn shēng guǐ, huò rù jiē guǐ kē lù yún. tài píng kè rén tí.
昔坡公嘗強人劭平鬼;辭曰無有,則曰"姑妄言之"。漢《藝文志》云:"小說家者流,蓋出於稗官,街談巷語道聽途說者之所為也。"由是言之,何必引經據典而自詡為鬼之董狐哉?吾聞諸:天有鬼星;地有鬼國;南海小虞山中有鬼母;盧充有鬼妻,生鬼子;《呂覽》載黎邱奇鬼;《漢書》記嫠亭冤鬼;而尺郭之朝吞惡鬼三千,夜吞八百,以鬼為飯,則較鍾進士之啖鬼尤甚。然或者造無為有,典而不典。若乃"三年伐鬼",則見於《書》;"一車載鬼",則詳於《易》;"新鬼大,故鬼小",則著於《春秋》。豈知韓昌黎之送窮鬼,羅友之路見揶揄鬼,借題發揮,一味搗鬼而已哉?今過路人務以街談巷語,記其道聽途說,名之曰《何典》;其言則鬼話也,其人則鬼名也,其事實則不離乎開鬼心,扮鬼臉,懷鬼胎,釣鬼火,搶鬼飯,釘鬼門,做鬼戲,搭鬼棚,上鬼當,登鬼籙,真可稱一步一個鬼矣。此不典而典者也。吾只恐讀是編者疑心生鬼,或入街鬼窠路雲。太平客人題。