Pu Songling
"The Painted Skin" () is a short story by the Chinese writer Pu Songling collected in "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" in 1740. Literary critics have recognised it as one of the best and best-known entries in "Strange Tales"; in particular, its textual detail and in-depth characterisation are lauded. "The Painted Skin" has also received numerous adaptations in popular media, especially in film. The story's original title has become a common phrase in Chinese vocabulary, "a synonym for duplicity that wears an outwardly human face but is inwardly demonic".