| Resumo: | A process of transformation of the meanings of the Chinese term xiaoshuo 小说, which we now translate into Spanish as “novel,” has been observed in Chinese history from the Pre-Qin period to the eve of modernity. A brief review of the accounts appearing in many ancient historical and literary texts reveals not only different meanings of this word and trace its trajectory, but also the origin and formation of the novel as a literary genre, and the initial phases of its evolution. In short, the main meanings refer to a connotation of inferiority and vulgarity in the Chinese novel in ancient and pre-modern times and to its origin related to oral resources.
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