曹司农竹虚言出自《阅微草堂笔记》。《阅微草堂笔记》为清朝短篇志怪小说，于清朝乾隆五十四年（1789年）、至嘉庆三年（1798年）年间翰林院庶吉士出身的纪昀（纪晓岚）以笔记型式所编写成的。在时间上，主要搜辑当时代前后的各种狐鬼神仙、因果报应、劝善惩恶等之流传的乡野怪谭，或则亲身所听闻的奇情轶事；在空间地域上，范围则遍及全中国远至乌鲁木齐、伊宁，南至滇黔等地。

纪昀·《阅微草堂笔记·曹司农竹虚言》

曹司农竹虚言：其族兄自歙往扬州，途经友人家。时盛夏，延坐书屋，甚轩爽。暮欲下榻其中，友人曰：“是有魅，夜不可居。”曹强居之。

夜半，有物自门隙蠕蠕入，薄如夹纸。入室后，开展作人形，乃女子也。曹殊不畏。忽披发吐舌作缢鬼状。曹笑曰：“犹是发，但稍乱；犹是舌，但稍长，亦何足畏？”忽自摘其首置案上。曹又笑曰：“有首尚不足畏，况无首耶！”鬼技穷，倏然灭。

及归途，再宿。夜半，门隙又蠕动。甫露其首，辄唾曰：“又此败兴物耶？”竟不入。

《滦阳消夏录》

Selections from "Notes of Yuewei Hermitage"

Ji Yun

Cao Zhuxu the Minister of Agriculture told me that once, on his way from Shexian to Yangzhou, a cousin of his broke his journey to visit a friend. It was the midsummer. The friend invited him to sit in his study, which was roomy and cool. That evening he wanted to sleep there, but his friend said, "There is a ghost, so no one can stay here at night." Still his cousin insisted on staying there.

At midnight something as thin as folded paper crept in through a chink in the door; but once in the room it spread out and took the form of a woman. Cao was not afraid. When the apparition let down is hair and struck out its tongue like a woman who had hanged herself, he said with a laugh, "Your hair is rather tousled and your tongue is rather long, but why should that scare me?"

Then the ghost took off its head and placed it on the desk.

With another laugh Cao said, "Even with a head you can't scare me, much less without one."

Having run out of tricks, the ghost abruptly vanished.

On his way back from Yangzhou, Cao stayed in the same room again. At midnight something crept in once more through the chink in the door. When it showed its head, he spat at it and said, "This tiresome creature again?" Then the ghost stopped coming.

（杨宪益 译）

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