The Carnal Prayer Mat
Li Yu
 The novel's protagonist, Weiyang Sheng (未央生; literally: "The Unrealised One" or "The Unfinished One"), visits a Buddhist temple. He meets a monk, who notes that the young man exhibits wisdom, but also lust. Weiyang Sheng says that the monk's purpose in life is to sit on a zafu (or prayer mat) and meditate, while his desire, however, is to marry a beautiful woman and enjoy sitting on a "carnal prayer mat" (肉蒲團). The title of the novel comes from this line said by Weiyang Sheng. Weiyang Sheng is an egoistic young scholar who often boasts of his aspiration to marry the most beautiful woman in the world. He seeks neither fame nor glory, and prefers to indulge in women and sex. A monk called Budai Heshang (布袋和尚; Monk with a Cloth Sack) once urged him to give up on his philandering ways and follow the path of Buddhism, while his father-in-law Taoist Tiefei (鐵扉道人) also attempted to persuade him to be more decent, but Weiyang Sheng ignored both of them. Once, on a trip to the capital city, Weiyang Sheng encounters a bandit called Sai Kunlun (賽崑崙) and becomes sworn brothers with him. Sai Kunlun introduces Weiyang Sheng to a Taoist magician called Tianji Zhenren (天際真人), who embeds a dog's kidney into Weiyang Sheng's penis, causing it to be enlarged and become more "powerful". With the help of Sai Kunlun, Weiyang Sheng gets involved in illicit sexual relationships with many married women. They include: Yanfang (艷芳), wife of Quan Laoshi (權老實); Xiangyun (香雲), wife of Xuanyuanzi (軒軒子); Ruizhu (瑞珠), wife of Woyun Sheng (臥雲生); Ruiyu (瑞玉), wife of Yiyun Sheng (倚雲生). When Quan Laoshi learns of his wife's relationship with Weiyang Sheng, he is furious and is determined to take revenge. He disguises himself and infiltrates Weiyang Sheng's household, and has an affair with Weiyang Sheng's wife Yuxiang (玉香), causing Yuxiang to become pregnant. Quan elopes with Yuxiang and later sells her to a brothel to be a prostitute. Later, he realises that he has committed a grave sin and decides to show penitence by becoming a monk, studying under Budai Heshang. Meanwhile, in the brothel, Yuxiang is trained in a special technique - writing calligraphy by clutching a brush with her genitals. Later, she meets Xuanyuanzi, Woyun Sheng and Yiyun Sheng, and has sex with each of them. When Weiyang Sheng visits the brothel, Yuxiang recognises her husband and she commits suicide in shame. Weiyang Sheng is given a good beating, which makes him finally come to his senses. He decides to follow in Quan Laoshi's footsteps and become a monk under Budai Heshang.