This statement first appeared in some literati notes during Jiajing period of Ming Dynasty. For example, Tian Rucheng's Notes on Visiting the West Lake, Chen Ji, Xu Zichang's Notes on Zhai, Ruan Kuisheng's Notes on Tea Guests and Bibliography are all recorded in this way.
Creation background
Shi Naian (1296- 1370), the author of Water Margin, was originally named Yan Duan, whose real name was Zhao Rui, whose nickname was Zi 'an, whose nickname was Naian, from Xinghua, Taizhou. Shi Naian/kloc-entered a private school at the age of 0/3,/kloc-was a scholar at the age of 0/9, a juren at the age of 29, and a scholar at the age of 35. However, Shi Naian got too involved in officialdom and had to leave. At this time, Zhang Shicheng rose up and rebelled, and Shi Naian followed him to find a "way out".
Zhang Shicheng was later destroyed by Zhu Yuanzhang, and the "way out" became a dead end. Shi Naian was a scholar, and later he found a way out-writing novels with his skill, that is, Water Margin. Named after the Water Margin, Shi Naian is actually ambitious and must remain in history as a scholar.