「傳奇」一詞從唐代裴鉶的書名，流轉成為唐代小說的專稱，從小說的發展演遞來看，唐代傳奇意味新典範的出現，從六朝志怪的記錄文體蛻生出一種更具文學意涵的創作，小說文類在此時跨入了新的局面。唐傳奇進入宋朝以後，其文學滋味透過不斷的閱讀、討論與衍繹，頗見聚顯成為一種獨特的範型，因而傳奇一語，所指既涵括文言小說、話本、諸宮調、雜劇、崑曲等文類，亦統貫出一脈相承的美感特質。明傳奇從作品結構到美感精神，表現出抒情文學的特質，湯顯祖的作品深具代表性，唐傳奇的〈霍小玉傳〉先後被他改編成兩齣劇作，他從唐傳奇中所擷取的並不只是故事輪廓，當中更有抒情美感的詮釋與轉化，傳奇之美從〈霍小玉傳〉到〈紫釵記〉正可見其在不同文類中的衍繹。

The definition of legend was transformed from the book name of Fe Sing into a novel term during the Tang Dynasty. With the development of fiction, legend has embodied a new concept and transitioned from a documentary form, such as the Mystery Story, into a more meaningful literary creation; consequently fiction has opened a brand new vista. After being read, discussed and developed, it is evident that literature in the Song Dynasty had its own unique model. And legend therefore signifies novels of Classical Chinese, scripts, talking/singing arts, traditional opera and Kunqu, and so on. The aesthetic characteristics of beauty were inherited. Legend in the Ming Dynasty had become a kind of lyricism; from structure to spirit, the works of Tang Siancu were most representative. He revised the Biography of Huo Xiaoyu into two dramas. He based his interpretation on the story outline, and transformed the lyrical beauty. The literary development, in various categories, can be clearly seen in the Biography of Huo Xiaoyu and the Story of the Purple Hair Pin.