於陵曲銀臺公，讀書樓上。值陰雨晦瞑，見一小物，有光如螢，蠕蠕而行。過處，則黑如蚰跡。漸盤卷上，卷亦焦。意為龍，乃捧卷送之。至門外，持立良久，蠖曲不少動。公曰：「將無謂我不恭？」執卷返，仍置案上，冠帶長揖送之。方至檐下，但見昂首乍伸，離卷橫飛，其聲嗤然，光一道如縷；數步外，回首向公，則頭大於瓮，身數十圍矣；又一折反，霹靂震驚，騰霄而去。回視所行處，蓋曲曲自書笥中出焉。
于陵曲银台公，读书楼上。值阴雨晦瞑，见一小物，有光如萤，蠕蠕而行。过处，则黑如蚰迹。渐盘卷上，卷亦焦。意为龙，乃捧卷送之。至门外，持立良久，蠖曲不少动。公曰：「将无谓我不恭？」执卷返，仍置案上，冠带长揖送之。方至檐下，但见昂首乍伸，离卷横飞，其声嗤然，光一道如缕；数步外，回首向公，则头大于瓮，身数十围矣；又一折反，霹雳震惊，腾霄而去。回视所行处，盖曲曲自书笥中出焉。
Lord Qu of Yuling, of the Transmission Office, was reading in his upstairs room. It was a dark day of steady rain, and he saw a tiny creature, glowing like a firefly, wriggling along. Wherever it passed it left a black trail, like the track of a slug. Little by little it coiled its way up onto a book, and the book too was scorched. Taking it for a dragon, he lifted the book in both hands to carry it out. At the door he stood holding it for a long time, but it lay curled like an inchworm and did not stir in the least. “Can it be that you think me disrespectful?” he said. He carried the book back and laid it on the desk again, put on his cap and sash, and bowed low to see it off. He had just reached the eaves when he saw it raise its head and suddenly stretch out. It left the book and shot away through the air with a hissing sound, a streak of light like a thread. A few paces off it turned its head toward him: the head was now bigger than a jar, and the body dozens of spans around. It turned once more; there was a crash of thunder, and it soared into the sky and was gone. Looking back along the way it had come, he saw that it had wound its way out of his book chest.