What's the original Chinese to “To one who has seen too little of the world, everything is strange.”?

Question

In the English translation of Slapping the Table in Amazement there's an interesting phrase that shows up:

Preface [1628 Edition]

As the saying goes, “To one who has seen too little of the world, everything is strange.”

ctext & Wikisource both only start at "chapter" one. There doesn't seem to be a preface.

What's the original Chinese for: “To one who has seen too little of the world, everything is strange.”?

Answer 1

中国古典文学 has the preface.

Here's the first paragraph:

初刻拍案惊奇

凌濛初

序

语有之：“少所见，多所怪。”今之人，但知耳目之外，牛鬼蛇神之为奇，而不知耳目之内，日用起居，其为谲诡幻怪非可以常理测者固多也。昔华人至异域，异域咤以牛粪金；随诘华之异者，则曰：“有虫蠕蠕，而吐为彩缯锦绮，衣被天下。”彼舌挢而不信，乃华人未之或奇也。则所谓必向耳目之外索谲诡幻怪以为奇，赘矣。

The translation of “To one who has seen too little of the world, everything is strange.” is:

少所见，多所怪

There is also an entry for this in ABC Proverbs which says:

Lit [Things (which are)] seldom seen [are felt to be] strange. Note Cf. the preface to Chū Kè Pāi'àn Jīngqì; now more commonly said shǎo jiàn, duō guài; see also the preceding entry.

Like the definition mentions the more, modern, common variant of this phrase is 少见多怪 which ABC defines as:

The less one has seen, the more one marvels.

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ABC Proverbs also contains the old phrase with an added sentence:

少所见多见怪，睹橐驼谓马肿背。

Lit [One who has] seen little regards many things as strange; [(s)he] sees a camel [and] calls [it a] horse with a hunchback.

Answer 2

if you answer your own questions, we have nothing to do! I'll go get in the soup kitchen queue.

http://www.xiexingcun.net/3y2p/04/mydoc001.htm

语有之：“少所见，多所怪。”

The Chinese is definitely more succinct!