「畫中女」一類的故事，較早的文獻記載為唐代的《松窗雜錄》與《北齊書》，其後有見於宋代、明代與清代的筆記小說，亦屢見於近代所採錄的故事集。其中故事細部或有改寫，改寫的內容牽涉到：歷代對精怪觀念的改變，故事結局的增補，男主角身份的轉變等。這種種改寫，使得故事主題由人神相戀轉變成善有善報。另外，從歷代「畫中女」的故事中，可以發現畫美人圖的載體不時有所變動，由畫在布帛上、牆壁上，變成畫在卷軸上、紙片上，這種變動，正好符合了中國繪畫工藝的發展，可見民間故事的改寫，常與實際生活息息相關。
The category of stories like 'Girl-in-Painting' has been seen in some documents, such as ”Note of Sueng Chang” and ”The history of the Bei-Chi” in Tang Dynasty. Later it also has seen in some fictions sketchbook developed in Song Dynasty, Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty, as well as in the modern collections recorded from legends or seniors. Some plots of the story are revised in different versions including the concepts of the spirits from dynasty to dynasty, the amending of extension in the end of the story, and the transition of the leading man's identities. According to the revised plots, the main idea of the story is reformed into another thesis that people would have a positive payoff if they help others or do good things. In addition, materials used to paint the picture were changed from in the cloth, silk, or on the wall to in the paper or in the scroll in different dynasties. The changing of materials accords with the development of Chinese painting craft. So it can be said that the revision of the folklore is often highly connected to the development of people's life.
