- 小说家 xiǎoshuōjiā novelist
- 长篇小说 chángpiānxiǎoshuō novel
- 武侠小说 wǔxiáxiǎoshuō wuxia novela martial arts (wuxia) novel
- 短篇小说 duǎnpiānxiǎoshuō short story
- 中篇小说 zhōngpiānxiǎoshuō novella
- 言情小说 yánqíngxiǎoshuō romance novela genre of fiction focusing on romantic relationships and love stories
- 章回小说 zhānghuíxiǎoshuō chaptered novela traditional Chinese novel format in chapters, common from the Ming dynasty onwards, typically with each chapter headed by a summary couplet
- 影射小说 yǐngshèxiǎoshuō roman à clef
- 微型小说 wēixíngxiǎoshuō flash fiction
- 志怪小说 zhìguàixiǎoshuō supernatural fictiontales of the supernatural (genre of fiction)
- 推理小说 tuīlǐxiǎoshuō mystery novelmurder mystery novel; whodunit
- 极短篇小说 jíduǎnpiānxiǎoshuō flash fiction
- 小小说 xiǎoxiǎoshuō flash fictionA genre of fiction that is extremely brief; flash fiction.
- 同人小说 tóngrénxiǎoshuō fanfictionfan fiction
- 神魔小说 shénmóxiǎoshuō supernatural novelA genre of Chinese mythology-based fiction involving deities, demons, and the supernatural, popular during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
- 科幻小说 kēhuànxiǎoshuō science fictionscience fiction novel
- 科技惊悚小说 kējìjīngsǒngxiǎoshuō techno-thrillertechno-thriller novel
- 色情小说 sèqíngxiǎoshuō eroticapornographic novel or sexually explicit book
- 虚构小说 xūgòuxiǎoshuō fiction
- 史传小说 shǐzhuànxiǎoshuō historical novel
- 谴责小说 qiǎnzéxiǎoshuō novel of denunciationA genre of late Qing dynasty fiction focused on exposing social and political corruption, according to Lu Xun's classification.
- 通俗小说 tōngsúxiǎoshuō popular fictionfiction written for a general audience, often emphasizing readability and entertainment over high-art literary qualities
- 古今小说 Gǔjīn Xiǎoshuō Stories Old and NewStories Old and New by Feng Menglong, collection of late Ming baihua tales published in 1620
- 非小说 fēixiǎoshuō nonfictionnon-fiction
- 中国小说史略 Zhōngguó Xiǎoshuō Shǐlüè Chinese novel historyA Concise History of the Chinese Novel, a seminal work of literary history by Lu Xun.