BānMǎ zìlèi 班馬字類
A Topical Glossary on the [Languages of] Bān [Gù] and [Sī]Mǎ [Qiān] by 婁機 (Lóu Jī, 撰)
About the work
A five-juàn topical glossary of the archaic and unusual graphs in the Shǐjì and Hànshū, organized by Lǐbù yùnlüè 禮部韻略 four-tone rhyme classes (206 sub-classes). Compiled by Lóu Jī 婁機 (1133–1211), Southern-Sòng grand councillor and philologist; the work was completed by Chúnxī 11 (1184). With bǔyí (supplementary) appendix on graphs missed in the main text. The title alludes to Bān Gù 班固 (Hànshū) and Sīmǎ Qiān 司馬遷 (Shǐjì); the conventional ordering “BānMǎ” rather than the chronological “MǎBān” goes back to a Dù Mù 杜牧 line of poetry.
Tiyao
BānMǎ zìlèi; composed by Lóu Jī of the Sòng. The front-matter has Lóu Yuè’s 樓鑰 preface, which calls the book ShǐHàn zìlèi 史漢字類. — Sīmǎ being earlier and Bān Gù later, calling them “BānMǎ” inverts chronology; this began with Dù Mùzhī’s verse and is technically improper. One should perhaps follow Lóu Yuè’s title. But Lóu Jī’s own postface in fact uses “BānMǎ” — we accordingly follow it. — The book gathers from the Shǐjì and Hànshū the ancient and recondite graphs and arranges them by four-tone classes. While in general scope similar to Wénxuǎn shuāngzì, LiǎngHàn bówén, and the Hànjùn, in source-criticism (kǎozhèng xùngǔ) and phonological discrimination (especially of jiǎjiè and tōngyòng graphs), the documentation is much fuller — and contributes substantially to xiǎoxué, not merely to literary embellishment. Two postfaces by Lóu Jī himself debate word-meanings with great clarity. Some entries can be omitted (e.g. jiàng 降 ancient sound hóng, méi 眉 anciently written 睂); some entries should not be cited as ShǐHàn sources (e.g. xuánjī yùhéng 璇璣玉衡 from the Shàngshū; jūnfú zhènzhèn 袀服振振 from the Zuǒzhuàn); some are present-day equivalents needlessly extracted (e.g., jǐzhìxíngcuò 幾致刑措 jǐ and bùrúyuánkuí 不茹園葵 rú). All thrown together — these are minor lapses of editorial discrimination. Yuán Wén’s Wèngyǒu wénpíng further criticizes: Shǐjì Lǐshū bùbǐng jīngshī 不稟京師’s bǐng 稟 should be from shì 示, not hé 禾; Hànshū Xīyùzhuàn “xū zhūguó bǐngshí 須諸國稟食“‘s bǐng should be from hé, not shì — the two graphs are crossed in error. — Yet times have changed and glosses are often hard to recover: this book’s classification — though with some lapses — is a usable bridge to antiquity. Respectfully edited and presented in [Qiánlóng …, year missing in source].
Abstract
The BānMǎ zìlèi is the principal Sòng-period topical glossary on the philological vocabulary of the two foundational early imperial historical works, the Shǐjì of Sīmǎ Qiān and the Hànshū of Bān Gù. Lóu Jī worked from the Shǐjì zhèngyì, Suǒyǐn, XīHàn yīnyì, and the Jíyùn KR1j0057, producing a four-tone-class arranged glossary that supports both philological consultation and literary use of the historical archive. Lóu Yuè’s preface — written from Jīnhuá in 1184 — endorses the work warmly. The Sìkù tíyào documents both lapses (over-extraction of vocabulary not strictly historical, mis-identifications of bǐng 稟 / 禀) and merits (its careful treatment of jiǎjiè and tōngyòng graphs). Lóu Jī also produced the Hànlì zìyuán KR1j0033 (1194), a comprehensive Hàn-clerical-script paleographic compendium. The two together establish him as one of the key Southern-Sòng philological scholars. Dating bracket: working period from c. 1180 to Hóng Mài’s preface of Chúnxī 11 (1184).
Translations and research
- Hervouet, Yves, ed. 1978. A Sung Bibliography. Hong Kong: Chinese University Press. — Standard Western reference, lists the Bān-Mǎ zì-lèi among Sòng philological works.
- Endymion Wilkinson. 2022. Chinese History: A New Manual, §6.2.1.