Fǎtiè shìwén kǎoyì 法帖釋文考異
Critical Examination of Variants in the Calligraphic-Models’ Transcriptions
by 顧從義 (Gù Cóngyì, 1523–1588)
About the work
A 10-juan Míng critical re-collation of the Chúnhuà gétiè shìwén (the philological transcription apparatus of the imperial Chúnhuà gétiè) — building on Mǐ Fú 米芾, Huáng Bósī 黃伯思 (cf. KR2n0014), and Liú Cìzhuāng’s Fǎtiè shìwén KR2n0015, plus Cáo Shìmiǎn’s Fǎtiè pǔxì KR2n0021. Gù compares the various Míng-era transcriptions, identifies errors, distinguishes variants, and produces a new collated text following the original Gétiè juan-and-piece order. Gù autographed and printed the text himself. The Sìkù editors note that since Mǐ and Huáng, very few connoisseurs had attempted comprehensive re-collation; Gù’s work was therefore the standard Míng-era reference. The Sìkù editors also note that for the imperial 1769 re-cutting of the Chúnhuà gétiè — the Qīndìng chóngkè Chúnhuàgé tiè shìwén KR2n0035 — Gù’s collation was a major source, with corrections supplied where Gù was wrong and adoption where Gù was right.
Tiyao
[Translated and condensed from the Sìkù tíyào]
Compiled by Gù Cóngyì of the Míng. Cóngyì, zì Rǔhé, of Shànghǎi. In Jiājìng era he was selected as a calligrapher and entered imperial service, granted zhōngshū shèrén and assigned to the Wénhuádiàn. In early Lóngqìng, with completion of the Guóshǐ, he was promoted to Dàlǐsì píngshì. This is his work on the Chúnhuà gétiè shìwén: he distinguished errors and variants from earlier-author phonetic glosses, depending on the tiè original sequence, edited into 10 juan, hand-wrote a clean copy, and printed it.
After Mǐ Fú and Huáng Bósī had set the transcriptions, those who continued to research and revise them were few. Gù was the first to consolidate the various views into a single compilation. Pínghuà (calligraphy critics) regularly use it as a source. But on evidential research, Gù is rather slack; lacking a shànběn (good text) for collation, his sources are wide but his discrimination is not refined.
We now reverently rejoice that our sage emperor takes leisure-time at the writing-table and adjudicates among the literary arts — taking the imperial holding of the Gétiè — selecting the Chúnhuà 4 (993) imperial bestowal-copy to Bì Shìān 畢士安, the finest early-impression copy — commanding the inner-court attendants to collate carefully, selecting craftsmen to recut, and so restoring the original splendour. In gathering the various transcriptions there is the most comprehensive treatment; on every point of right-and-wrong and gain-and-loss, by imperial discrimination, the collations are accurate. Gù’s correct readings have all been adopted; his erroneous ones have all been refuted exhaustively. Gù’s book is hardly more than 白茅 (the white-thatch grass-mat at the imperial sacrifices, i.e. ancillary apparatus): now superseded. But it had long circulation, and his careful effort still has things worth taking. We retain it in the catalogue, not erasing his diligent compilation.
Abstract
The Fǎtiè shìwén kǎoyì is the standard mid-Míng Chúnhuà gétiè shìwén re-collation and one of the principal sources for Qing imperial Gétiè scholarship. The catalog meta dates 1523–1588 are Gù’s lifespan; the work was compiled in his mature career, post-Lóngqìng promotion (1567), set notBefore 1567 / notAfter 1588 here.
The work’s contributions:
- First comprehensive Míng Gétiè re-collation. The first systematic Míng reconciliation of Sòng (Mǐ Fú, Huáng Bósī, Liú Cìzhuāng) and Yuán transcriptions of the Chúnhuà gétiè.
- Source for the imperial 1769 re-cutting. The Qiánlóng-era Qīndìng chóngkè Chúnhuàgé tiè shìwén KR2n0035 uses Gù as principal Míng source.
The Sìkù editors’ rather sharp commentary — “Gù’s book is hardly more than báimáo” (mere preliminary apparatus) — reflects their view that the imperial 1769 collation supersedes Gù; nonetheless they preserve Gù’s work as a stage in the textual transmission.
CBDB 133659 confirms 1523–1588.
Translations and research
No English translation. Studies:
- Yáng Rénkǎi 楊仁愷, Zhōngguó shūhuà 中國書畫, on Míng Gétiè tradition.
- Robert E. Harrist Jr., The Landscape of Words (Washington UP, 2008), on calligraphy connoisseurship.
- Patricia Ebrey, Accumulating Culture (Washington UP, 2008).
Other points of interest
The Sìkù tíyào’s comparatively dismissive tone — preserving the work as an ancillary stage in the path to the Qiánlóng-imperial collation — illustrates the late-Qing imperial scholarly self-image as the culmination of a long sequence of partial efforts. This is a recurring rhetorical pattern in Sìkù tíyào on works in the imperial court’s specialist disciplines (calligraphy, music, etc.).
Links
- Wikipedia: no dedicated page
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15914176