Xīshān dúshū jì 西山讀書記
Reading Notes from West Mountain by 眞德秀 (Zhēn Déxiù, 1178–1235, 宋)
About the work
A comprehensive Lǐxué notebook by Zhēn Déxiù, originally planned in four sections (jiǎ, yǐ, bǐng, dīng 甲乙丙丁): jiǎ on xìnglǐ (foundational metaphysics), yǐ on zhìdào (governance), bǐng (planned but never composed), dīng on chūchǔ (when to take and refuse office). The Sòng shǐ yìwén zhì and Wénxiàn tōngkǎo record only the jiǎ (37 juan) and dīng (2 juan) — totalling 39 juan. The yǐ — its upper portion overlapping the Dàxué yǎnyì (KR3a0058) — was added in 22 juan by Zhēn’s disciple Tāng Hàn 湯漢 in Kāiqìng 1 (1259), printed at Fúzhōu, on the basis of Zhēn’s son Rénfū 仁夫’s family copy. The full 61-juan recension is the SKQS-base; the catalog meta’s “40 卷” reflects the Wénxiàn tōngkǎo extent and may be slightly inaccurate. The jiǎ covers xìnglǐ exhaustively (天命之性, 氣質之性, 心, 志, 情, yuánhēnglìzhèn, rényìlǐzhìxìn, etc.); the yǐ lists exemplary deeds of officers from YúXià down to Táng (cut off at Lǐ Déyù 李德裕); the dīng covers chūchǔ (出處, 處貧賤, 處患難, 處生死, etc.).
Tiyao
(Translated from Kyoto Zinbun digital Sìkù tíyào 0191301.)
The Dúshū jì in 61 juan — copy from the Jiāngxī Provincial Governor’s submission.
Composed by Zhēn Déxiù of the Sòng. Per Chén Zhènsūn’s Shūlù jiětí, the Xīshān dúshū jì has jiǎyǐbǐngdīng: jiǎ speaks of xìnglǐ; the middle narrates zhìdào; the close speaks of chūchǔ. Largely based on the classical and historical instruction, with his own meaning. But the present has only jiǎ in 37 juan and dīng in 2 juan; yǐ and bǐng not seen. Hence the Wénxiàn tōngkǎo records only 39 juan. The Míng-period old printing has the jiǎ and dīng; the yǐ in 22 juan that the world today transmits has the preface by Déxiù’s disciple Tāng Hàn dated Kāiqìng 1 (1259), saying: “the Dúshū jì — only jiǎyǐdīng are completed books; jiǎ and dīng were earlier printed; the upper yǐ is the Dàxué yǎnyì, long since presented to court; the lower yǐ not yet copied out, and Déxiù died. I, Hàn, took it from his son Rénfū, edited it into 22 juan, and printed it at Fúzhōu.” On this basis, the bǐng was originally lost; the yǐ is what Tāng Hàn supplemented and printed. Zhènsūn saw only the first edition, hence stopped at jiǎ and dīng.
The jiǎ records, from Lùn tiānmìng zhī xìng (discussion of the Heaven-mandated nature) down to Lùn guǐshén (discussion of spirits), each with its own biāomù, with a gāngmù essay at the head expounding the order of discussion. The yǐ records the deeds of famous ministers and worthy chancellors from Yú and Xià forward, roughly in biānnián (chronological) form, with a gāngmù at the head. It says it ends at the wǔ rùn (Five Intercalary), but the work cuts off at Tang Lǐ Déyù — apparently the editor did not complete it. The dīng’s upper juan all discusses the great meaning of chūchǔ; the lower juan divides into Chǔ pínjiàn, Chǔ huànnán, Chǔ shēngsǐ, Ān yìmìng, Shěn zhòngqīng, etc. — illuminating the upper juan.
Déxiù’s Dàxué yǎnyì extends the shèng jīng; this book divides into thematic categories. From shēnxīn xìngmìng tiāndì wǔxíng down to the yuányuán of the senior Confucians’ giving and receiving, all is set out. The famous words and threads of teaching are richly cited; all are useful for research. As to the methods of governance not detailed in the Yǎnyì, the yǐ records them in full; the threads of gǔjīn xīngshuāi zhìhū are clearly visible. Among the various Sòng zhūrú books, this can be called one of substance.
Abstract
The Xīshān dúshū jì is Zhēn Déxiù’s most comprehensive Lǐxué compilation, paralleling the Dàxué yǎnyì in scope and ambition but in biji rather than imperially-pedagogical form. The composition window has two layers: (i) Zhēn Déxiù’s own composition of jiǎ and dīng spanning his working life (post-1199 jìnshì through 1235 death), with planned but uncompleted bǐng; (ii) Tāng Hàn’s editorial completion of the yǐ in Kāiqìng 1 (1259). The frontmatter brackets the work to ca. 1210–1259.
The jiǎ and dīng are Zhēn’s hand; the yǐ is editorially Tāng Hàn’s, from Zhēn’s family papers; the bǐng never existed. The 61-juan composite is the standard SKQS-base text; the catalog meta’s “40 卷” reflects the earlier Sòngshǐ / Tōngkǎo extent. The jiǎ’s comprehensive treatment of xìnglǐ makes it a particularly useful canonical resource for the Sòng Lǐxué curriculum; the dīng’s chūchǔ treatment was the standard reference work for the late-imperial shìdàfū on questions of taking or refusing office.
The bibliographic record: Sòng shǐ yìwén zhì (39 juan); Wénxiàn tōngkǎo (39 juan); Zhízhāi shūlù jiětí; SKQS Zǐbù — Rújiā lèi (61 juan, the consolidated text including Tāng Hàn’s yǐ).
Translations and research
- Theodore de Bary, Neo-Confucian Orthodoxy and the Learning of the Mind-and-Heart (1981) — uses Xī-shān dú-shū jì alongside Dà-xué yǎn-yì.
- Tian Hao [Hoyt Cleveland Tillman], various — uses Zhēn Déxiù.
- Standard modern Chinese reproductions of the SKQS WYG.
Other points of interest
The yǐ portion’s overlap with the Dàxué yǎnyì in its upper section reflects the deliberate editorial economy: Zhēn Déxiù conceived the two works as complementary, with the Yǎnyì serving the imperial-pedagogical function and the yǐ the broader biji function for student-readers.
Links
- Sòng shǐ j. 437 (Rúlín zhuàn / Zhēn Déxiù).
- Dàxué yǎnyì (KR3a0058) — the parallel imperial-pedagogical work.
- Tāng Hàn 湯漢, “Xīshān dúshū jì yǐjì xù” 西山讀書記乙記序 (Kāiqìng 1, 1259, preserved with the WYG-base).
- Kyoto Zinbun, Sìkù quánshū zǒngmù tíyào
- Wikidata