庶齋老學叢談

Shù zhāi lǎo xué cóng tán 庶齋老學叢談

Shù-zhāi’s Collected Talks on Old Learning

by 盛如梓 (Shèng Rúzǐ, d. c. 1302; hào Shùzhāi 庶齋), Yuán Chóngmíng pànguān.

About the work

A 3-juàn Yuán bǐjì by 盛如梓 (Shèng Rúzǐ). The book is structured in three juàn, with the second juàn further divided into a sub-juàn (so effectively four). The book contains: (i) classical-historical biàn lùn; (ii) píng zhì (evaluative comment) on poetry and prose; (iii) court-and-society yì shì (omitted-affairs); (iv) kǎozhèng on Northern Sòng poetic-historical points. Some entries carry attribution-notes — “so-and-so said” — preserving the Yuán-period elders’ transmitted commentary. The Sìkù editors flag a number of substantive contributions (the refutation of KR3j0129 Chuī jiàn lù’s Guǎnglíng sǎn attribution; the Gūmiè tomb-locale evidence for Wéi Zhāo’s Guó yǔ commentary) but criticise several weaknesses (the Lù Yóu / Yáo Píngzhòng poem identification; the Zuǒzhuàn Jǐn Jǐnggōng rú cè argument; the Jiǎ Sìdào assessment).

Tiyao

We respectfully submit that Shùzhāi lǎo xué cóng tán in three juan was compiled by Shèng Rúzǐ of the Yuán. Rúzǐ was a Qúzhōu man; Shùzhāi his self-styling; once held office as Chóngmíngxiàn pànguān. The book mostly biàn lùn of classical and historical, with evaluative comment on poetry and prose, with occasional court anecdote. The first juàn gives 3 juàn; the second juàn further splits a sub-juàn; actually 4. The bulk is suí shí duō shí (gathered-up-as-met) and composed.

Such as Lù Yóu’s Yáo jiāngjūn Zhào Zōngyìn èr shī — regrets that the Yáo name and zì could not be obtained; Wèinán jí actually has a Yáo Píngzhòng zhuàn — Wáng Shìzhēn’s Jūyì lù has already noted his slip.

Other: like the Zuǒ zhuàn “Jǐn Jǐnggōng bìng rú cè, xiàn ér zú” — saying that for a sovereign, what need to go to the privy and so taking it as “literary-style overcoming the matter” — without knowing that the Guó cè Zhào Xiāngzǐ and the Shǐ jì Shèn fūrén entries all record this incident — the ancients’ simple-nature did not think it strange; how can one take this to verify the Zuǒzhuàn’s falsity? Or: the praise of Jiǎ Sìdào as háo jié (a hero); record of Cáo Dōngquǎn’s xièlǐ (vulgar) verse — all are shī dāng (failures of judgement).

Yet: refutation of the Chuī jiàn lù’s Guǎnglíng sǎn claim — that it did not begin with Wáng Líng [or] Mǔqiū Jiǎn; using the Gūmiè tomb-locale to verify the Guó yǔ Wéi Zhāo notation’s error — these are also seen as kǎojù. Also each entry below sometimes has attribution-notes “so-and-so said” — apparently Rúzǐ still reached the early-Yuán elders’ acquaintance; hence his record carries much qiánrén xù lùn (elders’ lingering discussion); somewhat worth taking.

Respectfully revised and submitted, tenth month of the forty-sixth year of Qiánlóng (1781).

Abstract

The Shùzhāi lǎo xué cóng tán is a Yuán-period bǐjì with two distinctive features: (1) the four-juàn-effective division into classical biàn lùn, poetic-prose píng zhì, yì shì, and kǎozhèng; (2) the attribution-notes preserving the names of the Yuán-period elders from whom Shèng received his entries.

The book’s principal contributions:

1. Refutation of KR3j0129 Chuī jiàn lù: Yú Wénbào’s claim that the Guǎnglíng sǎn (Wei-Jin literary composition) originated with Wáng Líng or Mǔqiū Jiǎn — refuted by Shèng.
2. Wéi Zhāo’s Guó yǔ commentary: the Gūmiè tomb-locale evidence demonstrating Wéi Zhāo’s error.
3. Yuán-period elders’ transmitted commentary: the attribution-notes (某人說) preserve a body of Yuán-period oral yì shì and píng zhì tradition that would otherwise be lost.

Weaknesses flagged by the Sìkù editors: the Yáo Píngzhòng / Wèinán jí identification (Wáng Shìzhēn had already corrected this); the Jǐn Jǐnggōng rú cè misinterpretation; the Jiǎ Sìdào háo jié assessment; the Cáo Dōngquǎn xièlǐ verse inclusion.

Dating. The book’s references to Yuán-period elders (whose floruit is mostly mid-13th century) and the closing of the work in the late-13th century place the compilation in the 1290s–1302. NotBefore 1290 / notAfter 1302. The standard text is the SKQS 3-juàn recension (with the 2nd juàn sub-divided).

Translations and research

No complete Western-language translation. The book is cited in modern Chinese-language scholarship on early-Yuán literary transmission and on the bǐjì-attribution methodology.

Links

• Sìkù quánshū zǒngmù tíyào, Zǐbù · Zájiā lèi 3, Shùzhāi lǎo xué cóng tán entry.