古夫于亭雜錄

Gǔfūyútíng zálù 古夫于亭雜錄

Miscellaneous Records from the Ancient Fū-yú Pavilion

by 王士禛 (Wáng Shìzhēn, 1634–1711).

About the work

A 5-juàn bǐjì by 王士禛 (Wáng Shìzhēn), the fourth of his late bǐjì series, gathered from materials accumulated after the completion of Xiāng zǔ bǐ jì (KR3j0164) in Kāngxī yǐyǒu (1705) and before Fēngān yúhuà (KR3j0165). Wáng’s self-preface explains the title: it has no fánlì (general principles) and no order, so it is “miscellaneous” (zá); and the Gǔfūyú tíng (Ancient Fūyú Pavilion) is at his retirement residence on Yúzǐ Mountain, so he takes that for the name. The Sìkù editors offer a careful balance sheet of the work’s strengths and weaknesses. On the weakness side: Wáng over-relies on Xījīng zájì on the Gōuyì Lady; he believes Wáng Ānshí to have been the reincarnation of Qínwáng Tíngměi; he draws on Shīyuán guī about elephant tusks to doubt Hán Fēi’s remark on rarely seeing elephants in life; he reads the Yì phrase fěi qí péng with péng read páng; he cites Zǐhuázǐ on a Shī line; he uses Shìér biān to gloss mǐnmiǎn cóng shì; he wrongly takes Zhāng Wéi as a NánTáng man and Yú Wénbào as a Yuán man. On the strength side, the editors note: deriving Yuè Kē’s Tīng shǐ title from Lǐ Déyù; demonstrating that the Liú Biǎo stele was not by Cài Yōng; the tiēhuáng (yellow-paper) ancient-vs-modern distinction; the Jùtán lù’s claim that Yuán Zhěn met Lǐ Hè (rejected as false); the Dānqiān lù on Sū Shì’s cí; Hóng Mài’s Wàn shǒu juéjù; the Xīxī cónghuà mis-citation of Tián Zǐchūn; the Cáidiào jí mis-attribution to Wáng Zhīhuàn; Táng Yánqiān’s misattributed poem on the Qí Wénhuì Tàizǐ’s palace women — all carefully grounded. The editors particularly commend Wáng’s entries citing Dǒng Wénjì on imitating Lǐ Bái and Mèng Hàorán, and Wāng Wǎn 汪琬 on novel-character expressions — Wáng frankly noting his weaknesses, like one who foresaw the defects of his own school and forestalled them.

Tiyao

We respectfully submit that Gǔfūyútíng zálù in 5 juàn was compiled by Wáng Shìzhēn of the Guócháo. Shìzhēn from Kāngxī jiǎshēn (1704) was dismissed from Xíngbù shàngshū and lived at home; in yǐyǒu (1705) he continued the Xiāng zǔ bǐ jì; thereafter he gathered what he heard and saw to make this book. His self-preface says: it has no fánlì, no order — so it is zá (miscellaneous). Where he lives — Yúzǐ Mountain — has the Ancient Fūyú Pavilion; so it takes its name.

Within: such as relying on Xījīng zájì’s Gōuyì Lady affair to correct the official history — mistakenly adopting a forged book; relying on Guì ěr jí to take Wáng Ānshí as the rebirth of Qínwáng Tíngměi — lightly trusting xiǎoshuō; relying on Shī Yuánguī’s text on elephant tusks to say Hán Fēi’s remark “rarely seeing live elephants” is not credible; relying on the Yì line fěi qí péng to say qiè bǐ LǎoPéng — péng should be read páng and glossed as “side”; relying on Zǐhuázǐ to certify the Shī line “yǒu měi yī rén”; relying on Shìér biān to gloss mǐnmiǎn cóng shì — all loose attachment of meanings to the classical texts. Taking Zhāng Wéi as a NánTáng man; taking Yú Wénbào as a Yuán man — also failures of kǎohé (textual check).

But things like: saying Yuè Kē’s Tīng shǐ title comes from Lǐ Déyù; demonstrating that Liú Biǎo stele is not by Cài Yōng; demonstrating that the tiēhuáng (paper-yellow) practice differs between ancient and modern; demonstrating that the Jùtán lù record of Yuán Zhěn meeting Lǐ Hè is groundless; demonstrating that the Dānqiān lù record of Sū Shì’s cí is erroneous; demonstrating Hóng Mài’s Wàn shǒu juéjù [errors]; demonstrating Xīxī cónghuà’s mistaken citation of Tián Zǐchūn; demonstrating that the Cáidiào jí mis-titles [Wáng] Zhīhuàn; demonstrating that Táng Yánqiān mistakenly composed a poem on the Qí Wénhuì Tàizǐ’s palace women — all are quotation evidence, refined and accurate; and his rankings of poems are also all fitting. And his record of Dǒng Wénjì discussing imitations of Lǐ Bái and Mèng Hàorán’s poetry, and his record of Wāng Wǎn discussing fresh and unusual character-phrases, without concealing his shortcomings — as one who foresaw the defects of his own poetic school and would prevent them — may be called the most public-spirited discussion, different from those who fuss over self-defense.

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

Abstract

The Gǔfūyútíng zálù is the fourth and most reflective of Wáng Shìzhēn’s late bǐjì, composed between the completion of Xiāng zǔ bǐ jì in 1705 and the writing of Fēngān yúhuà in 1709. It is the work in which Wáng — past seventy and in retirement at his Xīnchéng residence on Yúzǐ Mountain — most candidly evaluates the weaknesses of his own poetic school. The Sìkù editors give the book one of the more substantial and balanced critical assessments in the entire zájiā category, listing both the work’s textual lapses and its strengths point by point.

The book’s principal value:

1. Mature shīhuà. The book is one of Wáng’s most reflective late articulations of poetics, including his account of Dǒng Wénjì on imitating Lǐ Bái and Mèng Hàorán, and his report of Wāng Wǎn on novel-character expressions — both unusually self-critical assessments by the Shényùn school’s founder.
2. Substantial kǎozhèng. The book contains a substantial number of well-grounded textual corrections — the Yuè Kē Tīng shǐ derivation, the Liú Biǎo stele attribution, the Jùtán lù / Dānqiān lù / Xīxī cónghuà / Cáidiào jí errors.
3. Comparison piece. Together with Jūyì lù (KR3j0162), Chí běi ǒu tán (KR3j0163), Xiāng zǔ bǐ jì (KR3j0164), and Fēngān yúhuà (KR3j0165), the book forms Wáng’s complete extant bǐjì corpus, totalling roughly 80 juàn — one of the most extensive bǐjì outputs by any single early-Qīng author.

Dating. NotBefore 1705 (after Xiāng zǔ bǐ jì), notAfter 1709 (before Fēngān yúhuà).

Translations and research

See the entries under KR3j0163 (Lynn, Jiǎng Yīn).

Links

• Sìkù quánshū zǒngmù tíyào, Zǐbù · Zájiā lèi 3, Gǔfūyútíng zálù entry.