Wáng Sēngrú jí 王僧孺集
Collected Works of Wang Sengrui (Reconstructed) by 王僧孺 (撰)
About the work
A reconstructed collection (jíyìběn 輯佚本) of the literary writings of Wáng Sēngrú 王僧孺 (465–522 CE), Liáng 梁 court official, literary figure, and bibliographer. Organized in three juǎn, the surviving fragments carry the first-person signature “王僧孺呈” and are documented through two citations in the Liángshū biography (juǎn 33). The collection includes letters preserved in the Hóng míng jí 弘明集 juǎn 10 (for his Buddhist correspondence), occasional verse cited in lèishū, and official documents. The collection opens with the 〈朱鷺〉, a yuèfǔ 樂府 imitation; the extensive 〈謝齊竟陵王使撰眾書啟〉 (Memorial Thanking the Qi Prince of Jingling for Commissioning Works) reflects his earlier service under Xiāo Zǐliáng 蕭子良 during the Southern Qi Yǒngmíng era. Letters from contemporaries including Wáng Yún 王筠 appear as received correspondence within the collection.
Tiyao
No tiyao found in source. This text is an extra-catalog reconstruction not included in the Sìkù quánshū 四庫全書.
Abstract
Wáng Sēngrú 王僧孺 (465–522 CE; zì Sēngrú 僧孺; CBDB: not confirmed for this person) was a Liáng dynasty official from Dōnghǎi 東海 (ancestral registration). He began his career in the literary salon of Xiāo Zǐliáng 蕭子良 (KR4b0050) in the Southern Qi Yǒngmíng era, where he collaborated with other members of the “Eight Friends” (bā yǒu 八友) circle on literary and bibliographic projects. Under the Liang he served in various posts. He was a distinguished calligrapher and bibliographer, noted by the Liángshū as having transcribed many rare books. His biography is in Liángshū juǎn 33 and Nán shǐ juǎn 59.
Wang Sengrui compiled a large bibliography of court holdings, worked as a literary drafter, and wrote extensively in parallel prose. His collected works were listed in the Suíshū Jīngjízhì in twenty-eight juǎn. The pairing “Rèn bǐ Xiè shī” 任筆謝詩 (Ren Fang’s prose, Xie Tiao’s verse) also had a variant including Wáng Sēngrú’s prose as equally elegant. Zhāng Pǔ 張溥 included a Wáng Sēngrú jí 王僧孺集 in the Hàn Wèi Liùcháo bǎisān jiā jí 漢魏六朝百三家集.
Translations and research
- Knechtges, David R., and Taiping Chang, eds. Ancient and Early Medieval Chinese Literature: A Reference Guide. Leiden: Brill, 2010–2014. Entry on Wang Sengrui.
Links
- Wikipedia: Wang Sengrui