Niú Hóng jí 牛弘集
Collected Works of Niu Hong (Reconstructed) by 牛弘 (撰)
About the work
A reconstructed collection (jíyìběn 輯佚本) of the surviving literary writings of Niú Hóng 牛弘 (545–610 CE), Sui dynasty scholar, bibliophile, and Minister of Rites, organized in two juǎn. Juǎn 1 contains poetry, beginning with the 〈奉和冬至乾陽殿受朝應詔〉 (Fèng hé dōngzhì Qiányáng diàn shòu cháo yìng zhào, Harmonizing with an Imperial Command on the Winter Solstice Court Audience at the Qianyang Hall), cited from Chūxué jì 初學記 juǎn 14, Gǔjīn suíshí záyǒng 古今歲時雜詠 juǎn 39, Wényuān yīnghuá 文苑英華 juǎn 175, and Shī jì 詩紀 juǎn 120. Juǎn 2 contains the 〈上表請開獻書之路〉 (Shàng biǎo qǐng kāi xiànshū zhī lù, Memorial Requesting the Opening of a Path to Offer Books to the Court), Niú Hóng’s famous bibliographic memorial arguing for the collection of books from private hands and the organization of the imperial library.
Tiyao
No tiyao found in source. This text is an extra-catalog reconstruction not included in the Sìkù quánshū 四庫全書.
Abstract
Niú Hóng 牛弘 (545–610 CE), zì Lǐrén 里仁, was a native of Máolíng 茂陵 in Fúfēng 扶風 (modern Shaanxi). He came from a family with Northern Zhou official connections. Under the Sui dynasty he rose to become Lǐbù shàngshū 禮部尚書 (Minister of Rites) and one of Emperor Wen’s principal cultural advisers, serving also under Emperor Yang. His biography is in Suíshū 隋書 juǎn 49.
Niú Hóng is best known for his essay on the Five Disasters that had successively destroyed the ancient book collections (wǔ è 五厄), which cataloged the bibliographic catastrophes from the Qin burning of books through the chaos at the end of the Western Jin, making a powerful case for systematic state book collection. This essay survives through its incorporation in the 〈上表請開獻書之路〉, the memorial submitted to Emperor Wen of Sui urging the opening of channels for private citizens to offer books to the imperial library. The memorial traces the entire history of Chinese book collection and bibliographic scholarship from antiquity through the Qi and Liang dynasties, is one of the most important documents in the history of Chinese bibliography, and provided a crucial foundation for the Suíshū jīngjízhì 隋書·經籍志 (Bibliographic Monograph of the Sui History), which Niú Hóng’s institutional work helped to shape. The CBDB record 32044 gives dates 545–610, consistent with the Suíshū biography.
Zhāng Pǔ 張溥 compiled this reconstruction for the Hàn Wèi Liùcháo bǎisān jiā jí 漢魏六朝百三家集. Wilkinson’s Chinese History: A New Manual does not include a dedicated entry for Niú Hóng, but his bibliographic work is relevant to Wilkinson’s discussions of the Sui imperial library and the origins of the Suíshū jīngjízhì.
Translations and research
- Twitchett, Denis C. “The Composition of the T’ang Ruling Class: New Evidence from Tunhuang.” In Perspectives on the T’ang, edited by Arthur Wright and Denis Twitchett. Yale University Press, 1973. (Background on Sui/Tang bibliographic culture.)
- Knechtges, David R., and Taiping Chang, eds. Ancient and Early Medieval Chinese Literature: A Reference Guide. Leiden: Brill, 2010–2014. Entry on Niu Hong.
Links
- Suíshū 隋書 juǎn 49 (biography)
- Chūxué jì 初學記 juǎn 14 (citations)
- Wényuān yīnghuá 文苑英華 juǎn 175 (citations)