Jiéxiào jí 節孝集
The Jié-xiào Collection (of Xú Jī) by 徐積 (撰)
About the work
Jiéxiào jí 節孝集 (named from Xú Jī 徐積’s posthumous shì Jiéxiào 節孝, bestowed by Huīzōng in 1116 in recognition of his lifelong filial piety) is the literary collection of Xú Jī (1028–1103, zì Zhòngchē 仲車), of Shānyáng 山陽 (modern Huáiān 淮安, Jiāngsū). A jìnshì of Zhìpíng 4 / 1067, Xú studied under Hú Yuán 胡瑗 and is one of the most idiosyncratic gǔwén / gǔshī poets of the late Northern Sòng — Sòngshǐ places him in the Zhuóxíng zhuàn 卓行傳 (rather than the Dàoxué zhuàn) for his eccentric upright conduct. Sū Shì 蘇軾 蘇軾 (cited by Chén Zhènsūn) characterized his shīwén as guài ér fàng, rú Yùchuānzǐ (strange and unbridled, like Lú Tóng — the “Master of the Jade Stream”). The collection is in 30 juǎn with appendix material (the catalog gives 32 juǎn); originally it had at the head a 1-juǎn shìshí (deeds-and-events) and at the back a 1-juǎn yǔlù (recorded sayings, separately cataloged as the Jiéxiào yǔlù KR3a0035). The yǔlù portion (already in independent circulation) is detached in the Sìkù; what remains is the fùlù of shìshí alone. Combined-printed in Jǐngdìng jiǎzǐ / 1264 by Wēng Méngzhèng 翁蒙正 of Huáiān prefectural school; re-cut under Míng Jiājìng by Liú Yòu 劉祐 of Huáiān bīngbèi on the basis of Wēng’s text.
Tiyao
The Sìkù tíyào: Jiéxiào jí in 30 juǎn by Xú Jī of the Sòng. Jī has Jiéxiào yǔlù, already cataloged. Jī in youth was diligent in study, taught at Hú Yuán’s gate; the source-stream is dǔshí (substantial-genuine); his service to his mother was of pure filiality; in his own conduct he was jiānkǔ zhuójué (hard-suffering, eminently outstanding) — generally what the ancients called a dúxíng zhī shì (man of solitary conduct). Yet his prose is qíjué zìsì, bù zhǔ gùcháng (strange-fluent, unrestrainedly self-poured, not following the customary). Hence Chén Zhènsūn’s Shūlù jiětí cites Sū Shì’s saying: his shīwén are guài ér fàng, rú Yùchuānzǐ (Lú Tóng). Now examining his collection, often zòngyì zìrú (untrammelled, self-following), not to be measured by gélǜ (rule-and-meter) — what Shì discussed is indeed so. Yet his prose, though yǎsú jiānchén (refined-and-vulgar mixed), lìdùn hùjiàn (sharp-and-blunt alternating), considerably resembles Lú Tóng — but in general chúnzhèng (pure-upright), yījīng lìxùn (resting on canon, establishing teaching), not failing to be rúzhě zhī yán (the words of a rú) — this is what Lú Tóng cannot match. Only his Fù Hé shuō one piān — wishing to seek out the old course of the Nine Rivers and dig through them — without examining the dìxíng (geography), without illuminating the shuǐshì (water-direction) — does not avoid being yūpì (devious-out-of-the-way). The shǐ says he was shuāngěr kuì shèn (both ears extremely deaf), drew characters in the earth to begin to communicate; zhōngrì miànbì zuò, bù yǔ rén jiē (all day sat facing the wall, did not interact with people), yet the affairs of the four directions all zhōuzhī qíxiáng (knew the details fully). Probably this is not so. The old běn in front carried shìshí in 1 juǎn, back appended yǔlù in 1 juǎn. In Jǐngdìng jiǎzǐ / 1264 Huáiānzhōu xué jiàoshòu Wēng Méngzhèng combined-edited and printed-circulated. In Míng Jiājìng the Huáiān bīngbèi fùshǐ Liú Yòu, on the basis of Wēng’s text, re-cut. Now the yǔlù is separately biéběn gūxíng (separately circulating in independent edition), and is not again included; only the appended shìshí in 1 juǎn is preserved for kǎohé (corroboration). Qiánlóng 45 (1780) 9th month, respectfully collated.
Abstract
Jiéxiào jí preserves one of the late-Northern-Sòng’s most peculiar voices. Xú Jī’s deafness (the Sòngshǐ portrait — communicating in dirt-drawn characters yet knowing the affairs of the four directions — the Sìkù editors gently doubt) gives the collection its withdrawn, eccentric register; his gǔshī in particular have the Yùchuānzǐ (Lú Tóng 盧仝) reputation explicitly invoked by Sū Shì. The Fù Hé shuō — Xú’s bizarre proposal to recover the Yǔ Gòng’s Nine Rivers — is an instance of late-Sòng amateur-classicist hydrology, dismissed by the Sìkù editors as yūpì (out of the way). Xú’s Jiéxiào yǔlù (separately cataloged at KR3a0035) is the principal yǔlù-format work outside the strict dàoxué canon, transmitted in independent circulation since the Jǐngdìng combined-printing. The Sìkù editors’ careful detachment of the yǔlù portion (already independently cataloged) and preservation of the shìshí portion as appendix, is a model of Sìkù recategorization. Standard modern: Cài Fānglù 蔡方鹿 et al. on the Jiéxiào yǔlù and xuéàn scholarship. Dating bracket: Xú’s death (1103) to the Sìkù re-collation (1780).
Translations and research
- Bol, Peter K. 1992. “This Culture of Ours”. Stanford UP. Treats Xú Jī as Hú Yuán-school product.
- Cài Fāng-lù 蔡方鹿. 1996. Sòng-Míng lǐ-xué shǐ-luè 宋明理學史略. Discusses the Hú-xué and Xú Jī.
- Yú Yīng-shí 余英時. 2003. Zhū Xī de lì-shǐ shì-jiè. Sān-lián.
- Hú Hóng 胡宏 (Sòng) and others on the Hú Yuán school transmission to Xú Jī.
Other points of interest
Xú Jī’s placement in Sòngshǐ Zhuóxíng zhuàn 卓行傳 (rather than the Dàoxué zhuàn) — together with the eccentric-Lú Tóng register of his gǔshī — makes him a remarkable instance of a Sòng jiéyì (right-conduct) figure outside the formalized dàoxué canon. The Sòngshǐ deafness anecdote — politely declined by the Sìkù editors — is one of the more famous Northern-Sòng disability narratives. The Fù Hé shuō is part of the late-Northern-Sòng amateur revival of Yǔ Gòng hydrography, traceable through Sū Shì 蘇軾 蘇軾 and Wáng Yīnglín 王應麟.
Links
- Xu Ji (Wikidata)
- Wilkinson, Chinese History: A New Manual, §28.1 (Sòng biéjí); §43.1 (Húxué).