Hòushān jí 後山集
The Hòu-shān Collection (of Chén Shī-dào) by 陳師道 (撰)
About the work
Hòushān jí 後山集 (named from Chén Shīdào 陳師道 陳師道’s hào Hòushān jūshì 後山居士) is the comprehensive 24-juǎn collection of Chén Shīdào (1053–1101, zì Lǚcháng 履常 / Wújǐ 無已), one of the sānzōng (with Huáng Tíngjiān and Chén Yǔyì) of the Jiāngxī shīpài canonical lineage. The original Sòng Wèi Yǎn 魏衍 zì-bian (self-edited) recension — preserved by Chén’s ménrén (disciple) Wèi Yǎn (zì Chāngshì 昌世) of Péngchéng — comprised 465 poems in 6 juǎn + 140 prose pieces in 14 juǎn + the Shīhuà and Táncóng in independent collection. Xú Dù 徐度’s Quèsǎo biān explicitly identifies the WèiYǎn recension as the only authoritative one, with shìsuǒ chuán duō wěi (the world-circulating ones are mostly forgeries). The Sìkù received Míng Mǎ Tūn 馬暾’s traditional recension, re-cut by Zhào Hóngliè 趙鴻烈 of Sōngjiāng — this gives 765 poems in 8 juǎn + 171 prose pieces in 9 juǎn + 4 juǎn táncóng + 1 juǎn lǐjiū + 1 juǎn shīhuà + 1 juǎn chángduǎnjù + 1 zátǐ shī. The MǎZhào recension is therefore not the WèiYǎn original but a Yuán / early-Míng reorganization (Fāng Huí 方回 references a Hòushān wàijí held by Xiè Kèjiā 謝克家). The Sìkù tíyào carefully distinguishes the recensions and offers a substantial critical evaluation of Chén’s poetry across genres.
Tiyao
The Sìkù tíyào: Hòushān jí in 24 juǎn by Chén Shīdào of the Sòng. Shīdào, zì Lǚcháng, also zì Wújǐ, of Péngchéng. Studied under Zēng Gǒng’s gate; further studied poetry under Huáng Tíngjiān. In early Yuányòu by Sū Shì’s recommendation made jiàoshòu; later summoned as Mìshūshěng zhèngzì. Deeds in Sòngshǐ Wényuàn zhuàn. Shīdào’s collection: edited by his disciple Péngchéng Wèi Yǎn; back has Yǎn’s record saying: with jiǎyǐbǐnggǎo (drafts named jiǎ, yǐ, bǐng) combined and collated, got 465 piān of poems, divided into 6 juǎn; 140 piān of prose, divided into 14 juǎn; the Shīhuà and Táncóng each as separate collection &c. Xú Dù’s Quèsǎo biān says: Shīdào yínshī (chanting poems) reaches kǔ (toilsome), cuànyì (revising) reaches abundance — those that do not satisfy he discards the draft — those circulating in the world are mostly forgeries — only Wèi Yǎn’s běn is authoritative — this is so. This běn is what Míng’s Mǎ Tūn transmitted, and what Sōngjiāng Zhào Hóngliè re-cut: 765 piān of poems, edited into 8 juǎn; 171 piān of prose, edited into 9 juǎn; Táncóng 4 juǎn; Shīhuà, Lǐjiū, Chángduǎnjù each 1 juǎn — also not Yǎn’s old recension. Fāng Huí cited that Xiè Kèjiā transmitted had a Hòushān wàijí — perhaps later persons combined. His 5-character gǔshī is in-and-out of Mèng Jiāo / Jiǎ Dǎo’s realm, the gūyì (solitary intent) almost cannot be reached; but the shēngyìng (raw) places do not yet escape the Jiāngxī xí (habit). 7-character gǔshī rather learns Hán Yù, also occasionally resembles Huáng Tíngjiān, but rather suffers from jiǎnzhí (stubborn-direct) — piānshén bùduō (chapters-of-spirit not many) — perhaps he himself knew it was not his strength. 5-character lǜshī’s fine places often approach Dù Fǔ — but occasionally falls into pìsè (off-the-mark, awkward). 7-character lǜshī’s fēnggǔ lěiluò (style-bone strewn-about) but occasionally falls into tàikuài tàijìn (too quick, too thoroughgoing). 5- and 7-character juéjù purely [in] Dù Fǔ’s qiǎnxìng (sending-feeling) format — does not match the central tone. Chángduǎnjù also self-makes a separate tone — not very fitting. Generally: cí less than shī, shī — juéjù less than gǔshī, gǔshī less than lǜshī, lǜshī — 7-character less than 5-character. Fāng Huí’s Yīzǔ sānzōng (One-Forefather, Three-Patriarchs) statement may be excessive; Féng Bān’s hot-rebuke is also not a serious assessment. His gǔwén in his day did not gain fame — yet jiǎnyán mìlì (dense-strict, close-firm) — really not below Lǐ Áo / Sūn Qiáo — only obscured by Ōu / Sū / Zēng / Wáng’s great fame, hence the world does not particularly esteem him. Setting aside short-comings and taking long-strengths, he assuredly does not fail to be a BěiSòng jùshǒu (great hand of Northern Sòng). Qiánlóng 42 (1777) 9th month, respectfully collated.
Abstract
Hòushān jí preserves Chén Shīdào’s complete extant output across all genres. The poetic corpus (8 juǎn) is the principal Jiāngxī-school primary source (Rèn Yuān’s Hòushān shīzhù KR4d0088 annotates only the 6-juǎn core shī); the prose corpus (9 juǎn — shū, xù, jì, lùn, cè, biǎo, qǐ, jìwén, zhìmíng) is given a striking Sìkù evaluation as comparable to Lǐ Áo and Sūn Qiáo despite having been overshadowed by the Tang-Sòng bājiā; the Táncóng (4 juǎn of bǐjì) and Lǐjiū (1 juǎn of philosophical-essays) are independently valuable; the Shīhuà (1 juǎn) is one of the foundational Northern-Sòng shīhuà; the Chángduǎnjù (1 juǎn of cí) is the cí corpus. The Sìkù editors’ careful disentangling of recensions (WèiYǎn original 24 juǎn; MǎZhào reorganized 24 juǎn; Fāng-Huí-cited Wàijí) and their genre-by-genre evaluation of Chén’s poetic strengths and weaknesses — gǔshī through cí, descending — is one of the more careful Qing critical assessments. Standard reference: Rèn Yuān’s Hòushān shīzhù KR4d0088 for the poetry; the Hòushān shīhuà, separately cataloged. Dating bracket: Chén’s death (1101) to the Sìkù re-collation (1777).
Translations and research
- Bol, Peter K. 1992. “This Culture of Ours”. Stanford UP. Treats Chén Shī-dào in the Sū-mén / Jiāng-xī milieu.
- Yoshikawa Kōjirō 吉川幸次郎. 1962. An Introduction to Sung Poetry. Tr. Burton Watson. Harvard.
- Lèng Cháng-jiàn 冷昌健 et al. 1987. Chén Shī-dào shī-jí jiào-zhù 陳師道詩集校註. Sì-chuān bā-shǔ. Standard modern critical edition.
- Wáng Yùn-xī 王運熙 & Gù Yì-shēng 顧易生. Sòng wén-xué pī-píng tōng-shǐ 宋文學批評通史 — treats Hòu-shān shī-huà.
Other points of interest
The Wèi Yǎn 魏衍 — Chén Shīdào’s Péngchéng-fellow disciple and zì-bian editor — is one of the more important Northern-Sòng / Southern-Sòng-transition transmitters of biéjí; his record of Chén’s jiǎyǐbǐnggǎo (three-stage drafting) practice gives unusual insight into Sòng poetic-composition technique. The Yīzǔ sānzōng doctrine — Fāng Huí’s classification of the Jiāngxī lineage with Dù Fǔ as yīzǔ and Huáng / Chén / ChénYǔyì as sānzōng — is here explicitly criticized by the Sìkù editors as overstated; the editors’ more nuanced position (Chén’s strengths and weaknesses are genre-specific) is one of their more critically discriminating biéjí evaluations.
Links
- Chen Shidao (Wikidata)
- Wilkinson, Chinese History: A New Manual, §28.1 (Sòng biéjí); §47 (Jiāngxī shīpài).