Wéizhāi jí 韋齋集
Wéi-Studio Collection by 朱松 (撰), with 朱橰 (撰; Yùlán jí appendix)
About the work
Wéizhāi jí 韋齋集 in 12 juǎn — with the Yùlán jí 玉瀾集 of Zhū Sōng’s younger brother Zhū Gāo 朱橰 朱橰 in 1 juǎn appended — is the literary collection of Zhū Sōng 朱松 (1097–1143), Lìbù yuánwàiláng 吏部員外郎 of the early Southern Sòng and father of Zhū Xī 朱熹. The title takes Zhū Sōng’s biézì Wéizhāi 韋齋 (Studio of Tanned Leather, alluding to the Lúnyǔ “pèi wéi yǐ huǎn” — wear soft leather to temper one’s pace). Zhū Xī’s xíngzhuàng records the collection at 12 juǎn with a 10-juǎn wàijí (now lost). The 12-juǎn recension was first cut at Chúnxī (under Zhū Xī’s lifetime); recut at Zhìyuán (Yuan); recut at Hóngzhì (1488–1505); and definitively re-collated by Zhū Sōng’s descendant Zhū Chāngchén 朱昌辰 at Kāngxī gēngyín (1710). The Yùlán jí was added in 1496 by Kuàng Fán 鄺璠 of Rènqiū. The SBCK reproduces the Kāngxī recension.
Tiyao
The local source for KR4d0171 is the SBCK reproduction. The Sìkù tíyào (translated from Kyoto Zinbun 集部十 別集類十; entry no. 0330001; source-edition 內府藏本):
By Zhū Sōng of the Sòng. Sōng, zì Qiáonián, biézì Wéizhāi — Zhū Zǐ’s father. Zhènghé 8 (1118) Tóng shàngshè chūshēn. Office to Lìbù yuánwàiláng. For yánshì (speaking-on-affairs) opposed Qín Guì; out as Prefect of Ráozhōu; before taking the post requested release; obtained Zhǔguǎn Tāizhōu Chóngdàoguān. At expiry, petitioned-again; the appointment-decree came-down and he died. Zhū Zǐ composed the xíngzhuàng, calling it Wéizhāi jí 12 juǎn, wàijí 10 juǎn. The wàijí today long-perished.
This collection — first cut at Chúnxī; recut at Zhìyuán; further-cut at Hóngzhì; transmitted-versions also rare. Kāngxī gēngyín (1710), his descendant [Zhū] Chāngchén further collated-and-recorded, recut. This is the present version. Verifying the juǎn-count, matches what the xíngzhuàng says — surely still the old fascicles.
At the head is a Zhuàn Zìdé 傳自得 preface — saying his poetry is gāoyuǎn ér yōujié (lofty-and-far, secluded-and-pure), his prose is wēnwǎn ér diǎncái (warm-and-graceful, well-tailored). As-for biǎozòu shūshū (memorials, rescripts, letters, and proclamations), they are also all zhōng yú lǐ ér qiè shìqíng (correct-on-principle, fitting-on-fact).
Although these are friend’s words-of-praise, Sōng’s youthful friendship with Lǐ Tóng 李侗 and his late-life rejection of Qín Guì — his learning-and-discernment originally distinct from the worldly. Hence what he expressed as composition is qìgé gāoyì xiāorán zìyì (high-and-easy in qìgé, xiāorán (relaxed-and-detached) self-different). Even without depending on Zhū Zǐ as son, his collection is enough to zìzhuàn (transmit-itself). What Zìdé said is rather close-to-truth — not what later school-faction-private (e.g. Zhāng Shì 張栻 honouring his father Zhāng Jùn 張浚) is to be compared-with.
After-attached is his younger-brother [Zhū] Gāo’s Yùlán jí in 1 juǎn. Gāo, zì Féngnián, Sōng’s brother. His collection originally separate-version self-circulated; hence the Shūlù jiětí and Sōng’s collection each-recorded separately. Míng Hóngzhì bǐngchén (1496), Rènqiū Kuàng Fán obtained the version from Suīyáng’s Chén Xìngzhī, accordingly fùkè (appended-cut) at the back of Sōng’s collection. [Zhū] Chāngchén’s-cut also followed-this. After it has Yóu Máo’s colophon — extremely-praising its Chūn fēng one-piece, Jí shì three-pieces. But Gāo’s poetry actually does-not match Sōng’s. What Yóu praised also is not entirely-fair. Provisionally appended-side-by-side to circulate. (Translated from Sìkù.)
Abstract
The Wéizhāi jí is the principal documentary record of Zhū Xī’s father — a Lìbù yuánwàiláng who chose retirement over service to Qín Guì 秦檜 and who was an early disciple of Lǐ Tóng 李侗 (the eventual transmitter of the Dàoxué lineage to Zhū Xī). The print history is unusually well-documented: Chúnxī (under Zhū Xī’s own oversight) → Zhìyuán (Yuán) → Hóngzhì (1488–1505) → Kāngxī gēngyín (1710, by descendant Zhū Chāngchén). The Sìkù editors take the Kāngxī recension as authoritative. The 10-juǎn wàijí recorded by Zhū Xī’s xíngzhuàng is lost and is one of the more significant lacunae in early-Southern-Sòng biéjí survivals.
The Zhuàn Zìdé 傳自得 preface (preserved at the head of the SBCK source) is the principal external aesthetic appraisal: poetry gāoyuǎn yōujié, prose wēnwǎn diǎncái, memorials zhōnglǐ qièqíng. Zhuàn was Zhū Sōng’s friend — the Sìkù editors caution against reading the praise too credulously, but place Zhū Sōng’s writings on independent merits.
The appended Yùlán jí of Zhū Gāo (Zhū Sōng’s younger brother) was added in 1496 by Kuàng Fán; the Sìkù editors take a sceptical view of Yóu Máo’s praise of Zhū Gāo’s verse and treat the Yùlán jí as a courtesy appendix.
CBDB id 11904 confirms Zhū Sōng’s lifedates 1097–1143; Zhū Gāo lacks dated CBDB record.
Translations and research
- 朱熹 Wéi-zhāi xiān-shēng xíng-zhuàng — preserved in the Zhū-zǐ wén-jí (= Huì-ān jí).
- 傳自得 Wéi-zhāi jí xù — preserved at head of SBCK.
- 尤袤 colophon to Yù-lán jí — preserved in SBCK.
- No dedicated Western-language study located. The collection is treated in surveys of Zhū Xī’s intellectual genealogy.
Other points of interest
- One of the few Southern-Sòng biéjí whose author’s principal historical importance is genealogical (= father of Zhū Xī) but whose own qìgé the Sìkù editors are careful to vindicate independently. The Dèng Sù 鄧肅 friendship and the Lǐ Tóng discipleship locate Zhū Sōng at a pivotal node in the Dàoxué prehistory.