Běihǎi jí 北海集
Běi-hǎi Collection by 綦崇禮 (撰)
About the work
Běihǎi jí 北海集 in 46 juǎn is the literary collection of Qí Chónglǐ 綦崇禮 (1083–1142), the standard-bearer of early-Southern-Sòng zhìgào (drafted-edict) prose alongside Wāng Zǎo. The structure: 36 juǎn of poetry-and-prose (predominantly zhìgào, biǎoqǐ, with smaller portions of sǎntǐ gǔwén and very-thin poetry) + a separate work in 10 juǎn — the Bīngchóu lèiyào 兵籌類要 (Compendium of Military Strategy) — Qí composed during his Hanlin tenure. Reconstituted from the Yǒnglè dàdiǎn (the original 60 juǎn per Sòng shǐ Yìwénzhì and Zhízhāi shūlù jiětí having been lost). Three appendix juǎn contain Qí’s Sòng shǐ biography, Shìzú yánxínglù entries, and miscellaneous verifications.
Tiyao
Běihǎi jí in 46 juǎn, by Qí Chónglǐ of the Sòng. Chónglǐ, zì Shūhòu, of Gāomì; later moved to Wéizhōu’s Běihǎi. Achieved Chónghé 1 (1118) shàngshè dì. Gāozōng’s southward-crossing — appointed Qǐjū láng; called-and-tested at the Zhèngshìtáng; appointed Zhōngshū shèrén. Cumulatively-officed to Bǎowéngé xuéshì, Zhī Shàoxīngfǔ. Retired and resided at Tāizhōu; died, posthumously Zuǒ zhāoyì dàfū. Career in Sòng shǐ biography. Yìwénzhì and Shūlù jiětí both record Chónglǐ’s Běihǎi jí in 60 juǎn — long-lost. Lì È’s Sòng shī jì shì only-from Tiāntāi shèngjì obtained his composed Shíliáng pùbù shī one piece; other things he-did-not-see.
Today examining the Yǒnglè dàdiǎn, recording Chónglǐ’s poetry-and-prose rather many. Within: only zhìgào most-rich; biǎoqǐ-types next; sǎntǐ gǔwén comparatively few; and the shīshén (poetic-numerals) especially liáoliáo (sparse-and-few). Surely his life excelled with parallel-prose. The collection has occasional original-notes referring-to Chónglǐ as “xiānzǔ” (former ancestor) — so what was-relied-on at-the-time still his family’s old-cut version.
The shǐ praises Chónglǐ as miàolíng xiùfā, cōngmíng juérén; tánxīn cízhāng, jí rùnsè lùnsī zhī xuǎn. Twice entered the Hanlin — altogether 5 years; what he composed of zhàomìng — several-hundred pieces — wénjiǎn yìmíng, bù sīměi bù jìyuàn; deeply attaining the dàiyán (proxy-speaking) substance.
Today examining the present collection’s loaded inner-and-outer various edicts: roughly míngbái xiǎochàng (clear-and-fluent), qièzhōng shìqíng (cutting-to-affairs); rather close-to Fúxī jí (Wāng Zǎo) in tǐgé. For example: the Lǚ Yíhào kāidūfǔ zhìcí — Lóu Yuè admired its hóngwěi (vast-and-grand). The Wáng Zhòngyí luòzhí zhìcí — Wáng Yìnglín took its jīngqiè (pure-and-cutting). The Zōu Hào zhuīfù dàizhì zhìcí — Sòng shǐ selected-it into [Zōu] Hào’s běnzhuàn; taking it as able to advance the court’s intent of bāoxù yízhí (recognising and consoling lingering-uprightness).
His draft-of-the Qín Guì bàzhèng zhì (Qín Guì dismissal-edict) — directly recorded Qín’s evil. Causing — when Guì again-prime-ministered, Guì sought the draft, almost stepping-into peril-and-disaster. The shǐ-narrated thus is also not over-praise.
Lù Yóu’s Lǎoxuéān bǐjì says: Chónglǐ’s Xiè gōngcí biǎo — saying “zá gōngjǐn yú yúsuō; gǎn wàng jūncì? Huà yùtáng yú máoshě; gèng jué shēnróng” — at-the-time admired its skill. Further has-one biǎo says: “yù guà yīguàn shàng dīhuí yú mòlù; wèi xiān quǎnmǎ; tǎng xièhòu yú chūxīn” — especially fine. Today the collection is without these two couplets — knowing his great-compositions and grand-pieces still much yítuō (omitted-and-dropped). Yet based-on what we now obtain to see — already enough to see the cízǎo zhī jīnglì (lyrical-flora’s beauty-and-elegance); not necessarily complete-jade.
Carefully classified-by-genre, edited and arranged into 36 juǎn. Further the Bīngchóu lèiyào one work — composed-and-presented while in the Hanlin — all yuánjù (drawn-from) bīngfǎ, cān (mixed) with historical-affairs; each-given lùnduàn. Although zhǐshàng kōngtán (paper-empty-talk), not-necessarily really-fitting practical-application; yet cǎizhí (selected-source) is rather bóqià (broad-comprehensive). Today also edited as 10 juǎn, placed-after. His passed-through-office chúshòu gàocí (decrees-of-appointment) and Lǚ Yíhào letters-and-prefaces, Lǐ Bǐng jìwén, Qín Guì qǐ zhuīqǔ yùbǐ cítóu jiāzǐ — original-version all-loaded into the collection. Today still per old-version; further-with Sòng shǐ běnzhuàn, Shìzú yánxínglù etc. items, separately-as appendix 3 juǎn, attached-at collection-end for reference. Respectfully collated, Qiánlóng 46 (1781), 9th month.
Abstract
The Běihǎi jí is, after Wāng Zǎo’s Fúxī jí KR4d0148, the most important early-Southern-Sòng zhìgào (drafted-edict) collection. Qí Chónglǐ served twice in the Hanlin (totalling 5 years) and composed several-hundred imperial commands. The Sìkù editors place his style alongside Wāng Zǎo’s: “míngbái xiǎochàng, qièzhōng shìqíng” (clear-and-fluent, cutting-to-affairs).
Three drafted edicts have been identified by Sòng-period evaluators as exemplary: the Lǚ Yíhào directorate-opening edict (praised by Lóu Yuè); the Wáng Zhòngyí dismissal edict (selected by Wáng Yìnglín); the Zōu Hào posthumous-restoration edict (preserved by Sòng shǐ in Zōu Hào’s biography). The single most consequential piece — the Qín Guì bàzhèng dismissal-edict — directly catalogued Qín’s offences and nearly destroyed Qí when Qín returned to power.
Lù Yóu’s Lǎoxuéān bǐjì preserves two famous parallel-prose couplets — the Xiè gōngcí biǎo and yù guà yīguàn couplet — neither preserved in the Yǒnglè dàdiǎn recovery, marking known lost lacunae.
The appended Bīngchóu lèiyào in 10 juǎn — composed during Hanlin tenure — is treated as a standalone work of military strategy compilation; the Sìkù editors call it broad in source-collection but admit zhǐshàng kōngtán.
CBDB id 15286 confirms 1083–1142.
Translations and research
- Sòng shǐ j. 378 — Qí Chóng-lǐ biography (preserved as appendix in the Sì-kù recension).
- 陸游 Lǎo-xué-ān bǐ-jì — preserves the famous lost couplets.
- 樓鑰 Gōng-kuí jí KR4d0247 — preserves evaluation of the Lǚ Yí-hào edict.
- 王應麟 Cí-xué zhǐ-nán — preserves evaluation of the Wáng Zhòng-yí edict.
- No dedicated Western-language study located.
Other points of interest
- Qí is one of the few Southern-Sòng officials whose drafted edicts are widely cited in Sòng literary criticism as exemplars of the dàiyán (proxy-speaking) form. Read together with KR4d0148 (Wāng Zǎo) for the full early-Southern-Sòng zhìgào canon.