Wáng zhùzuò jí 王著作集
Editorial-Director Wáng (Píng) Collection by 王蘋 (撰), edited by 王觀 (編)
About the work
Wáng zhùzuò jí 王著作集 in 8 juǎn is the literary collection of Wáng Píng 王蘋 (1082–1153), Sòng Dàoxué figure, pupil of Yáng Shí, Yǐn Tūn, and Zhū Zhèn, Zhùzuò zuǒláng under Gāozōng. Compiled in the Míng Hóngzhì (1488–1505) by Wáng Píng’s tenth-generation descendant Wáng Guàn 王觀 王觀. The original 4-juǎn recension recorded in Chén Zhènsūn’s Zhízhāi shūlù jiětí KR3h0011 — cut by Wáng Píng’s great-grandson Wáng Sīwén 王思文 at Bǎoyòu (1253–58) with preface by Lú Yuè 盧鉞 — was largely lost. The present 8-juǎn recension expands by including a chuándào zhīpàitú (lineage transmission diagram) at juǎn 1, miscellaneous prose at juǎn 2, and image-encomia, colophons, and pupil notes from juǎn 3 onward. The actual WángPíng corpus is approximately 1 juǎn.
Tiyao
Wáng zhùzuò jí 8 juǎn — Míng Wáng Guàn edited. His distant-ancestor Sòng Wáng Píng’s surviving-prose, together with others’ recommendation-jiāzǐ, image-encomia, colophon-types. [Wáng] Píng, zì Xìnbó. Fújiàn tōngzhì says: Shàoxīng beginning, Píngjiāng prefect Sūn Yòu by déxíng recommended-him to court; called-and-interviewed, granted jìnshì chūshēn; appointed Bìshūshěng zhèngzì; cumulatively-officed to Zuǒ zhāofèng láng. Chén Zhènsūn’s Shūlù jiětí makes it: by Zhào Zhōngjiǎn (= Zhào Dǐng) recommended; granted jìnshì chūshēn; office-to Zhùzuò zuǒláng; Qín Guì hated him — happened that his clan’s-son was punished-for-violating-law, drawn-in-and-conformed-and-stripped-of-office — does-not-match what the tōngzhì records. But this collection is named Zhùzuò — Chén’s words are correct.
Chénshì recorded as 4 juǎn; Bǎoyòu his great-grandson [Wáng] Sīwén cut at the Wú-school; Lú Yuè wrote the preface. This version is what Míng Hóngzhì-period [Wáng] Píng’s tenth-generation descendant [Wáng] Guàn compiled. Juǎn 1 is the chuándào zhīpàitú (transmission-of-the-Way lineage diagram). Juǎn 2 is jiāzǐ and miscellaneous prose 10-and-some pieces. Juǎn 3 onward is xiàngzàn tíbá and pupils’ private-records and yǔlù-types. Compared to what Chénshì recorded, the juǎn-count suddenly-doubled.
But the surviving prose does-not-exceed 1 juǎn; the rest are all fùlù (appendices). Actually then more-than-half-lost; surely picked-up-and-collected from remnants; already not the old-version. Because his learning came-out from YīLuò (Chéng Yí), and was-able to not attach-himself to Qín Guì — life-establishing without-shame to the master-gate — hence recorded-and-preserved; not on-account-of incompleteness rejected. Respectfully collated, Qiánlóng 46 (1781), 12th month.
Abstract
The 8-juǎn WYG version is the Míng Hóngzhì expansion of Wáng Píng’s collection — substantially padded with appendix material (lineage diagram, image-encomia, pupil notes), with the actual primary corpus reduced to approximately 1 juǎn. The original 4-juǎn Bǎoyòu recension by Wáng Sīwén had been mostly lost.
The collection’s importance is twofold. First, the surviving short prose preserves Wáng Píng’s Dàoxué statements — particularly his Gāozōng audience-reply on the yīxīn (one-mind) transmission of Yáo through Confucius, a foundational early-Southern-Sòng xīnxué statement. Second, the chuándào zhīpàitú in juǎn 1 is itself a documentary witness to the YīLuò (Chéng Yí) lineage as understood in late-Sòng / early-Míng Dàoxué historiography.
The Sìkù editors’ decision-rule is candid: they preserve the work despite its substantial padding because Wáng Píng “xué chū yú YīLuò ér néng bù fù Qín Guì, lìshēn wú kuì yú shīmén” (his learning came from the YīLuò line, and he could not attach himself to Qín Guì — establishing himself without shame to the master-gate). The collection is preserved on virtue-grounds rather than pure literary-grounds.
CBDB id 7381 confirms 1082–1153.
Translations and research
- Sòng shǐ — Wáng Píng biography (in Dào-xué zhuàn-related sections).
- 陳振孫 Zhí-zhāi shū-lù jiě-tí KR3h0011 — preserves the original 4-juǎn notice.
- Sòng yuán xué-àn — Wáng Píng’s intellectual lineage.
- No dedicated Western-language monograph located.
Other points of interest
- The chuándào zhīpàitú in juǎn 1 — added in the Míng recension — should be read as Míng Dàoxué historiography rather than as Sòng-period documentation. Its evidentiary value for the actual transmission-line is therefore secondary.