Kèzhāi jí 克齋集
The Kè-zhāi Collection by 陳文蔚 (撰)
About the work
Kèzhāi jí 克齋集 in 17 juǎn is the biéjí of Chén Wénwèi 陳文蔚 (1154–1239, zì Cáiqīng 才卿, hào Kèzhāi 克齋), of Shàngráo 上饒 in Xìnzhōu (modern Jiāngxī). Pupil of Zhū Xī 朱熹 (introduced through fellow-townsman Yú Dàyǎ 余大雅); spent the DīngsìWùwǔ winters (1197–1198) tutoring Zhū’s grandsons at Zhū’s residence — a documented late-life direct discipleship. Jìnshì candidate; recommended for Dígōngláng in Duānpíng 2 (1235) on the strength of his Shàngshū lèibiān (now lost). His record of Zhū Xī’s conversations from Wùshēn (1188) onward is preserved in juǎn 4 of the Chílù and incorporated into the modern Zhūzǐ Yǔlèi.
Tiyao
[The standard tíyào, here translated:] The Kèzhāi jí in 17 juǎn was composed by Chén Wénwèi of the Sòng. Wénwèi’s zì was Cáiqīng, a man of Shàngráo. Once attempted jìnshì; in Duānpíng 2 the Dōushěng (Department-of-State) memorialized that what he composed — Shàngshū lèibiān — has bì zhìdào (benefits the way of governance) — by edict supplemented as Dígōngláng; commanded Běnzhōu (Xìnzhōu) to take his book and present [it]. Now [the] Lèibiān is already lost; his wénjí also untransmitted; therefore Chén Zhènsūn’s Shūlù jiětí and the Sòngshǐ Yìwénzhì both did not catalog [it]. Early Míng [his] townsman Zhāng Shítài and his descendant Liángjiàn first gathered-up [the pieces] forming a compilation — that is this běn. Wénwèi initially through fellow-townsman Yú Dàyǎ took service as Master Zhū’s pupil — seen in [his] composed Yú Zhèngshū mùjié. With Master Zhū back-and-forth letters were many — all on gōngfū jīngjìn (cultivation-progress) mutually-admonishing. And in [his] jì Zhū xiānshēng wén (sacrificial-text for Master Zhū) [there is] the line “Dīngsì zhī dōng, Wùwǔ zhī chūn — invited and used to come — receiving instruction with various grandsons — therefore obtained yearlong waiting-on-instruction, zhūnzhūn (earnest-and-careful)” — then [Chén] also once boarded at Master Zhū’s home; therefore obtained Master Zhū’s instruction most detailedly. His recorded Zhūzǐ yǔlù are all what was heard from Wùshēn (1188) afterwards; [it] appears in the Chílù 4th [juǎn]; now also edited-into Zhūzǐ Yǔlèi. His learning takes gōngxíng shíjiàn (personal-conduct, real-practice) as foundation. Therefore this collection’s shī although not skilled, but the wénzhāng is chúnhòu jīngquè (pure-thick, refined-exact); does not shame “words of the Way”. The jiǎngyì 9 entries — analyzing yìlì (righteousness-and-profit) distinction — especially earnest, supremely-essential — for scholars deeply have benefit. Qiánlóng 42 (1777), 5th month, respectfully collated.
Abstract
Kèzhāi jí preserves the corpus of Chén Wénwèi, one of Zhū Xī’s most-attested direct disciples. The collection contains: (a) the jiǎngyì (lecture-meanings, 9 entries) — particularly Chén’s yìlìbiàn (righteousness-vs-profit discrimination) — which the Sìkù editors single out as supremely useful for students; (b) Chén’s record of Zhū Xī’s late-life conversations from 1188 onward — preserved here and integrated into the modern Zhūzǐ Yǔlèi (j. 4 of the Chílù); (c) Chén’s correspondence with Zhū on cultivation-progress; (d) the jì Zhū xiānshēng wén (sacrificial text for Zhū Xī) preserving the touching deathbed information that Chén had spent two consecutive winters (1197–1198) at Zhū’s home tutoring Zhū’s grandsons.
The dating bracket: 1188 (Chén’s earliest dateable Zhū Xī conversation-records) through 1239 (Chén’s death year per CBDB id 22004). The Míng-era reconstruction by Zhāng Shítài 張時泰 and the descendant Liángjiàn 良鑑 from family-stored fragments is the textual ancestor of the WYG.
Translations and research
- No substantial Western-language monographic literature located.
- 黎靖德 ed. 《朱子語類》 — incorporates Chén Wén-wèi’s records of Zhū Xī’s late conversations.
- Tillman, Hoyt Cleveland. 1992. Confucian Discourse and Chu Hsi’s Ascendancy. Hawai’i. Treats Chén briefly as part of the Zhū Xī inner circle.
Other points of interest
Chén Wénwèi’s documented two consecutive winters tutoring Zhū Xī’s grandsons (1197–1198) is one of the cleanest late-life documentations of Zhū Xī’s family-and-school environment — and the present biéjí’s preservation of this information is a useful complement to the Zhūzǐ Yǔlèi and Wénjí records.