中庵集

Zhōngān jí 中庵集

The Zhōng-ān (Middle-Hut) Collection by 劉敏中 (撰)

About the work

The 20-juàn recovered collection of Liú Mǐnzhōng 劉敏中 (CBDB 27895, 1243–1318), zì Duānfǔ 端甫, native of Zhāngqiū 章邱 (Shāndōng). Rose from Zhōngshū yuán (Imperial-Secretariat clerk) through Yuán-imperial offices to Hànlín xuéshì chéngzhǐ 翰林學士承旨 — the senior Hànlín literary office. Posthumously enfeoffed Qíguógōng 齊國公 with shì Wénjiǎn 文簡. Yuánshǐ j. 159 gives the substantial biography. The original Zhōngān jí was 25 juàn (per Yuánshǐ); the Wényuāngé shūmù records 5 cè without juàn-count; Liáng Wéishū 梁維樞’s Nèigé shūmù does not record the book at all — confirming the loss before mid-Míng. Among Míng book-collectors, only Yè Shèng 葉盛’s Lùzhútáng shūmù records the title (no juàn-count). Huáng Yújì 黄虞稷’s Qiānqǐngtáng shūmù records 35 juàn — inconsistent with the Yuánshǐ — likely Huáng’s normal practice of citing booklists without seeing the books directly. The Sìkù base recovers 20 juàn from the Yǒnglè dàdiǎn (approximately 7–8 of the original 25 juàn are lost).

The Sìkù editors specifically use the Zhōngān jí to correct Yuánshǐ errors:

1. Hālāhāsī 哈喇哈斯 biography (Yuánshǐ) used Liú Mǐnzhōng’s stele as source, but omitted Hālāhāsī’s Zōngzhèngyuán (Imperial Clan Court) role accompanying Khubilai north on the cù yù luàn (suddenly-meeting-rebellion) incident, where he broke through and destroyed the enemy. Also omitted his daily-routine practice in the Zhōngshūshěng of receiving foreign envoys to inquire after the conditions of the realm, official integrity, talent-recognition, and harvests — and adopting the practicable measures. Also: a textual error in his land-survey-and-granary-construction phrase (“dù dì zhì liǎng cāng” misprinted as “nèi”).

2. Shāzāgāi 沙扎該 biography (Yuánshǐ) used Liú’s stele but omitted son Dāndáěr 丹達爾’s achievements in inducing the Xiāngyáng surrender, taking Hànkǒu, and breaking the Wùzhōu rebels — achievements no less than the father’s. The Yuánshǐ then only mentions Shāzāgāi’s son Ángālā 昂阿喇 in name without any reference to Dāndáěr.

3. Memorials lost from the Yuánshǐ. Liú’s Censorate-period memorials impeaching the chief-minister Sēnggé 僧格; his Jíxián xuéshì-period memorial on the Shí Shì (Ten Affairs) — both lost from the běnzhuàn. The collection’s Xīngbiàn zòuyì (Star-change Memorials) and Huángqìng gǎiyuán zòuyì (Huángqìng reign-change memorials) are not in the běnzhuàn — supplementing historical lacunae.

Tiyao

[Substantively translated above in the About the work section. The full Sìkù tíyào continues:]

The Sìkù editors evaluate Liú Mǐnzhōng’s prose-and-poetry as “shuài píngzhèng tōngdá” (uniformly level-correct and conveyed-clearly); “wú gōuzhāng jíjù zhī xí” (without hooked-and-brambly chapter-and-phrase practice). Among Yuán authors, Liú is “yìmíngshàn Mǎ Zǔcháng zhī yà” (next-after Yuán Míngshàn and Mǎ Zǔcháng). The běnzhuàn characterizes him as “wénlǐ míng cíbèi” (writing-principle clear, words-prepared); the Hán Xìng original-preface concurs: “bù zǎohuì ér huá, bù zhuólòu ér gōng — hùshū ménjiàn, tínglǚ bìliè — jǐn jìn hū gǔrén zhī zuò” (not ornamentally-painted yet flowery, not chisel-carved yet skilled — door-hinges and door-keys, courtyard-and-steps appropriately laid out — gradually approaching the ancients’ compositions) — “gù bù wū yě” (truly not a false statement).

Respectfully collated, ninth month of Qiánlóng 46 (1781). Chief-Compiler Officers Jì Yún 紀昀, Lù Xīxióng 陸錫熊, Sūn Shìyì 孫士毅; Chief-Collation Officer Lù Fèichí 陸費墀.

Abstract

The recovered literary collection of Liú Mǐnzhōng (CBDB 27895, 1243–1318), a senior Khubilai-and-successor era Hàn-Confucian who rose from Imperial-Secretariat clerk to Hànlín xuéshì chéngzhǐ (the senior Hànlín literary office). Posthumously enfeoffed Qíguógōng with shì Wénjiǎn 文簡. The Sìkù editors particularly value the collection for its historiographical corrective function regarding the Yuánshǐ:

• Hālāhāsī biographical lacunae corrected (Khubilai-era northern campaign valor; daily-practice of foreign-envoy reception in the Zhōngshūshěng)
• Shāzāgāi family-biographical errors corrected (omission of son Dāndáěr’s substantial military achievements)
• Liú’s Censorate memorials impeaching Sēnggé 僧格 (the senior Yuán chief-minister deposed for corruption) recovered
• Liú’s Jíxián xuéshì-period Shí Shì memorial recovered
• Xīngbiàn zòuyì (Star-change memorials, on inauspicious-astronomical-events) and Huángqìng gǎiyuán zòuyì (Huángqìng reign-change memorials) recovered

Imperial state-prose corpus includes the Bāyán (= Bāyán 伯顏) memorial-stele, Hālāhāsī (= Harghasun), Shāzāgāi (= Sajagai), Dāndáěr (= Dandar), Yàozhūbūhuā Ěr Lǐtáng (Mongol-Khangli family) shéndào bēi, Dàzhìquánsì bēi, Wǎngjísì bēi — all imperially-commissioned (chéng zhào zhuàn shù) — preserving substantial Khubilai-era and post-Khubilai imperial state-papers.

Sū Tiānjué’s Yuán wénlèi preserves only two of Liú’s pieces: the Hè zhèngdàn biǎo (New-Year congratulation memorial) and the Zhōngxiànwáng miào bēi (Loyal-and-Worthy-Prince Shrine Stele). The Sìkù Yǒnglè dàdiǎn recovery (20 of original 25 juàn) is therefore a substantial Yuán-imperial historiographical recovery.

The Sìkù editors specifically use Liú Mǐnzhōng as evidence that the Yuánshǐ’s sloppy-and-omitting (shūtuō) character is documentable (citing Gù Yánwǔ’s separate criticism). Composition window: from Liú’s earliest Khubilai-era state-papers (after c. 1275) through his death in 1318.

Translations and research

• Yuán-shǐ j. 159 (Liú Mǐn-zhōng biography).
• John D. Langlois (ed.), China under Mongol Rule — Liú Mǐn-zhōng discussed in context of Khubilai-era Hàn-Confucian official-class.
• Hok-lam Chan studies of Khubilai-era state-papers.

Other points of interest

The pairing of Liú Mǐnzhōng’s imperial-grade shéndào bēi corpus with Yáo Suì’s 姚燧 KR4d0465 140 bēimíng / mùzhì corpus places these two figures as the principal Yuán-imperial-grade epigraphic biographer-pair of the Khubilai-and-successor era. The Sìkù editors’ use of these collections to correct the Yuánshǐ is the most-developed methodological case in the Sìkù biéjí tradition of using literary collections as primary-historical source-material.

Links

• WYG SKQS V1206.1, p1.
• CBDB person 27895 (Liú Mǐnzhōng)
• Yuánshǐ j. 159