Chónggǔ wénjué 崇古文訣
Honoured Secrets of Ancient Prose by 樓昉
About the work
A 35-juǎn Southern-Sòng pedagogical anthology of gǔwén, compiled by Lóu Fǎng 樓昉 (zì Yángshū 暘叔, hào Yūzhāi 迂齋, of Yínxiàn / modern Níngbō). Jìnshì of Shàoxī 4 (1193); he was a senior disciple of Lǚ Zǔqiān 呂祖謙 and later served as Xìnghuàjūn shǒu (prefect of Xìnghuàjūn) before his death; posthumously promoted Zhí Lóngtúgé. The book is the direct successor and broader expansion of Lǚ Zǔqiān’s Gǔwén guānjiàn KR4h0041: where Lǚ took 60+ pieces from seven Tang and Sòng gǔwén masters, Lóu enlarged the selection to 200+ pieces running from the Qín and Hàn through the Northern Sòng — a much fuller pedagogical canon. The arrangement and the píngdiǎn (commentary-and-marking) method remain Lǚ Zǔqiān’s, but Lóu’s expanded historical scope reflects the developed Sòng gǔwén curriculum.
Tiyao
Your servants respectfully submit: the Chónggǔ wénjué in 35 juǎn — edited by Sòng’s Lóu Fǎng. Fǎng, zì Yángshū, hào Yūzhāi, of Yínxiàn, was jìnshì of Shàoxī 4 (1193); held offices including Xìnghuàjūn prefect; died in office; posthumously made Zhí Lóngtúgé. The collection is his selection of gǔwén, more than two hundred pieces in all.
Chén Zhènsūn’s Shūlù jiětí says: “Its general lines are like Lǚshì’s Guānjiàn KR4h0041, but the recorded pieces run from QínHàn down to the Sòng dynasty; the items are more abundant; the elucidation is especially fine; learners find it convenient.” His words match this text. Only — Shūlù jiětí gives 5 juǎn, and Wénxiàn tōngkǎo says the same; the volume sizes are wildly different. Probably a transmitted copy mis-omitted the prefix “sānshíèr” — 3 juǎn should be 35 juǎn; the digits “sānshí” 三十 (thirty) dropped.
The Sòng men greatly discussed gǔwén; the contemporary anthologies surviving are only three or four families: Zhēn Déxiù’s Wénzhāng zhèngzōng KR4h0046 takes lǐ (principle) as the main criterion — like food, it takes only the millet that staves off hunger, with all the dǐngzǔ pēnghé (banquet cookery) discarded; like clothing, it takes only the cloth that keeps out cold, with all the fǔfú zhāngcǎi (decorated embroidery) cast aside; the position is not without correctness, but its method cannot ultimately be carried out in the world. What the world reads and chants is only Lǚ Zǔqiān’s Gǔwén guānjiàn and Xiè Fāngdé’s Wénzhāng guǐfàn KR4h0059, and this book of Lóu’s — that is all. And of these, this book has the fullest range of items, is moderate in size, and is the most useful for learners. Lóu received his teaching from Lǚ Zǔqiān; so by his master’s teaching he developed the doctrine in closer detail. It should not be neglected for the reason that the pieces are commonly seen. Reverently submitted, fourth month of Qiánlóng 46 (1781). Editor-in-Chief Jǐ Yún, Lù Xīxióng, Sūn Shìyì. General Collator Lù Fèichí.
The original preface by Yáo Bǎo of Yánpíng, dated Bǎoqìng dīnghài (1227, duān-month jìwàng = 1st month, mid-month): “Literature is the vessel that carries Dào. The jūnzǐ of antiquity had no specific intent on literature but could not help bending his heart to elucidating Dào — so the saying ‘cí dá ér yǐ yǐ’ (the words convey, that is all). To carry words to Dào without deep penetration and clear elucidation — Dào will not be seen. Hence literature has guānjiàn (key passes); only one deeply expert in literature can draw out the hidden meanings and probe the workings of ancient men’s hearts. Sìmíng Lóugōng, governing Púbāng, took the accumulated efforts of his lifetime’s hard study, drew out the guānjiàn from ancient writings, and bequeathed them to later learners. Guǎngwén Chén had it cut for circulation.”
Abstract
Date: the Yáo Bǎo preface fixes the printing at Bǎoqìng 3 (1227, 1st month); the underlying compilation was during Lóu Fǎng’s tenure as Púbāng (Xìnghuàjūn) prefect, probably ca. 1222–1226 in the Jiādìng (1208–1224) to Bǎoqìng transition.
Significance:
(1) The most-used Sòng gǔwén anthology. The SKQS tíyào’s evaluation places the Chónggǔ wénjué above both Lǚ Zǔqiān’s Gǔwén guānjiàn KR4h0041 (too brief) and Zhēn Déxiù’s Wénzhāng zhèngzōng KR4h0046 (too narrow), as the single best Southern-Sòng gǔwén pedagogical anthology: broader than Lǚ, less moralising than Zhēn, optimal in scope.
(2) The developed Jīnhuá xuépài canon. Lóu Fǎng was Lǚ Zǔqiān’s principal pedagogical disciple at Lìzé shūyuàn 麗澤書院, and the Chónggǔ wénjué represents the second-generation Jīnhuá gǔwén curriculum: HánLiǔŌuSūZēng plus the Northern-Sòng masters, but now also extending back to QínHàn (the Zuǒzhuàn, Shǐjì, Hànshū prose passages) and forward to Sū Shì’s later years. The book is a foundational document of the Jīnhuá school.
(3) Survival in the píngdiǎn canon. Together with Lǚ Zǔqiān’s Guānjiàn and Xiè Fāngdé’s Guǐfàn KR4h0059, the Chónggǔ wénjué forms the canonical trinity of Sòng-period gǔwén anthologies, the foundation of Yuán and Míng bājiā anthology practice. The Míng Bādàjiā wénchāo of Máo Kūn explicitly draws on this trinity for its critical apparatus.
The work is also significant for its preservation of the Lǚ Zǔqiān oral pedagogical tradition through Lóu Fǎng’s marginal notes — comments that elaborate Lǚ’s brief observations and supply the Lìzé shūyuàn classroom commentary.
Translations and research
- Peter Bol, “This Culture of Ours” (Stanford, 1992) — Sòng gǔ-wén anthology tradition.
- Wáng Shuǐ-zhào 王水照, Sòng-dài wénxué tōng-lùn — chapter on Sòng gǔ-wén canon.
- Cài Yǒng 蔡瑛, “Chóng-gǔ wén-jué yánjiū” 崇古文訣研究, Sòng-Yuán wénxué 2008.
- Zhāng Bóqiáng 張伯強, Lǚ Zǔ-qiān wén-xué sī-xiǎng yánjiū — Lóu Fǎng as Lǚ’s disciple.
Links
- Wilkinson, Chinese History: A New Manual §31.4.
- ctext