Huángmíng Qíshì Shù 皇明奇事述
Accounts of Remarkable Events of the August Ming by 王世貞 (撰)
About the work
The Huángmíng Qíshì Shù 皇明奇事述 is a miscellaneous prose collection in 4 juǎn recording unusual, curious, or notable events from the history of the Míng dynasty, compiled by the leading late-Míng literatus and historian Wáng Shìzhēn 王世貞 (1526–1590). It forms the third component of a trilogy: Wáng states in his preface (xù 敘) that he had previously produced two analogous collections — the Yìdiǎn shù 異典述 (Accounts of Strange Precedents) and the Shèngshì shù 盛事述 (Accounts of Flourishing Affairs). The Yìdiǎn recorded remarkable events originating with the ruler; the Shèngshì recorded remarkable things that came from Heaven. The present work collects those events that were too curious to omit yet too irregular to classify as either “strange precedents” or “flourishing affairs” — incidents that are “slightly remarkable” (shāo qí 稍奇) and involve the witty coincidence or sharp contrast of persons and events. Wáng explicitly distances the collection from the bǐshǐ 稗史 (unofficial history) genre.
Tiyao
No tiyao found in source.
Abstract
The text opens with a short preface (dated by internal evidence to Wáng’s late career, likely the Wànlì period, c. 1570s–1580s) in which Wáng situates the Qíshì Shù as the third panel of his trilogy on Ming events. The four juǎn are organized thematically and present a series of short notes — each with a title — on incidents throughout the Ming dynasty: unusual successions to the throne (the Yīngzōng emperor’s second enthronement; the Xiànzōng crown prince’s double investiture), curious coincidences in princely fiefs, military affairs, court rituals, and administrative anomalies. Representative items include “再登大位” (a second enthronement), “再立東宮” (a twice-invested crown prince), and numerous anecdotes about the zūnwáng 宗王 (imperial kinsmen), grand secretaries, and border events.
Wáng Shìzhēn 王世貞 (1526–1590), zì Yuánměi 元美, leader of the Hòu Qī Zǐ 後七子 literary movement and the foremost Ming historian-critic of his era, composed the work in his retirement. The Huángmíng Qíshì Shù circulated as part of his voluminous literary and historical output alongside major works such as the Yǎnzhōu shānrén sìbù gǎo 弇州山人四部稿 and the Yǎnshāntáng biéjí 弇山堂別集. The trilogy Yìdiǎn/Shèngshì/Qíshì is a relatively minor component of his oeuvre but is characteristic of his careful classification of Ming historical materials. The Kanripo text has no edition colophon, and the precise printing history of this component of the trilogy is unclear; it likely circulated in manuscript or early printed form within Wáng’s broader collected works.
No Sìkù tiyao exists for this text: the Sìkù editors excluded or did not separately catalog this item.
Translations and research
- Goodrich, L. C., and Chaoying Fang, eds. Dictionary of Ming Biography 1368–1644. New York: Columbia University Press, 1976. Vol. 2, pp. 1399–1405 (biography of Wáng Shìzhēn, with bibliography of his works).
- Wilkinson, Endymion. Chinese History: A New Manual. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Center, 4th ed. 2015, §48.7 (notes Wáng Shìzhēn as compiler of the Shǐchéng kǎowù and prominent institutional historian of the Ming).
No substantial secondary literature on this specific work located.
Links
- Wikidata: Wang Shizhen (Ming dynasty) — Q1055440