Wú Zhěn 吳縝
Zì Tíngzhēn 廷珍. Native of Chéngdū 成都 (modern Sìchuān). Floruit late Northern Sòng, Xīníng through Yuánfú eras (1070s–1100s). CBDB id 35080 (no transmitted lifedates).
Career: held Cháosàn láng 朝散郎 and was magistrate of Shǔzhōu 蜀州 (modern Chóngqìng / Sìchuān border region), then prefect of several other commanderies, all with reputation for benevolent administration. According to Wáng Mǐngqīng’s Huīzhǔ lù, Wú Zhěn had through Fàn Zhèn 范鎮’s recommendation sought a place on Ōuyáng Xiū’s Xīn Tángshū compilation team, was rejected by Ōuyáng on grounds of youth and frivolity, and went away resentful — the autobiographical context (which the Sìkù compilers acknowledge while still endorsing the substantive kǎozhèng contribution) of his subsequent two great critical works.
Principal works: (1) the Xīn Tángshū jiūmiù 新唐書糾謬 (KR2a0028) in 20 juǎn, identifying more than 400 errors in Ōuyáng Xiū and Sòng Qí’s Xīn Tángshū; (2) the Wǔdài shǐ zuǎnwù 五代史纂誤 (KR2a0031) in 3 juǎn, identifying errors in Ōuyáng Xiū’s Xīn Wǔdài shǐ. Together these constitute the prototype for the great Qing zhèngshǐ kǎozhèng tradition. He has no biography in the Sòngshǐ; the principal source for his life is the colophon material in his own works and the Sòng bibliographic catalogues.