Hanshu Yiwenzhi
Encyclopedia
Hanshu Yiwenzhi or Treatise on Literature, is the bibliographical section of the History of the Former Han dynasty by the famous Chinese historian Ban Gu
(班固) (32-92), who completed the work begun by his father Ban Biao
. The bibliographical catalog is the last of its ten treatises, and scroll 30 of the 100 scrolls comprising Hanshu.
The basis for the catalog came from Qilue (七略), the work of Liu Xin
(刘歆/劉歆, Wade-Giles Liu Hsin) (-46 to +23), which gave detailed bibliographical information about holdings in the Imperial Library, which itself was an extension on Bielu (別錄) by his father Liu Xiang
(刘向/劉向, Wade-Giles Liu Hsiang) (-77 to -6) on which the two had collaborated. The catalog provides important insights into the literature of the various Chinese intellectual currents of the pre-Qin period (Nine Schools of Thought), of which often only scattered and fragmentary source texts survive.
"Many books were in great disarray in the time of Chengdi, upon which Chen Nong (陳農) was ordered to collect all the books in the world, and high officials to collate books in the Imperial Library; Luminous Grand Master, Liu Xiang (劉向), was put in charge of works by the Confucians, the philosophers, and the shi and fu poets; Lieutenant General of the Shanglin Imperial Garden Garrison, Ren Hong (任宏), of works by militarists, Grand Astronomer-Historian, Yin Xian (尹咸), of works by astrologers and diviners, and Surgeon to the Emperor, Li Zhuguo (李柱國), of works by herbalists and alchemists. Liu Xiang wrote an abstract for each completed work, catalogued, and memorialized it to the emperor. Liu Xin expanded the system to cover a great many books, and memorialized the Seven Abstracts, or the Qilue."
Liu Xin created a seventh domain Jilue (輯略) to separate books he himself wrote, but Ban Gu, while using Liu Xin's Qilue material, reverted to the six-domain system of Liu Xiang, and reclassified Liu Xin's works into the other six domains. Furthermore, Ban Gu added titles that appeared after Qilue (before 23) and before his time of writing the Hanshu (before 92), including some of his own.
defines the character as "book clothes"), but paper
had not been invented by Cai Lun
(蔡倫) until 13 years after Ban Gu's death. The earliest form of back-bone binding of books, the butterfly binding (蝴蝶裝), was not invented until around 1000.
(莊子) in this catalog are as follows: "五十二篇。名周，宋人。" From this we see that a 52-chapter edition was known, rather than the now common 33-chapter edition amended by Guo Xiang
(郭象). The author's first name is specified as Zhou (周), and finally we learn that he comes from the State of Song (宋), but the authorship of the Zhuangzi can not be discussed in greater detail.
titles that consisted of works in Greek, Egyptian, Aramiac, Hebrew, Persian, and other languages, in the Great Library of Alexandria of the 3rd century BCE, which according to one tradition, at one time held some 120,000 parchment scrolls and papyri.
Ban Gu
Ban Gu , courtesy name Mengjian , was a 1st century Chinese historian and poet best known for his part in compiling the Book of Han. He also wrote in the main poetic genre of the Han era, a kind of poetry interspersed with prose called fu. Some are anthologized by Xiao Tong in his Selections of...
(班固) (32-92), who completed the work begun by his father Ban Biao
Ban Biao
Ban Biao , courtesy name , was a Chinese historian, and an official born in what is now Xianyang, Shaanxi during the Han Dynasty. He was the nephew of Consort Ban, a famous poet and concubine to Emperor Cheng....
. The bibliographical catalog is the last of its ten treatises, and scroll 30 of the 100 scrolls comprising Hanshu.
The basis for the catalog came from Qilue (七略), the work of Liu Xin
Liu Xin
Liu Xin , later changed name to Liu Xiu , courtesy name Zijun , was a Chinese astronomer, historian, and editor during the Xin Dynasty . He was the son of Confucian scholar Liu Xiang and an associate of other prominent thinkers such as the philosopher Huan Tan...
(刘歆/劉歆, Wade-Giles Liu Hsin) (-46 to +23), which gave detailed bibliographical information about holdings in the Imperial Library, which itself was an extension on Bielu (別錄) by his father Liu Xiang
Liu Xiang
Liu Xiang is a Chinese 110 meter hurdler. Liu is an Olympic Gold medalist and World Champion. His 2004 Olympic gold medal was the first in a men's track and field event for China....
(刘向/劉向, Wade-Giles Liu Hsiang) (-77 to -6) on which the two had collaborated. The catalog provides important insights into the literature of the various Chinese intellectual currents of the pre-Qin period (Nine Schools of Thought), of which often only scattered and fragmentary source texts survive.
Origin of the bibliography
"Hanshu Yiwenzhi" closely adheres to the bibliographical system devised by Liu Xiang and Liu Xin with minor exceptions. The introductory paragraph of the treatise, most likely taken verbatim from Qilue, is quite informative:"Many books were in great disarray in the time of Chengdi, upon which Chen Nong (陳農) was ordered to collect all the books in the world, and high officials to collate books in the Imperial Library; Luminous Grand Master, Liu Xiang (劉向), was put in charge of works by the Confucians, the philosophers, and the shi and fu poets; Lieutenant General of the Shanglin Imperial Garden Garrison, Ren Hong (任宏), of works by militarists, Grand Astronomer-Historian, Yin Xian (尹咸), of works by astrologers and diviners, and Surgeon to the Emperor, Li Zhuguo (李柱國), of works by herbalists and alchemists. Liu Xiang wrote an abstract for each completed work, catalogued, and memorialized it to the emperor. Liu Xin expanded the system to cover a great many books, and memorialized the Seven Abstracts, or the Qilue."
Liu Xin created a seventh domain Jilue (輯略) to separate books he himself wrote, but Ban Gu, while using Liu Xin's Qilue material, reverted to the six-domain system of Liu Xiang, and reclassified Liu Xin's works into the other six domains. Furthermore, Ban Gu added titles that appeared after Qilue (before 23) and before his time of writing the Hanshu (before 92), including some of his own.
Material and morphology of books in Hanshu Yiwenzhi
Scrolls in bamboo strips, mostly for text, were referred to as bian(篇), while those in woven silk, mostly for large pictorial representations, as juan (卷); both are called scrolls because they were rolled up, bound, and tagged for identification. The practice of using scroll pouches called ji (帙) to hold five to ten scrolls had been in existence (Shuowen JieziShuowen Jiezi
The Shuōwén Jiězì was an early 2nd century CE Chinese dictionary from the Han Dynasty. Although not the first comprehensive Chinese character dictionary , it was still the first to analyze the structure of the characters and to give the rationale behind them , as well as the first to use the...
defines the character as "book clothes"), but paper
History of paper
Paper was invented by the Chinese by 105 AD during the Han Dynasty and spread slowly to the west via Samarkand and Baghdad. Papermaking and manufacturing in Europe started in Spain and Sicily in the 10th century by the Muslims living there at the time, and slowly spread to Italy and South France...
had not been invented by Cai Lun
Cai Lun
Cai Lun , courtesy name Jingzhong , was a Chinese eunuch. He is traditionally regarded as the inventor of paper and the papermaking process, in forms recognizable in modern times as paper...
(蔡倫) until 13 years after Ban Gu's death. The earliest form of back-bone binding of books, the butterfly binding (蝴蝶裝), was not invented until around 1000.
Contents
| The Six Domains (略) | Class (種) | Family (家) | Scrolls (篇, 卷) |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Confucians (六藝略) | 9 | 103 | 3,123 |
| The Philosophers (諸子略) | 10 | 189 | 4,324 |
| Shi and Fu Poets (詩賦略) | 5 | 106 | 1,318 |
| The Militarists (兵書略) | 4 | 53 | 833 |
| Astrologers and Diviners (術數略) | 6 | 190 | 2,528 |
| Herbalists and Alchemists (方技略) | 4 | 36 | 868 |
Example Zhuangzi
The details of the philosophical work of ZhuangziZhuangzi
Zhuangzi was an influential Chinese philosopher who lived around the 4th century BCE during the Warring States Period, a period corresponding to the philosophical summit of Chinese thought — the Hundred Schools of Thought, and is credited with writing—in part or in whole—a work known by his name,...
(莊子) in this catalog are as follows: "五十二篇。名周，宋人。" From this we see that a 52-chapter edition was known, rather than the now common 33-chapter edition amended by Guo Xiang
Guo Xiang
Guo Xiang , is credited with the first and most important revision of the text known as the Zhuangzi which, along with the Laozi, forms the textual and philosophical basis of the Taoist school of thought...
(郭象). The author's first name is specified as Zhou (周), and finally we learn that he comes from the State of Song (宋), but the authorship of the Zhuangzi can not be discussed in greater detail.
Comparison to the Pinake of Alexandria
The Hanshu Yiwenzhi catalogued the Former Han Imperial Library holdings under "6 domains, 38 classes, 596 families; 13,269 scrolls in all" (大凡書，六略三十八種，五百九十六家，萬三千二百六十九卷。) concludes the treatise. An estimated 20 % of the titles are extant today. This compares favourably with the estimated 10 % survival of the PinakesPinakes
Pinax may refer to:*Pinax, a votive tablet that served as a votive object deposited in a sanctuary or burial chamber*Pinakes, a 3rd-century-BCE work by Callimachus, the first library catalog system*Pinax...
titles that consisted of works in Greek, Egyptian, Aramiac, Hebrew, Persian, and other languages, in the Great Library of Alexandria of the 3rd century BCE, which according to one tradition, at one time held some 120,000 parchment scrolls and papyri.
Literature
- Michael LoeweMichael LoeweMichael Loewe , also known as M. A. N. Loewe, is a British academic and renowned sinologist who has authored dozens of books, articles, and other publications in the fields of Classical Chinese and ancient Chinese history....
(ed.): Early Chinese texts: a bibliographical guide. Berkeley 1993