Liu Guangshi in Shaoxing during the Song Dynasty

Song Barnyard Notes Pronunciation: Song Barnyard Notes sòng bài lèi chāo

"Song Barnyard Notes" is a series of novels and notes. The author is Li Zongkong in the early Qing Dynasty. Some say it is Pan Yongyin. It has thirty-six volumes and another says it is eight volumes.

Li Zongkong, courtesy name Shuyun, was born in Jiangdu, Jiangsu (now Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province) in the forty-eighth year of Wanli Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty (1620). His childhood deeds are unknown. In the early Qing Dynasty, he went to Beijing to take part in the public examination at the age of 27. After passing the examination, he became an official and lived in Beijing. He once met Wuxi Du Ting at Ciren Temple. Due to their incompatibility, Du Ting broke off relations with him and returned to Jinan. During the reign of the Holy Ancestor of the Qing Dynasty, Li Zongkong was appointed as an official in the 17th year of Kangxi. It happened that the rulers of the Qing Dynasty promoted the scientific examination of erudite Confucianism in order to win over the old people in the late Ming Dynasty. At that time, some honorable celebrities were unwilling to participate, so the Qing rulers implemented a semi-coercive policy. Li Zongkong actively participated in the matter and strongly recommended Fu Shan to take the exam, so that Fu Shan was forced to cut off his hamstrings to resist. In 1998, Li Zongkong held a gathering at Ren'an Hall in Beijing and performed "North and West Chamber". In the 28th year of Kangxi's reign, Li Zongkong died at the age of eighty.

Pan Yongyin, whose courtesy name is Changji, was born in Changshu, Jiangsu Province (now Changshu City, Jiangsu Province). The year of birth and death and the birth average cannot be tested. I only know that he is Pan Yongyuan's younger brother. In the first year of Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty, because Qing officials used the pretext of opening up the sea to arrest innocent residents on a large scale for extortion, Pan Yongyin fled to Pingling and immersed himself in writing, compiling "Ming Bai Lei Chao". By the eighth year of Kangxi's reign, that is, 1669 AD , compiled into eight volumes of "Song Bai Lei Chao".

As for who the author is, there is currently no information to show who it is, but Pan Yongyin’s view is relatively dominant. Since I have little talent and little knowledge, I will put two people together for the time being, and wait for the results to come out through research by famous experts. But I think who the author is is not very important. The key is to read the content of the book.

There are two opinions on the cutting of this book. "Qing History Manuscript·Yiwenzhi" contains eight volumes, while the lithographic version published by Shanghai Liguang Society in the third year of Xuantong's reign is thirty-six volumes, but the content of the two books They are basically the same, but the number of volumes is different, which has nothing to do with the overall situation. For the convenience of narrative, this article discusses the eight volumes.

"Song Bailei Chao", as the name suggests, is a collection of official unofficial histories about the Song Dynasty, excerpted from them and compiled into categories. Each chapter is divided into nineteen categories, and the last one is "Souyi". It is a collection of various excerpts whose attribution is difficult to determine. The other categories are: Volume 1, including seven categories: "Jun Fan", "Fu Ming", "Official Administration", "Weapons", "Sufferings", "Odd Numbers", and "Relegation". It specifically records the strategies of the past Song emperors in governing the country, the promotion and demotion of ministers, the attribution of Fu Ming, as well as the martial arts and martial arts of famous ministers and generals. Among them, the "Fu Ming" category advocates that "the emperor's canon is covered by destiny." Collected fifty-two examples of blessings being determined by fate and misfortunes being punished by God, which are miraculous. For example, the eighteenth chapter says: "Bian Hao is the descendant of Xie Lingyun, so he is named Kangle. Fan Chunfu is the descendant of Deng Zhonghua, so he is named Zu Yu. Zhang Pingzi is the descendant of Cai Bojie, and Zou Yang is the descendant of Dongpo layman, that is, he Habits, it seems, are all false accusations.” It sounds conclusive, but in fact it is extremely absurd.

Volume 2 includes seven categories: "Slander", "Flattery", "Family Name", "Hermitage", "Restless Competition", "Extravagant" and "Rebellion", all of which are mentioned above. In the Song Dynasty, there were all kinds of stories about sophistication and weird personalities. Among them, the ninth chapter in the "She Tai" category is about Huizong's construction of Gen Yue. It is longer and has detailed records, especially the names of various beautiful stones, as well as their locations and characteristics. It can be said to be a masterpiece of the Song Dynasty. Records of garden information. The following few articles talk about the huge waste of transporting and purchasing stone and wood during the construction of Genyue, which shows the great harm caused by the "Huashi Gang".

Volume 3 includes seven categories: "Honesty", "Elegance", "Appraisal", "Talent", "Character", "Loyalty", and "Charity". Various good moral qualities and anecdotes from the scholar-bureaucrats down to the common people are narrated in order to praise loyalty and uprightness and reward integrity.

Volume 4 includes eight categories: "Family Model", "Zhi Shang", "Hao Kuang", "Fan Dan", "Quan Jie", "Yi Yang", "Leisure" and "Extraordinary Talents" , which records the bizarre things that happened to families and individuals in the Song Dynasty, such as housekeeping, interpersonal relationships, and people with various personalities. For example, it says that when Mi Fu wrote a letter, he signed "Mi Yuanzhang and prays again" at the end, and then he really had to get up and leave his seat to pray twice to the letter. He was indeed a famous person, and he was romantic even when he was not romantic. It is also said that when Shi Manqing was demoted to Haizhou, he ordered people to pick up peach stones and count dendrobium. People didn't understand what this proud man had done, but he carried peach stones to the mountains and used a slingshot to shoot them at inaccessible places. Within three years, peach blossoms were everywhere in the valley and people were busy. I thought it was strange.

Today, it seems that this can be the ancestor of "aerial seeding afforestation". And Shi Manqing's "upright and extraordinary talent" can also be glimpsed through this. As the saying goes, a generous act can create romance where there is no romance.

There are also many legends and superstitions in this volume, all of which are absurd. For example, Guo Zhong said in "Yizhen": "In the early days of the Kingdom, Wen Zhizhou was good at eating. Taizu gave a calf and ate it all. If there is a sound in the waist, it is suspected that it is in the abdomen. Tomorrow I asked him about it, and he said that I was suffering from hunger, so I bound him with silk. Yesterday I was fed, but I didn't realize that the silk was broken." What's more, he also described some powerful officials as transformed into goblins. For example, Yang Jian was a "big toad with eyes like gold and radiance injected into his bed." Shengxun is a "big carp with golden scales and red mane". Mi Fu is a python spirit who can "call for wind and rain". It's unclear where the author got this information from.

Volume 5 includes eight categories, including "Wenyuan", "Boshi", "Shihua", "Shipin", "Li Yu", "Ci Ming", "Shang Lun" and "Maxims". It talks about literary anecdotes and also records a group of literati who are talented and good at writing. For example, "Wen Yuan" mentioned: Mei Xun was a Hanlin scholar. He wrote a lot of edicts in one day, and his thoughts were very painful. Suddenly he saw an old soldier lying in the middle of the day, unable to stretch out. Mei Xun suddenly sighed and said: "It's smooth." Xu asked if he knew how to read, and replied no. Mei said: "It's happier." It reflects the troubles of educated people and has the same purpose as Su Dongpo's "Life's troubles and literacy begins". But more of it talks about the skills and artistic conception of literary creation. For example, the article says, "To write poetry, you need to use strong characters to support it, and you need to use movable characters to mediate it." This is quite insightful. Another example illustrates this is the example of "red brings tender peach blossoms, green brings new willow leaves". Both entering and returning are supported by pillars. With this, the whole sentence is plain and ordinary. Another example is Ouyang Xiu's "three superiors": Wen. In the "Li Yu" category of this volume, all the sentences recorded are couplets or antithetical sentences, which often tell their origin and benefits, allowing people to understand and understand the secrets. Couplet is a compulsory course for the ancient literati's first studies. It is not only the gateway to admission, but also shows the talent's quick thinking and shallow and profound learning. Therefore, people like it very much. Even in the late Southern Song Dynasty, when he was fleeing the sea, he could still write "Although the traces of birds and beasts are not without contact with China, the winds of horses and oxen cannot reach as far as the South China Sea." His writing is both solemn and humorous, which is quite impressive. Through the author's collection of Liyu from the Song Dynasty, we can learn about the writing style, talents, and masterpieces of the Song Dynasty. Very helpful.

Volume 6 includes seven categories: "Proverbs", "Calling Transcripts", "Defamation", "Humors", "Mistakes", "Particular Regrets", and "Sadness of Death", which is a work of recording. , specializing in famous quotes from the Song Dynasty. The volume of his "Jokes" can be called a collection of jokes. They are very interesting and the longer you think about them, the deeper the meaning becomes. They are not just laughed off. For example, in the article, Shi Zhong watched the lion and heard that he was given fifteen kilograms of mutton. Some ministers lamented, "We are inferior to Lang Cao, but we are not as good as a beast." Shi Zhongnai said: "Why don't you know the difference? We, Yuanwailang, dare to look at the lions in the garden." The house was packed to the rafters. Another example is that Duke Jin of Ding returned home after he was demoted to Yazhou and joined the army. He talked with people about where in the world the most powerful place in the world. Ding said "Yazhou", and everyone wondered why Yazhou, which was located at the end of the world, had the most powerful place. Ding said: "The prime minister only serves as a household secretary in one state and joins the army. How can other states reach him?" A small joke clearly exposed the ruthlessness and unrighteousness of the rulers of the Song Dynasty without showing any trace of resentment.

"Volume 7" and "Volume 8" record the content of the Three Religions and Nine Streams, the Five Elements and Eight Works, as well as vegetation, insects, snakes, antiques, calligraphy and paintings. Such as "Zongcheng", "Taoism", "Retribution", "Gods and Ghosts", "Weird", "Craftsmanship", "Food", "Antiques", "Eight Methods", "Pictures", "Plants and Trees", "Birds" Fifteen categories including "Beasts" and "Search for Relics". It is the richest and most valuable source of information. It is an original material for studying the development of social science and technology and the changes of the natural environment in the Song Dynasty. For example, it describes the famous architectural craftsman Yu Hao, astronomer Zhang Sixun, etc. The Kaibao Temple Pagoda built by Yu Hao is a famous leaning tower, which is a hundred years older than the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy. More importantly, the Leaning Tower of Pisa is the result of poor construction, while the Kaibao Temple Pagoda was intentionally built slanted to protect against the sea breeze. The same cannot be said. Zhang Sixun's creation of the Armillary Sphere was extremely ingenious and more ingenious than the previous generations. These all reflect the development of science and technology in the Song Dynasty in my country, which is far beyond the reach of Westerners.

Epigraphy began to rise in the Song Dynasty, and a large number of epigraphers and works emerged. "Song Bai Lei Chao" also has a lot of space to describe this aspect. In the "Antique" category, the narrative is concise and concise without losing its essence. It talks about how to distinguish ancient bronzes and ceramics, with detailed classification and clear description of characteristics. It lists ancient bronzes. There are more than 40 kinds of decorations, which shows that the study of epigraphy had reached a very high level at that time, and even today it has certain guiding significance for the identification of antiques.

Calligraphy in the Song Dynasty was also very prosperous. From the emperor to the common people, everyone liked to play with pen and ink.

Therefore, a category of records called "Eight Methods" was created. Most of the talks were about the key points of calligraphy and the use of pens by some famous calligraphers, including Su Huang and Mi Cai. Another category of "Danqing" was created. It records the Song Dynasty, mainly focusing on the achievements of painters in the Northern Song Dynasty. One article specifically describes the history and characteristics of the spread and development of various painting schools from the Tang to the Song Dynasty, and excerpts "Six Methods of Painting" from "Records of Famous Paintings of the Past Dynasties" written by Yanyuan of the Tang Dynasty. The essence of two articles, "On the use of rubbings in painting style" and three articles such as "On making models", "On the charm of non-masters", "On the gains and losses of using brushes" in "Picture Experience and Knowledge" written by Guo Ruoxu in the Song Dynasty. Others, such as Deng Chun's "Hua Ji" and Mi Fu's "History of Painting", also use quotations and are extremely rich in content. It can be said that they are a collection of summaries of the painting art of the Tang and Song dynasties, and their informative and academic qualities are both impressive.

The second category of "Grass and Trees" and "Birds and Animals" contains plant cultivation techniques, such as grafting and transplanting, especially the varieties and habits of flowers and fruit trees. It is a complete reflection of the gardening technology of the Song Dynasty. There are also some legends about various animals, which are even close to superstition, such as Pengli and the dragon protecting the ship, and the magical horse avenging its master, etc., which is not advisable. Looking at the book, most of the content is about personnel affairs and covers a wide range of topics, such as politics, economy, military, culture, daily life, etc. Its sources are various official and unofficial histories, but the author does not blindly pursue strange things. Instead, he brings together various materials and classics that will help future generations understand the deeds of the sages and gain insight into human affairs and the world, so that future generations can use it as a source of conversation and discussion. Cultivation of temperament. Therefore, the book does not pay attention to the authenticity and reliability of historical data, and some of them are even hearsay. In addition, the author did not indicate the source of the information, which greatly affected the spread of his book. The people of the Qing Dynasty paid great attention to searching for chapters and excerpting sentences when doing scholarship. There was no sentence or word without its origin. In addition, they also emphasized that "if there are no examples, ten methods will not be established, and isolated examples will not be established."

Compilations like "Song Bai Lei Chao" are often dismissed. The order and classification of the book are obviously influenced by Shishuo Xinyu. For example, the categories of "Slanderous Risks", "Ya Liang", and "Sorrow of Death" are exactly the same as "Shishuo Xinyu". His writing style was also influenced by "Shishuo". He pursued simplicity and meaning, but sometimes his words failed to convey his meaning, and he even tampered with historical facts simply because of the pursuit of beautiful words. In addition, the content of the book is mostly about common things, and there are few rare books and classics. Therefore, the value of the material itself is not valued by people, and it can only be collected and collected for entertainment. At the same time, there are also some improper selections in the text, resulting in frequent errors in style, so you should take them seriously when reading. For example, the incident of Lu Yanrang recorded in Volume 4 "Odd Numbers" occurred at the end of the Tang Dynasty, five dynasties away from the Song Dynasty. In Volume 3 "Wubeimen", the incident of Deng Bi was arrested in the Tang Dynasty. What's worse, in Volume 5 "Flattery Gate" The incident recorded in "Xu Xue's Poems and Tan's Attack on the Prime Minister Yan Song" occurred in the middle of the Ming Dynasty. The lack of strictness may be due to the author's lax review. Of course, if one person is engaged in such a huge work, it is inevitable that there will be omissions of one kind or another.

This book was listed as a banned book when the "Sikuquanshu" was compiled during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. The reason is that on the one hand, the historical events of the Song Dynasty will inevitably involve the Jurchen tribe and the war between the Song and Jin Dynasties, which will definitely touch the sensitive nerves of the Qing Dynasty rulers in concealing their ancestors. On the other hand, the Qing Dynasty prohibited the circulation of private history, especially all kinds of official and unofficial history, and the prohibition was particularly strict. Therefore, "Song Bai Lei Chao" could not escape its bad luck. It is said that the reason why there are two authors of this article and the confusion is also caused by this ban.

But things tend to be reversed, and the more strictly prohibited things are more widely circulated. The same is true for "Song Bai Lei Chao", which is even more accessible today. The bibliography and literature publishing house has punctuated and typed it (the proofreader It is Mr. Liu Zhuoying), which is very convenient for readers to inquire and read. However, the book directly identifies the author as Pan Yongyin, which saves a lot of words.

Full text and translation:

Pan Yongyin's "Song Bai Lei Chao": Zhu Meng wore a brocade robe and said: "Huizong tasted it with his hands." So he embroidered the imperial hand on it. on the shoulders. He also held a banquet with Menchang, and Huizong personally held his arm. Meng then wrapped it with yellow silk. When he bowed to others, his arm did not move.

Translation: Zhu Meng wore a brocade robe and told others that "Emperor Huizong often touched him with his hands" so he embroidered gold handprints on his shoulders. Another time, when he was drinking in the inner palace, Emperor Huizong personally held his arm. Zhu Meng wrapped a yellow silk cloth around his arm. When he was greeting the person, he kept his arm motionless, indicating that the arm was just strong. Photographed by the emperor.