Prose · LT508

Notebooks

Scholarly miscellanies recording scientific discoveries, anecdotes, and arts.

28works

8dynasties

27authors

Tang

5 works

618–907

  1. Miscellaneous Discourses IV: On HorsesHan YuOnly when the world has a Bo Le are there Thousand-League Steeds. Thousand-League Steeds are common, but a Bo Le is rare.
  2. Account of the Snake CatcherLiu ZongyuanHarsh government is fiercer than a tiger.
  3. Biography of Camel Guo the Tree PlanterLiu ZongyuanI only follow the tree's nature so as to bring out what it is.
  4. The Classic of TeaLu YuTea is a fine tree of the South.
  5. Further Old Tales from the Liu FamilyLi DeyuHe witnessed all of it himself; it is not hearsay; it is reliable and attested and may serve as a true record.

Song

4 works

960–1279

  1. Brush Talks from Dream BrookShen KuoA commoner named Bi Sheng went further and made movable type. His method was to carve characters in sticky clay, each as thin as the rim of a coin.
  2. Classified Conversations of Master ZhuZhu XiBefore Heaven and Earth existed there was after all only principle.
  3. Record of a Dream of Splendour in the Eastern CapitalMeng YuanlaoPeace had long prevailed and people and goods were plentiful.
  4. Old Affairs of WulinZhou MiZhou Mi's recollection of court ceremony and city life in Southern Song Hangzhou.

Ming

5 works

1368–1644

  1. Compendium of Materia MedicaLi ShizhenBroad yet not cluttered, detailed yet to the point, thoroughly examined to the end: it looks straight into the depths of the sea.
  2. Yongle EncyclopediaJie Jin (comp.)Rhymes order the characters, and characters link the matters.
  3. War Diary (Nanjung Ilgi)Yi Sun-sinDriving on from victory to victory as if into an empty land.
  4. Surviving Writings of Master GaoGao PanlongWhat is called reverence is this; what is called benevolence is this; what is called sincerity is this: it is the way of returning to one's nature.
  5. Sights and Scenes of the Imperial CapitalLiu Tong, Yu YizhengA late-Ming account of Beijing's sights and customs in eight juan.

Qing

8 works

1636–1912

  1. Maxims for Managing the HomeZhu BoluOver a bowl of congee or rice, reflect upon the arduous labor that produced it; holding half a strand of silk, keep in mind the difficulty of material resources.
  2. Recipes from the Garden of ContentmentYuan MeiIn learning one must first know and then act — and so it is with food and drink.
  3. Six Records of a Floating LifeShen FuI remember that as a small child I could look straight into the sun with my eyes wide open and make out the tip of an autumn hair.
  4. Evidential Study of the Meaning of Terms in the MenciusDai ZhenIf I understand it and do not speak, that is disloyal.
  5. A Study of the Forged Classics of the Xin LearningKang YouweiThe loss of the Six Classics was blamed on the Qin burning; that is Liu Xin's false story.
  6. Maxims from the Family InstructionsKangxi EmperorI thought: if I do not know it myself, how can I judge who is right? So, stung by this, I set myself to learn.
  7. Miscellaneous Notes from ReadingWang NiansunNiansun notes: after Xiling the character shi ('clan') has dropped out.
  8. Annual Customs and Festivals in PekingFucha DunchongA late-Qing record of the festival year in Beijing.