Zengguang zhinang bu 增廣智囊補

Zhinang 智囊 "The bag of wisdom", in specific versions also known as Zhinang bu 智囊補, Zhinang quanji 智囊全集, Zeng zhinang bu 增智囊補 or Zengguang zhinang bu 增廣智囊補, is a story collection compiled by the famous Ming-period 明 (1368-1644) writer Feng Menglong 馮夢龍 (1574-1646), who is mostly known for the three story collections Sanyan 三言.

The book was compiled drawing on various ancient sources, including unofficial histories, legends, historical stories, and miscellaneous notes. Its ideological content is rich and diverse, and its social significance is profound and wide-reaching. It provides detailed descriptions and interpretations of ancient politics, military affairs, economics, thought, and social customs. Among its writings on the Ming dynasty, many passages reveal the corruption and incompetence of the ruling class, their indulgence in eunuchs and Buddhism and Taoism, reflecting Feng Menglong’s deep concern for his country and compassion for the people.

The book contains, in its original version, a total of 1,238 "wisdom" stories from the pre-Qin 秦 (221-206 BCE) to the Ming period, organised into ten sections and twenty-eight volumes. In its preface, Feng states that "Wisdom in a person is like water in the earth; when the earth lacks water, it becomes parched, and when a person lacks wisdom, he becomes a walking corpse. The use of wisdom in human affairs is like the flow of water over the land: when the terrain is low, water gathers there; when human affairs reach a low point, wisdom gathers there. Observing the forest of success and failure throughout the ages, there is nothing that does not arise from this principle."

The book was first compiled in 1625, under the original title Zhinang. In later editions, it was renamed Zhinang bu, and the number of stories was increased to 1,061. The entire work is divided into ten parts and twenty-eight categories.

The text is included in the series Bao Hongye congshu 鮑紅葉叢書 and Biji xiaoshuo daguan 筆記小說大觀.