Sep 12, 2012 © Ulrich Theobald
The book Yulin 語林 "Forest of tales", also called Peizi yulin 裴子語林 or Pei Qi yulin 裴启語林, is an early collection of stories written during the Eastern Jin period 東晉 (317-420) by Pei Qi 裴啓. Pei Qi, courtesy name Rongqi 荣期 or Rong 期, hailed from Hedong 河東 (modern Yongji 永濟, Shanxi) and was a famous collector of ancient stories.
His Yulin is 2 juan long and includes stories from the Han 漢 (206 BCE-220 CE) to the Jin period. It focuses on scholars who had no success in state offices and consists of many valuable stories like Wang Dun yu shiru yi xiadu 王敦與世儒議下都, Yang Zhixu dongyue niang jiu 羊稚舒冬月釀酒 or Lu Shiheng yu Pan Anren 陸士衡與潘安仁. The stories provide information about the protagonists' lives, their personal character, as well as the social circumstances during that time. The language is unambiguous, and the stories lucidly composed. The stories can therefore not be perceived as novellas because of their literary simplicity.
The book was originally 10 juan long but was soon discarded as vain and useless, as is reported in the collection Shishuo xinyu 世說新語. It was already lost during the Song period 宋 (960-1279). Fragments of it quoted in other books were collected during the Song and Yuan 元 (1279-1368) periods. The Qing-period 清 (1644-1911) scholar Ma Guohan 馬國翰 (1794-1857) included the fragment collection of the Peizi yulin in his series Yuhan shanfang jiyi shu 玉函山房輯佚書. It is also included in Lu Xun's 魯迅 (1881-1936) story collection Gu xiaoshuo gouchen 古小說鉤沉. In 1988, the Wenhua Yishu Press 文化藝術出版社 published a modern edition, commented by Zhou Langjia 周楞伽.
Sources:
Jiang Guangzhen 姜廣振. 2005c. "Cong Pei Qi Yulin yi shu kan Wei Jin mingshi rendan zhi feng 從裴啟《語林》一書看魏晉名士任誕之風." Xuihua Xueyuan xuebao 綏化學院學報 2005 (5): 79-81.
Jiang Guangzhen 姜廣振. 2005b. "Lun Pei Qi Yulin de xushi yishu 論裴啟《語林》的敘事一書." Shengli Youtian Shifan Zhuanke Xuexiao xuebao 勝利油田師範專科學校學報 2005 (3): 10-13.
Jiang Guangzhen 姜廣振. 2005a. "Lun Pei Qi Yulin yi shu wangyi de yuanyin 論裴啟《語林》一書亡佚的原因." Jiaozuo Shifan Gaodeng Zhuanke Xuexiao xuebao 焦作師範高等專科學校學報 2005 (2): 11-14.
Jiang Guangzhen 姜廣振. 2009b. "Cong Pei Qi Yulin kan renwu pinzao de neihan yanbian 從裴啟《語林》看人物品藻的內涵演變." Qiqiha'er SHifan Gaodeng Zhuanke Xuexiao xuebao 齊齊哈爾師範高等專科學校學報 2009 (6): 23-25.
Jiang Guangzhen 姜廣振. 2009a. "Lüelun Lunyu dui Pei Qi Yulin de yingxiang 略論《論語》對裴啟《語林》的影響." Kaifeng Jiaoyu Xueyuan xuebao 開封教育學院學報 29 (3): 5-7.
Jiang Guangzhen 姜廣振. 2012. "Pei Qi Yulin jiyi chengguo shuli yu pingxi 裴啟《語林》輯佚成果梳理與評析." Wenyi pinglun 文藝評論 2012 (10): 132-135.
Jiang Guangzhen 姜廣振. 2023. "Lun Pei Qi Yulin de yuyan yishu 論裴啟《語林》的語言藝術." Xingyi Minzu Shifan Xueyuan xuebao 興義民族師範學院學報 2023 (3): 17-21.
Jiang Guangzhen 姜廣振. 2024. "Lun Pei Qi Yulin de renwu suzao 論裴啟《語林》的人物塑造." Xingyi Minzu Shifan Xueyuan xuebao 興義民族師範學院學報 2024 (5): 41-45.
Li Xueqin 李學勤, and Lü Wenyu 呂文郁, eds. 1996. Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典, vol. 2, 2138. Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe.
Lin Xianliang 林憲亮. 2012. "Pei Qi Yulin jiyi pingyi 裴啟《語林》編佚平議." Guji zhengli yanjiu xuekan 古籍整理研究學刊 2012 (2): 54-58.
Lin Xianliang 林憲亮. 2017a. "Dongjin Pei Qi Yulin: Zhongguo gudai zui zao de mingshi jiaokeshu 東晉裴啟《語林》——中國古代最早的名士教科書." Gudian wenxue zhishi 古典文学知识 2017 (5): 40-48.
Lin Xianliang 林憲亮. 2017b. "Dongjin Pei Qi Yulin wangyi niandai xianyi 東晉裴啟《語林》亡佚年代獻疑." Tushuguan zazhi 圖書館雜誌 36 (9): 107-110.
Xu Jun 許軍. 2009. "Pei Qi yulin wangyi yuanyin kao 《裴啟語林》亡佚原因考." Dongnan Daxue xuebao (Zhexue shehui kexue ban) 東南大學學報(哲學社會科學版) 11 (2): 81-86+128.
Zhou Langjia 周楞伽, and Zhou Yunzhong 周允中. 2023. "Pei Qi yu ta de Yulin 裴啟與他的《語林》." Wenshi zazhi 文史雜誌 2023 (1): 9-12.