Qianshi sizhi 錢氏私志

Qianshi sizhi 錢氏私志 "Master Qian's Private Records", also written 錢氏私誌, is a "brush-notes"-style book (biji 筆記) written during the Song period 宋 (960-1279) by Qian Mian 錢愐 (d. 1136), courtesy name Ziping 子平. Some sources say that the author was called Qian Yanyuan 錢彦遠. The Ming-period 明 (1368-1644) collector Qian Zeng 錢曾 (1629-1701) stressed in his book Dushu minqiu ji 讀書敏求記 that the author was Qian Mian. Qian Mian hailed from Qiantang 錢塘 (modern Hangzhou 杭州, Zhejiang) or Xiuzhou 秀州 (modern Jiaxing 嘉興, Zhejiang) and was the third son of Qian Jingzhen 錢景臻 (1043-1126), the Commandery Prince of Guiji 會稽郡, and a relative to the former ruler of the state of Wu-Yue 吳越 (907-978), one of the Ten States 十國 (902-979). Qian Mian held the honorary title of Defender-in-Chief (taiwei 太尉), as indicated by the preface written by his nephew, Qian Shizhao 錢世昭.

The short book is a collection of stories that Qian Mian himself had seen and heard during his life. Qian Mian himself might have written down part of the text, but the book was compiled by Qian Shizhao.

The Qianshi sizhi records stories from history and about many aspects of the culture and customs of his time, including those he experienced during his journey to the Liao empire 遼 (907-1125). The background is that during the reign of Emperor Huizong 宋徽宗 (r. 1100-1125), Qian Mian was a member of an official mission to the Liao court. Because he was a relative of the empress, he had access to the imperial palace and thus the opportunity to learn from the palace servants. Some of the statements in his book clearly express his personal opinion, such as his confirmation that the politician, thinker, and writer Ouyang Xiu 歐陽修 (1007-1072) had great talent but no good manners, as seen in his frivolous conversations with the palace maids. The book includes a praise for Confucius, the Kongzi zan 孔子贊, by the painter Mi Fu 米芾 (1051-1107). This text later became part of the texts recited during ritual offerings.

The Qianshi sizhi is to be found in the series Siku quanshu 四庫全書, Baichuan xuehai 百川學海, Gujin shuohai 古今說海, Lidai xiaoshi 歷代小史, Shuofu 說郛, Wuchao xiaoshuo 五朝小說, Xuehai leibian 學海類編 and Shuoku 說庫.