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Hailu suishi 海錄碎事

Jul 18, 2010 © Ulrich Theobald

Hailu suishi 海錄碎事 "Detailed matters recorded vastly as an ocean", original name Yisilu 一四錄, is a collection of stories on strange phenomena collected during the Song period 宋 (960-1279) by Ye Tinggui 葉廷珪 (also written 葉庭珪, jinshi degree 1115), courtesy name Sizhong 嗣忠, style Cuiyan 翠巖.

The Hailu suishi has a length of 22 juan, but according to contemporary sources, 23 juan (including the half-scrolls, 33 juan), and includes 16 (or 75) categories and 584 themes. In the case of many stories, Ye Tinggui did not rely on older sources but wrote them down as if he heard the stories. The stories are written down in a concise way, often with only a few words. The stories are arranged according to traditional encyclopaedic terminology and sequence. The book is, therefore, categorised as an encyclopedia. For the stories copied from older sources, he cited his source. Ye Tinggui quotes many poems and prose essays, to which he sometimes also provides explanations. A lot of these sources have been lost for a long time. The received version is surely not identical to the original but has been altered by later scholars.

Quotation 1. On old age and youth (Laozhi men 老稚門)
【頽齡】沈休文詩,「若蒙西山藥,頽齡儻能度。」(注。魏文帝詩曰:「西山一何高,何高殊未極。上有兩仙童,不飲亦不食。與我一圓藥,光耀生五色。服之四五日,身體生羽翼。」) Declining Age: A poem by Shen Xiuwen states: "If I could receive the elixir of the Western Mountain, Perhaps my declining years could be transcended." (Commentary: A poem by Emperor Wen of Wei states: "How lofty is the Western Mountain, So high, yet not reaching its utmost height. Upon it dwell two immortal youths, Neither drinking nor eating. They gave me a round elixir, Shining in five radiant colors. After taking it for four or five days, My body sprouted wings.")
【鄉耋】「徳輝灼邦,懋芳風被鄉耋。」(顔延年詩) Elders of the village: "The brilliance of virtue illuminates the regions, and winds with splendid fragrance enfold the elders of the villages." (From a poem by Yan Yannian)
【夙齡】「夙齡愛遠壑,晚涖見奇山。」夙齡早歲也。晚涖,謂暮年臨職。(沈休文詩) Morning age: "In youth, I loved the distant valleys; Established late, I beheld the wondrous mountains." - 'Morning age' is the youth, while 'late establishment' means assuming office in later years. (From a poem by Shen Xiuwen)
【舊齒】「親友多零落,舊齒皆凋喪.」謂耆老也。(陸士衡詩) Old Teeth: "Friends and kin have mostly withered away, and old teeth have all passed on." - this means, aged people. (From a poem by Lu Shiheng)

The Hailu suishi is included in the series Siku quanshu 四庫全書. In 1989 the Shanghai Cishu Press 上海辭書出版社 published a fascimile of a Ming-period 明 (1368-1644) print.

Sources:
Chen Rufa 陳汝法. 1983. "Hailu suishi zai cishu shi shang de wenxian jiazhi 《海錄碎事》在辭書史上的文獻價值." Cishu yanjiu 辭書研究 1983 (4): 146-153.
Hu Daojing 胡道靜. 1990. "Ye Tinggui he Hailu suishi 葉廷珪和《海錄碎事》." Cishu yanjiu 辭書研究 1990 (1): 107-115+139.
Li Xueqin 李學勤, and Lü Wenyu 呂文郁, eds. 1996. Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典, vol. 2, 2039. Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe.
Wang Yingyu 王映予. 2016. "Songdai leishu Hailu suishi kaolüe 宋代類書 《海錄碎事》考略." Xibei Daxue xuebao (Shehui kexue ban) 西北大學學報(社會科學版) 53 (5): 112-117.
Zhao Hankun 趙含坤, ed. 2005. Zhongguo leishu 中國類書, 93. Shijiazhuang: Hebei renmin chubanshe.