ChinaKnowledge.de -
An Encyclopaedia on Chinese History and Literature

Yiwen leiju 藝文類聚

Jul 18, 2010 © Ulrich Theobald

Yiwen leiju 藝文類聚 "Classified collection based on the Classics and other literature" is an encyclopaedia from the Tang period 唐 (618-907) written by on imperial order by a team of ten compilers, headed by Ouyang Xun 歐陽詢 (557-641), Linghu Defen 令狐德芬 (583-666), Yuan Lang 袁朗 and Zhao Hongzhi 趙宏智.

The encyclopaedia has a length of 100 juan and was finished in 624. It is divided into 46 parts and covers 727 topics. The particular articles quote from 1,431 books from all kinds of literature. Its value lies in the vast amount of literature quoted. Eighty percent of these books are only preserved in quotations of the Yiwen leiju, like Xie Cheng's 謝承 (d. 256) Houhanshu 後漢書, Yuan Shansong's 袁山松 (d. 401) Houhanshu 後漢書, Wang Yin's 王隱 (c. 280-c. 350) Jinshu 晉書, Pei Qi's 裴啟 Yulin 語林 or Guo Chengzhi's 郭澄之 Guozi 郭子. For each paragraph, the Yiwen leiju indicates the source, in the case of poetry also the name of the author, the date and the particular type of poem (shi 詩 "regular poem", fu 賦 "rhapsody" or zan 贊 "eulogy"). In spite of all these important strengths, the arrangement of the chapters is not in all points excellent, especially in the question under which chapter some entries appear.

Quotation 1. Examples from the Yiwen leiju 藝文類聚 to the lemma tou 頭 "head"
說文曰.首.頭也. The [dictionary] Shuowen jiezi says, "capitulum" (shou) means "head" (tou).
釋名曰.頭.獨也.體高而獨也.首.始也. The [glossary] Shiming says, "head" (tou) means, "singular" (du), namely the highest and singular part of the body. "Capitulum" (shou) is the "beginning" (shi).
黃帝素問曰.頭者精明之主也. The [medical] text Huangdi suwen says, the head ist the master of essence and clarity.
易說卦曰.乾為首. The Yi shuogua (explanations to the Yijing 易經 hexagrams) says, qian (Heaven) is the origin.
毛詩曰.螓首蛾眉. The Book of Songs says, "her forehead cicada-like; her eyebrows like the silkworm moth".
禮斗威儀曰.君乘火而王.其民銳頭.君乘水而王.其民大頭. The apocryphal text Li douwei yi says, if a king uses fire to rule, his people's heads have pointed heads; if he uses water to rule, his people has large heads.
春秋元命苞曰.頭者.神所居.上圓象天. The apocryphal text Chunqiu yuanming bao says, the head is, where the spirit resides. Its roundness above resembles Heaven.
晏子曰.湯長頭而髯鬢. The Yanzi chunqiu 晏子春秋 says, Tang the Perfect had a lengthy head with a long beard and long hair at the temples. (N.B. The transmitted version goes 湯質皙而長,顏以髯, holding that he also had a fair complexion.)

There was a print from the mid-12th century. A moveable character print was made by the Lanxue Studio 蘭雪堂 of Master Hua 華氏 in 1515, a small-character print in 1528 by Hu Zanzong 胡纘宗, another print by the Zongwen Studio 宗文書堂 of Master Zheng 鄭氏 in 1530, and a reprint of the small-character edition in 1549 by Zhang Song 張松. The Hongda Studio 宏達堂 of Wang Yuanzhen 王元貞 printed the Yiwen leiju in 1879. Modern reprints were published in 1959 by the Zhonghua Shuju Press 中華書局, in 1965 by the same press, as an edition revised by Wang Shaoying 汪紹楹, and in 1981 by the Shanghai Guji pPress 上海古籍出版社, with an index.

The Yiwen leiju is included in the series Siku quanshu 四庫全書.

Table 1. Contents of the Yiwen leiju 藝文類聚
1.-2. 天部 Heaven
3.-5. 歲時部 Seasons and time
6. 地部,州部,郡部 Geography. Provinces. Commanderies
7. 山部上 Mountains A
8. 山部下 Mountains B
水部上 Water A
9. 水部下 Water B
10. 符命部 Imperial orders
11.-14. 帝王部 Rulers
15. 后妃部 Imperial consorts
16. 儲宮部 Palaces
17.-37. 人部 The human world
38.-40. 禮部 Rites
41.-44. 樂部 Music
45.-50. 職官部 State offices
51. 封爵部 Titles of nobility
52.-53. 治政部 Government
54. 刑法部 Penal law
55.-58. 雜文部 Miscellaneous literature
59. 武部 Military
60. 軍器部 Weapons
61.-64. 居處部 Architecture
65.-66. 產業部 Production
67. 衣冠部 Clothes and caps
68. 儀飾部 Ritual adornment
69.-70. 服飾部 Clothing adornment
71. 舟車部 Boats and carts
72. 食物部 Food
73. 雜器物部 Miscellaneous tools and objects
74. 巧藝部 Skills and arts
75. 方術部 Magic
76.-77. 內典部 The inner canon
78.-79. 靈異部 Souls and spirits
80. 火部 Fire
81. 藥香 Medicine and scents
草部上 Herbs A
82. 草部下 Herbs B
83.-84. 寶玉部 Jewelry
85. 百穀部 Textile fibres
布帛部 Textile fibres
86.-87. 果部 Fruits
88.-89. 木部 Trees
90.-92. 鳥部 Birds
93.-95. 獸部 Beasts and mammals
96. 鱗介部上 Scaly animals A
97. 鱗介部下 Scaly animals B
蟲豸部 Worms and creeping, and furry animals
98.-99. 祥瑞部 Omina and portents
100. 災異部 Natural disasters and strange phenomena
Sources:
Barbier, Thomas (2017). "L'assujettissement des textes: quelques réflexions sur le classement par catégories dans les "encyclopédies" (leishu) en Chine ancienne", Asiatische Studien, 71 (1): 151-165.
Choo, Jessey J.C. (2015). "Yiwen leiju", in Cynthia L. Chennault, et al., eds. Early Medieval Chinese Texts: A Bibliographical Guide (Berkeley: Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley), 454-464.
Guo Shaolin 郭紹林 (1996). "Youyang Xun yu Yiwen leiju 歐陽詢與《藝文類聚》", Luoyang Shizhuan xuebao 洛陽師專學報, 1996 (1): 87-93.
Guo Qinna 郭芹納 et al., ed. (1990). Jianming gu hanyu zhishi cidian 簡明古漢語知識辭典 (Xi'an: Shaanxi renmin chubanshe), 76.
Guo Xing 郭醒 (2006). "Chuantong leishu de wenxue piping yiyi: Yi Yiwen leiju wei zhongxin 傳統類書的文學批評意義——以《藝文類聚》為中心", Shenyang Shifan Daxue xuebao (Shehui kexue ban) 瀋陽師範大學學報(社會科學版), 2006 (6): 86-90.
Han Jianli 韓建立 (2008). "Yiwen leiju fenlei tixi suo fanying de chuantong wenhua guannian 《藝文類聚》分類體系所反映的傳統文化觀念", Wenjiao ziliao 文教資料, 2008 (24): 48-50.
Han Jianli 韓建立 (2009). "Yiwen leiju bianzhuan de zhudao sixiang 《藝文類聚》編纂的主導思想", Forward Position x x x, 2009 (2): 167-169.
Han Jianli 韓建立 (2009). "Yiwen leiju shiwen hebi de leishu tizhu suyuan 《藝文類聚》事文合璧的類書體制溯源", Shandong Tushuguan xuekan 山東圖書館學刊, 2009 (6): 101-103.
Han Jianli 韓建立 (2013). "Yuwen leiju yinyong shumu kaobian 《藝文類聚引用書目》考辨", Tushuguan gongzuo yu yanjiu 圖書館工作與研究, 2013 (7): 93-95+99.
Han Jianli 韓建立 (2014). "Yiwen leiju zhong de huzhu yu biecai 《藝文類聚》中的“互著”與“别裁”", Tushuguan xuekan 圖書館學刊, 2014 (4): 117-119.
Han Jianli 韓建立 (2015). "Tang-chu quanli huayu yu Yiwen leiju de bianzhuan 唐初權利話語與《藝文類聚》的編撰", Weinan Shifan Xueyuan xuebao 渭南師範學院學報, 2015 (9): 84-88.
Han Jianli 韓建立 (2020). "Lun Yiwen leiju de fuxue bianti piping 論《藝文類聚》的賦學辨體批評", Wenyi yanjiu 文藝研究, 2020 (9): 54-62.
He Jun 何軍 (1993). "Yiwen leiju 藝文類聚" in Shi Quanchang 石泉長, ed. Zhonghua baike yaolan 中華百科要覽 (Shenyang: Liaoning renmin chubanshe), 602.
Huang Junjie 黃俊傑 (2010). "Cong Yiwen leiju he Chuxueji de yinwen kan chu-Tang de wenxue chuanbo 從《藝文類聚》和《初學記》的引文看初唐的文學傳播", Zhongguo yunwen xuekan 中國韻文學刊, 2010 (2): 11-15.
Huang Ting 黃婷, Xu Jianping 許建平 (2014). "Yiwen leiju suo yin Shijing de xueshu jiazhi 《藝文類聚》所引《詩經》的學術價值", Zhongguo dianji yu wenhua 中國典籍與文化, 2014 (4): 11-16.
Jiaoyu da cidian bianzuan weiyuanhui 《教育大辭典》編纂委員會, ed. (1991). Jiaoyu da cidian 教育大辭典, Part 8, Zhongguo gudai jiaoyu shi 中國古代教育史 (Shanghai: Shanghai jiaoyu chubanshe), Vol. 1, 360.
Kong, Xurong. 2017. "An annotated translation of fu on pomegranate in Yiwen leiju", Early Medieval China, 23: 67-88.
Leng Chaodong 凌朝棟 (1994). "Shilun Ouyang Xun bianzuan Yiwen leiju de jiazhi 試論歐陽詢編纂《藝文類聚》的價值", Weinan Shifan Xueyuan xuebao 渭南師範學院學報, 1994 (4): 62-65+25.
Li Bingzhong 李秉忠, Wei Canjin 衛燦金, Lin Conglong 林從龍, eds. (1990). Jianming wenshi zhishi cidian 簡明文史知識詞典 (Xi'an: Shaanxi renmin chubanshe), 585.
Li Baohua 李保華 (1993). "Yiwen leiju 藝文類聚", in Ru Xin 汝信, ed. Shijie baike zhuzuo cidian 世界百科著作辭典 (Beijing: Zhongguo gongren chubanshe), 462.
Li Xueqin 李學勤, Lü Wenyu 呂文鬰, eds.g (1996). Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典 (Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe), Vol. 2, 2034.
Li Zhi 力之 (1998). "Yiwen leiju de wenti zhongzhong: Yiwen leiju yanjiu 《藝文類聚》的問題種種──《藝文類聚》研究", Guji zhengli yanjiu xuekan 古籍整理研究學刊, 1998(4/5): 13-19.
Lin Xiaoguang 林曉光 (2014). "Lun Yiwen leiju cunlu fangshi zaocheng de Liuchao wenxue bianmao 論《藝文類聚》存錄方式造成的六朝文學變貌", Wenxue yichan 文學遺產, 2014 (3): 34-44.
Liu Quanbo 劉全波 (2020). "Chuxueji, Yiwen leiju bijiao yanjiu: Yi shiwen wei zhongxin de kaocha 《初學記》《藝文類聚》比較研究———以“詩文”為中心的考察", Xihua Shifan Daxue xuebao (Zhexue shehui kexue ban) 西華師範大學學報(哲學社會科學版), 2020 (3): 76-83.
Pan Shuguang 潘樹廣 (1980). "Yiwen leiju gaishuo 《藝文類聚》概說", Cishu yanjiu 辭書研究, 1980 (1): 163-173.
Pan Yinsheng 潘寅生, Guo Jiankui 郭建魁, ed. (1993). Zhonghua shehui kexue gongjushu cidian 中華社會科學工具書辭典(Lanzhou: Gansu renmin chubanshe), 682.
Qi Guohong 祁國宏 (2007). "Tangdai leishu de wenxue chuanbo gongneng: Yi Beitang shuchao, Yiwen leiju, Chuxueji deng dui Qu Song cifu de chuanbo wei li 唐代類書的文學傳播功能—以《北堂書鈔》、《藝文類聚》、《初學記》等對屈宋辭賦的傳播為例", Xin shiji tushuguan 新世紀圖書館, 2007 (6): 44-46+1.
Qu Shawei 曲莎薇 (2015). "Yiwen leiju leimu tixi zhong de zhishi zhixu jiangou luoji yanjiu 《藝文類聚》類目體系中的知識秩序建構邏輯研究", Tushuguan lilun yu shijian 圖書館理論與實踐, 2015 (9): 57-60.
Sun Qi 孫麒 (2007). "Zongwentang ben Yiwen leiju kanyin kao 宗文堂本《藝文類聚》刊印考", Tushuguan zazhi 圖書館雜誌, 2007 (11): 73-76+79.
Sun Qi 孫麒 (2011). "Siku quanshu ben Yiwen leiju kaolun: Yi Wenyuange ben yu Wenjinge ben wei li 《四庫全書》本《藝文類聚》考論——以文淵閣本與文津閣本為例", Tushu qingbao yu gongzuo 圖書情報工作, 2011 (7): 142-146.
Sun Qi 孫麒 (2016). "Ming Jiajing xiaozi ben Yiwen leiju banben kaobian 明嘉靖小字本《藝文類聚》版本考辨", Tushuguan zazhi 圖書館雜誌, 2016 (6): 106-112.
Sun Qi 孫麒 (2018). "Lanxuetang huozi ben Yiwen leiju kaolun: Bing lun Chaoxian huozi ben zhi wenxian jiazhi 蘭雪堂活字本《藝文類聚》考論——兼論朝鮮活字本之文獻價值", Tushuguan zazhi 圖書館雜誌, 2018 (6): 99-106.
Tang Wen 唐雯 (2003). "Yiwen leiju, Chuxueji yu Tang-chu wenxue gainian 《藝文類聚》、《初學記》與唐初文學觀念", Xi'an Lianhe Daxue xuebao 西安聯合大學學報, 2003 (1): 77-80.
Wang Yuguang 王余光, Xu Yan 徐雁, ed. (1999). Zhongguo dushu da cidian 中國讀書大辭典 (Nanjing: Nanjing daxue chubanshe), 1088.
Wu Feng 吳楓, ed. (1987). Jianming Zhongguo guji cidian 簡明中國古籍辭典 (Changchun: Jilin wenshi chubanshe), 80.
Wu Feng 吳楓, ed. (1994). Zhonghua gu wenxian da cidian 中華古文獻大辭典, Vol. Wenxue 文學卷 (Changchun: Jilin wenshi chubanshe), 46.
Yan Cheng 嚴程 (2012). "Qianlun Yiwen leiju de bianji fangfa yu yiyi 淺談《藝文類聚》的編輯方法與意義", Shehe zongheng (Xin lilun ban) 社科縱橫(新理論版), 2012 (3): 150-151.
Yuan Yi 袁逸 (1992). "Yiwen leiju 藝文類聚", in Zhongguo da baike quanshu 中國大百科全書, Vol. Xinwen chuban 新聞出版 (Beijing/Shanghai: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe), 439.
Zhang Guizhen 張桂珍 (1997). "Yiwen leiju 藝文類聚", in Men Kui 門巋, Zhang Yanjin 張燕瑾, eds. Zhonghua guocui da cidian 中華國粹大辭典 (Xianggang: Guoji wenhua chuban gongsi), 728.
Zhao Hankun 趙含坤 (2005). Zhongguo leishu 中國類書 (Shijiazhuang: Hebei renmin chubanshe), 29-34.