CHINAKNOWLEDGE - a universal guide for China studies | HOME | About
Encoding: Unicode (UTF-8) [Location: HOME > Literature > Historiographical category > Regional histories > Yuejueshu]

Chinese Literature
Yuejueshu 越絕書 "The End of the Kingdom of Yue"


The Yuejueshu 越絕書 "End of the kingdom of Yue" is a history of the state of Yue 越 during the Eastern Zhou period 東周 (770-221 BCE). The 19 chapters (juan "scrolls") long book was compiled by the Han period 漢 (206 BCE-220 CE) writer Yuan Kang 袁康 and revised by Wu Ping 吳平. It is written not in the style of a historical report but rather like a history novel. It provides nevertheless valuable historial material of the region of Yue, the modern provinces of Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu. The original text consisted of 8 inner reports (neiji 内記) and 17 outer reports (waiji 外記) of which 5 chapters were already lost in the 10th century. The main part deals with the reign of king Goujian 句踐 (r. 496-465) who made the state of Yue a powerful player in the southeast of China.
The oldest surviving print is that from the Shuangbo Studio 雙柏堂 from the Ming period 明 (1368-1644) which is included in the collectaneum Sibu congkan 四部叢刊. The Yuejushu was reprinted, along with a commentary, in 1956 by the Shangwu press 商務印書館.


Source: Tian Shan 田杉 (1991). "Yuejueshu 越絕書", in: Zhongguo wenxue da cidian 中國文學大辭典, vol. 8, p. 5688. Ed. Ma Liangchun 馬良春, Li Futian 李福田. Tianjin: Tianjin renmin chubanshe.

Contents
1.越絕外傳本事 Waizhuan: Benshi
2.越絕荊平王內傳 Jing Pingwang neizhuan
3.越絕外傳記吳地傳 Waizhuanji: Wudizhuan
4.越絕吳內傳 Wu neizhuan
5.越絕計倪內經 Ji Ni neijing
6.越絕請糴內傳 Qingdi neizhuan
7.越絕外傳紀策考 Waizhuanji: Cekao
8.越絕外傳記范伯 Waizhuanji: Fan Bo
9.越絕內傳陳成恒 Neizhuan: Chen Chenheng
10.越絕外傳記〔越〕地傳 Waizhuanji: Yuedizhuan
11.越絕外傳計倪 Waizhuan: Ji Ni
12.越絕外傳記吳王占夢 Waizhuanji: Wu wang zhan meng
13.越絕外傳記寶劍 Waizhuanji: Baojian
14.越絕內經九術 Neijing: Jiushu
15.越絕外傳記軍氣 Waizhuanji: Junqi
16.越絕外傳枕中 Waizhuan: Zhenzhong
17.越絕外傳春申君 Waizhuan: Chunshen Jun
18.越絕德序外傳記 Dexu waizhuanji
19.越絕篇敘外傳記 Pianxu waizhuanji
Chinese literature according to the four-category system

3 July, 2010 © Ulrich Theobald · Mail