Sushui jiwen 涑水記聞

Sushui jiwen 涑水記聞 „What [Master] Sushui learnt from others“ is a collection of stories compiled during the Northern Song period by the famous politician and historian Sima Guang 司馬光 (1019-1086). Sushui 涑水 is the of his hometown, located in the district of Xiaxian 夏縣, Shanxi. The book documents various historical events from the Song period, starting with Emperor Taizu and ending with Emperor Shenzong. Beneath each entry is a note indicating the source of the account. It is believed that the work was compiled as reference material for Sima Guang’s Zizhi tongjian houji 資治通鑒後記. Consequently, it includes many detailed accounts of significant court affairs, military issues, and government administration, as well as incidental anecdotes and minor stories. Each story is thorough and detailed, with clear identification of its informant or textual source, enhancing the work's historical significance. The language remains comparatively concise and fluent. The text is transmitted in several versions with different arrangements in fascicles (10, 12, and 16 juan, plus one with an appendix), while the wording only varies slightly. The 16-juan version is the most widespread. The Sushui jiwen appears in the series Wuyingdian juzhenben congshu 武英殿聚珍版叢書, Xuejin taoyuan 學津討原, Zhuyizhai congshu 渚已齋叢書, Qingfentang congshu 清芬堂叢書, Congshu jicheng chubian 叢書集成初編, Xuehai leibian 學海類編, and Hanfenlou ji Songren xiaoshuo 涵芬樓輯宋人小說.