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The Xijing zaji 西京雜記 "Miscellaneous records of the Western Capital" is a collection of short semi-historiographical stories from the Former Han dynasty 前漢 (206 BCE-8 CE) court. At that time the capital was Chang'an 長安 in the west (the "Western Capital", modern Xi'an 西安, Shaanxi), while the Later Han dynasty 後漢 (25-220 CE) moved to Luoyang 洛陽 (modern Luoyang, Henan) further to the east. The compiler of the book is not known. The imperial bibliography in the official dynastic history Jiu Tangshu 舊唐書 names the Jin period 晉 (265-420) writer Ge Hong 葛洪 as the author, other sources, like Chao Gongwu's 晁公武 Southern Song period 南宋 (1127-1279) private bibliography Junzhai dushu zhi 郡齋讀書志, mention a wrong attribution to the Liang period 梁 (502-557) scholar Wu Jun 吳均. The bibliography Jingjizhi 經籍志 in the dynastic history Suishu 隋書 speaks of a length of 2 juan "scrolls", while other books also talk of 6 juan. According to the postface (xu 序) the sources for the Xijing zaji came from Liu Xin's 劉歆 collection of materials that were also used for the compilation of the dynastic history Hanshu 漢書, but were not included in the history because of their rather novelistic content. It is therefore traditionally classified as a novel collection, and not as a historiographic book.
The Xijing zaji includes 129 stories which all took place in the capital Chang'an. Although most of the stories are of historiographical content, there are also some belonging to the genre of supernatural stories (zhiguai 志怪). Some of the stories became very popular and have found their way into higher forms of literature, like poetry and theatre. Among those are the story of princess Wang Zhaojun 王昭君 sent out to marry the Xiongnu khan, the love of the poetess Zhuo Wenjun 卓文君 to Sima Xiangru 司馬相如, the licentious behaviour of the sisters and imperial consorts Zhao Feiyan 趙飛燕 and Zhao Hede 趙合德, Jia Peilan’s 賈佩蘭 intimate friendship with her mistress, Lady Qi 戚夫人, or the story of Qiu Hu 秋胡 who disguised himself as a women in order to escape military service.
The Xijing zaji is often quoted in Li Shan's 李善 commentary to the literary anthology Wenxuan 文選, as well as in the Tang period 唐 (618-907) encyclopedia Chuxueji 初學記, which shows that the book was widely known in earlier ages.
The Xijing zaji is included in the collectanea Sibu congkan 四部叢刊, where a Ming period 明 (1368-1644) print is reproduced, and Baojingtang congshu 抱經堂叢書. The Zhonghua shuju press 中華書局 has published a modern version in 1985, and in 1991 the Shanghai guji press 上海古籍出版社 published a commented edition.
Source: Bai Huawen 白化文 (1986). "Xijing zaji 西京雜記", in: Zhongguo da baike quanshu 中國大百科全書, Zhongguo wenxue 中國文學, vol. 2, p. 1003. Beijing/Shanghai: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe.
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Exemplarious translation:
高帝戚夫人。善鼓瑟擊筑。帝常擁夫人倚瑟而絃歌。畢每泣下流漣。夫人善為翹袖折腰之舞。歌出塞入塞望歸之曲。侍婦數百皆習之。後宮齊首高唱。聲徹雲霄。
戚姬以百鍊金為彄環。照見指骨。上惡之。以賜侍兒鳴玉耀光等各四枚。
趙王如意年幼。未能親外傅。戚姬使舊趙王內傅趙媼傅之。號其室曰養德宮。後改為魚藻宮。
惠帝嘗與趙王同寢處。呂后欲殺之而未得。後帝早獵王不能夙興。呂后命力士于被中縊殺之及死。呂后不之信。以綠囊盛之。載以小軿車入見。乃厚賜力士。力士是東郭門外官奴。帝後知。腰斬之。后不知也。
[...]戚夫人侍兒賈佩蘭。後出為扶風人假儒妻。說在宮內時。見戚夫人侍高帝常以趙王如意為言。而高祖思之。幾半日不言。歎息悽愴而未知其術。輒使夫人擊筑。高祖歌大風詩以和之。又說在宮內時。嘗以絃管歌舞相歡娛。競為妖服以良時。十月十五日共入靈女廟。以豚忝樂神。吹笛擊筑。歌上靈之曲既而相與連臂踏地為節。歌赤鳳凰來。至七月七日臨百子池。作于闐樂。樂畢。以五色縷相羈。謂為相連愛。八月四日出雕房北戶竹下圍棋。勝者終年有福。負者終年疾病。取絲縷就北辰星求長命乃免。九月九日佩茱萸。食蓬餌。飲菊華酒。令人長壽。菊華舒時。并採莖葉雜黍米釀之。至來年九月九日始熟。就飲焉。故謂之菊華酒。正月上辰出池邊盥濯。食蓬餌以祓妖邪。三月上巳張樂于流水。如此終歲焉。戚夫人死。侍兒皆復為民妻也。
Translated by .
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Chinese literature according to the four-category system
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