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Gujinzhu 古今注 and Zhonghua gujin zhu 中華古今注
The Gujinzhu 古今注 "Notes to things old and new" is an encyclopedia attributed to the Jin period 晉 (265-420) scholar Cui Bao 崔豹. It is 3 juan "scrolls" long. In many editions, there is a 3 juan long appendix containing a supplement called Zhonghua gujin zhu 中華古今注. The latter is attributed to the Later Tang period 後唐 (923-936) scholar Ma Gao 馬縞 (ca. 854-933). In fact, the Zhonghua gujin zhu is not a supplement to Cui Bao's book, but only a rearrangement of the paragraphs in it, with only a few additions and changes in the text. The additions are quotations of literature from the Song 劉宋 (420-479) and Southern Qi 南齊 (479-502) periods. According to the Tang period 唐 (618-907) scholar Su E 蘇鶚, about 60 per cent of the books are identical. The original Gujinzhu must have been lost at a very early point of time, and the received version is a forgery or reconstruction from the Tang period. It is, nevertheless, very detailed in the very heterogeneous fields it describes.
The Gujinzhu is included in the collectanea Gushi sishijia xiaoshuo 顧氏四十家小說, Bai mingjia shu 百名家書, Baichuan xuehai 百川學海, Gujin yishi 古今逸史, the Han-Wei congshu 漢魏叢書 (Jiajing edition), Gezhi congshu 格致叢書, Shuofu 說郛, Bishu ershiyi zhong 秘書二十一種, Bishu ershiba zhong 秘書二十八種, Jifu congshu 畿輔叢書, and Siku quanshu 四庫全書. There is a solitary print from the Ming period 明 (1368-1644), a print in the series Zishu baizhong 子書百種, and a print of Master Tao's 陶氏 Sheyuan Studio 涉園 from the Republican period.
Fuhou gujin zhu 伏侯古今注 "Notes to Things Old and New by Marquis Fu"
There is another Gujinzhu written by the Later Han period 後漢 (25-220) scholar Fu Wuji 伏無忌, called Marquis Fu 伏侯. He took part in the compilation of the history Dongguan hanji 東觀漢記 and edited the parts of the princes, ministers and barbarians. The also collected a lot of historical information from the times of the mythical Yellow Emperor 黃帝 down to the time of Emperor Zhi 漢質帝 (r. 145-146), and compiled a book called Fuhouzhu 伏侯注 "Notes of Marquis Fu", with a length of 8 juan. In the earliest imperial bibliographies, it is included in the category of miscellaneous histories (zashi 雜史), later in the miscellaneous masters (zajia 雜家). The book was lost, but the Qing period 清 (1644-1911) scholar Ma Guohan 馬國翰 reconstructed it on the base of surviving fragments as quotations in other books. The result is included in the collectaneum Hanyushanfang jiyi shu 玉函山房輯佚書.
Source: Li Xueqin 李學勤, Lü Wenyu 呂文鬰 (1996). Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典, vol. 2, p. 1915. Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe.
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1.輿服 Yufu Chariots and robes
2.都邑 Duyi Local administration
3.音樂 Yinyue Music
4.鳥獸 Niaoshou Birds and beasts
5.魚虫 Yuchong Scaly and creeping animals
6.草木 Caomu Herbs and plants
7.雜注 Zazhu Miscellaneous notes
8.問答釋義 Wenda shiyi Answering questions about explanation
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Exemplarious translation:
１．輿服
大章車，所以識道里也，起於西京．亦曰記（＝計）里車．車上為二
層，皆有木人．行一里，下層擊鼓，行十里，上層擊鐲．
劍，漢世傳高祖折白蛇劍，長七尺．漢高祖為泗水亭長，送徒驪山，所提劍理應三尺耳．後富貴則得七尺寶劍，捨舊劍而服之．後漢之世，唯聞高祖以所佩之劍折白蛇，而高祖常佩此劍，便謂此劍即折蛇之劍也．
Chariots and Clothing
[...] With the Great Sign Cart, it is possible to know the distance (of a certain place) from the Western Capital (Chang'an/modern Xi'an/Shaanxi). This cart is also called "League-measure Cart". Upon the cart, there are two layers with wooden figurines. After passing one league (approx. 1/2 km or 1/3 of a mile), the figurine of the lower layer beats a drum, after ten leagues, the upper figurine beats a bell. [...]
[...]Sword: For generations, the house of Han kept the White Snake sword of Emperor Han Gaozu, it is seven feet long. When Han Gaozu was maior of Sishui and had to guide punitives to the Lishan Mountain, he still had an official sword, three feet long. Later, when he bacame wealthy and rich, he obtained an expensive sword of seven feet and threw away the old one. Later, the many generations of the house of Han explained that Gaozu admired that sword because he had used it to behead a white snake. And because he honored this sword that much, it was called the "Snake Killer Sword".
２．都邑
肆，所以陳貨鬻之物也．店，所以置貨鬻之物也．肆，陳也．店，置也．
城者，盛也，所以盛受大物也．
廟者，貌也，所以仿佛先人之靈貌也．
Localities
[...]A market stand (si) is a place to display goods. A store (dian) is a place where goods are purchased. Si means, to display. Dian means, to purchase.
[...]A city wall (cheng), means containing (cheng), because a city wall holds and protects great objects.
An ancestor temple (miao), means featuring (mao), because inside, the souls of the forefathers are featured.
３．音樂
《陌上桑》，出秦氏女子．秦氏邯鄲人，有女名羅敷，為邑人千乘王仁妻，王仁後為越王家令．羅敷出採桑於陌上，趙主登台，見而悅之，因飲酒欲奪焉．羅敷乃彈箏，乃作《陌上桑》以自明焉．
Music
[...]The Song "Mulberry up the Lane" was made by the daughter of Master Qin. Master Qin was from Handan/modern Hebei, and his daughter was called Luofu. She was the wife of Wang Ren, a man of the same county, possessing a thousand chariots. Later, he became maiordomus of the Prince of Yue. One day, Luofu went out to pluck mulberry up the lane, when the Prince of Zhao appeared. He saw her and was very pleased by her appearance. Drinking some wine with her, the Prince tried to rob (rape?) her. But Luofu then started to play her zither and made the song "Mulberry up the Lane" to express her (faithful minds).
Note: Compare the text of this song that is included in the anthology Yutai Xinyong.
４．鳥獸
鴛鴦，水鳥，鳬類也．雄雌未嘗相離，人得其一，則一思而至死，故曰疋鳥．
Birds and Beasts
[...]The mandarin duck is a water bird, it belongs to the family of the fu wild duck. Male and female of this duck never let their partner alone, and when one of the two is captured or killed by men, the other always thinks of his/her partner until dead (and will never take another partner). Therefore, they are also called "cover bird" (as their image, embroidered on the cover of a couple's bed as symbol of faithfulness and loyalty).
５．魚虫
鯨魚者，海魚也．大者長千里，小者數十丈．一生數萬子，常以五月六月，就巖邊生子，至七八月，導從其子還大海中．鼓浪成雷，噴沫成雨，水族驚畏，皆逃匿，莫敢當者．其雌曰鯢，大者亦長千里，眼為明月珠．
Scaly and Creeping Animals
[...]The whale is a seafish. The biggest specimen can grow one thousand leagues long, and even the smallest are several dozen fathoms long. One individual is able to produce several ten thousand children. Normally, in the fifth or six month, they appear near the coast to give birth, and in the seventh or eighth month, they led back their children into the open sea. The whale is able to stagger the waves like thunder, it gushes the sea foam like rain; all creatures in the sea are horrified by the whale, everyone tries to escape, and none would dare to meet a whale. The females are called Ni, and the biggest females are also a thousand leagues long. Their eyes are as big as moon pearls.
８．問答釋義
牛亨問曰：「自古有書契以來，便應有筆．世稱蒙恬造筆，何也？」答曰：「蒙恬始造，即秦筆耳．以枯木為管，鹿毛為柱，羊毛為被，所為蒼毫，非兔毫竹管也．」又問：「彤管何也？」答曰：「彤者，赤漆耳．史官戴事，故以彤管，用赤心記事也．」
Answering Questions About Explanation
[...]Niu Heng asked: "Since the oldest times, when there was a script and scriptures, people made use of a brush to write. People say that Meng Tian (a Qin Dynasty general) has invented the brush. Is that true?" (Dong Zhongshu?) answered: "Yes, Meng Tian has invented the brush, at least the Qin type. The shaft is made from dried wood, the inner hair of the tip is taken from deer, the outer side from a goat. This is the so-called bluegray hair, not the brush made from rubbit hair and a bamboo shaft." Another question: "What is the vermilion shaft?" Answer: "'Vermilion' means, red lacquer. When the historiographers write down events, they make use of a vermilion lacquered brush, to express that they will report things only with the pure heart of a newborn (hence red) baby."
Translated by Ulrich Theobald.
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Chinese literature according to the four-category system
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