Jijiupian 急就篇 (www.chinaknowledge.de)

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Jul 17, 2010 © Ulrich Theobald

Jijiupian 急就篇 "Quick access [to characters]" is a kind of character textbook from the Han period 漢 (206 BCE-220 CE) written by Shi You 史游 (c. 40 BCE). It is the only book of this type surviving. Others like Cangjiepian 倉頡篇, Xunzuanpian 訓纂篇, Fanjiangpiang 凡將篇 or Pangxipian 滂喜篇 are long since lost - apart from a few fragments.

Figure 1. Beginning of the *Jijiupian*

Beginning of the Jijiupian with the commentary of Yan Shigu 顏師古 (581–645), Sibu congkan 四部叢刊 edition, reproducing a Ming-period 明 (1368-1644) manuscript from the collection of the family Zhang 張氏 from Haiyan 海鹽, Zhejiang (Sheyuan Studio 涉園). Click to enlarge.

The characters are learned through a rhyme system in which sentences of three, four or seven syllables or words are learned. The words to be learned are arranged in semantic groups which makes it easier to cover certain fields of characters to be learned. The Shijiupian is written in seven-syllable verses, but half of the text consists of personal names, which are grouped in three-character pairs.

Quotation 1. Examples from the *Shijiupian*
急就奇觚與眾異，羅列諸物名姓字。分別部居不雜廁(=次)。用日約少誠快意，勉力務之必有喜。請道其章。	[If you want to gain] quick access to outstanding polygonal slips*, different from the masses, [use this] listing of the characters of all objects and the personal names. [They are] classified into different sections, in order to prevent confusion in their arrangement. Daily and occasional consultation will result in great delight because [this arrangement] saves time and efforts and will bring enjoyment. Please use the stanzas [of this book] as a guideline.
* Yan Shigu presents a lengthy explanation to the word gu 觚. It is a kind of writing slip made of bamboo or wood, and not flat, but rather round with six or eight edges and surfaces, and thus offered more pedagogical methods than the usual, flat slips.
宋延年，鄭子方。衛益壽，史步昌。	Song Yannian, Zheng Zifang. Wei Yishou, Shi Buchang [...]
The first part of the text presents a large number of barely known personal names from ancient history. Song Yannian was a half-brother of King Zhou 紂 of the Shang dynasty, Zheng Zifang a son of King Li 周厲王 (r. 878-841 BCE) of the Zhou dynasty. In all these names, not a single character appears two times.
姓名訖，請言物。	Now the names are finished; let's talk about objects.
錦繡縵䋃離雲爵(=孔爵=孔雀)，乘風縣鐘華洞(=通)樂。	Brocade, embroidery, plain cloth, stitching, clouds and phoenixes parting and twisting, [Patterns like] wind riders (seagulls) or bells hanging [on the rack], flowers stringed for music.
豹首落莫兔雙鶴，春草鷄翹鳧翁濯。	Tiger-head patterns overlying, forming the [shapes] of rabbits and pairs of cranes, [Patterns emerging like (or: green like)] spring grass, [coiled as (or: coloured like)] a cock’s tail, wetted like a [painted] duck’s neck.
鬱金半見緗白䋤，縹綟綠紈皁紫硟。	Deep yellow gold, half-saturated yellow, pure white; Greenish-white, blue-white, yellow-white, black, dark, violet, polished with stone.

Figure 2. Fragments of the *Jijiupian* (1)

Fragments of the Jijiupian, from the last fascicle, discovered in Dunhuang 敦煌. From Maspero (1953), Table I. Symbols of the transcription below: ■ character not readable, 〈〉 only part of character preserved, 〔〕 addition to full verse, {} character variants not in Unicode. Some characters are different in the transmitted version (transm.) of the Jijiupian.
2〈程〉忠信，吳仲皇，許終　〔古，賈友倉〕。
1(a)第十三(not transm.)。承塵戶𢅏絛／1(b)績縱。鏡斂(=奩)疎比各有(transm.異)工■(=芬)／1(c)𦸽(transm.薰)脂粉膏澤筩。／
1(a1)沐浴{長+前}(=揃)摵寡／1(b1)合同。豫(transm.襐)飭刻畫無等雙〈係〉／1(c1)臂琅玕虎(=琥) ■(=魄)〔龍〕。／
1(a2)辟(=璧)碧球璣玫／1(b2)瑰罋。玉玦環{珮-玉+巾}(=珮)靡從容。／1(c2)射騎(=鬾)辟耶除群兇(transm.凶) 。／

Figure 3. Fragments of the *Jijiupian* (2)

Fragments of the Jijiupian, from Luo and Wang Guowei (1993).

The Jijiupian was also used for calligraphic purposes, to train different styles of characters, like the chancery (lishu 隸書), documentary (zhangshu 章書) or "grass" (caoshu 草書) scripts. Even famous calligraphers like Wang Xizhi 王羲之 (303-361) or Zhao Mengfu 趙孟頫 (1254-1322) therefore calligraphed the textbook, and this is also a reason why it is preserved.

Figure 4. Calligraphy of the *Jijiupian*

Calligraphy of the Jijiupian, Ming-period rubbing of an engraving on a stone stele following the calligraphy of Huang Xiang 皇象 (3rd cent.), in documentary (zhangshu 章書) and chancery script (lishu 隸書), kept by the Songjiang Museum 上海市松江縣博物館. Zhongguo meishu quanji bianji weiyuanhui 1989, no. 18.

The Tang-period 唐 (618-907) scholar Yan Shigu 顏師固 (581–645) and the Song-period 宋 (960-1279) scholar Wang Yinglin 王應麟 (1223-1296) wrote commentaries on the Jijiupian. It is included in the series Xiaoxue huihan 小學彙函 and Xuejin taoyuan 學津討原.

Sources:

Chang Jinxin 常藎心 (2019). "Han Wei Nanbeichao mengshu bianzhuan de bianqian: Yi Jijiupian yu Qianziwen wei li 漢魏南北朝蒙書編撰的變遷——以《急就篇》與《千字文》為例", Jiaoyu yu kaoshi 教育與考誠, 2019 (5).

Chen Liming 陳黎明 (1996). "Jijiupian yongzi chutan 《急就篇》用字初探", Zhongguo yuwen 中國語文, 1996 (11).

Chen Lu 陳璐 (2015). "Jijiupian yanjiu zongshu 《急就篇》研究綜述", Shijiqiao 世紀橋, 2015 (10).

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, 206.

Li Xueqin 李學勤, Lü Wenyu 呂文郁, ed. (1996). Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典 (Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe), Vol. 1, 752.

Luo Zhenyu 羅振玉, Wang Guowei 王國維 (1993). Liusha zhuijian 流沙墜簡 (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju [originally published in 1914]).

Maspero, Henri, ed. (1953), Les documents chinois de la troisième expedition de Sir Aurel Stein en Asie Centrale (London: British Museum).

Qian Ronggui 錢榮貴 (2017). "Shi You Jijiupian de bianzhuan sixiang ji qi yingxiang 史游《急就篇》的編撰思想及其影響", Nantong Daxue xuebao (Shehui kexue ban) 南通大學學報(社會科學版), 2017 (5).

Wang Huijuan 王慧娟, Chen Xin 陳昕 (105). "Jijiupian chengshu ji banben shulüe 《急就篇》成書及版本述略", Neimenggu keji yu jingji 内蒙古科技與經濟, 2015 (3).

Wu Xumin 吳旭民 (1992). "Jijiupian 急就篇", in Zhou Gucheng 周谷城, ed. Zhongguo xueshu mingzhu tiyao 中國學術名著提要, Vol. Yuyan wenzi 語言文字卷 (Shanghai: Fudan daxue chubanshe), 302.

Zhang Xinpeng 張新朋 (2015). "Tulufan, Heishuicheng chutu Jijiupian, Qianziwen canpian kaobian 吐鲁番、黑水城出土《急就篇》《千字文》残片考辨", Xungen 尋根, 2015 (11).

Zhongguo meishu quanji bianji weiyuanhui 《中國美術全集》編輯委員會, ed. (1989), Zhongguo meishu quanji 中國美術全集, Shufa zhuanke bian 書法篆刻編, 2, Wei Jin Nanbeichao shufa 魏晉南北朝書法 (Shanghai: Shanghai shuhua chubanshe).

Zhou Fazeng 周發增, Chen Longtao 陳隆濤, Qi Jixiang 齊吉祥, ed. (1998). Zhongguo gudai dianzhang zhidu shi cidian 中國古代政治制度史辭典 (Beijing: Shoudu shifan daxue chubanshe), 431.

Zhou Zumo 周祖謨 (1988). "Jijiupian 急就篇", in Zhongguo da baike quanshu 中國大百科全書, Yuyan wenzi 語言•文字 (Beijing/Shanghai: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe), 219.