Qunshu zhiyao () ("Important matters of governance from all types of literature"chinaknowledge.de: Qunshu zhiyao ) is a political encyclopedia from the Tang dynasty, compiled on imperial order by Wei Zheng (580–643), who is also known as the author of the official dynastic history Suishu (Book of Sui). The work is also called Qunshu zhengyao or Qunshu liyao .
Structure and content The originally 50-juan-long Qunshu zhiyao was completed in 631 and approved by Emperor Taizong of Tang. It includes excerpts from:
the Confucian Classics (12 books), historiographical works (8 books), the writings of the “masters and philosophers” (7 books). The selection of texts focuses on the causes of the rise and fall of states and dynasties. Sources range from works of antiquity to texts from the Jin dynasty (265–420).Siku da cidian, vol. 2, p. 1997a
Significance The high textual quality of the sources makes the work an important tool for reconstructing the original wording of pre-Tang texts. The sections on the Jin dynasty preserve otherwise lost works, including the so-called Eighteen History Books of Jin (Shibajia jinshi ) – 18 older official histories of the Jin dynasty – as well as political treatises by Huan Tan , Cui Shi , Zhongchang Tong , Yuan Huai , Jiang Ji , and Huan Fan .cf. chinaknowledge.de: Qunshu zhiyao
Zhang Yuanshan f.e. accounts the Qunshu zhiyao among the classical texts relevant to the Zhuangzi text.cf. Qunshu zhiyao, section: Zhuangzi (in juan 37) - WikisourceZhang Yuanshan: Zhuangzi fuyuan ben (2 vols.), Beijing 2021, p. 1109
Transmission The original work was lost during the Northern Song dynasty. A copy was imported from Japan in the 18th century for inclusion in the Siku quanshu ; in this version, juan 4, 13, and 20 were missing. Another Japanese edition was printed in 1787. In China, the work is also preserved in the collections Sibu congkan and Xuxiu Siku quanshu .Siku da cidian, vol. 2, p. 1997a
The Hanyu da zidian (HYDZD) f.e. uses the Sibu congkan photographic reproduction of a Japanese print of the 7th year of the Tenmei era (1787).HYDZD, bibliography, no. 292
Liu Xicheng has recently completed the first full English translation of the work ("The Governing Principles of Ancient China").china-world.china.org: First full English translation of 'Qunshu Zhiyao' presents Chinese wisdom for modern challenges (Liao Jiaxin and Fu Junhua)
References
Bibliography Article “Qunshu zhiyao” , in: Li Xueqin, Lü Wenyu (eds.): Siku da cidian , vol. 2, 1997a. Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe 1996.
External links
Qunshu zhiyao - chinaknowledge.de First full English translation of 'Qunshu Zhiyao' presents Chinese wisdom for modern challenges - china-world.china.org The Governing Principles of Ancient China (excerpts) - chinkung.org
Further reading Jin Guangyi : Qunshu zhiyao yanjiu . 2010