Bu xiadai bian 不下帶編

Bu xiadai bian 不下帶編 "Jottings that never stray below the belt" is a "brush-notes"-style book (biji 筆記) composed during the high Qing period 清 (1644-1911) by Jin Tian 金埴 (1663–1740), courtesy name was Yuansun 苑孫, his childhood name Xiaotan 小郯, and he used a number of styles including Guanguanzi 鰥鰥子, Shengweng 聲翁, Qianren 淺人, and Hemen 壑門. He was a native of Shanyin 山陰 (modern-day Shaoxing 紹興), Zhejiang. Born into a family of officials and gentry, he showed literary talent from an early age and was also versed in phonology and the study of written characters. He made his living as a private tutor and secretary. His social circle was wide; he exchanged poems and enjoyed convivial gatherings with such celebrated writers as Hong Sheng 洪升 (1645-1704) and Kong Shangren 孔尚任 (1648-1718). He was the author of the poetry collection Hemen shiji 壑門詩集. Jin Tian also wrote the book Jinxiangshuo 巾箱說.

The date of composition of this book of 7 juan is unknown. It is primarily devoted to recording anecdotes and stories of the scholar-official and literati circles of the time, social customs, and the civil examination system, reflecting certain aspects of contemporary society and the author's views on various people and affairs. It also touches on the critical assessment of poetry and prose, literary schools and traditions, the origins and development of drama, the evolution of role types such as the male lead (sheng 生) and female lead (dan 旦), and the distinctive features of theatrical performance. A considerable portion of the work is in the nature of shihua 詩話 (poetry criticism), evaluating artistic merits and shortcomings, investigating the life circumstances of poets, and explaining the background of individual poems — all of which is of value for the study of Qing literature and its authors.

The book also records that Cao Yin 曹寅 (1658-1712), the Superintendent of Imperial Silk Manufacturing (zhizao 織造) at Jiangning 江寧 (Nanjing 南京), had books printed using carved regular-script type (kaishu 楷書); and that people from Tai'an 泰安 prefecture were able to fire clay into type for use in movable-type printing — making it an important source for the history of block-printing in China.

The work was never printed and survives only in manuscript. In 1982, Zhonghua Shuju 中華書局 published a typeset edition based on a manuscript copy prepared by Xie Guozhen 謝國楨 (1901-1982).