Chaoshi keyu 晁氏客語

Chaoshi keyu 晁氏客語 "Guest talks of Master Chao" is a "brush-notes"-style book (biji 筆記) written during the very late Northern Song period 北宋 (960-1126) by Chao Shuozhi 晁說之 (1059－1129), courtesy name Yidao 以道 or Boyi 伯以, style Jingyu Sheng 景迂生 or Yusou 迂叟, from Juye 鉅野 (in today's Shandong province). He was a drafter in the Palace Secretariat (zhongshu sheren 中書舍人) and household administrator of the Eastern Palace (i.e., the Crown Prince, Donggong zhanshi東宮詹事). He also wrote the Confucian treatise Ruyan 儒言. His collected writings are called Jingyu Sheng ji 景迂生集.

This book of 1 juan follows the format of "sayings" (yulu 語錄) format, presenting miscellaneous discussions on various topics, occasionally supplemented with annotations. These annotations include references to sources and authors. This practice appears to follow the example of Su E's 蘇鶚 Duyang zabian 杜陽雜編 from the Tang period 唐 (618-907), where each entry is attributed to the person who made the statement.

The content largely consists of discussions on personal conduct, life principles, practical experiences, and maxims. It also records anecdotes about notable figures from the Xining 熙寧 (1068-1077) and Yuanfeng 元豐 (1078-1085) reign-periods, most of which were gathered firsthand and are thus highly reliable. Some of the events mentioned are not found in other historical texts, making them valuable for cross-referencing with official histories and biographies.

Occasionally, the text incorporates elements of Confucian and Buddhist thought. This reflects not only the intellectual traditions passed down in the author's family since Chao Hui 晁回 but also the broader trend of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism gradually converging during this period.

Chao Shuozhi often travelled with friends such as Su Shi 蘇軾 (1037-1101) and Huang Tingjian 黃廷堅 (1045-1105). The conversations and discussions he recorded largely reflect the intellectual perspective of the so-called Sichuan Faction (Shudang 蜀黨) of thinkers, which differed significantly from the views of the Luo Faction (Luodang 洛黨), the orthodox Neo-Confucians of the time.

The book also presents unique interpretations of classical texts. For instance, it explains that the term juebo 巨擘 "thumb among the fingers" mentioned in the Mengzi 孟子 (ch. Teng Wengong B 滕文公下) refers to a large earthworm (qiuyin zhi da zhe 蚯蚓之大者), and it identifies the term li 苙 in the phrase ji ru qi li 既入其苙 as a fragrant herb (xiang baizhi 香白芷), stating that it is something pigs find palatable (and therefore, return to the pigsty). These interpretations offer fresh perspectives. As a whole, the work serves as a valuable reference for scholars.

The text is part of the series Baichuan xuehai 百川學海, Chaoshi san xiansheng ji 晁氏三先生集, Shuofu 說郛, Siku quanshu 四庫全書, Xuehai leibian 學海類編 and Congshu jicheng chubian 叢書集成初編.