Dulun 篤論

Dushi dulun 杜氏篤論 "Master Du's treatise on generosity", shortly called Dunlun 篤論, was a book compiled during the Wei period 曹魏 (220-265) by Du Shu 杜恕 (198-252), courtesy name Wubo 務伯. Du Shu hailed from Duling 杜陵 (close to modern Xi'an 西安, Shaanxi) and occupied the post of a cavalier attendant gentleman of the Yellow Gate (sanji Huangmen shilang 散騎黃門侍郎) and was later governor (taishou 太守) of the commandery of Hongnong 弘農. He was famous for his honesty and uprightness and, therefore, not very popular with his colleagues. His writings include the Tilun 體論 and the Dulun.

The latter had an original size of 4 juan. It was already lost during the Tang period 唐 (618-907), as can be seen in the imperial bibliography Jingji zhi 經籍志 in the official dynastic history Suishu 隋書. The book is not mentioned in Du Shu's biography in the Sanguozhi 三國志. Yet the commentary by Pei Songzhi 裴松之 (372-451) quotes from a book called Dushi xinshu 杜氏新書. When comparing these quotations with those in Tang-period encyclopaedias, it becomes evident that both books were one and the same. The Dulun was a work of argumentation and refutation.

Fragments of it have been collected by the Qing-period 清 (1644-1911) scholar Ma Guohan 馬國翰 (1794-1857) according to quotations in various books like Yilin 意林 or Du Shu's biographies in the Sanguozhi and the Jinshu 晉書. They are included in the series Yuhan shanfang jiyi shu 玉函山房輯佚書.