Peiweizhai jiwen 佩韋齋輯聞

Peiweizhai jiwen 佩韋齋輯聞 "Collected hearsay from Peiwei Studio (admiration of Wei Shao 韋昭?)" is a "brush-notes"-style book (biji 筆記) written during the late Southern Song period 南宋 (1127-1279) by Yu Delin 俞德鄰, courtesy name Zongda 宗大, style Dayu Shanren 大迂山人 (also written 太玉山人), from Yongjia 永嘉 in the prefecture of Wenzhou 溫州 (in today's Zhejiang province). He later moved to Jingkou 京口 (present-day Zhenjiang 鎮江, Jiangsu) and obtained the jinshi degree in 1273. He did not aspire to an official career after the downfall of the Song. The book must not be confounded with the collected writings of Yu Delin, Peiweizhai wenji 佩韋齋文集.

The author read extensively from the classics, historical texts, and works from the "Hundred Schools of Thought", collecting historical records and anecdotes from both court and commoner sources and then compiled these into this book of 4 juan. The main focus of the book is on the study and examination of classical texts and history, with occasional discussions on contemporary events, classical literature, and arts. Each topic is carefully examined, with a thorough record of facts. The approach is more precise and substantiated, differing from the superficial discussions typically found in less scholarly works.

The fourth fascicle is dedicated to discussing the Four Books (sishu 四書), breaking away from conventional interpretations and offering fresh insights. For example, in the discussion of the "nine alliances of the regional rulers" (jiu he zhuhou 九合諸侯) it is stated that the meeting in the fifteenth year of Duke Zhuang's 魯莊公 (r. 694-662) reign was the first significant gathering, marking the beginning of Qi Huangong's 齊桓公 (r. 685-643) hegemony, continuing until the meeting at Kuiqiu 葵丘, which made it the "nine alliances." It is argued that the initial meeting in Beixing 北杏 and Juan 鄄 should not be counted, as the hegemony had not yet been established. This interpretation represents a novel approach to the historical events.

The book also presents other original perspectives, such as the idea that Confucius, upon hearing the shao music (shaqoyue 韶樂) in Qi 齊, lost his appetite for three months, which he attributed to the growing strength of the Chen 陳 (Tian 田) family and the looming chaos in Qi. Another unique interpretation suggests that the phrase "the gourd vine is tied but not eaten" (pao gua xi er bu shi 匏瓜系而不食; Lunyu 論語, ch. Yanghuo 陽貨) refers to binding to cross the river (xi yi ji she 系以濟涉), using references from the Shijing 詩經 (part Wei feng 衛風) and the Zhuangzi 莊子 to support this idea. Additionally, it is suggested that Confucius struck the bell in Wei 衛 as a way to distinguish between the higher and lower ranks, a symbolic gesture aimed at making clear social distinctions. Though these ideas are not universally accepted, they offer new and distinctive perspectives, and as a unique school of thought, they provide valuable material for future scholarly research.

The text is part of the series Siku quanshu 四庫全書, Duhuazhai congshu 讀畫齋叢書, Xuehai leibian 學海類編 and Congshu jicheng chubian 叢書集成初編.