Qimengji 啟蒙記

Qimengji 啟蒙記 was a book written during the Jin period 晉 (265-420) by Gu Kaizhi 顧愷之 (c. 345-406), courtesy name Changkang 長康 or Hutou 虎頭, from Wuxi 無錫 (in today's Jiangsu province). Gu is one of the famous painters of the Jin period, but he was also excellent in calligraphy and poetry. In the early 5th century, he was xxx 通直散騎常侍. He was also assistant general of Huan Wen 桓溫 (312-373) and Yin Zhongkan 殷仲堪 (d. 399).

The original title of the book was Qimengji 啟矇記. The bibliographical chapter Jingji zhi 經籍志 in the official dynastic history Suishu 隋書 lists the Qimengji 啟蒙記 with a length of 3 juan, and the Qiyiji 啟疑記 of the same size. The bibliographies in the Jiutangshu 舊唐書 and Xintangshu 新唐書 mention only the Qiyiji, but not the Qimengji. It was thus lost during the Tang period.

The book's title points at its function as a book on education, instruction or "enlightenment", just like Shu Xi's 束晳 (fl. 300) Famengji 發蒙記. However, the surviving fragments speak of supernatural phenomena and aspects of superstition, for instance, a story of the remains of a female sacrificial victim found in the tomb of a Zhou-period king. It was dug out and, after some time, came to life and became a maid of Empress Guo 郭太后 (184-235). The story is narrated in Pei Song's 裴松 (370-449) commentary on the Sanguozhi 三國志. For what reason the Suishu bibliography put the Qimengji in the section of lexicography (xiaoxue lei 小學類) is, therefore, unknown.

Fragments of the Qimengji are found in Ma Guohan's 馬國翰 (1794-1857) series Yuhan Shanfang jiyi shu 玉函山房輯佚書.