Renzi 任子

Renzi 任子 "Master Ren" is a philosophical treatise from the Later Han period 後漢 (25-220) written by Ren Yi 任奕, about whose life not much is known. He hailed from Zhangju 句章 in the commandery of Guiji 會稽 (today part of Ningbo 寧波, Zhejiang), and had the post of Palace Aide to the Censor-in-chief (yushi zhongcheng 御史中丞).

The imperial bibliography Jingjizhi 經籍志 in the official dynastic history Suishu 隋書 lists a 10-juan long book Renzi daolun 任子道論, written by a Daoist master called Ren Gu 任嘏, who lived during the Wei period 曹魏 (220-265), but the entry does not mention Ren Yi.

Ma Zong 馬總 (d. 823), author of the story collection Yilin 意林, quotes from the Renzi. In some sources, the author is called Ren Shuang 任爽, while yet others call him Ren Bian 任弁. According to the bibliographical chapter in the Suishu, the book Renzi is classified as a Daoist book, but a statement in the local chronicle Guiji dianlu 會稽典錄, which is in turn quoted in the history book Sanguozhi 三國志, Ren Gu was a Daoist, while Ren Yi was a Confucian.

Fragments from the Renzi are included in Ma Guohan's 馬國翰 (1794-1857) reconstruction of lost books (Yuhan shanfang jiyi shu 玉函山房輯佚書), and in the series Siming congshu 四明叢書.