Yanbei zazhi 研北雜志

Yanbei zazhi 研北雜志 is a "brush-notes"-style book (biji 筆記) written during the Yuan period 元 (1276-1368) by Lu You 陸友(fl. 1300), courtesy name Youren 友仁 or Zhaizhi 宅之, from Pingjiang 平江 (today part of Suzhou 蘇州, Jiangsu). He is more famous for his book on ink production, Moshi 墨史. He once served, upon recommendation by Yu Ji 虞集 (1272-1348), and Ke Jiusi 柯九思 (1290-1343), the Yuan dynasty in an unknown position, which he left in 1333 and returned to his home village. His style, Yanbei Sheng 研北生 "Master Investigating [in/from] the North", is derived from a text called Hanshang tijin ji 漢上題襟集, which quoted a corresponding phrase from Duan Chengshi 段成式 (803-863).

The book of 2 juan length primarily records anecdotes and trivial matters. Due to Lu You's expertise in appreciation and his skill in seal script, clerical script, and calligraphy, the book contains numerous records related to calligraphy, paintings, and ancient artifacts, alongside historical research and textual analysis. These sections are insightful and well-supported. For instance, it offers an explanation of Li Shangyin's 李商隱 (813-c. 858) phrase "the golden toad gnaws the lock" (jin chan nie suo 金蟾嚙鎖); it distinguishes the contradictions between the characters xian 獮 "hunting with nets" and xian 禰 "autumn hunt" in Xu Kai's 徐鍇 (920-974) Shuowen xichuan 說文繫傳; it cites the history book Beishi 北史 to demonstrate that the "stone drum" (shigu 石鼓) mentioned by Ma Dingguo 馬定國 was not produced during the Yuwen Zhou 宇文周 (Northern Zhou period, 543-578); and it references Zheng Kangcheng's 鄭康成 (i.e., Zheng Xuan 鄭玄; 127-200) interpretation to prove the errors in the transmission of certain characters. These provide valuable perspectives.

However, the book also contains some errors. For example, it claims that the surname Zhang 仉 originated from the biography of the Fourth Prince of the Liang dynasty 梁 (502-557), mentioned in the Liang si gongzi zhuan 梁四公子傳 (Liang sigong ji 梁四公記), unaware that the Mengzi's 孟子 (385-304 or 372-289 BCE) mother was originally from the Zhang clan. It also mentions Wang Mingqing's 王明清 (c. 1127—c. 1202) courtesy name as Zhongyan 仲言 and suggests it is based on a poem from Zhang Hua 張華 (232-300) in response to He Shao 何劭 (236-301), where the phrase "bright and clear" (ming qie qing 明且清) appears, not realizing that this phrase already appears in the Liji 禮記. These are likely occasional oversights due to insufficient verification and should not be criticized too harshly. The work still serves as a valuable reference for those studying literature, history, and archaeology.

The text is included in the series Baoyantang miji 寶顏堂秘笈, Siku quanshu 四庫全書 and Biji xiaoshuo daguan 筆記小說大觀. In the Tang-Song congshu 唐宋叢書, Shuofu 說郛 (Wanwei Shantang 宛委山堂 edition) and Gujin shuobu congshu 古今說部叢書, it has a length of 1 juan. The series Deyueyi congshu chuke 得月簃叢書初刻 calls the text Yanbei zazhi 硯北雜志.