Yinju tongyi 隱居通議

Yinju tongyi 隱居通議 "Comprehensive discussions from the hermit's lodge" is a "brush-notes"-style book (biji 筆記) written during the Yuan period 元 (1276-1368) by Liu Xun 劉壎 (b. 1240), courtesy name Qiqian 起潛, from Nanfeng 南豐 (in today's Jiangxi province). He was in 1311 an educational official (xueguan 學官) in the prefecture of Nanjian 南劍州, but other facts about his life are not known.

The book of 31 juan length is divided into 11 chapters talking about aspects of Neo-Confucian philosophy (Lixue 理學), ancient rhapsodies (Gufu 古賦), poems and songs (Shige 詩歌), prose literature (Wenzhang 文章), parallel prose (Pianli 駢儷), the Classics and historiography (Jingshi 經史), rites and music (Liyue 禮樂), cosmology (Zaohua 造化), geography (Dili 地理), supernatural things (Guishen 鬼神), and miscellaneous matters (Zalu 雜錄).

Liu's research in these matters resulted in findings that often contradict the common sense of the time. In the field of Neo-Confucianism, for instance, he did not in all aspects follow the mainstream of philosophical tenets as canonised by Zhu Xi 朱熹 (1130-1200), but he was interested in Lu Jiuyuan's 陸九淵 (1139-1193) teachings that included Buddhist aspects like "enlightenment" (wu 悟). The chapter on the Classics doubts the traditional belief that the First Emperor of Qin 秦始皇帝 (r. 246-210 BCE) "burnt the writings and had buried alive the Confucian scholars" (fen shu keng ru 焚書坑儒). Quite valuable are Liu Xun's critical statements on literature. Many of the sentences he comments on are not easy to find or lost. He also adds information on transmitted texts that help to identify them. Song Jing's 宋璟 (663-737) rhapsody Meihua fu 梅花賦, for instance, is only transmitted in the form of a quotation of a chapter of Xianyu Shu 鮮于樞 (1246-1302) in Tian Yiheng's 田藝衡 (b. 1524) essay Liuqing rizha 留青日札. The reader can also learn that there existed two editions of Li Gang's 李綱 (1083-1140) collected writings Zhongding ji 忠定集, but both are lost today. The story of Lu You's 陸游 (1125-1210) association with Han Tuozhou 韓侂胄 (1152-1207) — motivated by his beloved concubine and young son — is a detail not mentioned in other books. Likewise, Li E's 厲鶚 (1692-1752) literary critique Songshi jishi 宋詩紀事 includes poems by Li Yishan 李義山 (i.e., Li Shangyin 李商隱; 813-c. 858), but fails to provide details of his official career; only by consulting Liu Xun's book, it can be learnt that Li Yishan once served as the Judicial Commissioner (tixing 提刑) of Jiangdong 江東 and governor (i.e., prefect) of Chizhou 池州.

The book is included in the series Dushuzhai congshu 讀畫齋叢書, Haishanxianguan congshu 海山仙館叢書, Siku quanshu 四庫全書 and Congshu jicheng chubian 叢書集成初編.