Daominglu 道命錄

Daominglu 道命錄 "Records of the Mandate of the Way" is a history of early Neo-Confucianism with the main thinkers Cheng Hao 程顥 (1032-1085), Cheng Yi 程頤 (1033-1107), and Zhu Xi 朱熹 (1130-1200). The text of 10 juan was written by the Southern Song-period 南宋 (1127-1279) historian Li Xinchuan 李心傳 (1167-1244), author of the chronicle Jianyan yilai xinian yaolu 建炎以來繋年要錄.

Li quotes from important official documents on the three persons, with both positive and critical arguments. The original text was 5-juan long, but a revision and enlargement by Cheng Rongxiu 程榮秀 (1263-1333) during the Yuan period 元 (1279-1368) resulted in the transmitted form of the book.

The original text is quoted in the Ming-period 明 (1368-1644) encyclopaedia Yongle dadian 永樂大典, so that it is possible to determine which parts were added or altered by Cheng, and it becomes also clear that some paragraphs were even written after Cheng's death.

A four-volume print from the Ming period is preserved in the Beijing Library 北京圖書館. The text is found in the series Zhibuzuzhai congshu 知不足齋叢書, and Congshu jicheng chubian 叢書集成初編.