Yinianlu 疑年錄

Yinianlu 疑年錄 "Doubtful chronologies" is a historical critique in biographical style written by the scholar Qian Daxin 錢大昕 (1728-1804), one of the important philological researchers of the high Qing period 清 (1644-1911).

His 4-juan long Yinianlu focuses on chronological data of the biographies of more than 300 persons through the ages. Most of them were Confucian scholars, writers, poets or painters.

The book was not finished, and the draft was commented, but not revised, by Wu Enting 吳恩亭 (also called Wu Xiu 吳修). He also published the text, along with a supplement of 4 juan called Xu yinianlu 續疑年錄. Other supplements were later published by Qian Jiao 錢椒 (Bu yinianlu 補疑年錄, also 4 juan), Lu Xinyuan 陸心源 (1838-1894, Sanxu yinian lu 三續疑年錄, found in the collection Cunzhai zazuan 存齋雜纂), Zhang Mingke 張鳴珂 (1829-1908, Yinian genglu 疑年賡錄) and Min Erchang 閔爾昌 (1872-1948, Wuxu yinian lu 五疑年錄).

Zhang Weixiang 張惟驤 finally published these, together with his own research results, as Yinianlu huibian 疑年錄彙編 (16 juan, with an appendix of 1 juan), Yinianlu huibian buyi 疑年錄彙編補遺 (10 juan) and Yinianlu waibian 疑年錄外編 (8 juan). A further supplement was compiled by Xia Jingguan 夏敬觀 (1875-1953), Yinianlu liuxu 疑年錄六續, but this book was never published separately. It is found as an appendix to Bian Xiaoxua's 卞孝萱 (1924-2009) Xinan guji yanjiu 西南古籍研究.

Critical studies on the Yinianlu and its sequels were written by Yu Jiaxi 余嘉錫 (Yinianlu xiyi 疑年錄稽疑) and Yang Baoyong 楊寶鏞 (Sanxu yinianlu buzheng 三續疑年錄補證).

Chen Yuan 陳垣 (1880-1971) wrote a similar book on the biographies of Buddhist monks, Shishi yinian lu 釋氏疑年錄, published in 1938.