Sep 30, 2012 © Ulrich Theobald
Duyang zabian 杜陽雜編 "Miscellaneous compilation of Duyang" is an early collection of stories compiled during the Tang period 唐 (618-907) by Su E 蘇鄂, courtesy name Dexiang 德祥. He also wrote the collection Sushi yanyi 蘇氏演義. The title of the collection Duyang zabian was derived from Su E's living place near the town of Wugong 武功 (in today's Shaanxi province).
It includes 51 stories about strange events and extraordinary persons from the Tang period. Each story has a title composed of three characters. Many stories are relatively long compared with earlier collections and are written in a language of quality and beauty. It can be called a further step of a literary development of novellas that had been begun in the collections Dongmingji 洞冥記 and Shiyiji 拾遺記. The 3-juan-long book is an original compilation based on stories that Su E learned from other persons.
The Duyang zabian can be found in the series Baihai 稗海, Shuofu 說郛, Siku quanshu 四庫全書, Wuchao xiaoshuo 五朝小說, Tangren shuohui 唐人說薈, Tang-Song congshu 唐宋叢書, Xuejin taoyuan 學津討源, Gujin shuobu congshu 古今說部叢書, Guang sishijia xiaoshuo 廣四十家小說, Biji xiaoshuo daguan 筆記小說大觀 and Congshu jicheng 叢書集成. In 1958, the Shanghai Gudian Wenxue Press 上海古典文學出版社 published a modern version in joint publication with the books Songchuang zalu 松窗雜錄 and Guiyuan congtan 桂苑叢談.
Sources:
Bian Xiaoxuan 卞孝萱. 2002. "Wan-Tang xiaoshuo yu zhengzhi: Cong Duyang zabian deng kan Ganlu zhi bian hou de Tang Wenzong 晚唐小說與政治——從《杜陽雜編》等看“甘露之變”後的唐文宗." Ningbo Daxue xuebao (Renwen kexue ban) 寧波大學學報(人文科學版) 2002 (2): 2-4+57.
Cai Yuanyuan 蔡媛媛. 2014. "Cong Duyang zabian kan Tangren bijiti de wenxuexing 從《杜陽雜編》看唐人筆記體的文學性." Kejiao wenhui (Zhongxun kan) 科教文彙(中旬刊) 2014 (26): 76-77.
Li Xueqin 李學勤, and Lü Wenyu 呂文郁, eds. 1996. Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典, vol. 2, 2173. Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe.
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Wu Feng 吳楓, ed. 1994. Zhongguo gudai wenxian da cidian 中華古文獻大辭典, vol. Wenxue 文學卷, 280. Changchun: Jilin wenshi chubanshe.
Wu Zongling 鄔宗玲. 2008. "Shilun Duyang zabian de jiazhi 試論《杜陽雜編》的價值." Leshan Shifan Xueyuan xuebao 樂山師範學院學報 2008 (4): 40-46.
Yuan Mingren 袁明仁, et al., eds. 1992. Sanqin lishi wenhua cidian 三秦歷史文化辭典, 113. Xi'an: Shaanxi renmin jiaoyu chubanshe.
Zhang Haoxun 張浩遜. 2003. "Duyang zabian 杜陽雜編." In Tangdai wenxue baike cidian 唐代文學百科辭典, edited by Bian Xiaoxuan 卞孝萱, 622. Beijing: Hanyu da cidian chubanshe.
Zheng Yunbo 鄭雲波, ed. 1992. Zhongguo gudai xiaoshuo cidian 中國古代小說辭典, 48. Nanjing: Nanjing daxue chubanshe.
Zhu Jincheng 朱金城. 1986. "Duyang zabian 杜陽雜編." In Zhongguo da baike quanshu 中國大百科全書, part Zhongguo wenxue 中國文學, vol. 1, 344. Beijing and Shanghai: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe.