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Ganzhuji 紺珠集

Aug 28, 2013 © Ulrich Theobald

Ganzhuji 紺珠集 "Collection of purple beads" is a collection of stories compiled by an anonymous author of the Tang period 唐 (618-907). According to the Song-period 宋 (960-1279) bibliography Junzhai dushu zhi 郡齋讀書志, the 13-juan-long book was said to be a compilation of Zhu Shengfei 朱勝非 (1082-1144), which the bibliographer Chao Gongwu 晁公武 (1105-1180), author of the book catalogue, doubts.

According to an old saying there was a certain Zhang Yangong 張燕公 (Zhang Yue 張説) who owned a string of purple beads (ganzhu 紺珠) with the help of which he was able to remember everything without noting it down in a notebook. The book begins with a preface written by Wang Zongzhe 王宗哲, magistrate (ling 令) of Guanyang 灌陽 and dated 1137. Wang says that he did not known when and by whom the book was written, but the dates of life of Zhu Shengfei are known exactly. It might therefore be that the Ganzhuji was written before the Song period.

The arrangement of the text is similar to Zeng Zao's 曾慥 (early 12th cent.) collection Leishuo 類說, but it quotes only half as much books as the latter, and much different books than the Leishuo. The Ganzhuji can therefore serve as a very interesting source of stories from ancient times.

It is to be found in the series Baijinglou congshu 拜經樓叢書 and Siku quanshu 四庫全書.

Sources:
Li Geng 李更 (2018) "Leishuo ben Xu bowuzhi de qianshi jinsheng: Jian lun Leishuo dui Ganzhuji Zhuji shiyi de yiyong ji gushu zuowei 《類說》本《續博物志》的前世今生——兼論《類說》對《紺珠集·諸集拾遺》的襲用及古書作偽", Zhongguo dianji yu wenhua 中國典籍與文化, 2018 (3): 71-81.
Li Xueqin 李學勤, Lü Wenyu 呂文鬰, eds. (1996). Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典 (Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe), Vol. 2, 2004.
Qiao Changfu 喬長阜 (2003). "Ganzhuji 紺珠集", in Bian Xiaoxuan 卞孝萱, ed. Tangdai wenxue baike cidian 唐代文學百科辭典 (Beijing: Hanyu da cidian chubanshe), 505.
Wu Feng 吳楓, ed. (1994). Zhonghua gu wenxian da cidian 中華古文獻大辭典, Vol. Wenxue 文學卷 (Changchun: Jilin wenshi chubanshe), 449.
Zhang Huiqin 張慧琴 (2023). "Ganzhuji Zhuji shiyi chuchu ji yinshu tezheng 《紺珠集·諸集拾遺》出處及引書特徵", Xibu xuekan 西部學刊, 2023 (2): 165-169.
Zhao Long 趙龍 (2015). "Lüelun Ganzhuji banben ji qi jiazhi 略論《紺珠集》版本及其價值", Songshi yanjiu luncong 宋史研究論叢, 2015: 427-443.
Zheng Yunbo 鄭雲波, ed. (1992). Zhongguo gudai xiaoshuo cidian 中國古代小說辭典 (Nanjing: Nanjing daxue chubanshe), 346.