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Gubugu lu 觚不觚錄

Aug 14, 2010 © Ulrich Theobald

Gubugu lu 觚不觚錄 "About a goblet not being a goblet" is a biji "brush notes" style book collection written by the Ming period 明 (1368-1644) scholar Wang Shizhen 王世貞, whose collected works are called Yanshantang bieji 弇山堂別集. The 1 juan "scroll" long Gubugu lu describes the system of court statutes of the Ming dynasty. These are described in a very detailed way and so provide a better insight into the practice of such rules than the official rules. For each theme, a short introduction is provided that covers the topic in its whole sense. The title is derived from a saying that points at a difference between name and fact, which is a practical extension of Confucius" claim that designation and reality (of rite and status) have to be identical. The book was compiled on the base of the livelong experience that Wang Shizhen had as a courtier.
The Gubugu lu is included in the reprint series Guang baichuan xuehai 廣百川學海, Baoyantang miji 寶顏堂秘笈, Siku quanshu 四庫全書, Xu shuofu 續學郛, Wuchao xiaoshuo 五朝小說, Jieyueshanfang huichao 借月山房匯抄, Zhihai 指海, Moguzhai chongchao 澤古齋重鈔, Shiguju huichao 式古居匯鈔, Gujin shuobu congshu 古今說部叢書, Shuoku 說庫, Shengchao yishi chubian 勝朝遺事初編 and Congshu jicheng chubian 叢書集成初編.

Source:
Li Xueqin 李學勤, Lü Wenyu 呂文鬰 (1996). Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典, Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe, vol. 2, p. 2153.