Suishou zalu 隨手雜錄

Suishou zalu 隨手雜錄 "Casual and miscellaneous notes" is a collection of stories written by during the late Northern Song periody 北宋 (960-1126) by Wang Gong 王鞏 (1048-1118), who is also known for his books Jiashen zaji 甲申雜記 and Wenjian jianlu 聞見近錄.

The 1-juan-long Suishou zalu begins with excerpts from writings by Zheng Wenbao 鄭文寶 (953-1013). One entry pertains to a notable medical anecdote, and another relates to events from the Southern Tang 南唐 (937-975). The book records old anecdotes of the capital Bian 汴 (Kaifeng 開封, in today's Henan province), comprising a total of thirty-three entries. Aside from three items, the remaining entries all deal with events of the Song dynasty, spanning from Emperor Taizu 宋太祖 (r. 960-975) to the reign of Emperor Yingzong 宋英宗 (r. 1063-1067). Exceptsions are a story concerning Emperor Shizong 後周世宗 (r. 954-959) of Later Zhou 五代 (907-960) developing a carbuncle on his chest, one about the Southern Tang exhausting its treasury through tribute to the central court, and one about a crystal treasure belonging to the sovereign of the empire of Wu-Yue 吳越 (907-978).

The remaining entries are based on things the author personally observed and heard, supplemented with his own comments. Among them, stories such as the "return to life" of Tang Bohu 唐伯虎 and the tale of Li Sister-in-Law's lost pearl (Li Sao yi zhu 李㛐遺珠) largely belong to the realm of fictional narrative. Several entries discuss how Emperor Taizu of the Song did not execute the sons of the lat emperor of Later Zhou, and depict the exceptional favour granted to Pan Mei 潘美, while also praising his noble character and integrity. Other sections, such as those on Northern Song currency, the "Ten Treasures" of Hangzhou (Yuhang shi bao 余杭十寶), and anecdotes involving Emperor Shenzong 宋神宗 (r. 1067-1085) and Su Shi 蘇軾 (1037-1101), make extensive use of historical allusions. In terms of literary value, this work, although less well-known, is regarded as in no way inferior to the more famous Jiashen zaji.

The descriptive book catalogue Siku quanshu zongmu tiyao 四庫全書總目提要 states that Wang Gong's books occasionally touch on the supernatural and thus somewhat resemble anecdotal or unofficial writings (baiguan 稗官). Meanwhile, the bibliography Zhizhai shulu jieti 直齋書錄解題 and the bibliographical chapter of the Wenxian tongkao 文獻通考 classify them as fiction (xiaoshuojia lei 小說家類).

The text is included in the series Shuofu 說郛, Siku quanshu 四庫全書, Xuehai leibian 學海類編, Zhibuzuzhai congshu 知不足齋叢書 and Biji xiaoshuo daguan 筆記小說大觀.