Zhiyatang zachao 志雅堂雜鈔

Zhiyatang zachao 志雅堂雜鈔 "Various notes from the Studio of Vying for Elegance" is a collection of stories compiled during the Southern Song period 南宋 (1127-1279) by Zhou Mi 周密 (1232-1298), who is better known for his book Qidong yeyu 齊東野語.

The book of 1 juan is divided into nine categories. Its style and content are largely similar to the books Yunyan guoyan lu 雲煙過眼錄 and Guixin zazhi 癸辛雜識, comprising miscellaneous notes on the Classics and histories, poetry and prose, names and objects, anecdotes, and forgotten records, although with differences in detail and brevity. It is suspected to be Zhou Mi's earliest draft of his miscellanies, later reorganised and compiled by others into this work.

While the entries sometimes differ from those in other books, they also include material not found elsewhere. For example, in the note on the jade battle-axe of the Shang dynasty 商 (17th-11th cent. BCE), we learn that a ceremonial splitting axe of the Yuan period 元 (1279-1368) had also once belonged to the Xuanhe imperial collection (宣和內府), information that fills gaps present in other texts. This book thus provides valuable evidence for scholars engaged in literary and historical research.

It is included in the series Shuofu 說郛 (Wanwei Shantang 宛委山堂 edition), Gujin shuobu congshu 古今說部叢書, Meishu congshu 美術叢書, Deyueyi congshu cike 得月簃叢書次刻, Yueyatang congshu 粵雅堂叢書, Biji xiaoshuo daguan 筆記小說大觀, Xuehai leibian 學海類編, and – in excerpts – Jiu xiaoshuo 舊小說.