Jinshi cuibian 金石萃編

Jinshi cuibian 金石萃編 "Dense collection of bronze and stone inscriptions" is a book on ancient stone and bronze inscriptions compiled during the late Qing period by Wang Chang 王昶 (1725-1806), courtesy name Defu 德甫, style Shu'an 述庵 or Lanquan 蘭泉, from Zhujiajiao 朱家角 near Qingpu 青浦, Jiangsu (today part of Shanghai). Wang’s highest office was Right Vice Minister of Justice (xingbu you shilang 刑部右侍郎).

Wang wrote the travel reports Shi Chu congtan 使楚叢譚 and Zheng Mian jiwen 征緬紀聞, and compiled the poetry collections Ming cizong 明詞綜 and Guochao cizong 國朝詞綜. His own poems and prose writings are assembled in the books Chunrongtang shiwen ji 春融堂詩文集, Huhai shichuan 湖海詩傳 and Huhai wenchuan 湖海文傳. Wang also participated in the compilation of the imperial geography Da-Qing yitong zhi 大清一統志 and the three statecraft encylcopaedias Xu santong 續三通 (see Shitong 十通). He belongs to the so-called Seven Masters of the Suzhou region (Wuzhong qi zi 吳中七子), together with Wang Mingsheng 王鳴盛 (1722-1797), Wu Tailai 吳泰來 (jinshi degree 1631), Qian Daxin 錢大昕 (1728-1804), Zhao Shengzhi 趙升之, Cao Renhu 曹仁虎 (1731-1787), and Huang Wenlian 黃文蓮 (juren degree 1750).

Figure 1. Beginning of the Jinshi cuibian 金石萃編

The first of the ten Stone Drum songs (Shigushi 石鼓詩) from the late Spring and Autumn period 春秋 (770-5th cent. BCE), in original script and transcription (Wu che ji gong 𨖍[=吾]車既工[=攻]) into modern Chinese. The text is introduced by a short description of the appearance of the ten stones. Boxes □ mark characters that were unreadable, double dots 、 signify repetition of a character.

The collection on stone and bronze inscriptions was finished in 1805 and has a length of no less than 160 juan. It includes a number of more than 1,500 inscriptions, in facsimile and transcription into modern characters (at least those of ancient times that were written in seal script or chancery script). The time frame ranges from the Zhou period 周 (11th cent.-221 BCE) to stone slabs produced under the Jurchen Jin dynasty 金 (1115-1234). Apart from the inscription themselves, Wang provides information on the carriers, and on earlier notes on the inscriptions, as well as own commentaries. Wang was supported by Zhu Wencao 朱文藻 (1735-1806) and Qian Tong 錢侗 (1778-1815). The three compilers did not just rely on older books on inscriptions like Hong Shi's 洪適 (1117－1184) Lishi 隸釋 and Lixu 隸續, but also included latest discoveries, like the steles Cao Quan bei 曹全碑 and Zhang Qian bei 張遷碑 from the Former Han 前漢 (206 BCE-8 CE) or the inscriptions of the reliefs of Wu Liang's shrine (Wu Liang si 武梁祠) and the stone chamber of the Wu family (Wushi shishi 武氏石室) from the Later Han period 後漢 (25-220 CE). The material is arranged in chronological order. Concerning stone inscriptions, the compilers paid attention that all faces of the slab (front, back and sides) were included.

The most widespread edition of the Jinshi cuibian is the Saoye Shanfang 掃葉山房 lithographic edition and its facsimile produced by the Beijing Zhongguo Shudian 北京中國書店.

In 1918, Luo Zhenyu 羅振玉 (1866-1940) published the Jinshi cuibian weike gao 金石萃編未刻稿, a volume of 3 juan length including 80 Yuan-period 元 (1279-1368) inscriptions for which Wang Chang had created a draft but had them not included in his book.

There are a few more supplements to Wang's collection:

Jinshi xubian 金石續編

Jinshi xubian 金石續編 is a supplement to Wang Chang's 王昶 (175-1806) Jinshi cuibian 金石萃編, a collection of stone and bronze inscriptions. It was compiled by Lu Yaoyu 陸耀遹 (1771-1836), courtesy name Shaowen 紹聞, from Wujin 武進, Jiangsu, who was teacher in the prefectural school (fuxue jiaoshou 府學教授) of Huai'an 淮安, Jiangsu.

The book of 21 juan includes 430 inscriptions, but of 170, only the names are listed, while the texts are not transcribed because Lu had not the opportunity to obtain rubbings or to visit the steles. The texts are arranged in chronological order, and Lu's comments add the year of the rubbings he made use of. Proved forgeries were left out. Quite of few of the stele inscriptions of Lu's book have historiographical value. It was first printed in 1871 by the Shuangbaiyan Hall 雙白燕堂.

Jinshi cuibian buzheng 金石萃編補正

Jinshi cuibian buzheng 金石萃編補正 is a supplement to Wang Chang's 王昶 (1725-1806) Jinshi cuibian 金石萃編, a collection of stone and bronze inscriptions. It was compiled by Fang Lüjian 方履籛 (1790-1831), courtesy name Yanwen 彥聞, from Daxing 大興 (today part of Beijing), whose highest office was district magistrate of Minxian 閩縣, Fujian. Fang wrote two local gazetteers, Henei xian zhi 河內縣志, and Wuzhi xian zhi 武陟縣志, and two catalogues of inscriptions, Fuhengzhai beimu 富蘅齋碑目, and Yique fang bei lu 伊闕訪碑錄.

His book of 4 juan includes 60 stone inscriptions from the Southern and Northern Dynasties 南北朝 (300~600) and the Tang period 唐 (618-907), as well as inscriptions from the Song 宋 (960-1279) to the Yuan 元 (1279-1368) periods. Fang corrects some mistakes in Wang Chang's collection. Unlike Wang, Fang did not add many commentaries on his transcriptions, and the work at 69 inscriptions found in the districts of Mianchi 澠池, Xinzheng 新鄭 and Luyi 鹿邑 seems to have not been completed. It was only printed in 1894 by Zhang Zuyi 張祖翼 (1849-1917), but in an edition that included some more inscriptions like in Fang's original draft, for instance, an imperial edict of the Tianbao Palace (Tianbaogong shengzhi bei 天寶宮聖旨碑) from 1326 with 'Phags-pa script.

Jinshi cuibian bulüe 金石萃編補略

Jinshi cuibian bulüe 金石萃編補略 is a supplement to Wang Chang's 王昶 (1725-1806) Jinshi cuibian 金石萃編, a collection of stone and bronze inscriptions. It was compiled by Wang Yan 王言 (mid-19th cent.), courtesy name Langu 蘭谷, from Renhe 仁和 (today part of Hangxian 杭縣, Zhejiang), who was assistant instructor of the district school (xianxue xundao 縣學訓導) of Shouchang 壽昌 (today's Jiande 建德, Zhejiang).

The book of 2 juan of length includes 41 inscriptions of steles and bells from the Han 漢 (206 BCE-220 CE) to the Tang period 唐 (618-907). The arrangement is chronological order, but unlike Wang Chang's paradigmatic collection, the supplement of Wang Yan does not add critical commentaries to all inscriptions. The text suffers from erroneous transcriptions and omissions, for instance, the sides of the "Buddha inscription" (Fotu ming 浮圖銘) of Ningchan Monastery 凝禪寺. It also includes an inscription later identified as a forgery, namely the tomb inscription of Master Cang (Han Cang Gong muji 漢蒼公墓記). Most outstanding is the inscription of the stele of Yu Xiaoxian, district magistrate of Puyang (Puyang ling Yu Xiaoxian bei 濮陽令于孝顯碑) from 640 that is not recorded in any other book.

The book was reprinted in 1882 by the Baojing Studio 抱經堂 of Lu Wenchao 盧文弨 (1717-1795).

Jinshi cuibian bumu 金石萃編補目

Jinshi cuibian bumu 金石萃編補目 is a supplement to Wang Chang's 王昶 (1725-1806) Jinshi cuibian 金石萃編, a collection of stone and bronze inscriptions. It was compiled by Huang Benji 黃本驥 (c. 1792-1861), courtesy name Zhongliang 仲良, from Changsha 長沙, Hunan, who was educational instructor (jiaoyu 教諭) of Qianyang 黔陽, Hunan. Huang also wrote another catalogue of inscriptions, Guzhi shihua 古志石華.

The collection of 3 juan length is actually a rearrangement of Wu Ronguang's 吳榮光 (1773-1843) catalogue Yunqingguan jinshi ji 筠清館金石記. Like Wang, he added commentaries on each text. The original title of Wu's catalogue was Jinshi cuibian buyi 金石萃編補遺 and was substantially longer than Wang's book, but Wu later on abbreviated the text to the form in which Huang took over the work. Huang only left the inscriptions not included in Wang Chang's Jinshi cuibian and imitated the arrangement of Sun Xingyan's 孫星衍 (1753-1818) catalogue Huanyu fangbei lu 寰宇訪碑錄, not transcribing full inscriptions, but only listing and commenting them critically. The final book does not just record Chinese inscriptions from oldest times to the Jurchen Jin dynasty 金 (1115-1234), but also Tangutan texts, and such from Korea, Vietnam, and Japan, resulting in more than 2,000 entries.

Huang's book served as the basis for Lu Zengxiang's 陸增祥 collection Baqiongshi jinshi buzheng 八寶瓊石金石補正. It was published by He Shaoji 何紹基 (1799-1873) and is included in the series Juxuexuan congshu 聚學軒叢書.

Baqiongshi jinshi buzheng 八瓊室金石補正

Baqiongshi jinshi buzheng 八瓊室金石補正 is a supplement to Wang Chang's 王昶 (1725-1806) Jinshi cuibian 金石萃編, a collection of stone and bronze inscriptions. It was compiled by Lu Zengxiang 陸增祥 (1816-1882), courtesy name Kuizhong 魁仲, style Xinnong 莘農, from Taicang 太倉, Jiangsu. His highest office was circuit intendant of 官湖南長、靖道-.

The book of 130 juan of length includes the inscriptions of no less than 3,500 objects. The arrangement imitates Wang’s collection in the chronological order (from the Qin 秦, 221-206 BCE, to the Jurchen Jin dynasty 金, 1115-1234), and the commentaries that inform the reader about the inscriptions and their context. Moreover, Lu points out some errors in Wang’s book. Apart from the typical stone slabs, Lu reproduces the inscriptions of some weights and measures made of bronze or stone. The collection also includes some non-Chinese inscriptions.

Lu's collection was first printed in 1925 by Lu Chenggan's 劉承幹 (1881-1963) Xigulou Studio 希古樓, long after Lu Zengxiang's passing away.