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Neige cangshu mulu 內閣藏書目錄

Dec 17, 2019 © Ulrich Theobald

Neige cangshu mulu 內閣藏書目錄, short Neige shumu 內閣書目 "Catalogue of books in the Grand Secretariat", is a bibliography compiled during the Ming period 明 (1368-1644) under the supervision of Sun Nengchuan 孫能傅, courtesy name Yizhi 一之, and Zhang Xuan 張萱 (c. 1553-1636 or 1557-1641), courtesy name Mengqi 孟奇, style Jiuyue Shanren 九岳山人, Qingzhen Jushi 青真居士, or Xiyuan 西園. The latter also compiled the book catalogue Mige cangshu lu 秘閣藏書錄.

In the early 1430s the imperial library was transferred from Nanjing to Beijing. It was afterwards enlarged by acquisitions before being brought to the Hall of Literary Profundity (Wenyuange 文淵閣). During the Zhengtong reign-period 正統 it was deemed complete and was rearranged according to the sequence of words in the "Thousand-characters classic" Qianziwen 千字文. In 1605, Sun Nengchuan was ordered to revise and check the old catalogue.

The 8-juan long catalogue deviates from the traditional fourfold categorization and arranges texts according to ten categories.

Table 1. Contents of the Neige cangshu mulu 內閣藏書目錄
1 聖制 Shengzhi Imperial edicts
典制 Dianzhi Statutes
2 Jing Confucian Classics
Shi Historiography
Zi "Masters and philosophers"
3 Ji Belles-lettres [of individual persons]
4 總集 Zongji Collections and anthologies
類書 Leishu Encyclopaedias
金石 Jinshi Books on bronze and stone inscriptions
圖經 Tujing Illustrated books
5 樂律 Yuelü Music and musical tuning
字學 Zixue Lexicography
理學 Lixue Neo-Confucian writings
奏疏 Zoushu Memorials to the throne
6 傳記 Zhuanji Biographies
技藝 Jishu Skills and arts
7 志乘 Zhicheng Administrative matters
8 Za Miscellaneous writings

Each text is briefly described according to content and length, but no statements are made concerning the authors and their position in the administrative structure.

The bibliography was republished in 1991 by the Wenwu Press 文物出版社. It is included in the series Shiyuan congshu 適園叢書 and Xuxiu siku quanshu 續修四庫全書.

Sources:
Pan Yinsheng 潘寅生, Guo Jiankui 郭建魁, ed. (1993). Zhonghua shehui kexue gongjushu cidian 中華社會科學工具書辭典 (Lanzhou: Gansu renmin chubanshe), 704.
Tang Guirong 唐貴榮, ed. (1997). Zhongguo shumu jiansuo cidian 中國書目檢索辭典 (Zhengzhou: Zhongzhou guji chubanshe), 257.
Wang Weilin 王維臨 (2016). "Qianlun Mingdai guojia shumu Neige cangshu mulu 淺論明代國家書目《內閣藏書目錄》", Hebei Lüyou Zhiye Xueyuan xuebao 河北旅游職業學院學报, 2016 (12).