Qizhi 七志

Qizhi 七志, also called Jinshu qizhi 今書七志, was a bibliography compiled by Wang Jian 王儉 (452-489), courtesy name Zhongbao 仲寶, posthumous title Wenxiangong 文憲公, during the Liu-Song period 劉宋 (420-479).

Wang held the office of Vice Director of the Palace Library (mishu cheng 秘書丞) and was a supporter of Xiao Daocheng 蕭道成 (r. 479-482), founder of the (Southern) Qi dynasty 南齊 (479-502). The new emperor made him Director of the Imperial Secretariat (shangshu ling 尚書令), Supervisor of the Palace Secretariat (zhongshu jian 中書監), and bestowed him the title of General Securing the Halls (zhendian jiangjun 鎮殿將軍). The fragments of his collected writings are called Wang Wenxian ji 王文憲集.

During his time as Vice Director, Wang compiled a catalogue of the imperial library called Song Yuanhui sibu shumu 宋元徽四部書目, as well as the private catalogue Qizhi. The latter was structured like the Han-period catalogue Qilüe 七略 by Liu Xin 劉歆, according to which a book corpus was divided into seven categories, namely classical texts (Jingdian zhi 經典志, including Confucian Classics and commentaries, books on lexicography and historiographical writings), masters and philosophers (Zhuzi zhi 諸子志), belles-lettres (Wenhan zhi 文翰志), military writings (Junshu zhi 軍書志), Yin-Yang divination and apocryphal texts (Yinyang zhi 陰陽志), books on mantic and magic arts (Shuyi zhi 術藝志), and books with figures and charts (Tupu zhi 圖譜志). Writings of Buddhism and religious Daoism were sorted into two appendices (Daojing lu 道經錄, Fojing lu 佛經錄), actually making out nine categories.

The category Tupu was a new one. Another novelty was the separation of religous writings which was imitated by Ruan Xiaoxu's 阮孝緒 (479-536) catalogue Qilu 七錄. For each book, Wang Jian added brief information on the author.

Wang's catalogue of 40 juan length is lost, but some information on its structure has survived in the preface of Ruan's Qilu as well as that of the bibliographical chapter Jingji zhi 經籍志 of the official dynastic history Suishu 隋書.