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Zhenguan shizu zhi 貞觀氏族志 "Record of eminent families from the Zhenguan reign-period (627-649)" is a collection of family registers from the early Tang period 唐 (618-907). In 100 juan or fascicles, the book lists the most eminent families of the empire. The book reflects the power of a tiny number of mighty families that dominated eastern China during the 5th and 6th centuries, such as the Cui 崔, Lu 盧, Wang 王 or Xie 謝.
Emperor Taizong 唐太宗 (r. 626-649) desired to curtail the power of these clans and wanted to express this in a kind of jurisdictional book in which each family was attributed one of nine specific meritorious ranks. He thus ordered some of his highest officials like Gao Shilian 高士廉 (575-647), Wei Ting 韋挺 (590-647), Cen Wenben 岑文本 (595-645) and Linghu Defen 令狐德芬 (583-666) to compile a new family register of the empire. When the draft was submitted, Taizong was not content that some eastern families were still graded with the first rank. In 638, a new version was submitted, including 293 families with 1,651 individual households. Cui Mingan 崔民幹 (d. 649), for example, whose family had occupied the first rank in the first version, was now graded in the third rank. By this measure, members of his family would not be able to obtain a state office of the first official rank.
| 馮，周文王第十五子畢公高之後。畢萬封魏.支孫食采於馮，遂氏焉。《世本》又云，姬姓鄭大夫，馮簡子後。《漢書》云，秦末,馮亭為上黨守，入趙。其宗族或留潞或在趙。秦丞相馮去疾，御史大夫馮劫，漢博成侯馮毋擇，並亭之後也。至馮唐徙安陵為楚相，弟騫自上黨徙杜陵，孫奉世大將軍，生譚逡。 | The family name Feng originates from the fifteenth son of King Wen of Zhou, named Gao, Duke of Bi. Gao's descendants were granted the title of marquis of Wei. Grandsons of a lateral branch were invested with the settlement of Feng, and hence obtained this place name as their family name. The [genealogy] Shiben also mentions that the grand masters of Zheng with the family name Ji were descendants of Feng Jianzi. According to the [official dynastic history] Hanshu, at the end of the Qin dynasty, Feng Ting was appointed as the governor of Shangdang and entered Zhao. His family either stayed in Lu or settled in Zhao. [There were also] Feng Quji, the Chancellor of Qin; Feng Jie, the Censor-in-chief [of Qin]; and Feng Wuze, the Marquis of Bocheng [during the Han period]. All of these individuals were descendants of [Feng] Ting. Later, Feng Tang moved to Anling to become chief minister in [the princedom of] Chu, while his younger brother, [Feng] Qian, relocated from Shangdang to Duling. His grandson, [Feng] Fengshi, became a General-in-chief. His son was [Feng] Tanqun. |
| （按：馮奉世為左將軍。此作大將軍誤，又譚逡下脫立參二字。） | (Note: Feng Fengshi was the Left General, but here he is mistakenly listed as General-in-chief. Also, the name Tanqun should be followed by the characters li can, which are missing.) |
| 野王：野王左馮翊，立上郡太守，參宜都侯，漢功臣。又有閼氏侯馮解散，榖陽侯馮谿，封六代後。 | Yewang: [Feng Fengshi's son Feng] Yewang, [governor] of Zuofengyi, was established as the [first] governor of Shangjun commandery and Marquis of Yidu. He was a distinguished official. Additionally, there were Feng Jiesan, Marquis of Eshi, and Feng Xi, Marquis of Guyang, who was (were) granted the title for six generations. |
| 漢司空馮勤，魏郡人。馮衍杜陵人，生豹尚書司空。魴，南陽人。廷尉馮緄，巴郡人。 | Feng Qin from Weijun commandery served the Han dynasty as the Minister of Works. Feng Yan, from Duling, was the father of [Feng] Bao, a prominent official who held the position of Minister of Works. [Feng] Fang from Nanyang. Feng Xian, who was a metropolitan commander, hailed from Bajun commandery. |
| （按：閼氏侯馮解散，漢功臣表作閼氏節侯。） | (According to the table of meritorious officials in the Hanshu, [the posthumous title of] Feng Jiesan, Marquis of Eshi, was Marquis Jie of Eshi 閼氏節侯.) |
Despite this formal change, the Zhenguan shizu zhi could not block the way to influential positions. Nevertheless, the book initiated a replacement of the traditional gentry families of the Southern and Northern Dynasties period 南北朝 (300~600) by the followers of the Li 李 family, the founders of the Tang dynasty.