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The Gujin shuohai 古今說海 "Ocean of old and new tales" is a collection of short stories compiled by the Ming period 明 (1368-1644) scholar Lu Ji 陸楫. The book was finished in 1544 and is 142 juan "scrolls" long. It contains 135 novels, arranged in four parts (bu 部) and seven different styles (jia 家). Because the selected stories cover a wide range of literary aspects and style, it can be called a kind of encyclopedia of Tang 唐 (618-907) and Song 宋 (960-1279) period novellas. The first part (Shuoxuan 說選 "Selections of tales") contains so-called "minor records" (xiaolu 小錄) and "one-sided notes" (pianji 偏記), the second part (Shuoyuan 說淵 "Depth of tales") covers "alternative biographies" (biezhuan 別傳), the third part (Shuolüe 說略 "Conciseness of tales") is dedicated to "miscellaneous notes" (zaji 雜記), and the fourth part (Shuozuan 說纂 "Compilation of tales") includes "lost affairs" (yishi 逸事), "dispersed records" (sanlu 散錄) and "miscellaneous compilations" (zazuan 雜纂). Some of the stories are taken from the encyclopedia Taiping guangji 太平廣記. Although the Gujin shuohai does not contain as much stories as similar collections, e. g. the Leishuo 類說, famous for the rareness of the stories, or the Shuofu 說郛, known for the wide range of the selection, the sources in the Gujin shuohai are quoted in full and have virtually not been abbreviated, as often used in such collections. The Gujin shuohai can also be called a collectaneum specialized on novellas or tales.
The oldest surviving print was made in 1544 by Master Lu's 陸氏 Yanshan Studio 儼山書院 and is now stored in the Beijing Library 北京圖書館. There are furthermore a print from the Wanli reign 萬厲 (1573-1619), a print of the imperial Wenjin Hall 文津閣, a print from 1821 by Master Shao's 邵氏 Youshan Studio 酉山堂, a print by the Jicheng tushu press 集成圖書公司 in Shanghai from 1909, and a print from 1915 by the Jinbu Press 進步書局 in Shanghai. The Gujin shuohai is included in the collectaneum Siku quanshu 四庫全書.
Sources:
Li Xueqin 李學勤, Lü Wenyu 呂文鬰 (1996). Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典, vol. 2, p. 2070. Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe.
Zhao Hankun 趙含坤 (2005). Zhongguo leishu 中國類書, pp. 207-208. Shijiazhuang: Hebei renmin chubanshe.
| Contents (selection) |
說選 Shuoxuan Selection of tales (15 stories)
北征錄 Beizhenglu by Jin Youzi 金幼孜 (Ming)
北征后錄 Beizheng houlu by Jin Youzi 金幼孜 (Ming)
北征記 Beizhengji by Yang Shen 楊慎 (Ming)
平夏錄 Pingxialu by Huang Biao 黃標 (Ming)
說淵 Shuoyuan Depth of tales (64 stories)
洛神傳 Luoshenzhuan by Xue Ying 薛瑩 (et al., Tang)
林靈素傳 Lin Lingsu zhuan by Zhao Gaishi 趙丐時 (Song)
中山狼傳 Zhongshan lang zhuan by Xie Liang 謝良 (Song)
海陵三仙傳 Hailing sanxian zhuan
遼陽海神傳 Liaoyang haishen zhuan
說略 Shuolüe Conciseness of tales (32 stories)
宣政雜錄 Xuanzheng zalu by Jiang Wanli 江萬里 (Song)
三朝野史 Sanchao yeshi by Wu Rong 吳榮 (Yuan)
霏雪錄 Feixuelu by Liu Ji 劉績 (Ming)
說纂 Shuozan Compilation of tales (21 stories)
漢武故事 Han Wu gushi by Ban Gu 班固 (Han)
煬帝海山記 Yangdi haishan ji by Han Wo 韓偓 (et al., Tang)
行營雜錄 Xingying zalu by Zhao Kui 趙葵 (et al., Song)
虛谷閑抄 Xugu xianchao by Hui Fang 方回 (et al., Yuan)
樂府雜錄 Yuefu zalu by Duan Anjie 段安節 (Tang)
損齋備忘錄 Sunzhai beiwang lu by Mei Chun 梅純 (Ming)
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Chinese literature according to the four-category system
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