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Chinese Literature
Biographies (zhuanji 傳記)


The type of biography (zhuanji lei 傳記類) is a sub-category to the literary category of historiography (shibu 史部) in the collectaneum Siku quanshu 四庫全書. Biographies or collections of biographies (liezhuan 列傳) have a long tradition in China and have deeply influenced historiography. The official dynastic histories, for example, are arranged as collections of biographies instead of as a persistant chronology of events. The compilers of the Siku quanshu have divided the section of biographies into four parts: Saints and worthies (shengxian 聖賢, 2 books), i.e. Confucius and his disciples; famous persons (mingren 名人, 13 books) like Wei Zheng 魏徵, Du Fu 杜甫, Zhuge Liang 諸葛亮 or Zhu Xi 朱熹; collective records (zonglu 總錄, 36 books) like the Gu Lienüzhuan 古列女傳, Tang caizi zhuan 唐才子傳, Song mingchen xinglu 宋名臣言行錄, Yuanchao mingchen shilüe 元朝名臣事略, or Ming ruxue an 明儒學案; and miscellaneous records (zalu 雜錄, 9 books) with a very great narrative part, like Zhengnanlu 征南錄 or Rushuji 入蜀記. The section of biographies in the Siku quanshu includes 60 books.

書名 Title Composer(s)
聖賢之屬 shengxian Saints and Worthies
孔子編年 Kongzi biannian (Song) 胡仔 Hu Zi
名人之屬 mingren Famous Persons
晏子春秋 Yanzi chunqiu (Zhou) 晏嬰 Yan Ying (?)
忠貞錄 Zhongzhenlu (Ming) 李維樾 Li Weiyue, 林增志 Lin Zengzhi
諸葛忠武書 Zhuge Zhong wushu (Ming) 楊時偉 Yang Shiwei
朱子年譜 Zhuzi nianpu (Qing) 王懋紡 Wang Maofang
總錄之屬 zonglu Collective Records
古列女傳 Gu lienüzhuan (Lienüzhuan) (Han) 劉向 Liu Xiang
高士傳 Gaoshizhuan 皇甫謐 Huangfu Mi
卓異記 Zhuoyiji (Tang) 李翱 Li Ao (?)
宋名臣言行錄 Song mingchen yanxinglu (Song) 朱熹 Zhu Xi, 李幼武 Li Youwu (comp.)
錢塘先賢傳贊 Qiantang xianxianzhuan zan (Song) 袁韶 Yuan Shao
唐才子傳 Tang caizi zhuan (Yuan) 辛文房 Xin Wenfang
元朝名臣事略 Yuanchao mingchen shilüe (Yuan) 蘇天爵 Su Tianjue
古今列女傳 Gujin lienüzhuan (Ming) 解 縉 Jie Jin (et al. comp.; imp. ord.)
嘉靖以來首輔傳 Jiajing yilai shoufu zhuan (Ming) 王世貞 Wang Shizhen
東林列傳 Donglin liezhuan (Qing) 陳鼎 Chen Ding
明儒言行錄 Ming ru yanxinglu (Qing) 沈佳 Shen Jia
雜錄之屬 zalu Miscellaneous Records
征南錄 Zhengnanlu (Song) 滕甫 Teng Fu
吳船錄 Wuchuanlu (Song) 范成大 Fan Chengda
入蜀記 Ru Shu ji (Song) 陸游 Lu You
西使記 Xishiji (Yuan) 劉郁 Liu Yu
國朝獻徵錄 * Guochao xianzheng lu (Ming) 焦竑 Jiao Hong
粵閩巡視紀略 Yue-Min xunshi jilüe (Qing) 杜臻 Du Zhen
國朝先正事略 * Guochao xianzheng shilüe (Qing) 李元度 Li Yuandu
國朝耆獻類徵初編 * Guochao qixian leizheng (Qing) 李桓 Li Huan
清史列傳 * Qingshi liezhuan (Qing)
碑傳記 * Beizhuanji (Qing) Qian Yiji 錢儀吉

* not contained in the Siku quanshu
Chinese literature according to the four-category system

3 July, 2010 © Ulrich Theobald · Mail