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Huichenlu 揮麈錄 "Records of a horsetail wisk", also called Wangshi huichen lu 王氏揮麈錄 or Huichen qianlu 揮麈前錄, is a "brush-notes"-style book (biji 筆記) written during the Southern Song period 南宋 (1127-1279) by Wang Mingqing 王明清 (1127-ca. 1214), courtesy name Zhongyan 仲言. He hailed from Ruyin 汝陰 (modern Fuyang 阜陽, Anhui) and was Grand Master for Court Audiences (chaoqing dafu 朝請大夫), administrative assistant (panguan 判官) of the military commissioner (jiedushi 節度使) of the military prefecture of Ningguo 寧國軍, controller-general (tongpan 通判) of the prefecture of Qinzhou 泰州 and consultant (canyiguan 參議官) to the commissioner of the circuit of Zhexi 浙西.
During this period, which spanned more than thirty years, he took notes on various historical themes, which he then compiled into a 20 juan long book. It consists of four parts (Qianlu 前錄, Houlu 後錄, Sanlu 三錄 and Yulu 餘話) that all focus on historical themes of the period of the downfall of the Northern Song 北宋 (960-1126) and the re-foundation of the dynasty in the south. They include a wealth of information on the functioning of the imperial court, as well as poems and inscriptions written during that time, and about the individuals involved. The Huichenlu is therefore a vital source on the history of the mid-Song period, as was already perceived just after its publication. As a subject of the Song dynasty, he criticises the corruption of officials and the squandering of the court, instead of supporting those who advocated a more offensive relation with the Jin empire 金 (1115-1234).
The Huichenlu is to be found in the series Jindai mishu 津逮秘書 and Sibu congkan xubian 四部叢刊續編. In 1961, the Zhonghua Shuju Üress 中華書局 published a modern edition.
The short book Chengzhai huichen lu 誠齋揮麈錄 is attributed to the late Song-period 宋 (960-1279) writer Yang Wanli 楊萬里 (1127-1206), courtesy name Tingxiu 廷秀, style Chengzhai 誠齋. He hailed from Jishui 吉水 in Jizhou 吉州 (modern Jizhou, Jiangxi) and was magistrate (zhixian 知縣) of Fengxin 奉新, erudite (boshi 博士) in the Directorate of Education (guozijian 國子監), erudite under the Chamberlain for Ceremonials (taichang 太常), Reader-in-waiting of the Heir Apparent (taizi shidu 太子侍讀), prefect (zhizhou 知州) of Yunzhou 筠州 and finally assistant transport commissioner (zhuanyun fushi 轉運副使) of Jiangdong 江東.
A closer investigation of the text reveals that the Chengzhai huichen lu is a slightly shortened version of Wang Mingqing's 王明清 Huichenlu 揮麈錄, in which the name of Yang Wanli replaced all places in which Wang spoke of himself. It seems barely plausible why a famous poet like Yang Wanli, who was one of the "four great poets of the Southern Song" (Nansong si da jia 南宋四大家: Yang Wanli 楊萬里, You Mao 尤袤, Fan Chengda 范成大 and Lu You 陸游) and was known for his upright character, should have forged a book. The forgery might, therefore, have been the product of a book publisher who used the name of this famous person instead of Wang Mingqing's.
The Chengzhai huichen lu is to be found in the series Baichuan xuehai 百川學海 and Xuehai leibian 學海類編.