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Baihai 稗海

Sep 28, 2011 © Ulrich Theobald

Baihai 稗海 "Sea of Stories" is a series of collectanea (congshu 叢書) compiled during the Ming period 明 (1368-1644) by Shang Jun 商浚. It included 74 books and has a total length of 448 juan "scrolls".

Shang Jun, also called Shang Weijun 商維浚, courtesy name Chuyang 初陽, hailed from Guiji 會稽 (modern Shaoxing 紹興, Zhejiang) and is the author of the book Gujin pinglu 古今評錄. Shang Jun was befriended with a certain Master Niushixi 紐世溪先生, owner of a large library of rare books. Shang Jun put together some of these texts to provide them to a wider readership and added some more famous writings like Zhang Hua's 張華 (232-300) Bowuzhi 博物志, Gan Bao's 干寳 (d. 336) Soushenji 搜神記, Sun Guangxian's 孫光憲 (900-968) Beimeng suoyan 北夢瑣言 or Shen Kuo's 沈括 (1031-1094) Mengxi bitan 梦溪筆談.

The idea was to create a kind of continuation of the series Han-Wei congshu 漢魏叢書 that also includes widely circulating books as well as very rare ones from the Han and Wei periods. The Baihai covers the time period from the Jin 晉 (265-420) to the Yuan 元 (1279-1368) periods. The series was edited in two batches, the second one of which is occasionally called Xu baihai 續稗海. This is the part beginning with Duan Chengshi's 段成式 (803-863) Youyang zazu 酉陽雜俎.

Seen from content and title, the Baihai was variously categorized as a collection of novels, like in the official bibliography of the dynastic history Mingshi 明史, or as an encyclopaedia, like in the book catalogue Qianqingtang shumu 千頃堂書目.

The Baihai is important because it helped preserving book that were otherwise lost in the depth of private libraries. The only problem is that the basic editions used for the first publication lacked a certain quality and include a lot of printing errors. A facsimile edition by the Zhenlu Studio 振鷺堂 is 449-juan-long.

Table 1. The series Baihai 稗海
(Ming) 商浚 Shang Jun (comp.)
書名, length in juan Title Author(s)
博物志 十卷Bowuzhi(Jin) 張華 Zhang Hua, (Song) 周日用 Zhong Riyong, 盧氏 Lu N. (comm.)
西京雜記 六卷Xijing zaji(Jin) 葛洪 Ge Hong
王子年拾遺記 (拾遺記) 十卷Wang Zinian Shiyiji (Shiyiji)(Former Qin) 王嘉 Wang Jia
搜神記 八卷Soushenji(Jin) 干寶 Gan Bao
述異記 二卷Shuyiji(Liang) 任昉 Ren Fang
續博物志 十卷Xu bowuzhi(Song) 李石 Li Shi
摭言 (唐摭言) 一卷Zhiyan (Tangzhiyan)(Tang) 王定保 Wang Dingbao
小名錄 二卷Xiaominglu(Tang) 陸龜蒙 Lu Guimeng
雲溪友議 十二卷Yunxi youyi(Tang) 范攄 Fan Lü
獨異志 三卷Duyizhi(Tang) 李冗 Li Rong
杜陽雜編 三卷Duyang zabian(Tang) 蘇鶚 Su E
東觀奏記 三卷Dongguan zouji(Tang) 裴庭裕 Pei Tingyu
大唐新語 十三卷Da-Tang xinyu(Tang) 劉肅 Liu Su
因話錄 六卷Yinhualu(Tang) 趙璘 Zhao Lin
玉泉子 一卷Yuquanzi(Tang) NN
北夢瑣言 二十卷Beimeng suoyan(Song) 孫光憲 Sun Guangxian
樂善錄 二卷Leshanlu(Song) 李昌齡 Li Changling
蠡海集 一卷Lihaiji(Song) 王逵 Wang Kui
過庭錄 一卷Guotinglu(Song) 范公稱 Fan Gongcheng
泊宅編 三卷Bozhaibian(Song) 方勺 Fang Shao
閑窗括異志 一卷Xianchuang kuoyi zhi(Song) 魯應龍 Lu Yinglong
搜采異聞錄 五卷Soucai yiwen lu(Song) 永亨 Yong Heng
東軒筆錄 十五卷Dongxuan bilu(Song) 魏泰 Wang Tai
青箱雜記 十卷Qingxiang zaji(Song) 吳處厚 Wu Chuhou
蒙齋筆談 二卷Mengzhai bitan(Song) 鄭景望 Zheng Jingwang
畫墁錄 一卷Huamanlu(Song) 張舜民 Zhang Shunming
游宦紀聞 十卷Youhuan jiwen(Song) 張世南 Zhang Shinan
夢溪筆談 二十六卷Mengxi bitan(Song) 沈括 Shen Kuo
夢溪補筆談 一卷Mengxi bu bitan(Song) 沈括 Shen Kuo
夢溪續筆談 一卷Mengxi xu bitan(Song) 沈括 Shen Kuo
學齋佔畢纂 一卷Xuezhai zhanbi zuan(Song) 史繩祖 Shi Shengzu
儲華谷祛疑說纂 一卷Chuhuagu quyi shuozuan(Song) 儲泳 Chu Yong
墨莊漫錄 十卷Mozhuang manlu(Song) 張邦基 Zhang Bangji
侍兒小名錄拾遺 一卷Shier xiaoming lu shiyi(Song) 張邦幾 Zhang Bangji
補侍兒小名錄 一卷Bu shier xiaoming lu(Song) 王銍 Wang Zhi
續補侍兒小名錄 一卷Xubu shier xiaoming lu(Song) 溫豫 Weng Yu
嬾真子 五卷Lanzhenzi(Song) 馬永卿 Ma Yongqing
歸田錄 二卷Guitianlu(Song) 歐陽修 Ouyang Xiu
東坡先生志林 十二卷Dongpo xiansheng zhilin(Song) 蘇軾 Su Shi
蘇黄門龍川别志 二卷Su Huangmen longchuan biezhi(Song) 蘇轍 Su Zhe
澠水燕談錄 十卷Shengshui yantan lu(Song) 王闢之 Wang Pizhi
冷齋夜話 十卷Lengzhai yehua(Song) 釋惠洪 Monk Huihong
老學庵筆記 十卷Laoxue'an biji(Song) 陸游 Lu You
雲麓漫抄 四卷Yunlu manchao(Song) 趙彦衛 Zhao Yanwei
石林燕語 十卷Shilin yanyu(Song) 葉夢得 Ye Mengde
避暑錄話 二卷Bishu luhua(Song) 葉夢得 Ye Mengde
清波雜志 三卷Qingbo zazhi(Song) 周輝 Wang Hui
墨客揮犀 十卷Moke huixi(Song) 彭乘 Peng Cheng
異聞總錄 四卷Yiwen zonglu(Song) NN
遂昌山樵雜錄 一卷Suichang shanqiao zalu(Yuan) 鄭元祐 Zheng Yuanyou
續稗海 Xu baihai
酉陽雜俎 二十卷Youyang zazu(Tang) 段成式 Duan Chengshi
宣室志 十卷
補遺 一卷
Xuanshizhi
Buyi
(Tang) 張讀 Zhang Du
河東先生龍城錄 二卷Hedong xiansheng lucheng lu(Tang) 柳宗元 Liu Zongyuan
鶴林玉露 十六卷
補遺 一卷
Helin yulu
Buyi
(Song) 羅大經 Luo Dajing
儒林公議 二卷Rulin gongyi(Song) 田況 Tian Kuang
侯鯖錄 八卷Houqinglu(Song) 趙令時 Zhao Lingshi
暌車志 六卷Kuichezhi(Song) 郭彖 Guo Tuan
江鄰幾雜志 (醴泉筆錄) 一卷Jiang Linji zazhi (Liquan bilu)(Song) 江休復 Jiang Xiufu
桯史 十五卷Tingshi(Song) 岳珂 Yue Ke
隨隱漫錄 五卷Suiyin manlu(Song) 陳世崇 Chen Shichong
楓窗小牘 二卷Fengchuang xiaodu(Song) 袁褧 Yuan Jiong, (Song) 袁頤 Yuan Yi (cont.)
耕禄藁 一卷Genglugao(Song) 李元綱 Li Yuangang
厚德錄 四卷Houdelu(Song) 李元綱 Li Yuangang
西溪叢語 二卷Xixi congyu(Song) 姚寬 Yao Kuan
野客叢書 三十卷
附錄 一卷
Yeke congshu
Fulu
(Song) 王楙 Wang Mao
螢雪叢說 二卷Yingxue congshuo(Song) 俞成 Yu Cheng
孫公談圃 三卷Sungong tanpu(Song) 孫升 Sun Sheng (narr.), 劉廷世 Liu Tingshi (comp.)
許彦周詩話 一卷Xu Yanzhou shihua(Song) 許顗 Xu Kai
後山居士詩話 一卷Houshan jushi shihua(Song) 陳師道 Chen Shidao
齊東野語 二十卷Qidong yeyu(Song) 周密 Zhou Mi
癸辛雜識
前集 一卷
後集 一卷
續集 二卷
别集 二卷
Guixin zashi
Qianji
Houji
Xuji
Bieji
(Song) 周密 Zhou Mi
山房隨筆 一卷Shanfang suibi(Yuan) 蔣子正 Jiang Zizheng
Sources:
Li Xueqin 李學勤, Lü Wenyu 呂文鬰, ed. (1996). Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典 (Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe), Vol. 2, 2072.
Qiao Changfu 喬長阜 (2003). "Baihai 稗海", in Bian Xiaoxue 卞孝萱, ed. Tangdai wenxue baike cidian 唐代文學百科辭典 (Beijing: Hanyu da cidian chubanshe), 521.
Shanghai tushuguan 上海圖書館, ed. (1982). Zhongguo congshu zonglu 中國叢書綜錄 (Shanghai: Shanghai guji chubanshe), Vol. 1, xxx.
Wu Feng 吳楓, ed. (1987). Jianming Zhongguo guji cidian 簡明中國古籍辭典 (Changchun: Jilin wenshi chubanshe), 888.
Wu Feng 吳楓, ed. (1994). Zhonghua gu wenxian da cidian 中華古文獻大辭典, Vol. Wenxue 文學卷 (Changchun: Jilin wenshi chubanshe), 714.
Zheng Yunbo 鄭雲波, ed. (1992). Zhongguo gudai xiaoshuo cidian 中國古代小說辭典 (Nanjing: Nanjing daxue chubanshe), 347.