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The Qinjing 禽經 "Classic of birds" is attributed to a Spring and Autumn period 春秋 (770-5th cent. BCE) author called Shi Kuang 師曠. Shi Kuang was a blind musician at the court of Duke Dao 晉悼公 (r. 572-558) of the state of Jin 晉. From this point alone it seems quite improbable that he has authored a book on birds. There is a commentary attributed to the Western Jin period 西晉 (265-316) scholar Zhang Hua 張華. Zhang Hua was a scholar at the court of a prince and has written the short encyclopedia Bowuzhi 博物志. Strangely enough the alleged commentary by Zhang quotes sources from the Eastern Jin period 東晉 (317-420) and therefore must be of a later date. The first book mentioning Shi Kuang's Qinjing is the Song period 宋 (960-1279) dictionary Piya 埤雅, the commentary authorship is attributed to Zhang around the same time. The book and the commentary must have been written after the Tang period 唐 (618-907). The descriptions in the book mainly mention regions in the north of China.
There are, the Qinjing postulated, 360 kinds of birds, of which the master is the phoenix (feng 鳳 male phoenix and huang 凰 female phoenix). The Qinjing mentions the relation of the climate and the birds living the diverse regions. The author has observed the seasonal migration of birds. He observes a relationship between the food and the shape of the beak.
The Qinjing is an important source for all later encylopedias dealing with birds. There were numerous prints of the Qinjing, and it is included in all important collectanea.
Source: Qian Yanwen 錢燕文, Zhu Jing 朱敬 (1993). "Qinjing tiyao 禽經提要", in: Zhongguo kexue jishu dianji tonghui 中國科學技術典籍通彙, Shengwu juan 生物卷, vol. 1, pp. 101-104. Ed. Ren Jiyu 任繼愈/Gou Cuihua 茍萃華. Zhengzhou: Henan jiaoyu chubanshe.
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Chinese literature according to the four-category system
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