On the origins of leishu 類書("classified books") encyclopedic texts in China
https://doi.org/10.24412/2686-9675-3-2023-121-139
Abstract
During the Liuchao period 六朝 ("Six Dynasties", 220–589), encyclopedic texts leishu 類書 ("classified books") began to be actively compiled in China. Their creation was due to the goal, on the one hand, to preserve the ancient texts, and on the other hand, to make it convenient to use the large accumulated body of literature. However, the origins of the leishu genre can already be traced back to the treatises of the Han era 漢 (202 BC – 220 AD), for example, Baihutong 白虎通 ("Allpenetrating [Discussions in the Hall] of the White Tiger") and Fengsu tongyi 風俗通義 ("Penetrating into the Meaning of Traditions and Customs"). The purpose of this study was to establish parallels in the methods of work and organization of the earliest extant encyclopedias and the aforementioned Han treatises through their comparative analysis. As a result of the study, it was shown that features of leishu in "Feng su tong yi" and "Bai hu tong" are observed not only in the breadth of the material covered, but also in the structure of content: in the use of glosses and definitions for all key concepts, abundant citations of classical texts to characterize them, as well as the arrangement of material from the most important to the less important.
About the Author
T. V. Klementeva
Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, Russian Academy of Sciences; St. Petersburg School of Social Sciences and Area Studies of Higher School of Economics
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Tatiana V. Klementeva - 1st year postgraduate student, junior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, Russian Academy of Sciences; tutor at St. Petersburg School of Social Sciences and Area Studies of Higher School of Economics
191186, St. Petersburg, Dvortsovaya emb., 18 A; 190068, Saint Petersburg, Griboedova Canal emb., 123
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Review
For citations:
Klementeva T.V. On the origins of leishu 類書("classified books") encyclopedic texts in China. Modern Oriental Studies. 2023;5(3):121-139. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.24412/2686-9675-3-2023-121-139
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