China's Treasure of Classics · Selection of Time-Honored Writings. Correspondence of Famous Figures Through the Ages

Author: Wu Zengqi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-03-01
Features: During the Tang Dynasty, it was customary for scholars and literati to submit memorials to high officials seeking appointment. Among them, the outstanding ones often maintained their integrity, but the form itself was already humble. Here, we have selected only the best examples, preserving a few. The rest, though well-written, have been omitted. Since the Wei and Jin periods, scholars have engaged in exchanges with ascetics, discussing Zen principles. I have little knowledge of Buddhist scriptures, so all works of this nature are excluded. With the increasing population, social interactions have also grown. In conveying matters and expressing sentiments, letters hold great importance. Over thousands of years, excellent letters have been scattered across historical records and the collections of renowned authors. This compilation presents a careful selection of such works.
In the Spring and Autumn period, the art of rhetoric was highly developed. Works like the "Letter from Ziji to Zhao Xuanzi" and "Letter from Shuxiang to Ziyuan" recorded in the Zuo Zhuan are excluded as they are already considered classics. The names of letters vary. The most formal include memorials, submissions, letters of introduction, and notes, while those for lower-ranking individuals are called notes, messages, and directives. Those used in both formal and informal contexts are termed statements. In essence, they all belong to the category of letters. Historically, compilers have categorized them differently. Here, all are included without distinction, except for those that should be classified under formal correspondence, which are not included.