Han Shi Wai Fu Ji Shi

Author: Han Ying (Han Dynasty), annotated by Xu Weiyu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: Not available
Features: The Han Shi Wai Zhuang we see today has beened and is no longer the original book. Not only is the number of volumes different (the Han Shi lists it as six volumes, while modern and Sui-Tang Shi records list it as ten volumes), but parts of its content may have also been revised by later scholars. According to the description in the "Rulin Zhuan," the Han Shi Wai Zhuang should be a book explaining the meaning of classics, but this is not the case. From the scattered fragments of lost texts found in ancient books before the Song Dynasty, it appears that the Rulin Zhuan's description largely aligns with the now-lost Nei Zhuang, while the existing Wai Zhuang follows a similar format to Liu Xiang's Xin Xu, Shu Yuan, and Lie Nü Zhuang—first presenting a story, then citing poetry to support it. This was a common practice for ancient scholars when citing poetry, originating with the Analects, followed by Mozi and Mengzi, with Xunzi citing poetry the most. Xunzi often used poetry as a conclusion after a passage of argument. The Siku Tiyao states: [Wang Shizhen remarked that the Wai Zhuang cites poetry to prove events, not events to explain poetry, and his observation is accurate.] Therefore, the Siku compilers believed that the book no longer concerns the meaning of poetry and placed it at the end of the Shijing category in the classics. This is correct. However, it records some ancient stories and legends, and can also be used to collate ancient philosophical texts, so it still holds certain value.