Four Miscellaneous Books

Author: Feng Menglong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-11-01
Features: (Volume 1-3) Feng Menglong (1574—1646), styled Yulong, also known as Gongyu, Ziyou, with various pen names such as Long Ziyou, Mo Han Zhai, Ci Nu, and others. He also used aliases like Gu Qu San Ren, Xiang Yue Ju Zhu, Lü Yi Guan Zhu, Wu Ai Ju Shi, Ke Yi Ju Shi, Mao Yuan Ye Shi, and Zhan Zhan Wai Shi. Feng Menglong left behind four classical collections of anecdotes: Zhinang (The Wisdom Treasury), Xiao Shi (The Comic History), also known as Gujin Tan Gai (Anecdotes of the Past and Present), Qing Shi (The History of Love), and Xiao Fu (The Treasury of Laughter). These four works are collectively referred to as "Feng Menglong's Four Great Wonders."
Xiao Shi (The Comic History) is a satire filled with wit, short yet sharp, humorous and lively, depicting from various perspectives the strange and marvelous aspects of feudal Chinese society. Each joke in Xiao Shi is concise, ranging from a few dozen to several hundred words, with refined language that remains powerful and biting. The wording is sharp and incisive, yet remains accessible to the common people, making it a rare literary gem.
Qing Shi (The History of Love) compiles stories of romantic devotion from generations past. It portrays the loyal love of young men and women and reflects the tragic love and marriage under feudal moral constraints, expressing the good wishes and aspirations of the common people while praising the pure love between lovers and condemning those who exploit it. To some extent, it reflects the social reality of the time.
Zhinang (The Wisdom Treasury) was compiled by Feng Menglong when he was 54 years old during the reign of Emperor Tianqi in the Ming Dynasty (1626 AD). It is a collection of clever anecdotes showing how ancient people used wisdom to overcome difficulties and defeat enemies. It contains 868 stories, with existing editions from the Ming Dynasty and Japanese reprints. Shortly after its publication, the number of stories increased to 1,061, with slight adjustments in order, and it was renamed Zhinang Quanji (The Complete Wisdom Treasury). The book became immensely popular and bestsellers. Feng Menglong compiled it with the principle of "not only focusing on people but also on their deeds, and not only on deeds but also on wisdom," gathering over 2,000 examples from the pre-Qin to the late Ming Dynasty, spanning three thousand years, from historical records, folk tales, and literary works.
Xiao Fu (The Treasury of Laughter) has an introductory note where Feng Menglong writes, "The world is a great comedy, and both you and I are included in it as topics of laughter. Without laughter, one cannot live, without humor, speech is not uplifting, and without laughter, the world cannot function." Based on this belief, Feng Menglong, hailed as the "sage of laughter," collected and organized 167 jokes, categorized them into five sections—Ruzhen Bu (Confucian Warnings), Fenghuai Bu (Loves and Passions), Jiuliu Bu (Miscellaneous Classes), Chaoxue Bu (Teasing and Mockery), and Zaji Bu (Miscellaneous Records)—this is the Xiao Fu.