Brush notes
Brush notes or brush notes ( Chinese 筆記 / 笔记 , Pinyin bǐjì ) are a genre of short prose that is difficult to define, predominantly from classical Chinese literature . The word can be roughly translated as “notebook” or “notes” (the writing brush was used as writing material ).
Brush notes usually consist of short thought sketches, literary criticism, diary entries, anecdotes, quotations, also travel reports, adventure and ghost stories, jokes, puzzles and small prose of all kinds.
The genre emerged during the Wei and Jin Dynasties during the Six Dynasties and matured during the Tang Dynasty . Biji literature was in full bloom during the Song Dynasty . This literary genre was also extensively cultivated in later epochs.
The prose pieces were often published in collections and are now valued as valuable sources of cultural history.
Famous brush notes are Shishuo xinyu (世說新語) by Liu Yiqing (劉義慶) ( Song Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties ), Youyang zazu (酉陽 雜 俎) by Duan Chengshi ( Tang Dynasty ), Song Jingwen biji (宋景文 笔记) from Song Qi (宋祁) ( Song dynasty ), Chouchi biji (仇池 笔记) from Su Shi (苏 轼), Mengxi bitan (夢溪筆談) from Shen Kuo (also: Shen Gua) (沈括) (Song- Dynasty) and Rongzhai suibi (容 齋 隨筆) from Hong Mai (Song Dynasty), Dongjing meng Hua lu (東京 夢華 錄) from Meng Yuanlao (孟 元老) ( Southern Song Dynasty ), Shanju xinhua (山居 新 话) from Yang Yu (杨 瑀) Yuan Dynasty , Wuli xiaoshi (物理 小 識) from Fang Yizhi ( Ming Dynasty ), Yuewei caotang biji (閱 微 草堂 筆記) from Ji Yun (紀 昀) ( Qing Dynasty ).
Many brush notes are handed down in so-called congshu ("compilations"), such as the Shuofu (说 郛), or for later periods the compilations Ming Qing biji congkan (明清 笔记 丛刊) or " Qingdai biji congkan " (清代 笔记 丛刊) .
literature
- Volker Klöpsch and Eva Müller (eds.) Lexicon of Chinese Literature. Munich: Beck 2004; ISBN 3-406-52214-9
Footnotes
- ↑ Other Chinese names besides biji笔记 are suibi随笔, bitan笔谈, zazhi杂 识, riji日记 and zhaji札记.