Xiao xue kao 小學考 [Examinations on Philology]

50 juan in 20 vols. 8vo, orig. wrappers, orig. stitching. [Hangzhou]: Zhejiang shuju 浙江書局, 1888.




An edition of the annotated bibliography of philological works by Xie Qikun (1737-1802). Philology, known as the "lesser learning" (xiaoxue 小學) in imperial China, comprised studies of the Chinese script and its history, phonological treatises and lexicographical works, and to a certain extent grammar. The category was generally subsumed under the "classics" (jing 經) division in Chinese bibliographies, even though its purview extended beyond the classics to issues of general linguistics.
Xie wrote his Examinations on Philology, or "lesser learning," to complement Zhu Yizun's 朱彝尊 (1629-1709) Jingyi kao 經義考 [Examinations on the Meaning of the Classics]. Zhu's bibliography of scholarly works on the Confucian classics was divided according to the classic to which a certain work referred. Under this scheme, Zhu included, in terms of lexicography and related disciplines, only books referring specifically to Erya 爾雅 [Approaching Elegance], which was the only lexicographic work among the Confucian classics. Xie thus chose to write a bibliography similar to Zhu's but included a greater selection of works on paleography, lexicography, and phonology. In total, Xie's bibliography covered 1180 books.

First, Xie listed the author's name, then the title of a book followed by the number of juan. In case the number of juan differed by edition, this was noted. In some cases he only listed the title, followed by information on whether the book was extant, lost, incomplete, or not seen. He then listed the original's prefaces and colophons, the opinions of various authorities, and relevant information pertaining to the author's life drawn from historical sources such as histories, collections of jottings (biji), and local gazetteers (fangzhi). Xie's glosses are often interspersed in the text, with notes on his own investigations appended to the end of the entry. (Cao, Jilu ti mulu shilun, 127.)



Our copy (WorldCat 30377664) contains Prefaces by Yu Yue 俞越, dated 1888; Qian Daxin 錢大昕 and Yao Nai 姚鼐, both dated 1798; and Xie Qikun, dated 1798, and updated in 1802, and his grandson Xie Zhiqing 謝質卿, dated 1852.


This edition was published by Zhejiang shuju in Hangzhou, one of several publishers established in the lower Yangzi region during reconstruction following the devastation of the Taiping rebellion.


An interesting feature of this edition is the presence of so-called Suzhou numerals, a widespread system of counting common in Chinese markets, on the bottom of the folios' centerfold. It is unclear what purpose they serve here.


Fine set, preserved in two hantao.



References


Cao Jinfa 曹金发. Jilu ti mulu shilun 辑录体目录史论. Hefei: Huangshan shushe, 2012.