Xu Yikui is a Chinese author about whom relatively little biographical material survives; his exact dates of birth and death, native place, nationality, and official career cannot be examined in detail on the basis of publicly available information. One work by him is held in the collection, titled Shifeng gao (Drafts from Shifeng), commonly classified under culture. This suggests that Shifeng gao is a personal collection in the form of compiled drafts, likely centering on the author's observations, reading and reflection, and everyday interactions, possibly including occasional pieces such as notes, prefaces, and short essays, with a plain style combining factual record and informal commentary. Because the surviving information is insufficient, no firm judgment can be made about his literary lineage or later influence. Readers should treat Shifeng gao as the primary text for understanding Xu Yikui and his writing, focusing on the collection's thematic concerns, language, and documentary value, rather than supplying speculative details about his life.
