Complete Prose of High Antiquity and the Three Dynasties

Yan KejunQunyan Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

4.4

Word count: 142K words
Chapters: 17

Summary

The Complete Prose of High Antiquity, the Three Dynasties, and Qin is one volume of The Complete Prose of High Antiquity, the Three Dynasties, Qin, the Three Kingdoms, and the Six Dynasties (hereafter The Complete Prose).

The Complete Prose was compiled by Yan Kejun of the Qing dynasty and is divided into fifteen collections: The Complete Prose of High Antiquity and the Three Dynasties, The Complete Prose of Qin, The Complete Prose of Han, The Complete Prose of the Later Han, The Complete Prose of the Three Kingdoms, The Complete Prose of Jin, The Complete Prose of Liu-Song, The Complete Prose of Qi, The Complete Prose of Liang, The Complete Prose of Chen, The Complete Prose of Northern Wei and Northern Qi, The Complete Prose of Northern Zhou, The Complete Prose of Sui, and The Complete Prose of the Pre-Tang. It includes 3,497 writers (or 3,502) from before the Tang, each with a brief biography, and is the most comprehensive general collection of pre-Tang prose to date. It has extremely important scholarly value for research on pre-Tang history, literature, religion, language, and more. It is also the literary general collection covering the longest span of time among ancient Chinese documents.

The compilation of The Complete Prose is of great significance. First, it gathers all writing from the beginning of writing through the Tang—excluding histories, philosophical works, poetry and rhapsody, and specialized books—exhaustively collecting and preserving the long works and stray words of great scholars, masters, Buddhist and Daoist clergy, and even noble ladies.

Editor's review

This book is a combined edition of The Complete Prose of High Antiquity and the Three Dynasties and The Complete Prose of Qin from The Complete Prose of High Antiquity, the Three Dynasties, Qin, the Three Kingdoms, and the Six Dynasties. It collects the earliest prose from before the Tang, in a period-based general collection of a reconstructive nature. Its value lies not in offering smooth literary selections, but in bringing together writings from high antiquity through Qin that survive scattered in old commentaries, encyclopedias, inscriptions, and other sources, with a brief biography for each author, preserving rare textual clues for the study of early history, institutions, religion, and language. When reading, note that the texts are remote in date and mixed in authenticity; editorial sources and collation information deserve more attention than the wording itself. It suits consultation with specific questions, such as tracing an institutional term, a figure's lost writings, or the origin of a genre; it should not be read straight through as a general history or literary appreciation. Reading it against pre-Qin and Han texts reveals its documentary search value more fully.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars and graduate students studying pre-Qin history, institutions, religion, and language
Scholars needing to check lost writings, inscriptions, and stone texts of figures from high antiquity through Qin
Professionals in the reconstruction, collation, and textual criticism of ancient books
Advanced readers with classical Chinese proficiency interested in early textual forms

Not a good fit for

General readers hoping for vernacular stories or an easy introduction to early history
Beginners with weak classical Chinese who need annotations and translations for every piece
Readers seeking an anthology of famous works and prioritizing readability

Reading tips

First read the general table of contents and biographies to clarify the range of figures and genres, then select readings by research question.
Read against relevant chapters of the Records of the Grand Historian and other classics, noting editorial sources and textual variants.
For suspect texts, first check the source of reconstruction and collation notes; avoid hasty conclusions.
Read by topic, concentrating on one kind of writing, such as edicts, inscriptions, or institutional terms.

About the publisher

Qunyan Publishing House China · Founded in 1989

Founded in 1989, Qunyan Publishing House has long been committed to publishing academic and educational books for mid- and high-level readers, and has built up a certain presence in Eastern philosophy, classical literature, and classic works. Representative titles available in the database include Records of the Grand Historian, Dream of the Red Chamber, Selections of Refined Literature, Complete Song Ci, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, Record of Daily Knowledge, Taiping Huimin Hejiju Fang, and The Collected Works of Wang Yangming, covering common categories such as ancient poetry, medicine, and examinations. Its author resources include Sima Qian, Cao Xueqin, Xiao Tong, Li Shan, Pu Songling, and Gu Yanwu. The press also offers distinctive series such as the Biographical Series of the China Democratic League and the Historical Documents Series of the China Democratic League, and publishes research on historical documents, biographies, memoirs, and textbooks and academic works by League members. Public information is limited, and its overall publishing scale and complete catalogue require further verification.

版权信息
●卷一
●卷二
●卷三
●卷四
●卷五
●卷六
●卷七
●卷八
●卷九
●卷十
●卷十一
●卷十二
●卷十三
●卷十四
●卷十五
●卷十六

FAQ

Does The Complete Prose of High Antiquity and the Three Dynasties contain literary works?

It is not limited to literature. It gathers various individual pieces other than histories, philosophical works, poetry and rhapsody, and specialized books, including edicts, inscriptions, memorials, and more; it is a documentary general collection. Use it as a database, not a literary anthology.

Are the texts from high antiquity through Qin reliable in authenticity?

Each piece requires its own analysis. The texts are remote in date; some derive from old commentaries, encyclopedias, or inscriptions, and authenticity and dating are often disputed. The book's value lies in gathering texts and clues; when using it, check the editorial source, consult collation notes and related research, and do not treat it directly as confirmed historical evidence.

Is this book suitable for beginners to read straight through?

No. The book consists mainly of classical Chinese reconstructed texts, lacks piece-by-piece translation and commentary and continuous narrative, and has a high threshold for continuous reading. Beginners should first read annotated pre-Qin anthologies or history books, then consult this book with specific questions once they have some classical Chinese foundation.

How can the biographies at the front be used in research?

The biographies help quickly understand an author's identity, era, and surviving writings, and make it easier to match figures with pieces. But they are brief and cannot replace historical biographies and specialized research; before citing, still check original sources and related historical materials, and avoid concluding on the basis of the biographies alone.

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About the author

Yan Kejun Author · China · 1762–1843

Yan Kejun (1762–1843), courtesy name Jingwen and art name Tieqiao, was a native of Wucheng in Zhejiang (present-day Huzhou). He was a Qing-dynasty philologist, textual scholar, and bibliophile. A provincial graduate of 1800, he served as an education official in Jiande. He devoted himself to the study of the Shuowen and to collating the stone classics, and his scholarship was distinguished by solid textual criticism. His most notable achievement was single-handedly compiling the Complete Prose of High Antiquity, the Three Dynasties, Qin, Han, Three Kingdoms, and Six Dynasties, which includes more than three thousand authors with brief biographies and has contributed greatly to preserving pre-Tang texts. The collection here contains 86 of his works, including the collected writings of Sima Tan and Sima Qian, Sima Xiangru, Dong Zhongshu, Ruan Ji, Ji Kang, and Emperor Wu of Wei, as well as the Complete Prose of High Antiquity and the Three Dynasties and the Complete Later Han Prose. These works span classical texts, Eastern philosophy, literary appreciation, and biography, reflecting his systematic organization and preservation of pre-Qin through Six Dynasties literature and providing an important foundation for later study of pre-Tang history, thought, and literature.