Collected Transcripts of Ancient Inscriptions
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Summary
Respectfully submitted by your servants: The Congchao of Ancient Inscriptions (Guke Congchao) in one juan was compiled by Tao Zongyi of the Ming dynasty. Tao Zongyi is the author of Guofeng Zunjing, which is already recorded. This compilation has no preface or postface. It contains seventy-two stone inscriptions: one from the Han, two from the Later Han, one from the Jin, three from the Song, three from the Liang, one from the Sui, forty-nine from the Tang, one from the Southern Tang, two from the Northern Song, none from the Southern Song, and six with no date. In every case the full text is transcribed, with the original title used as the heading; there is no examination or discussion, and no chronological order. It was evidently copied as inscriptions were obtained, not composed as a book. Yet the inscriptions it preserves are extremely rare in transmission. Only the Han Jianping Pixian stone inscription is found in Lixu, and the Han Li Ziyuan; the Tang funerary inscription of Li Wulü, Military Commander of the Prince of Xue's household, is found in Jinshilu. The rest, such as the Liu Xi funerary inscription of the Marquis of Linli of the Song, the Lady Wang, Reverent Consort of Yongyang of the Liang, funerary inscription, the Tang funerary inscription of the Princess of Runan, and the funerary inscription of Ma Shu, Prefect of Weizhou, often illuminate the historical biographies. It also contains seven poems: Cao Fen and others' poem on another visit to Donglin Temple, Xu Hao's poems inscribed at Baolin Temple and on visiting the Yu Temple, and the monk Yuanfu and Wang Mo's poem on visiting Tiantai. These are also not found by those who have hitherto recorded Tang poetry. The writings of the ancients were entrusted to metal and stone to be transmitted to later ages, but metal and stone sometimes wear away. Those that survive are valued not merely for preserving titles but for recording their texts, so that they may be transmitted without end. Thus Hong Kuo's Lishi and Lixu are more useful for verification than the various records in Jinshi and Jigu. This book gathers surviving texts and preserves them complete from beginning to end. It not only fills gaps in the work of epigraphers, but also benefits those who read history and discuss letters.
Editor's review
Guke Congchao is a compilation of stele inscriptions made by the Ming scholar Tao Zongyi, who copied whatever he found. It records seventy-two inscriptions, from the Han through the Southern Song, titled by the original stele headings, with full transcription and no textual criticism, arranged without chronological order. This seemingly loose form preserved a large number of stele texts rarely transmitted later. Among them, the Han Jianping Pixian stone inscription and the Tang epitaph of Li Wulü, Adjutant of the Prince of Xue's Household, appear in Lishi and Jinshilu respectively, while others can supplement historical biographies. The book also includes seven Tang poems—by Cao Fen and others on leaving Donglin Temple, by Xu Hao on Baolin Temple and on visiting the Yu Temple, and by the monk Yuanfu and Wang Mo on visiting Mount Tiantai—not found in previous anthologies of Tang poetry. Its value lies not in rigorous organization but in gathering lost texts so that, though metal and stone erode, the words may be transmitted endlessly. It is genuinely useful for epigraphy, Tang literature and local history. This edition uses full transcription as its base text and is suitable for consultation as a reference work. Read alongside Lishi and Jinshilu, its role in filling gaps becomes clearer; read as general belles-lettres, it requires background in epigraphy and historical biography to grasp.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- University teachers, students, and researchers engaged in epigraphy and the compilation and study of inscribed stone documents
- Scholars of Tang literature and history who need to consult scattered inscriptions and lost poems
- Readers interested in local and family history who hope to uncover historical sources in epitaphs and inscriptions
- Librarians and staff at rare book and ancient-text repositories responsible for cataloging and reference services for inscribed documents
Not a good fit for
- General literary readers seeking a coherent, systematically organized narrative
- Beginners with no classical Chinese reading ability who are new to ancient texts
- Readers who expect detailed textual criticism, annotations, or vernacular translations
Reading tips
- Begin with the table of contents, build an index by the period and region of the inscriptions, then select and read closely according to research needs; it is not necessary to read from beginning to end.
- Read alongside Li Shi and Jinshi Lu, marking those items included here but absent from earlier compilations, and appreciate the value of this work in recovering lost texts and filling gaps.
- For the seven Tang poems in the book, check their inclusion against Quan Tang Shi and individual Tang collected works, and note their textual sources.
- While reading, compile the names, official titles, and place names of the inscription subjects into a brief table to facilitate cross-verification with historical biographies such as the two Tang Shu.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 提要
- 大唐故陪戎校尉崔府君墓志铭 并序 阙撰人名
- 大唐故忠武将军行薛王府典军上柱国平棘县开国男李府君墓志铭 并序 贾彦璇撰
- 唐故江南西道观察判官监察御史里行太原王公墓志铭 并序 许志雍撰
- 唐故银青光禄大夫使持节蔚州诸军事行蔚州刺史兼御史中丞马公墓志铭 并序 杨倞撰
- 大唐故太白禅师塔铭 并序 胡的撰
- 唐故冯府君墓志铭 并序 阙撰人名
- 大唐故汝南公主墓志铭 并序 阙撰人名
- 唐故处士颍川陈氏公墓志铭 并序 李乂撰
- 大唐扶风马氏墓志铭 并序 阙撰人名
- 江夏县縁果道场七层砖塔下舍利铭记 阙撰人名
- 唐故宁逺将军守左金吾卫大将军陇西李公墓志铭 并序 李艺撰
- （阙）妃墓志铭 尚书右仆射太子詹事臣勉奉敕撰
- 前陈伏波将军骠骑府咨议叅军陈府君墓志序 周彪撰
- 宋张氏墓志 阙撰人名
- 唐徐氏山口碣石题刻 徐浩撰
- 唐故东莞臧君夫人周氏墓志铭 张师素撰
- 唐朝请大夫试绛州长史上柱国赵郡李君故夫人京兆杜氏墓志铭 阙撰人名
- 德本寺碑阴 阙撰人名
- 嫔吴氏墓铭 胡季良撰
- 唐故越州衙前总管杜府君墓志铭 山阴沙门东乂撰
- 唐故朗州武陵县令博陵瞿府君墓志铭 阙撰人名
FAQ
Won't the book feel chaotic without any order?
It is indeed Tao Zongyi's random copying, not ordered chronologically and without textual criticism. This is not an oversight but the way the book was made. Readers can compile their own indexes by date, region or the subject's identity, turning scattered entries into usable research clues—this serves its reference function better than reading straight through.
How specifically do the inscriptions help in reading history?
According to the original, inscriptions such as the Liu Xi epitaph of Linli Marquis of the Song, the Lady Wang epitaph of Jing Taifei of Yongyang of the Liang, the Tang Ruxnan Princess epitaph and the Tang epitaph of Ma Shu, Prefect of Weizhou, often illuminate historical biographies; the seven Tang poems by Cao Fen and others, Xu Hao, and Yuanfu and Wang Mo are not found in Tang poetry anthologies and can fill gaps in general collections.
Can someone without epigraphy background read this?
The book transcribes inscriptions in full without commentary, so the bar is high. If you have only general classical Chinese ability, start with modern annotated selections of stele texts to learn epitaph conventions and stock phrases, then return to this book; otherwise lack of context will make it hard to grasp.
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About the author
Tao Zongyi
Author · Chinese · 1329–1412
Tao Zongyi (1329–c. 1412), courtesy name Jiucheng and style name Nancun, was a native of Huangyan, Taizhou (present-day Luqiao, Taizhou, Zhejiang) during the late Yuan and early Ming. A man of letters, historian, and calligrapher, he repeatedly declined official summons from both the Yuan and Ming courts and lived in seclusion in Songjiang, farming and teaching. Over ten years he gathered what he saw and heard into the thirty-juan Nancun Chuogeng Lu, a documentary record of late Yuan society that also covers institutions, customs, and crafts. His Shuofu anthologized notes and miscellaneous writings from earlier ages, preserving much otherwise lost material, while Shushi Huiyao collects the lives and views of calligraphers and remains a foundational source for calligraphy history. Other works include Nancun Shiji and Guke Congchao. His writing favors factual record and compilation, drawing on a wide range of sources with a cautious editorial hand; it has had a lasting influence on later note-collecting and local historical studies.
