Expanding on Animals and Plants, Part One

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.7

Word count: 5.8K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Duan Chengshi observes that the forms and products of heaven and earth, springing forth and taking shape in endless variety, are so multitudinous that even the Shan Hai Jing and the Erya cannot exhaust them. Accordingly, gathering from the works of earlier scholars those plants, trees, birds, fish, and insects not listed in the classics and histories, and those recorded matters not fully understood, as well as things heard and seen but absent from the written records, he composed the Guang Dongzhi, hoping thereby to contribute, as it were, a basket of earth to the building of a hill. In former times, Cao Pi discoursed on fire-cloth, Teng Xun raised doubts about shrimp whiskers, Cai Mo failed to recognize the pengqi crab, and Liu Tao misnamed the liting plant—laughable to this day. How can scholars afford to neglect such matters?

Editor's review

'Expanded Flora and Fauna, Part One' is attributed to an unknown author but is in fact an edited edition of the expanded flora and fauna notes in the Tang dynasty writer Duan Chengshi's Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang, published by Bashu Press in 2024. The short preface states the compiler's motive: the transformed beings between heaven and earth are numerous, and even the Classic of Mountains and Seas and the Erya cannot exhaust them; therefore he gathers plants, trees, birds, and fish not listed in the classics and histories in earlier Confucian works, and strange accounts heard or seen but not recorded in documents, modestly comparing this to 'piling earth to make a hill' while actually assembling a small hill of miscellaneous notes on natural knowledge. The text cites anecdotes such as Cao Pi discussing fire cloth, Teng Xun doubting shrimp whiskers, Cai Mo failing to recognize the pengqi crab, and Liu Tao mistakenly calling liting grass, illustrating the difficulty of knowledge about names and things and that scholars cannot omit such study. Its value lies not in systematic classification but in preserving a large number of fragments about names of things, strange accounts, and literati interest in natural knowledge; the writing is concise and information-dense, often curious and intriguing. When reading, one should have the patience of leafing through a reference encyclopedia, not insist on a coherent narrative, and may annotate names of things and compare later commentaries at will. It is suitable for researchers and enthusiasts of ancient natural history, note-style fiction, and Tang cultural history, and may also serve as extensive reading material for classical Chinese writings on natural knowledge.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars and graduate students studying Tang dynasty note-style fiction and natural history culture
Enthusiasts interested in ancient names of things and strange accounts of plants, trees, birds, and fish
Teachers needing classical Chinese natural history passages for extensive reading or teaching materials
Readers who enjoy leafing through encyclopedia-style short notes and do not seek a coherent narrative

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting systematic zoological and botanical classification knowledge or modern popular science
Readers needing a complete storyline or plot-driven reading experience
Beginners with a weak foundation in classical Chinese who want item-by-item vernacular explanations

Reading tips

First read the short preface to grasp the compiler's purpose, then leaf through item by item without insisting on order.
When encountering names of things, look them up and annotate at will, noting similarities and differences from the Classic of Mountains and Seas and the Erya.
Read alongside entries on anecdotes about people to appreciate the intellectual interest of Tang natural history notes.
Read only a few items each time; afterward, choose the most interesting strange account and retell it to others to test comprehension.

About the publisher

Bashu Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Bashu Publishing House is a publisher centered on collating and publishing classical Chinese cultural texts, with its main publishing areas covering classical literature, Eastern philosophy, ancient poetry, and educational classics. Its library currently holds 1,075 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber, the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, Renjian Cihua, and Out to the Frontier, involving authors such as Cao Xueqin, Wang Xizhi, Wang Guowei, Wang Changling, Liu Xie, and Yan Yu. These reflect the publisher's focus on literary classics, poetry criticism, and philosophical readings. Its publishing character lies in working around ancient texts and canonical works, with attention to textual collation and presentation. Public information on its more detailed publishing background and series plans is limited; this introduction is based only on the library's book information.

版权信息
卷十六广动植之一

FAQ

Is the author of this book really 'unknown'?

The book is catalogued as by an unknown author, but the self-reference 'Chengshi' in the short preface, along with the cited anecdotes and style, all point to the expanded flora and fauna section of the Tang dynasty Duan Chengshi's Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang. Readers may regard this book as a separate edited edition of that section; for specific editorial information, consult the copyright page, and it should not be said outright that Duan Chengshi wrote it personally.

What is the function of allusions such as fire cloth and shrimp whiskers mentioned in the short preface?

These allusions all illustrate the difficulty of knowledge about names and things: Cao Pi discussing fire cloth, Teng Xun doubting shrimp whiskers, Cai Mo failing to recognize the pengqi crab, and Liu Tao mistakenly calling liting grass are all examples of predecessors making fools of themselves because names of things are hard to recognize. The author uses them to emphasize the necessity of broadly collecting strange accounts and supplementing the gaps in classics and histories, setting a tone of natural-historical verification for the whole book.

Can someone without a foundation in botany and zoology read it?

Yes, but expectations should be adjusted. This book is not a modern work of botany and zoology but ancient notes on names of things, focusing on strange accounts and natural-historical interest, and its verification of names mostly relies on the knowledge of its time. Readers may treat it as a window into how Tang people viewed and recorded nature, and need not insist on exact explanations for unfamiliar names.

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About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is not a real personal name but a general Chinese designation for authors whose names are unknown, lost, or unsigned. Neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be verified, and available public information is limited, so the works attributed to this name are the only basis for description. The collection holds 2,078 works under Anonymous, spanning medicine, classics, historical readings, ancient poetry, classical literature, and philosophy. Representative works include The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Lingshu, Mencius, The Book of Documents, Nineteen Old Poems, Complete Song Ci, and The Peacock Flies Southeast. Most of these works took shape through long transmission and editing, emerging either from collective folk creation or from authors whose names were lost over time. In ancient China, the Book of Songs, the Great Learning, and many popular storybooks and plays were signed Anonymous because their authors could not be traced. Anonymous works cross the classics, histories, philosophical writings, medical texts, and poetry; their subjects are broad, and their styles vary from archaic simplicity to clear naturalness, making them important and influential sources for understanding ancient Chinese thought, medicine, and literature.