Expanded on Animals and Plants, Part Three

Duan ChengshiJinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) · ChinaJul 2024

4.0

Word count: 4.6K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Duan Chengshi (803–863), courtesy name Kegu, was a native of Dongmou in the late Tang and traced his ancestry to Zouping. He was a renowned Tang dynasty writer of zhiguai tales.

Editor's review

"Expanded Flora and Fauna, Part Three" comes from the tradition of Duan Chengshi's Youyang zazu (Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang) and belongs to the sections that broadly record observations of plants and animals. Duan Chengshi lived in the late Tang; he had wide acquaintances and gathered varied hearsay, and in his book he weaves together the forms, habits, and habitats of plants, trees, insects, and fish with legends and strange tales. There are both natural-history-style records and zhiguai-style imagination, so the reading is at once informative and entertaining. As the third part of the "Expanded Flora and Fauna" series, this section continues the format of listing by category with notes appended to each entry, revealing the care and curiosity with which Tang people observed nature. For today's readers it is both a window into Tang natural-history ideas and folk lore and a pleasure to read slowly and savor. This edition was printed by Shanghai Jinzhang Book Company and is suitable as a popular selected reader of Youyang zazu. It is best read with an attitude of "half belief, half doubt," appreciating the style while noting what is firsthand record and what is hearsay.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Tang dynasty biji fiction and the zhiguai tradition
Lovers of history and literature who enjoy ancient natural history and observations of plants and animals
Those who need selections from Youyang zazu as research or writing material
Casual readers accustomed to fragmented reading who enjoy short entries

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting systematic botanical or zoological knowledge
Researchers who need the complete text of Youyang zazu for textual criticism
Readers who prefer long, continuous narratives

Reading tips

Flip through entry by entry, reading three to five at a time and making brief notes or excerpts when something interests you.
Make cards in two categories, animals and plants, recording names, forms, and lore to build up material.
Read alongside other chapters of Youyang zazu and compare the differences between Duan Chengshi's manner of recording the strange and the factual.
Skip unfamiliar names of things at first and look them up after finishing the whole piece, so as not to get stuck midway.

About the publisher

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) China · Founded in 1901

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) was a private publishing and distribution house in Shanghai during the late Qing and early Republican periods, issuing traditional works by lithographic printing. Judging from the 1,194 titles in the collection, its publishing focused on classical poetry, Eastern philosophy, historical reading, traditional Chinese medical texts, and canonical works, along with books on literary appreciation. Representative titles include the poetry and prose collections of Du Fu and Ouyang Xiu; historical works such as the Book of Han and Zizhi Tongjian; classical texts such as the Book of Documents and Mencius; and specialized and literary classics such as Treatise on Cold Damage and Li Sao. Its author resources cover major figures across the ages, including Du Fu, Ban Gu, Sima Guang, Zhang Zhongjing, Qu Yuan, Ouyang Xiu, and Tang Shenwei, reflecting the house's characteristic reliance on traditional scholarship and medical literature while serving general readers. Public information on its early history and operational details is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.

版权信息
卷十八广动植之三

FAQ

Which part of Youyang zazu is "Expanded Flora and Fauna, Part Three"?

Youyang zazu contains a category of sections called "Expanded Flora and Fauna," listing observations of plants and animals. This item, titled "Expanded Flora and Fauna, Part Three," should be one piece in that series. It continues the format of listing by category with notes appended to each entry, and its content combines natural-history records with zhiguai lore. Its exact place in the work can be checked against the original table of contents of Youyang zazu.

Who was Duan Chengshi?

Duan Chengshi (803–863), courtesy name Kegu, was a native of Dongmou in the late Tang and traced his ancestry to Zouping. He was a renowned Tang dynasty writer of zhiguai tales. He had wide acquaintances and read widely in miscellaneous books, and his Youyang zazu covers natural history, the strange, customs, and occult arts, making it an important source for the study of Tang dynasty biji fiction. This note gives only his name, dates, native place, and identity; other biographical details should not be conjectured.

Are the plant and animal records in the book reliable?

They must be considered separately. Some of Duan Chengshi's entries come from personal observation or earlier records and have some natural-history value; others are mixed with legends, strange tales, and even the supernatural, belonging to the zhiguai manner. Read them with the eye of a document: appreciate their record value while distinguishing what is firsthand record from what is hearsay, and do not cite them directly as scientific data.

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About the author

Duan Chengshi Author · China (Tang Dynasty)

Duan Chengshi (c. 803–863), courtesy name Kegu, was a native of Zouping (present-day Shandong) in the Tang dynasty, with ancestral roots in Linzi; his father, Duan Wenchang, rose to the office of chancellor. Duan Chengshi served as a collator in the Palace Library, prefect of Jiangzhou, and vice minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Widely read and highly retentive, he was known for poetry and prose alongside Li Shangyin and Wen Tingyun under the label “Thirty-Six Style.” His Youyang Zazu (Miscellany of Youyang) continues the zhiguai tradition of the Six Dynasties and anticipates the biji of the Song and Ming, combining natural-history inquiry with historical value; it ranges across marvels and anomalies, the investigation of names and things, and lore of Buddhist temples. Works such as Sita Ji (Records of Temples and Pagodas) lean toward documentary accounts of monastic history and observations. His writing joins the strengths of the strange and the encyclopedic, concise in style and rich in learning, and has deeply influenced later biji fiction.