Cat Compendium
Tags
Summary
Cats appear only a handful of times in the classics and histories; the rest are scattered through biographies and the works of the hundred schools. The two Xu brothers of the Southern Tang competed in cataloguing cat lore, one listing twenty items, the other seventy, none of which can now be verified. In our dynasty, Secretary Qian Baofen composed the lyric "Snow Lion: Singing of Cats," and various poets wrote matching pieces before and after; all of them culled cat lore, exhausting the most recondite and obscure, and I too made three clumsy imitations—a sly trick that hardly suits the lyric school's ideal of delicate restraint and lucid emptiness. So in the intervals of collating, I directed my copyists to collect and record, and over time it grew into a volume. Taking it in hand, I trimmed the redundant and cut the verbose, divided it by topic, and arranged it into eight juan, titling it Cat Compendium, humbly placing it alongside the Classic of Horse Judging, the Classic of Ox Judging, the Lin Classic, the Chi Classic, the Tiger Garden, and the Tiger Miscellany. Though it has no bearing on the Great Way, it is still the sort of thing the compilers of miscellanies did not discard. I therefore gave it to the block-cutters, to present to those of like taste. Some may think I wrote it with a purpose, like Li Shengzhi or Zhang Mingshan satirizing the world; satire of the world I would not presume, yet there is in it a self-reproach and self-pity I cannot overcome.
Editor's review
Compiled by Wang Chutong in the Qing dynasty, Mao Cheng is a categorized notebook on cats that draws material from the classics, histories, biographies, and the Hundred Schools, organized into eight juan. Its value lies not in systematic natural-history exposition but in showing how people of earlier times accumulated knowledge, anecdotes, and literary amusement around the cat as an everyday animal: it contains both the investigation of names and things and miscellaneous records of curious lore, and it preserves the compiler's self-deprecating mood of finding his work "not in accord with the restrained and empty elegance prized by lyric writers." Most of the material is drawn from earlier sources, allowing readers to observe the traditional scholar's attitude toward the learning of the "minor way" and the "outline," as well as the cultural place of the cat in literati life. This edition preserves the original appearance of the book and is suitable for topical browsing rather than continuous reading. It may be regarded as a Qing-dynasty compendium of cat culture; by noting the sources and classification of the entries, the reader gains both anecdotal delight and a sense of the old editorial craft of "cutting the cumbersome and removing the redundant."
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers of literature and history interested in ancient animal notebooks and the lore of names and things
- Enthusiasts who want to know how traditional scholars collected and classified material on cats
- General readers who keep cats and enjoy reading anecdotes of ancient cat culture
- Scholars working on Qing-dynasty notebooks, encyclopedic works, or folklore sources
Not a good fit for
- Readers expecting a systematic cat-care guide or modern animal-behavior knowledge
- Casual readers who need a continuous narrative or a complete story
- Beginners with little patience for the classical-notebook genre and scattered entries
Reading tips
- Begin with the prefaces and table of contents to grasp the eight-juan classification, then browse individual categories as interest dictates.
- Keep a notebook to jot down the sources of entries and recurring allusions for easy comparison.
- Read alongside ancient animal compendia such as the Xiangma Jing or Hu Yuan to observe differences in editorial method.
- Do not strive to read it through; take one or two juan at a time as desk-side topical browsing.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 《猫乘》小引
- 《猫乘》卷一上
- 《猫乘》卷一下
- 卷二
- 卷三
- 卷四
- 卷五
- 卷六
- 卷七
- 卷八
FAQ
Is Mao Cheng a cat-care guide?
No. It is a classified compilation of cat lore drawn from the classics, histories, and biographies, focusing on documentary anecdotes and cultural material rather than practical matters such as feeding or disease prevention.
Can I read it without a foundation in classical Chinese?
You can try, but you will encounter some difficulty. Most entries are quoted from earlier sources in compressed language; it is best to start from the table of contents and select short entries, using annotations or reference works, and not to insist on reading it through.
What does cheng in the title mean?
In titles of this kind, cheng often means a record or compilation. The author places the book alongside specialized animal works such as the Xiangma Jing, Xiangniu Jing, and Hu Yuan, indicating that it is a collection of material on cats.
Why does the author say he is "overcome with self-reproach and self-pity"?
In the preface the author first mocks himself for imitating lyric composition and for his cunning tricks, then says he dares not satirize the world as his predecessors did, and has feelings of remorse and sorrow of his own. What exactly these refer to is unclear; readers may sense the mood he entrusts to the compilation in the context of the preface, but should not overinterpret it.
Comments
Find this book
This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.
About the author
王初桐
Author
Wang Chutong was a scholar-author of the Qing dynasty. His life is now largely obscure: reliable public sources are limited, and his birth and death years, native place, and official career cannot be firmly established. One work survives under his name, Maocheng (A Treatise on Cats). Judging from its title and content, the book gathers anecdotes, observations, and comments on cats, combining antiquarian interest with leisurely appreciation; it is often classified under Eastern philosophy. This reflects the traditional literati approach of examining principles through everyday things and expressing personal sensibility. The work is arranged in the manner of miscellaneous notes, with entries of varied length and a plain, concise style that occasionally shows textual scholarship. It offers readers insight into ancient knowledge and attitudes concerning cats and provides concrete material for the study of traditional natural-history writing and everyday culture. Because other writings and experiences of the author lack reliable records, his intellectual affiliations and social circles remain to be further investigated.
