The Leather Gate

Chen MengleiJul 2024

2.8

Word count: 17K words
Chapters: 24

Summary

The intellectual traditions of Chinese culture reach far back and possess a high degree of originality, inventiveness, and literary quality. Early thought forms are highly distinctive: religious theology, classical texts of Chinese medicine, ancient military strategy, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and the Hundred Schools, feng shui and metaphysical learning, the Twenty-Four Histories, customs and geographical records—all are vast and profound. This series, "Essence of the Chinese Classics: Original Texts," preserves the original appearance of the books and focuses on conserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. By reading the literary essence left by the ancient sages, readers may cultivate their temperament and quietly absorb the classics of Chinese learning.

Editor's review

Pimen is included in the series "Essence of the Chinese Classics: Original Texts," attributed to Chen Menglei; its contents belong to the tradition of traditional encyclopedias and compilations, focusing on preserving the original appearance of source documents rather than reinterpreting them. The value of such texts lies in their nature as a "reference library": entries are classified and compiled from old books, preserving a large amount of scattered material for investigating names and objects, allusions, and old theories. It should not be read with the aim of going straight through, but treated as a reference work to be searched by category and used as needed. This edition preserves the original appearance of the book, allowing readers to see the ancients' classification logic and manner of citing sources, which is itself a window into understanding how traditional knowledge was organized. For scholars studying encyclopedia conventions and the recovery of lost documents, it is a usable basic text; for general readers, some familiarity with bibliography and classical Chinese is required, or it will easily seem dry. It is recommended to use it with related reference works and indexes so that its strengths in retrieval and verification can be brought into play.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars studying encyclopedia conventions and the recovery of ancient documents
History and literature researchers who need to investigate traditional names and objects, allusions, and old theories
Traditional culture enthusiasts familiar with bibliography and accustomed to consultative reading
Collectors of Chinese classics who value the original appearance of editions

Not a good fit for

Beginners seeking systematic explanation or introductory guidance
Readers who prefer continuous narrative and find classified entries hard to follow
Ordinary readers who struggle with classical Chinese and need modern translation and annotation

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and editorial notes first to grasp the classification framework, then search entries by topic.
Keep a citation index or reference works at hand to check sources for abbreviations and old attributions.
Do not read straight through; consult at specific points according to research or interest questions, making excerpts and noting sources.
Read alongside similar encyclopedias to compare how the same material is compiled and note differences in citations.

版权信息
皮门
黄帝素问
灵枢经
扁鹊难经
金匮要略【汉张机】
脉诀【晋王叔和】
千金方【唐孙思邈】
活人书【宋朱肱】
河间六书【金刘完素】
东垣十书【元李杲】
丹溪心法【元朱震亨】
医学正传【明虞抟】
证治要诀【明戴思恭】
古今医鉴【明龚信】
医学准绳六要【明张三锡】
古今医统【明徐春甫】
证治准绳【明王肯堂】
石室秘箓【清陈士铎】
方
单方
针灸
导引
医案

FAQ

Is Pimen suitable for reading from beginning to end?

Not really. This kind of compilation gathers old materials by category, and the entries lack continuous narrative, so reading straight through is tiring and inefficient. A more reasonable approach is to become familiar with the classification in the table of contents, then search and use it around specific questions, treating it as a reference library and tool; the results will be more practical.

What basic knowledge is needed to read this book?

Basic classical Chinese reading ability and some familiarity with bibliography are needed—enough to understand the classification system and abbreviated citations. If traditional names, objects, and allusions are unfamiliar, keep relevant dictionaries at hand for consultation. Without this foundation, reading will be rather laborious; it is advisable first to read some introductory works on ancient texts before attempting it.

How does this book differ from ordinary Chinese classics readers?

According to the publisher's description, this series focuses on preserving the original appearance of the books and is documentary in nature rather than popular explanation or selected appreciation. It is closer to the tradition of documentary compilation and encyclopedias; its value lies in the primacy and searchability of the material, and readers must organize and interpret it themselves rather than passively receiving ready-made conclusions.

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About the author

Chen Menglei Author · China · 1651–1741

Chen Menglei (1651–1741), courtesy names Zizhen and Shengzhai, later styled the Old Man of Songhe, was a Qing dynasty scholar from Houguan, Fujian. He passed the imperial examination in the ninth year of the Kangxi reign and was appointed to the Hanlin Academy as a compiler. After 1698, by imperial order, he tutored the third prince, Yinzhii, and took the opportunity to compile a vast classified encyclopedia, the Hui Bian, using the collection of the Xieyi Hall; the Kangxi Emperor later bestowed on it the title Gujin Tushu Jicheng. The library holds more than 410 of his works, mostly sections of the officialdom chapters of that encyclopedia, covering institutions such as the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Imperial Observatory, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, prefectural governors, the Transmission Office, and the Imperial Medical Academy. These works address ancient bureaucratic systems, ritual norms, and administrative practice. His compilations are distinguished by systematic classification and extensive citation, preserving a wealth of source materials for later generations; they are commonly categorized under culture and Eastern philosophy. As public information on his life is limited, this note confines itself to his known scholarly contributions.