Stone Gate Collection

梁寅Jun 2024

3.5

Word count: 25K words
Chapters: 9

Summary

(Your servant) and others respectfully note: Shimen ji (The Shimen Collection) in seven juan was compiled by Liang Yin of the Ming. Yin, courtesy name Mengjing, was a native of Xinyu. His family were farmers for generations; Yin devoted himself alone to learning and was thoroughly versed in the Five Classics and the Hundred Schools. At the end of the Yuan he was appointed instructor in the Confucian school of Jijing Circuit, but begged leave to return because his parents were old, and lived in retirement as a teacher. At the beginning of the Hongwu reign of the Ming he was summoned to compile the ritual books; Yin was then over sixty. When the books were completed and he was about to be given office, he pleaded old age and illness and declined, returning to build a hut on Shimen Mountain. Scholars from all quarters studied under him; he was called Liang of the Five Classics and also Master Shimen.

Editor's review

Shimen ji is the collected poems and prose of Liang Yin, an early Ming scholar. Seven juan is not a large scale, yet it reveals much of the scholarly grounding and spiritual bearing of a recluse-Confucian at the turn of the Yuan and Ming. Liang Yin's family were farmers for generations, yet he devoted himself to learning and was thoroughly versed in the Five Classics and the Hundred Schools. He also took part in compiling the ritual books in the early Hongwu era, but declined office on grounds of old age and illness and returned to Shimen Mountain to teach, where he was known as "Liang of the Five Classics" and "Master Shimen." This experience gives his writing both the plain weight of classical scholarship and the clear, spare air of mountain dwelling and teaching. What readers find here is not only poems and prose but a specimen of a scholar who, at a dynastic transition, chose retirement into education and settled himself through learning. This edition provides a usable basic text for readers studying scholarly transmission, local education, and recluse culture at the Yuan-Ming transition. It suits slow reading and also reading alongside collected works of contemporary writers, to see the different choices made by literati at a dynastic change.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars of literature and history specializing in late Yuan and early Ming scholarship and literature
Readers interested in ancient recluse culture and the tradition of academy teaching
Enthusiasts who enjoy collected works of scholarly literati and are willing to read classical Chinese slowly
Scholars who need background material on the compilation of ritual books in the early Ming

Not a good fit for

General leisure readers who prefer popular stories and strong plot-driven narrative
Beginners lacking classical Chinese reading ability who hope for an easy introduction
Readers who only want quick conclusions and are unwilling to read the original text closely

Reading tips

First read the preface and postface at the beginning of the volume and the author's brief biography to understand Liang Yin's life and the book's background, then enter the main text.
Read by genre: begin with prose pieces such as records, prefaces, and letters to get used to the style, then read the poems.
Read alongside other collected works of late Yuan and early Ming literati, noting the choices scholars made about public service and withdrawal at the dynastic transition.
Jot down entries involving teaching, ritual institutions, and local figures for later reference.

版权信息
钦定四库全书提要
钦定四库全书石门集巻一
钦定四库全书石门集巻二
钦定四库全书石门集卷三
钦定四库全书石门集巻四
钦定四库全书石门集巻五
钦定四库全书石门集巻六
钦定四库全书石门集巻七

FAQ

Why was Liang Yin called "Liang of the Five Classics" and "Master Shimen"?

According to the sources, Liang Yin was thoroughly versed in the Five Classics and the Hundred Schools and scholars from all quarters studied under him, hence "Liang of the Five Classics"; he also built a hut on Shimen Mountain and taught in seclusion, hence "Master Shimen." The two names point respectively to his scholarly attainment and to his life of reclusion and teaching.

What does Shimen ji mainly collect?

Shimen ji is Liang Yin's collected poems and prose, in seven juan. The specific classification of pieces should be based on the main text of the edition. Given the author's experience, it should involve teaching, social exchanges, discussion of ritual institutions, and mountain-dwelling life; readers may use the table of contents to read by genre or theme.

Can readers without a foundation in classical Chinese read this book?

They can try, but will need annotations and reference works. It is advisable to first read the author's biography in the preface and appendices, then start with shorter, clearer pieces; there is no need to read the whole book at once, and building up familiarity with the language gradually is more practical.

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

梁寅 Author

Liang Yin: basic details such as his courtesy name, place of origin, and dates of birth and death are not clearly recorded in publicly available sources, and the verifiable information is very limited. According to the available records, a work titled Shimen Ji (The Shimen Collection) is attributed to him, and it is generally classified as ancient poetry. This suggests that Liang Yin's writing was largely devoted to traditional verse, with subject matter and style falling within the scope of classical poetry. Since only this one work is held in the collection and there is no corroborating material such as prefaces, biographies, or criticism, it is difficult to establish the full range of his writing, his life and associations, or his literary standing, nor is it possible to determine his ties with contemporary men of letters. On the present evidence, Liang Yin appears to be an ancient author whose work has survived while his life remains obscure, and Shimen Ji is the main basis on which modern readers can form an impression of his writing. Those wishing to know Liang Yin should begin with this collection and appreciate his diction and sensibility through reading, rather than speculate excessively about his life.