Record of Correcting Mistakes

王德晖Jun 2024

3.2

Word count: 8.2K words
Chapters: 24

Summary

Traditional Chinese thought and culture have a long history and are highly original, inventive, and literary. Early forms of thought are especially distinctive: religious theology, classical texts of Chinese medicine, ancient military strategy, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and the Hundred Schools of Thought, feng shui and metaphysics, the Twenty-Four Histories, and local customs and gazetteers are all rich and profound. This series, "Essence of Classic Chinese Culture: Original Texts," preserves the appearance of the original books and focuses on preserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. Reading the literary essence left by ancient sages cultivates character and subtly introduces readers to the classics of Chinese learning.

Editor's review

This book belongs to the series "Essence of Classic Chinese Culture: Original Texts" and has been edited and published on the principle of preserving the original appearance of the book. Wang Dehui's Gu Wu Lu follows the traditional writing mode of notes and miscellaneous records of observations; its content covers education, customs, commentary on classical texts, and cultural observation, and its language is concise while dense with information. The value of this reprint lies mainly in documentary preservation and accessible reading: on the one hand, it maintains the old appearance as far as possible, making it easy for readers to encounter the original expression of a traditional text; on the other hand, it uses a plain format to lower the threshold for beginners. Its highlight is not plot development but the traditional cultural awareness and scholar's perspective presented in fragmentary records. It is suitable as a Chinese-studies reader for fragmented reading, and also for reading alongside similar note-style works to observe how traditional intellectuals recorded and judged the world around them. When reading, one may first browse the table of contents, select interesting entries for close reading, and need not insist on reading everything straight through.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers of literature and history interested in traditional notes and miscellaneous records of observations
Readers who wish to encounter original Chinese classics in scattered moments
Primary and secondary school language teachers, who may use it as supplementary material for traditional culture
Readers collecting original editions of Chinese classics and valuing the original appearance of texts

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a systematic theoretical work or a coherent narrative
Beginners who prefer modern vernacular interpretation and need extensive annotations
Readers concerned only with fictional storytelling and lacking patience for the note genre

Reading tips

First read the table of contents and the preface and postscript to understand the book's general categories and writing background, then choose interesting entries to begin with.
Keep a pen ready to mark impressive passages at any time; after finishing, review the marks and organize your own line of understanding.
Read alongside similar traditional notes or cultural jottings to compare different authors' perspectives and preferences in selecting material.
Read only a few entries at a time and keep a relaxed pace; avoid treating the notes as a specialized work that must be read in one sitting.

版权信息
顾误录
四声纪略
五音总论
五音口诀
音节所宜
顾误录
度曲得失
度曲十病
度曲八法
学曲六戒
顾误录
中原韵出字诀
南北曲总说
南北方言论
南北宫调说
顾误录
声调论
工尺即反切论
头腹尾论
红黑板论
衬字论
尾声论
曲中厄难

FAQ

Is this book suitable for readers with no foundation in Chinese studies at all?

It can be read, but expectations need adjustment. The book preserves the original appearance, and its language and format are close to traditional notes, with no sentence-by-sentence vernacular translation. Readers with no background are advised to start with short entries, use reference works to look up names, allusions, and terminology, and not seek to understand everything at once.

What is Gu Wu Lu about?

According to available information, this book belongs to the category of traditional notes and miscellaneous records of observations; its content covers education, customs, commentary on classical texts, and cultural observation, mainly in fragmentary records rather than a systematic treatise. Specific entries should be based on the actual pages; readers may treat it as a reader for understanding how traditional intellectuals recorded things.

This edition preserves the original appearance of the book. What should readers pay attention to?

Preserving the original appearance means the layout, characters, and format may be close to old editions, and readers need to adapt to traditional writing conventions. When encountering uncommon characters or allusions, first infer from context, then verify with reference works. For research purposes, it is advisable to consult relevant edited or annotated editions as well.

How should one read it so that it does not feel too fragmented and hard to enter?

It is not necessary to read straight through by page number. You may first look at the table of contents and select readings by theme or interest; read a few entries at a time and summarize the content in one or two sentences afterward. After persisting for a while, review the book's overall structure; the sense of fragmentation will lessen, and it will be easier to discover the issues the author repeatedly focuses on.

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

王德晖 Author

Wang Dehui's biographical information is extremely limited in publicly available sources; his native place, dates of birth and death, and educational background are not clearly recorded. The main identity that can currently be confirmed is that of the author associated with the book Gu Wu Lu (A Record of Correcting Errors). Gu Wu Lu is classified as literary appreciation, and based on available information, the book centers on the reading and analysis of literary works, reflecting the author's attention to close reading and aesthetic judgment. Due to the lack of further biographical material, it is difficult to describe his creative career or scholarly lineage in detail, but it can be inferred that Wang Dehui's writing tends to start from specific works and guide readers to perceive the merits and flaws and the flavor of the text, rather than engaging in vague theoretical exposition. Appreciation writing of this kind is often both informative and readable, serving as an accessible reference for general readers while offering researchers an observation angle close to the text. Overall, Wang Dehui is known to readers through Gu Wu Lu, and his work holds a place in the field of literary appreciation, but a complete picture of the man still awaits further disclosure.