Record of Attaining the One

Compiled by Yu Zhi in the Qing dynasty, Deyi Lu is a collection of writings on moral exhortation and edification. Its contents are largely drawn from earlier morality books, community covenants, family instructions, and practical regulations on famine relief and poor relief, reflecting the traditional approach to governance that sought to transform the people through goodness and regulate the household through ritual propriety. This book is included in the series Classic Chinese Studies: Essential Cultural Texts, which preserves the original appearance of the source texts and focuses on preserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. Its value lies in presenting grassroots edification literature as it originally appeared, making it a reference for readers studying the history of charity, social customs, and moral exhortation movements. The entries are highly practical and plain in language, but they carry a distinctly period-specific ethical stance that today's readers should approach with a critical eye. It is best read alongside Ming-Qing morality books and local gazetteers to understand traditional mechanisms of social edification. As a sourcebook, it is suited to selective reading and excerpting rather than reading every entry from start to finish.