Unofficial Records

祝允明Qunyan Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.7

Word count: 63K words
Chapters: 6

Summary

Yunming was cradled in his grandparents' arms in childhood and later attended his father-in-law, sitting by his staff and table. Among teachers and friends, lofty discussions and brilliant sayings filled his ears in abundance. But being forgetful and lacking courage, he did not set them down in order; as new and old memories mingled and persisted, with time they grew ever more lost. In leisure, he therefore sighed and recalled what was in his breast, writing down the gist whenever he caught it—one netted, nine slipped away. Where matters are commonly known and fully recorded in other works, he adds no further repetition. For Confucius said, “Substance is rustic; ornament is historical.” Here he makes no selection or collation; great and small, pure and mixed, lie jumbled together, and there is no necessary intent to exhort or warn. His general aim is simply not to encroach upon history. Completed at home on the day after the full moon of the xinwei year. Han Lin'er first fled from Yingzhou to Wu'an, became a burglar, gradually indulged in robbery and murder, and when his followers grew numerous, raised rebellion and styled himself “Little Prince of Light.”

Editor's review

Yeji is a notebook by the Ming literatus Zhu Yunming, recording conversations with teachers and friends and observations from court and countryside; the author declares that “substance is rustic, ornament is historical” and deliberately keeps his distance from official history. Its contents, great and small, pure and mixed, are jumbled together: casual jottings on institutions and precedents stand alongside anecdotes such as the uprising of Han Lin'er. Precisely because the author makes no selection or collation and does not aim at exhortation or warning, the book preserves corners and tones that official history easily omits. This new edition makes the raw texture of a Ming notebook accessible to general readers. Its value lies not in systematic marshaling of historical sources but in the author's self-aware attitude of “one netted, nine slipped away” and the stylistic pleasure of writing as things come. It serves as corroborating evidence for understanding the intellectual interests and recording habits of Ming literati, and reads especially well alongside official histories and collected writings, where the measure of its unofficial brushwork becomes apparent.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Ming notebooks and the unofficial-history genre
Readers studying Zhu Yunming and the social circles of Wu Chinese literati
Readers who wish to encounter Ming literati observations through non-official materials
Readers who enjoy casual jottings and short miscellaneous notes

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking systematic Ming history or annalistic sources
Readers expecting a tightly organized, single-theme academic monograph
Beginners who prefer fluent modern vernacular narrative

Reading tips

Read the author's preface first to grasp the “rustic and uncollated” authorial stance before entering the text
Read entry by entry, noting as you go; do not insist on continuous coherence
Compare relevant biographical entries in the History of Ming to see how the notebook and official history differ in selection
When encountering institutional or antiquarian terms, note them first and look them up together afterward

About the publisher

Qunyan Publishing House China · Founded in 1989

Founded in 1989, Qunyan Publishing House has long been committed to publishing academic and educational books for mid- and high-level readers, and has built up a certain presence in Eastern philosophy, classical literature, and classic works. Representative titles available in the database include Records of the Grand Historian, Dream of the Red Chamber, Selections of Refined Literature, Complete Song Ci, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, Record of Daily Knowledge, Taiping Huimin Hejiju Fang, and The Collected Works of Wang Yangming, covering common categories such as ancient poetry, medicine, and examinations. Its author resources include Sima Qian, Cao Xueqin, Xiao Tong, Li Shan, Pu Songling, and Gu Yanwu. The press also offers distinctive series such as the Biographical Series of the China Democratic League and the Historical Documents Series of the China Democratic League, and publishes research on historical documents, biographies, memoirs, and textbooks and academic works by League members. Public information is limited, and its overall publishing scale and complete catalogue require further verification.

版权信息
序
●國朝典故卷之三十一
●國朝典故卷之三十二
●國朝典故卷之三十三
●國朝典故卷之三十四

FAQ

Is Yeji official history or unofficial history?

The author states that he deliberately does not encroach on the domain of history; what he records is mostly remembered conversations with teachers and friends and observations from court and countryside. It is a notebook of miscellaneous records, not to be used as systematic official history, but it can serve as corroborating evidence and enjoyable reading alongside official history.

Can I read it without a foundation in Ming history?

You can browse it, but the book seldom explains the backgrounds of persons and institutions, so without basic Ming historical knowledge it is easy to read in fragments. It is advisable first to learn the basic figures and institutional framework of the Ming, or to read it alongside relevant official-history entries, for smoother understanding.

Why does the content seem disordered?

The author says “great and small, pure and mixed, jumbled together”; this results from jotting things down as they came and making no collation, not from editorial error. This miscellaneous style is precisely its characteristic; read it entry by entry rather than seeking a unified theme.

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About the author

祝允明 Author

Zhu Yunming was a man of letters in the Ming dynasty; reliable public sources on his life, official career, dates, and native place are limited, and this profile makes no conjectures about them. The library holds seven of his works, including the Huai Xing Tang Collection, the upper and lower volumes of Qian Wen Ji, and Ye Ji, as well as a further Qian Wen Ji text that may be a differently titled edition of the same book. His writings span both poetry and prose and miscellaneous notes: the collection contains prefaces, colophons, letters, and travel records in a clear, fluent style, while the notes chiefly record court and local observations, anecdotes about people, and institutional and historical matters, written concisely with an antiquarian bent. Such works are often consulted for insight into the life of Ming literati and the tradition of historical notes, and are classified under Eastern philosophy, classic works, and culture, reflecting his dual orientation toward literature and historical source materials.