Versionology is an ancient and young discipline that has withstood the ups and downs of the century and has gone through a rugged and long mileage. Now, we stand at the head of the cross-century overpass, reviewing and summarizing the 20th century versionual research, which is a very meaningful thing.
1 Versionology of the first half of the 20th century
Taking the founding of New China as a boundary monument, the study of versionology in this century can be divided into two periods. In the first half of the 20th century, the world was full of troubles and wars. However, due to the introduction of modern mechanical printing (including letterpress, lithograph, gravure, etc.) into China, the efficiency of book production has been greatly improved, and various book editions have been greatly increased, thus promoting the progress of versionual research.
1.1 Versionographic works
Although the history of versionology in China can be traced back to the pre-Qin Dynasty, the emergence of versionology monographs is still a matter of the early century. It is generally believed that Ye Dehui's "Shulin Qing Dialect" is the earliest edition monograph in China. Ye Dehui (1864~1927), zi huanbin, number zhishan (no. 1 Yuan), a native of Changsha, Hunan. Ye shi is an excellent scholar, enthusiastic about ancient book collection, collation and publication, and is a famous collector and edition scholar in the late Qing Dynasty and early Min. Shulin Qing dialect was written at the end of the Qing Dynasty and engraved in 1919. The book comprehensively discusses many issues in the field of versionology, such as the basic knowledge of versionology, the system of historical books, the scribes and engravings of books in past dynasties, and the identification of editions. On the basis of an extensive list of historical materials, there are some debates and quite methodical, and the book is of pioneering significance in the history of versionology. In addition to the "Shulin Qing Dialect", Ye Dehui also has "Examination of the Edition of the Four Libraries", "Reading Records of The Garden", "Ten Covenants of The Book Collection" and other works. Qian Jibo's "Edition Tongyi" is another monograph on versionology after "Shulin Qing Dialect", which was written in 1930 and published by the Shanghai Commercial Press in 1933. The book is divided into four parts: "The Original First" records the ancient to the fifth dynasty version; the "History Second" records the history of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing versions; the "Reading Book Third" records the four essential books; and the "Yu Ji Fourth" Miscellaneous Records zhi version of the experience, indicating the path of governance. In addition, there are still Sun Yuxiu's "Examination of the Origin of Chinese Engraving" and so on. The "Examination of the Origin of Chinese Engraving" examines the original flow of engraving, focusing on the issues of official books, fang engravings, movable type printing calligraphy and binding.
1.2 Version Table of Contents and Good Book Shadows
In the first half of the century, libraries and bibliophiles compiled a large number of edition catalogues, which brought together the fruitful results of the identification of ancient editions. Great figures such as Miao Quansun compiled the "Yifeng Collection Secretary", "The Continuation of the Yifeng Collection", the "Continuation of the Yifeng Collection", the "Jiangnan Library's Bibliography of Good Books", and the "Bibliography of the Qing Xuebu Library"; the "Bibliography of the Forbidden City's Collection" compiled by the Palace Museum; Zhang Yunliang's "Bibliography of the Forbidden City's Shanshu Book"; Wang Wenjin's "Wenlutang Visiting Secretary"; Zhao Wanli's "Bibliography of The Beiping Library's Bibliography of Good Books"; Zhao Luqi's "Bibliography of Good Books in The Beiping Library"; Sun Dianqi's "Book Selling Dolls" and its "Continuation".
With the introduction and popularization of Western photography technology, following Yang Shoujing's engraving of "Leaving True Genealogy", many good book shadows were compiled and printed in the first half of this century using photographic plate making technology, such as Qu Qijia's "Tieqin Bronze Sword Building Song Jinyuan Book Shadow", Zhang Yunliang's "The First Compilation of the Forbidden City's Good Book Shadow", Liu Yizheng's "Bowl Mountain Book Shadow", Liu Chenggan's "Jiayetang ShanShu Shadow", the Palace Museum Archive's "Reorganizing cabinet library fragment book shadow", Wang Wenjin's "Wenlutang Book Shadow", Tao Xiang's "Song Edition Book Shadow Seen in the Garden", Gu Tinglong and Pan Jingzheng co-edited the "Preliminary Compilation of the Catalogue of the Ming Dynasty Edition" and so on. Among them, the "Preliminary Compilation of the Catalogue of Ming Dynasty Editions" began to shift its attention from the Song and Yuan dynasties to the Ming Dynasty version, and its foresight was far above other editions. The book had a positive impact on expanding the field of study of versionology and changing the long-established "Yu Song" style. The famous inscription is the crystallization of the edition of the ancient book by the versionist, and has its important reference value for the identification of the version by posterity. In the first half of this century, the compilation of celebrity inscriptions was compiled by Miao Quansun in the "Continuation of the Inscription of the Shiliju Collection", "Inscription of the Book of the Yingpu Collection", "Inscription of the Inscription of the Book of the Yingpu Library", "Inscription of the Red Rain Building", etc.; Wang Dalong's compilation of the "Continuation of the Inscription of the Book of the Yingpu Collection", "Continuation of the Inscription of the Book of the Yingpu Collection", "Continuation of the Inscription of the Book of the Yingpu Collection", "Sishi Zhai Shubao", etc.; Luo Jizu's compilation of "The Inscription of the Book Collection of the Dayun Library", and so on.
1.3 Versionologists
In the first half of the 20th century, a number of versionists emerged, such as Miao Quansun, Ye Dehui, Wang Guowei, Lu Xun, Luo Zhenyu, Qian Jibo, Fu Zengxiang, Tao Xiang, Zheng Zhenduo, Zhang Yuanji, Sun Yuxiu, Hu Shi, Xiang Da, Zhao Wanli, and Wang Chongmin. Most of these versionists are masters of traditional Chinese studies, and their academic achievements are inseparable from versionology. Wang Guowei wrote "Five Dynasties and Two Song Dynasties Supervision Benkao" and "Two Zhejiang Ancient Periodicals Benkao"; Luo Zhenyu wrote "Quicksand Falling Simplified Examination", "Song Yuan Interpretation of Tibetan Publications Benkao", etc.; Tao Xiang wrote "Ming Wu Xingmin Edition Bibliography"; Hu Shi used various editions to study the "Notes on the Water Classics", and achieved remarkable results. The following focuses on the achievements of Lu Xun, Fu Zengxiang, Zhang Yuanji, Wang Chongmin and others in versionual studies.
Lu Xun (1881~1936), formerly known as Zhou Shuren, Character Yucai, a native of Shaoxing, Zhejiang, was a famous writer and thinker. He is keen on ancient books and has studied the origin and identification of ancient books. When he compiled the "Ancient Novel Hook Shen", Xie Shen's "Book of the Later Han Dynasty", "Yungu Miscellaneous Records", "Zhilin", "Fan Zi Jiran", "Tang and Song Legend Collection", etc., and edited the "Ji Kang Collection", he studied the version, reflecting his profound knowledge of editions. The rich collection of books, the extensive publishing activities and the practice of collating ancient books have produced this editionist.
Fu Zengxiang (1872~1949), Ziyuan Shu, a native of Jiang'an, Sichuan, was a famous educator and versionist. His major works include "Bibliography of Shuangjian Lou Shan", "Inscription of The Book of the Tibetan Garden Group", "Book of the Tibetan Garden Group", etc. He was passionate about school books, such as cold clothes, hungry food, no day or intermittent, proofreading text similarities and differences is his main method of identifying editions. Many of the chapters in the Tibetan Garden Group Book Inscription are related to the school book. He wrote more than 1,600 volumes and identified more than 4,500 ancient books.
Zhang Yuanji (1867~1959), character 筱斋. Ju Sheng, a native of Haiyan, Zhejiang. He is the founder of the Commercial Press, a famous publisher and editionist, and the author of books such as Essays on the History of the School. The Collected Works of the Prologue to the Garden is a compilation of his prologues. Each prologue is written in a carefully researched version. In the process of selecting the base of the "Four Series" and the "Twenty-Four Histories of the Hundred Books", he spared no effort to provide posterity with a large number of ancient books and good books.
Wang Chongmin (1903~1975), Zi Yousan, master of Lenglu, a native of Gaoyang, Hebei, was a famous bibliographer and versionist. He is the author of "Lao Tzu Kao", "Narrative of Dunhuang Ancient Books", "Compendium of Chinese Good Books" and so on. The Compendium of Chinese Books of Good Books records more than 4,300 kinds of ancient books and rare books that he personally appraised, and its identification methods have reached the level of pure fire, which is of great value in the history of versionology.
It has been noted that around the 1930s, the Beijing Library was the cradle of ancient book editionists. At that time, Wang Chongmin, Xiang Da, Zhao Wanli, Xie Guozhen, Sun Kaidi, Zhang Xiumin and others gathered in the Beijing Library. In this sacred temple, they lived day and night, exchanging versions, and later most of them became giants of versionology. This book will forever go down in history.
1.4 Evaluation of versionual studies
Although the first half of the 20th century achieved the above achievements in the study of versionology, in general, the theory of versionology was still blank. Although the emergence of "Shulin Qing dialect" under the conditions at that time was already valuable, it was only a comparison and accumulation of historical materials after all, and lacked theoretical color. Some versionologists, whose mission is to compile a catalogue of editions, have spent a great deal of their youth, but have not seriously sat down to study and summarize versionology as a discipline. Finally, he left behind only a book-like catalogue of accounts. The main reason for this situation is that until the first half of the 20th century, versionology still existed as a vassal of bibliography and collation, and it was not an independent discipline.
2 Versionology in the second half of the 20th century
The second half of the 20th century was 50 years after the founding of the People's Republic of China. In the past 50 years, the study of versionology has made great progress. Specifically, there are three phases.
2.1 First stage (1949–1965)
After the founding of New China in 1949, the young republic could not devote more human, material and financial resources to the research of ancient book editions. Nevertheless, the study of versionology has achieved some success.
2.1.1 Monographs on versioning
At this stage, the monographs on editions include Chen Guoqing's "A Brief Introduction to Ancient Book Editions", Mao Chunxiang's "Talk on Ancient Book Editions", and Zhang Xiumin's "The Invention and Influence of Chinese Printing". The "Introduction to Ancient Books Editions" provides a concise and concise explanation of more than 220 versions of academic language, which plays a certain role in popularizing the common sense of versioning and promoting the standardization of version academic language. "Talks on Ancient Book Editions" is a summary of the author's long-term experience in the collation of ancient books in libraries, and the text of the whole book is brief, focusing on the source flow of ancient book versions and the identification of ancient book versions. The Invention and Influence of Chinese Printing is divided into two parts: the first part discusses the origin of printing, proposing that printing originated in the Tang Dynasty's "Zhenguan Theory"; the second part discusses the influence of Chinese printing on Asia, Africa and Europe. The value of the book is twofold: one is that there has been a major breakthrough in the study of the evolution of the way books are made; the other is that it has demonstrated in detail that the invention right of printing belongs to China. Previous similar works include the American Carter's "The Invention of Chinese Printing and Its Western Transmission", which draws a large number of literature from China, Korea, Japan and other countries, and makes a brief and comprehensive discussion of the invention of printing and its spread to all parts of the world. In many ways, The Book of Zhang complements the shortcomings of Carter's writings.
2.1.2 Edition Catalog and Compilation of Books
In addition to the monographs on editions, a large number of editions were also compiled and printed at this stage, such as the Bibliography of The Beijing Library, the Bibliography of the Peking University Library, the Bibliography of the Shanghai Library, the Bibliography of the Library of Fudan University, the Bibliography of the Library of Nanjing University, the Bibliography of the Wuhan University Library, the Bibliography of the Zhongshan Library of Guangdong, the Bibliography of the Tianjin Municipal People's Library, the Annotation of the Concise Catalogue of the Four Libraries, the Comprehensive Catalogue of Local History of China, and the Catalogue of The Local History of China. China Series Of Books, etc. Among them, the "Annotation of the Concise Catalogue of the Four Libraries" was originally called the "Annotation of the Concise Catalogue of the Four Libraries", which is the catalogue of the editions of the books collected by the "Four Libraries", written by Qing Shao Yichen, and the third year of Xuanun (1911) banxing. Later, it was annotated by Miao Tsuensun, Wang Yirong and other famous artists, and was added by Shao Yichen's grandson Shao Zhang and great-grandson Shao Youcheng, and in 1959, it was changed from zhonghua bookstore to this name for printing.
The "Compendium of Local History of China" is a catalogue of Fang Zhi editions, compiled by Mr. Zhu Shijia, a famous Fang Zhi scholar in China, and published by the Commercial Press in 1958. The Shanghai Library compiled the "China Series of Books" is a large-scale series of books, the book has a total of 2797 books, with "Sub-bibliography Index", "Sub-Catalogue Author Index" and "National Major Library Collections Table", which is very convenient to use. At this stage, the inscriptions of famous ancient books compiled and printed include: Gu Tinglongji, Ye Jingkui's "Scroll Book", Pan Jingzheng's editing, Mao Jin's "Jiguge Shubu", and so on.
In 1960, the Beijing Library compiled the "Catalogue of Chinese Editions and Engravings", which is an unprecedented compilation of rare books and photographs, which includes 550 kinds of ancient books and 724 plates. The content is divided into three categories: engraving, movable type and printmaking, and the first order of the volume is an article, which briefly describes the history of engraving in China. Although the book has noticed the most handed down Ming and Qing inscriptions, it is far from enough.
2.1.3 Evaluation of version studies
For a long time, it has given people the impression that versionology is a matter of a few people and has nothing to do with it; versionology is to study the Song and Yuan versions, and without the Song and Yuan versions, do not do this line; versionual science is a "metaphysics", which can only be understood, not spoken. Why is this happening? The main reason is that the study of version theory is seriously lagging behind. Although the practice of versionualism never ceased, until the Cultural Revolution, there was not a single work expounding the theory of versioning. In terms of the study of the source flow of editions, although the invention of Chinese printing and its influence is indispensable, it also has obvious deficiencies: first, the research method is simple, and even grasps the fragments of words, and rushes to make conclusions; the second is to confuse the invention time of printing with the popularization time.
2.2 Second phase (1966–1977)
In 1966, when the Cultural Revolution began, almost all academic activities and scientific research were destroyed, and versionology research was not spared. Not only that, a large number of ancient books in the Cultural Revolution were burned as feudal "black goods", which was also a major loss to the study of versionology. However, in the early 1970s, archaeologists successively excavated a number of bamboo books in Linyi Yinque Mountain, Shandong, Wuwei Dry Beach Slope in Gansu, and Mawangdui in Changsha, such as the Yinque Shanxi Han Bamboo Simplified Edition "Sun Tzu's Art of War" and "Sun Zhen's Art of War", Gansu's Wuwei Han Dynasty Medical Jane, Changsha Mawangdui's Book of "Lao Tzu" A and B, "Warring States Zongheng Family Book" and "Zhifa", etc., providing physical objects for the study of the manuscript and providing convenience for the study of the Han Dynasty's simplified policy system and the Shu Ben.
2.3 Phase III (1978–1998)
After the end of the ten years of turmoil in 1978, the chaos was rectified, and the study of versionology advanced by leaps and bounds, which was impressive.
2.3.1 Published works such as Lin
Since 1978, many edition monographs, bibliographies, indexes and books have been published. Monographs on editions include Wu Zeyu's "General Theory of Editions" (serialized in the Journal of Sichuan Library in 1978 and 1979), Wei Yinru's "History of Printing Ancient Chinese Books" and "Discussion on the Identification of Ancient Book Editions" (Printing Industry Publishing House, 1984), Qiu Ling's "A Brief History of the Art of Book Binding" (Heilongjiang People's Publishing House, 1984), Qu Mianliang's "Questioning of Engraving" (Qilu Book Society, 1987), Dai Nanhai's "Introduction to Editions" (Bashu Book Society, 1989), Zhang Xiumin's "Criticism of Editions" (Bashu Book Society, 1989 edition), And Zhang Xiumin's "Questioning of Engraving" (Qilu Book Society, 1987 edition). History of Printing in China (Shanghai People's Publishing House, 1989), Yan Zuozhi's Introduction to Ancient Book Editions (East China Normal University Press, Shanghai, 1989), Li Zhizhong's Examination of Inscribed Books in Past Dynasties (Bashu Book Society, 1990 edition) and Introduction to Ancient Book Editions (Bibliographic Literature Publishing House, 1990), Chen Hongtian's Outline of Editions of Ancient Books (Liaoning Education Publishing House, 1991), Cheng Qianfan and Xu Youfu's "School Chicken Broad Meaning Edition" (Qilu Book Society, 1991 edition), Cao Zhi's "Chinese Ancient Book Editions" (Wuhan University Press, 1992) and "The Origin of Chinese Printing" (Wuhan University Press, 1994), Yao Boyue's "Versionology" (Peking University Press, 1993), Lu Xianzhong's "Ancient Engravings and Editions of Ancient Books" (Anhui University Press, 1995), Zhang Zhiqiang's "History of Jiangsu Book Printing" (Jiangsu People's Publishing House, 1995), Xie Shuishun and others "Fujian Dynasty Inscriptions" (Fujian People's Publishing House, 1997) and so on. The catalogues, indexes and shadowings of editions include The General Catalogue of Chinese Ancient Books and Books (Published by Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, which has been published in the Classics, History, and Cong, etc.), Du Xinfu's Compendium of Ming Dynasty Editions (Guangling Ancient Books engraving and printing Society, 1983 edition), the Joint Catalogue of Chinese Local History (Zhonghua Bookstore, 1985), Yang Shengxin's Comprehensive Catalogue of Chinese Editions (Shaanxi People's Publishing House, 1987), the Bibliography of Ancient Books Chinese and Rare Books in the Library of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Science Publishing House, 1994), and the Catalogue of Ancient Books and Books of Hunan Province. (Yuelu Book Club, 1998 edition), Wang Zhaowen edited "Index of The Names of Workers in ancient books and Song And Yuan Periodicals" (Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 1990 edition), Luo Weiguo et al. edited "Index of Ancient Book Edition Inscriptions" (Shanghai Bookstore, 1991 edition), Li Guoqing edited "Index of Ming Dynasty Periodical Workers' Names" (Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 1998 edition), Shanghai Library edited "Shadow of Good Books" (Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 1978 edition), Huang Bao edited "Qing Dynasty Edition Carved Corner" (Qilu Book Club, 1992 edition), Huang Yongnian et al. Catalogue of Qing Dynasty Editions (Zhejiang People's Publishing House, 1997), etc. In addition, at this stage, Taiwan also published a number of editions, including Li Qingzhi's "Research on the Identification of Book Editions" (Taiwan Wenshizhe Publishing House, 1980 edition), Qu Wanli and Chang Peter's "Essentials of Book Editions" (1989 edition of the Publishing Department of the Chinese Culture University of Taiwan). According to incomplete statistics, there were 2005 versionual research papers published in various journals nationwide at this stage, which is 15 times the total number of version studies papers from the beginning of this century to 1977.
2.3.2 Research on the basic theories of versionualism
The basic theory of versionology is the pillar of versionology, and many people of insight have realized the seriousness of this problem and published many controversial articles in newspapers and periodicals. At this stage, there were 185 research papers on the basic theory of versionology, including Lu Zhongyue's "Long Discussion on The Study of Versionology", Li Zhizhong's "On the Study of Ancient Book Editions", Guo Songnian's "Ancient Book Editions and Editions", Yao Boyue's "Examination of "Editions", Wang Guoqiang's "Review on the Current Situation of Research on the Basic Theory of Chinese Ancient Book Versionology", Zhou Tieqiang's "Review of the Theoretical Research on Ancient Book Versionology in Recent Years", and Shi Hongyun's "Review of Basic Theory Research on Versionology". For example, "Introduction to Ancient Book Versionology" and "Introduction to Versionology" discuss the concept of versionology and its relationship with related disciplines; "Chinese Ancient Book Versionology" comprehensively discusses the various problems of ancient book versioning theory, including the definition of ancient book versionology, research objects, research content, research methods, relationship with related disciplines, and the significance of studying ancient book versions.
2.3.3 Research on the history of versionual studies
Contemporary versionology needs to learn from the results of ancient versionology research. There are 32 articles on the history of versionology at this stage, including Hu Daojing's "From Huang Yingpu to Zhang Julao - The In-depth Process of 150-Year Edition studies", Yan Zuozhi's "Analysis of Huang Pilie's Versionology Thought", Wang Hao's "Song Dynasty Versionology Achievements", and Liu Guojun's "Reflections on the Division of Historical Stages of Ancient Chinese Ancient Book Versionology". The monograph "Introduction to Ancient Book Versionology" discusses the origin and development of versionology. "Chinese Ancient Book Versionology" devotes a special chapter to discussing the history of the emergence, development and prosperity of versionology, introducing the history of the generations of versionologists and their works, and depicting the history of the development of versionology in thick lines.
2.3.4 Research on version source streams
Version source flow is one of the important contents of versionology research, and it is also a hot topic in versionology research at this stage. At this stage, a total of 1441 papers on the source of the edition were published, including Li Zhizhong's "Brief Description of the Inscription of the Ming Dynasty", Cao Zhi's "Examination of the Inscription of the King of the Ming Dynasty", Jin Liangnian's "Brief Description of the Inscription of the Wuying Temple in the Qing Dynasty", and Xiao Dongfa's "Examination of the Inscription of the Yu Clan of Jianyang". Monographs such as "The History of Printing Ancient Chinese Books", "Examination of Ancient Inscribed Books", and "Fujian Ancient Inscribed Books" comprehensively and systematically discuss the history of engraved books in previous dynasties. What is particularly remarkable is that there have been new breakthroughs in the study of the origin flow of writing, the origin of printing, and the source flow of the book edition. The History of Ancient Chinese Editions discusses in detail the history of the occurrence and development of writing, which is the first time in the history of versionualism. "The Origin of Chinese Printing" takes the concept of large-scale printing history as the guiding ideology, comprehensively and multidisciplinaryly argues the "Tang Chu Theory", correcting many specious views. In addition, the Chinese-American scholar Mr. Qian Cunxun's "Paper and Printing" is a masterpiece to study the origin of printing, which quotes more than 2,000 kinds of ancient and modern documents, representing the latest level of similar research abroad, and has been included in the fifth volume of the British scholar Joseph Needham's "History of Chinese Science and Technology". In terms of the source flow of the book edition, there have been works such as Wei Shaochang's "Dream of the Red Chamber Edition Xiao Kao", Liu Shangrong's "Su Shi's Works Edition Series", and Jiang Xingyu's "Study of the Ming Dynasty's "Study of the Western Chamber". Wan Man's "Narrative of the Tang Collection" is a masterpiece that examines the version of the Tang poetry collection. In monographs such as "Introduction to Ancient Book Versionology" and "Chinese Ancient Book Versionology", the source of editions of a book has also been discussed as an important content, expanding the horizon of versionual research.
2.3.5 Research on version identification
Version identification is the core issue of versionual research, and successive generations of versionologists have without exception attached importance to version identification. There were 347 edition appraisal papers published at this stage, including Liao Yantang's "Records of Ancient Books and Tablets", Cui Jianying's "Notes on the Review and Binding of Ming Beiji Editions", Jiang Xingyu's "Ancient Texts and Yuanben Problems of the Ming Dynasty's "West Chamber"" and Shen Jin's "Manuscripts and Their Value and Appraisal". Books such as "Discussion on the Identification of Ancient Book Editions" and "Introduction to Ancient Book Editions" comprehensively and systematically discuss the identification methods of ancient book editions, which has practical value. "Chinese Ancient Book Versionology" proposes a series of methods for identifying editions according to content, which has certain value for correcting the formalist tendency of "waiting and watching the wind".
2.3.6 Identification of new book editions
Editions are not the preserve of ancient books, and new books also have version problems. As early as the 1940s, the famous literary scholar Tang Tao began to publish short essays on the new book version, and in 1962, the Beijing Publishing House collected it as "Obscure Books" and officially published it, and in 1980, Sanlian Bookstore published an updated version. This is the first collection of papers in the history of versionology to study the edition of a new book. Since the 1980s, the papers on the study of new book editions include Xu Xiaomi, Wei Yangchun's "A Brief View of the Study of New Book Editions", And Zhu Jixiao's "Overview of Modern and Contemporary Chinese Book Editions". Yao Boyue's "Edition Studies" combines ancient book versions and new book versions into one furnace, which is refreshing. One thing to point out here is that most edition studies are biased towards ancient books, while new book editions pale in comparison. This is a normal phenomenon. The history of Chinese books tells us that books were produced as early as the distant Xia Dynasty. For three or four thousand years, the vast number of ancient book editions has been intricate and intertwined, and the situation is very complicated. The new book version is only about 100 years old, and neither the number of editions nor the complexity of the editions can be compared with the editions of ancient books. Therefore, it is a historical necessity and reproach for people to focus on the study of versionology on ancient books.
2.3.7 Reasons for the flourishing of versioning at this stage
In summary, since 1978, the research on versionology has been fruitful, why? First, the state attaches importance to the collation and publication of ancient books. In 1981, Comrade Chen Yun twice gave important instructions on the collation and publication of ancient books. From the central to the local level, leading institutions for the collation of ancient books have been set up, and many professional ancient book publishing houses and ancient book collation research institutes have been set up throughout the country. Second, a large number of versionology research talents have been trained. Since 1978, the ranks of ancient book collation have been growing, and a large number of undergraduate and graduate students in the field of ancient book collation have been trained. In the process of compiling the "General Catalogue of Ancient Chinese Books and Books", hundreds of experts from 782 libraries and collection units across the country participated in the work, and a large number of new editions were cultivated. Third, the prosperity of scholarship has promoted the prosperity of versionology. Historical experience tells us that academic research and versioning are mutually causal: academic prosperity needs the help of versioning; the prosperity of versioning also needs the promotion of academic research. After 1978, the vast number of ancient book collators worked hard and achieved brilliant results. From 1982 to 1990, 4065 kinds of ancient books were sorted out and published, and the publication of each ancient book was inseparable from the examination and ordering of editions. Fourth, the results of long-term accumulation of versionual studies. China's versionology research has been counted since the pre-Qin Dynasty, and has been more than 2,000 years. For more than 2,000 years, generations of scholars have worked hard for it. Although they did not have time to write a monograph on versionology, they passed it on and left many valuable revelations for future generations. Later generations drew on the research results of their predecessors, and later came to the top, which is appropriate.
2.3.8 Insufficient version studies at this stage
Although the results of versionology research at this stage are outstanding, there are also the following obvious deficiencies: (1) the basic theoretical research of versionology is relatively weak, open any version of the monograph, the proportion of the basic theory of versionology is too small, and some even regret ink like gold; (2) the research on the history of versionology is also not enough, and some versionual works do not even say a word; (3) re-engraving, light script, and writing book are the source of editions, even after the invention of printing, writing books still exist in large quantities, but people do not attach much importance to the study of writing the original flow. So far, there is no systematic history of writing books; (4) the study of the origin of printing is obviously insufficient, China is the hometown of printing, but there are very few treatises in this regard; (5) the identification of ancient book editions has a tendency to emphasize form and light content; (6) insufficient attention is paid to the study of the source flow of a book edition. Among the above 6 problems, the weakness of the basic theoretical research of versionology is the most fundamental problem. Part III of this article will focus on this issue.
3 Basic theoretical research in versionology in the 20th century
The basic theoretical research of versionology in the 20th century mainly revolves around the following aspects.
3.1 Research on the concept of "version"
What is a version? This is a fundamental but important issue for versionology research, and there is currently no consensus on at least the following 5 points of view:
3.1.1 Printed version says
Zhang Shunhui believes: "The name of the 'version' is derived from Jian Mu; the name of 'Ben' is derived from The Name of The Book... Since the advent of engraving and printing, people have been accustomed to using the word version as a synonym for printed copies. ”
3.1.2 Collectively
Shi Tingyong believes that "the so-called version is the joint name of the actual script and the engraving". Dai Nanhai also said: "The concept of version, in the two Song Dynasties, became a combination of engraved books and manuscripts. This is the original concept after the word version is concatenated into a fixed noun."
3.1.3 General terms
Gu Tinglong believes: "The meaning of the version is actually a variety of different books of a book, and this phenomenon is common in ancient and modern Chinese and foreign books, and it is not limited to the Song and Yuan ancient books. ”
3.1.4 Physical form theory
Yao Boyue believes: "A version is the various physical forms of a book. ”
3.1.5 Broad and narrow meanings
Yan Zuozhi believes: "The ancient book version has a broad and narrow meaning. The narrow version of ancient books refers specifically to engraved prints, and the broad version of ancient books refers to various books made by various methods, including written books and printed copies. ”
In our view, the original meaning of "version" refers only to the engraving and does not include the written version (Dai Nanhai's statement is obviously a misunderstanding). After the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, with the development of engraving and printing and the complexity of book production methods, the meaning of the word "version" gradually expanded, becoming a general term for various texts in a book. In addition to engravings, it also includes manuscripts, movable type books, overprints, illustrated books, lithographs, and so on. The "printed version theory" only points to the original meaning of the version, ignoring the fact that the meaning of the version has been expanded in later generations, and is not advisable; the "collective theory" holds that the version only talks about written and engraved copies, and excludes movable type, overprints, illustrated books, and lithographs, and is not enough; "general theory" reveals the characteristics of the version of "same book and different books", which is more desirable, but there is also an inappropriate addition, and it seems to be suspected of circular interpretation by interpreting "version" with "book"; "physical form" is close to "general term theory", but it specifically points out "physical form". Shu Ji is close to the truth; the "broad and narrow meaning theory" is actually a compromise between the "printed version theory" and the "general term theory". So far, there has been no unified understanding of the concept of versions, and there are many opinions and lawsuits.
3.2 On the concept of "versionology"
As a product of practice, versionology has not been able to find a theoretical fulcrum. According to incomplete statistics, there are dozens of definitions of versionology. Below, we choose to introduce 5 types:
3.2.1 Old engraved banknotes are said
Ye Dehui believes: "Since the Song Youyuan Sui Chutang, the Ming Mao Jin Ji Gu Ge, and the Kang Yong Qianjia, the bibliophiles have been dirty in the song and yuan old banknotes, which is for the study of the plate. ”
3.2.2 Identification theory
"Ci Hai" believes: "Studying the characteristics and differences of the version, and identifying its authenticity and strengths and weaknesses, is for the sake of versionology." ”
3.2.3 Value Says
Yan Zuozhi believes: "Whether it is the era of the appraisal version or the source flow of the examination version, the ultimate purpose lies in comparing and determining the advantages and disadvantages of the content of the version, and in studying the version 'in reflecting the special role of the content of the original book'." In this sense, versionology is a science that focuses on the value of the version literature. ”
3.2.4 Morphological theory of matter
Cheng Qianfan et al. believe that "the content of the study of versionology is all related to the material form of the book, so it can be summarized that versionology is the science of studying the material form of the book and the starting point of school chicken science." ”
3.2.5 Regularity
Guo Songnian believes: "Ancient book versioning is a science that studies the similarities and differences of ancient book versions from the source flow and interrelationship of ancient books, identifies the authenticity of ancient book versions, evaluates the functional value of ancient book versions, and summarizes the regularity and methods of work from them. ”
We can see that there are certain differences in the definition of these versionual sciences, from the beginning of this century to the mid-seventies, most of which are limited to the "empirical theory", that is, the empirical summary of "waiting and seeing". As the research progressed, versionologists began to reflect on the "empirical theory". The task of scientific research is to reveal the laws of the contradictory movement within a particular thing, and versionology cannot be an exception. We believe that the "law theory" proposed by Guo Songnian and others is more desirable. Versionology is the study of the source flow of versions and the law of version identification, that is, to scientifically analyze and summarize various version phenomena and find out the laws. The "theory of old engravings and old banknotes" is the viewpoint of The Qing Dynasty versionists, and this "Yu Song" style is derived; the "identification theory" is limited to the specific method of identifying versions, and the field of vision is not broad, and the origin of this "empirical theory"; the "value theory" talks about the purpose of versionual research, not the definition of versionology; the "material form theory" talks about the appearance of the problem, but does not reveal the essence of the problem.
3.3 Objects of study on versionology
Any discipline has its own research object. If the object is unknown, it is inevitable to go astray. As of now, there are at least 3 views:
3.3.1 What the book says
Li Zhizhong believes: "The object of study of ancient Chinese book versioning is ancient Chinese books. Dai Nanhai also believes: "The object of study of versionology is a variety of ancient books, including all forms. ”
3.3.2 Literature says
Shao Shengding believes: "Versionology, like its sibling disciplines, is the object of study of all the literature that needs to be sorted out and used. Although the name of Gaiqixue is 'version', its object should include all historical documents. ”
Version 3.3.3 says
Yan Zuozhi believes: "The object of study of versionology is the book version. Yao Boyue also held the same view: "The object of study of versionology is version, which should be beyond doubt. ”
We believe that the research objects of ancient book versioning are all forms of book editions, such as written books, engraved books, expanded books, movable type books, overprints, and illustrated books. Among them, written and engraved books are its key research objects. "Book Talk" confuses the two different concepts of books and editions. There is a close connection between editions and books, and versions without books and books without editions do not exist either. But a book is not the same as a version, a version is only one aspect of the book's connotation. The same kind of book can have different versions. Editions take editions as the object of study precisely to explore the differences between different books and books. "Literature theory" expands the scope of the version to all documents, and also confuses the two different concepts of literature and version. The connotation of literature is greater than that of books, and the two should not be confused.
3.4 Content of research on versionology
Different disciplines have their own different research contents, and the research content of versionology has the following four views:
3.4.1 Identification
Advocate research edition identification. For example, the revised edition of Cihai: "Study the characteristics and differences of the version and identify its authenticity and strengths." ”
3.4.2 Source stream theory
Advocate studying version source streams. For example, Xie Guozhen said: "Explain the source of books engraved and copied down." ”
3.4.3 Synthesis
Advocate source flow and identification to be studied simultaneously. Guo Songnian believes that the research content of versionology "is to inherit and summarize the basic theory of the development of ancient book versioning; the second is to study the source flow of the development and change of ancient book versions; the third is to study the similarities and differences of different engravings and collations; the fourth is to examine and approve the identification of old engravings and versions of old copied ancient books and summarize and improve the scientific method of identifying ancient book versions; and the fifth is to study the development history of ancient book versioning." ”
3.4.4 Multidimensional says
Advocate multidimensional research. Lu Zhongyue proposed in the article "A Long Discussion on The Study of Versionology" that the content of versionology research roughly includes the general theory of versionology, the study of the content and form of book editions, the study of the development process of book editions, and the history of versionual studies, and lists the detailed subheadings.
We believe that the research content of ancient book versioning is: the basic theory of ancient book versioning, including the research object and its research content of ancient book versioning, the relationship between ancient book versioning and related disciplines, the meaning and method of studying ancient book versioning, etc.; the development history of ancient book versioning, including the development stage of ancient book versioning, the theory and practice of each stage, representative figures, etc.; the evolution of ancient book production methods, including the origin of writing source, engraving source flow, engraving source flow, engraving and printing, etc The evolution of a single (including series of books) book editions, including the number of editions, the version system, the quality of editions, etc.; the law of ancient book edition identification, including content and form. The above five aspects are indispensable. The "appraisal theory" only studies the identification of engravings, and the field of view is not broad, which is not enough to say versionology; the "source theory" only studies the source stream of the version, and the field of vision is not wide; the "comprehensive theory" expands the field of vision, but emphasizes "identifying old engraved banknotes", which seems to be suspected of "Yu Song"; the viewpoint of "multi-dimensional theory" is more desirable and has been recognized by many people.
Some people confuse the evolution of ancient book production methods with the evolution of book versions, and believe that the study of the evolution of book versions actually includes the study of the evolution of ancient book production methods. We believe that the evolution of the ancient book production method mainly refers to the origin flow of writing, the origin of engraving and printing, the origin of engraving, etc. Obviously, it is not the same thing as the evolution of individual book editions. Some people believe that it is not necessary to study too much about the evolution of ancient book production methods. We believe that to carry out the identification of ancient book editions, we must study the evolution of ancient book production methods, and without understanding the evolution of ancient book production methods, we cannot do a good job in the identification of ancient book versions. It's like identifying a new product, which can't be identified without understanding the process by which the product is made. The evolution of ancient book production methods is very closely related to the evolution of single book versions: studying the evolution of ancient book production methods can promote the study of the evolution of single book versions, and studying the evolution of single book versions can in turn promote the study of the evolution of ancient book production methods. Some people are also very dissatisfied with the source of editions of a book, and it seems that without the bibliography, it is not called versionology. Master Qianjia "must push for the original" to obtain a book" and focus on the source of the examination version. The source of a book's edition is the study of the occurrence, development process, and interrelationship of a book edition. Examining the source flow of versions can straighten out the relationship between each version and other versions, which is helpful in identifying and comparing the similarities and differences of versions. Bibliographic preparation is a means of reflecting the results of the research of the edition, but not the only means. Some people despise the basic theory of versionology and the history of versionology. The basic theory of versioning is related to the construction of the system of versioning and is the general outline of research. The study of the history of versionual studies is to learn from the experience of previous generations, and it cannot be ignored.
3.5 Methods of revisionist research
The methods of versionual research can be summarized as follows:
3.5.1 Wait and see
Pay attention to the identification of engraving, advocate relying on the accumulation of practical experience, capture, identify, and study a variety of logos, both the logos formed in the process of book production, as well as the additional logos in the process of book circulation, such as line grids, paper and ink, secret characters, binding, styles, seals, cards, fonts, and so on. Predecessors have accumulated a lot of experience in practice, but experience alone cannot be foolproof. Some people even insist on "watching the wind and looking at the atmosphere" and "sniffing and touching" to make version identification. This empirically supreme approach is not conducive to the establishment of a versionology discipline system, and will lead "versionology to a very narrow engraving appreciation and a mysterious and elusive evil path of version recognition." ”
3.5.2 Comprehensive study said
Lu Zhongyue believes that the research method should be determined according to the content and nature of the problems studied and the specific tasks undertaken by the institute, and he took the lead in proposing the historical research method, the comparative research method and the experimental research method.
We believe that the "comprehensive research theory" is the scientific method of studying versionology. The various versions are the product of specific historical conditions, and only through all-round and multidisciplinary examination can we know their origin, truth and falsity, and good and evil. Only when there is comparison can there be discernment. Comparing different books with other books is also an effective way to identify editions. The use of modern technology, through scientific experiments and quantitative analysis, the establishment of a database of ancient book versions, is a research method with broad prospects. With the development of the national economy, computers have entered the "homes of ordinary people", and the establishment of a database of ancient book versions has been put on the agenda. It is to be expected that much can be done in this regard.
3.6 On the formative period of versionology
The formative period of versionology, that is, the starting point of the history of versionualism, is a matter of divergent views, and there are roughly the following four views:
3.6.1 The Western Han Dynasty said
Qian Jibo believes: "The study of versions has never been the same. Gaiyuan from the Western Han Dynasty, greatly used in the school. Guo Songnian believes: "Judging from the history of the development of versionology, when Liu Xiang and Liu Xin father and son of the Western Han Dynasty were in charge of the group of books, they were already extensively searching for different books, and Yan Zheng's book emphasized the study of editions. ”
3.6.2 Song Dynasty said
Li Zhizhong said: "Since the Song Dynasty You Yuan compiled the Sui Chu Tang Bibliography, he began to write many different versions under one book... This is how versionology slowly took shape. ”
3.6.3 Qing Dynasty said
Wang Peijiang believed that Huang Pilie of the Qing Dynasty and jia period was "the true founder of versionualism." Dai Nanhai also believes that since Huang Pilie, "version research has rich and substantial content, and it has begun to become a specialized science independently." Zhou Tieqiang believes: "The emergence of the "Reading Minqiu" and the "Tianlu Linlang Bibliography" and Huang Pilie's examination of ancient book editions marked the initial formation of ancient book editions. ”
3.6.4 Contemporary theory
Yan Zuozhi believes: "Although version research has a long history, it has not been established since it became an independent specialty, and the scientific version science guided by dialectical materialism and historical materialism has just begun to be established. ”
In our view, the "contemporary theory" is not enough to take the criterion of whether the discipline is independent, because it cuts off history, and versioning has become a water without a source and a wood without a root. The "Qing Dynasty Theory" also cuts off history. Although the achievements of ancient book editions in the Qing Dynasty are great, they were not achieved overnight, and they were gradually developed on the basis of the research of predecessors. Ancient book versioning also goes through the process of growing up from "childhood", "youth" to "adulthood" like people. If it is said that the Qing Dynasty versionology was in the "adult" period, then the versionology before the Qing Dynasty was the "childhood" and "youth" period, and to deny this is to violate the law of the development of things. The "Western Han Dynasty Theory" and the "Song Dynasty Theory" also have their own meanings, and they have not been able to trace back to the source. We believe that in the pre-Qin era, versionology was produced. The excavation of Guodian Zhujian in 1993 provides us with strong evidence. There are three kinds of "Lao Tzu" books in the Guodian Bamboo Jane, and the names of the collators are "Group A", "Group B", and "Group C". This is the earliest manuscript of Lao Tzu seen so far, and was probably written in the early Warring States period. These three groups are not the same in terms of bamboo simplified form system, scribe's calligraphy and simplified text, and can be regarded as a different book of lao tzu. Since there are a large number of pre-Qin and different books, and scholars and bibliophiles such as Confucius and Zixia have studied the similarities and differences in editions, it can be seen that the "pre-Qin theory" is by no means made out of nothing.
3.7 Scientific status regarding versionology
The disciplinary status of versionology is a major issue related to whether versionology can rank among the academic forests, and commentators have different opinions. In summary, there are three views:
3.7.1 Say independently
Ye Dehui initiated this statement. He first proposed the term "the study of the plate" in the "Shulin Qing dialect". Ye shi not only proposed the name of "the study of plate books", but also listed it along with the study of catalogs and the study of school chickens as the three major roots of the Qing Dynasty. In Ye's view, the study of banben has not only become an independent discipline, but also has a very academic status. He said: "The study of the plate is a precedent for examination, and it is very important in the history of the scriptures. "He won a place for versionology, and he did a great job. Gu Tinglong also repeatedly stressed that versionology "should be able to become a specialized science." Li Zhizhong, Guo Songnian and others also advocated it.
3.7.2 Confluence theory
Cui Jianying believes: "Edition science and bibliography are of the same origin and were born at the same time, and later generations have been called versionology and bibliography, but they have some emphasis, such as the historical catalog, which used to be only marked and did not ask what the book was; the study of the version often focused on the examination and analysis of a book version. However, since the "Sui Chu Tang Bibliography", there are few catalogs that reflect specific collections, and few have avoided the version... Therefore, versionology and bibliography converge and converge into version bibliography. Formally, it seems to have begun in modern times.
3.7.3 Tributaries say
Cheng Qianfan believes: "The cover is collated by the version, the catalog is collated by the collation, and the collection is collected from the catalog, and the organization is always consistent, including the pearls, and the general rules of the Si Nai Xiang and Xin Zi Zhi Shu ... Then the word "school" is the longest, and it is no harm to think that it is the common name of all the learnings of the zhishu; and do not regard those who specialize in the right writing as the study of proofreading. The rest of the editions, catalogues, and collections are called according to their duties, and they must all be tributary and streamers of the school. ”
We believe that versionology, after more than two thousand years of development, should become an independent discipline. Its research objects, research methods, research contents, and research objectives are different from other disciplines. The "confluence theory" holds that versionology and bibliography have merged, and the "tributary theory" regards versionology as a subdisciplinary of school science, and the explanations are different, and the result is to deny the independence of versionology. Although the relationship between versionology and bibliography and school science is very close, "you have me, I have you", but the emphasis is different. "If you leave, you will be beautiful, and if you are together, you will be hurt twice." For example, the relationship between philology, phonology, and exegesis is similar, and the emphasis is also different, starting with one and ending into three. Academic research is always developing in the direction of precision, and the differentiation of disciplines has long become a fixed trend, which can be described as "Taoism will split the world". We are in favour of the "theory of independence". The idea of versionology as a vassal of bibliography, collation, or philology ignores the development trend of versionology itself.
Above we have given a brief overview of the seven main problems studied by version theory. Of course, the theory of versionology involves far more problems than this, but also rare books, the history of versionual studies, the meaning and tasks of versionology, the relationship between versionology and related disciplines, and so on. There are still many articles with special characteristics, which are limited in length and cannot be enumerated one by one.
Looking at the development process of versionual research in the 20th century, it can be seen that in the first 50 years and even until the 1970s, although several works such as "Shulin Qing dialect" and "The Origin and Influence of Chinese Printing" came out, on the whole, they still developed slowly and stagnated. However, since 1978, suddenly like a spring breeze, the study of versionology has suddenly blossomed into a big view. Although there are still many problems in the study of versionology, and the research on the basic theory of versionology is still very weak, we firmly believe that the study of versionology in the 21st century will be built on the basis of the 20th century and shine. We hope that more scholars, especially young people, will work together to cultivate this promising field, so that the ancient and young discipline of versionology will glow with more beautiful youth. (Cao Zhi Sima Chaojun)