Library

*Jie Jing Ji Zhu* (Collected Commentaries on the Classic of Difficult Issues) consists of five volumes. It was compiled by Wang Jiusi and others in the Ming Dynasty, gathering the commentaries of Lü Guang from the Wu Kingdom, Yang Xuancuo from the Tang Dynasty, Ding Deyong, Yu Shu, and Yang Kanghou from the Song Dynasty. According to Chao Gongwu’s *Junzhai Dushu Zhi* (Record of Books in the Commandery Study), it records Lü and Yang’s commentary as one volume, Ding’s commentary as five volumes, and Yu’s commentary as five volumes. Chen Zhen-sun’s *Shulu Tijie* (Annotated Record of Books) records Ding’s commentary as two volumes. Ma Duanlin’s *Wenxian Tongkao: Jingji Kao* (Examination of Classics in the Comprehensive Study of Literary Remains), citing Chao’s work, states that Lü and Yang’s commentary is five volumes. This suggests that at that time, each school’s commentary was circulated separately; it was not until Wang Jiusi and others collected them together that they became convenient for reading and viewing. Ye Sheng’s *Luzhu Tang Shumu* (Catalogue of Green Bamboo Hall) lists a single fascicle of *Nan Ji Ji Zhu* (Collected Commentaries on the Classic of Difficult Issues) without specifying the author's name. The title here coincidentally matches but is not the collection compiled by Wang Jiusi. According to Wang Qi’s *Xu Jingji Kao* (Continued Examination of Classics), Ji Tianxi from the Jin Dynasty authored *Nan Ji Ji Zhu* in five volumes; the copy collected by Ye Sheng was likely this one. Ye Sheng was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the imperial examination) during the Zhengtong era, while Wang Jiusi was a Jinshi during the Hongzhi era; thus, it is clear that Ye Sheng’s copy was not this compilation. Other private library catalogs and the *Siku Quanshu Zongmu* (General Catalog of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) compiled during the Qianlong reign did not include it. Although Yin Zhongchun’s *Yicang Mulu* (Catalogue of the Medical Treasury) should have been exhaustive in its search, it also omitted this work. It appears that the book had seemingly fallen into obscurity or been lost. However, since I am not versed in medical studies, I could only rely on catalogues for verification. Therefore, I consulted Duoji Lianfu, a medical official. Lianfu stated that modern medical texts are rarely cited or referenced, leading to long-standing suspicions of their dispersal or loss. As Lianfu was renowned for his comprehensive knowledge in medicine, his statement confirms that the text indeed has been lost. Although the school of technical arts (*Fangji*) certainly has its practitioners, whether these texts survive or perish concerns me little. Nevertheless, even minor arts contain observable principles, and profound truths reside within them; therefore, they cannot simply be discarded.

Written by Huachao Tianpu in the Guihai year.