Notes on Chinese literature : with introductory remarks on the progressive advancement of the art ; and a list of translations from the chinese into various European languages

Robarts - University Of Toronto, A. (Alexander) Wylie

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Presented to the LIBRARY theof UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO by Professor John L. Cranmer-ByngNOTES ON CHINESE LITERATURE: WITH INTRODUCTORY REMARKS ON TIEE PROGRESSIVE ADVANCEMENT OF THE ART; LIST OF TRANSLATIONS FROM THE CHINESE, INTO VARIOUS EUROPEAN LANGUAGES. A. WYLIE, the British and Bible inof China.Foreign Society SHANGHAE: AMEKICAN PRESBYTERIAN MISSION PRESS. LONDON: TRUBNER & Co. PATERNOSTER60, ROW. 1867.PREFACE. theirMOST students of Chinese at the commencement of career,literature, the occur-must have felt themselves in theirarrested readings, byfrequently which could find norence of and from tobooks, theyproper names, quotations uncon-clue without the assistance of a native and it werebe,scholar; may orscious of the fact that were with the names of books, personsthey dealing To such a dif-furnish the means of if not ofplaces. alleviating, overcoming is one of the main of the The it is ficulty, objects following pages. ground true is not several works have from time toappearedaltogether unoccupied; time on Chinese but have been so limited in the extent ofBibliography; they their or are now become so that the treatise cansubject, rare, present scarcely be deemed or a beenmere ofwhat has done before.superfluous, repetition The librorum bibliothecsa is a list"Catalogus regias Sinicorum," complete of the Chinese books in the at withby Fourmont, Royal Library Paris, copious details much information but so full of er-explanatory ; containing doubtless, rors as to make it a unsafe to the It is touninitiated.very guide appended his Sinarum 343 and was issued at Paris in"Linguae Grammatica," pp. 511, 1742. This work has been and andwith numerouscharged, justly so, glaring but if we consider the state of Chinese studies in when thedefects; Europe "author before the of the orMemoires" of thewrote, missionaries,publication De Mailla's translation of Chinese nu-and with of theHistory, scarcely any merous aids that later students have we have reason rather to wonderenjoyed, at what he was able to and that he did it so well. Sir Johnaccomplish, F. Davis tells us "that Pourmont the materials whichindeed, merely compiled were sent to him the French missionaries."* That Fourmont wasby chiefly for whatindebted to the he was able to make in the lan-missionaries, progress seems most but that a man could issue a tome like hisprobable;guage, large " folio Grammar and Meditationes without some to aknow-Sinicas," pretention of is to believe.the difficultledge language, * " Chinese translated from the 41. 1822.Chinese." London,Novels, p.PREFACE,[ii] This the till when thewas of that however, 1816,only catalogue library, in hand.Minister of the Interior Abel Remusat to take the matterrequested athe insertedThe latter the invitation con andamore, following yearaccepted Theon the in the "Annalesessay Encyclopediques."comprehensive subject, same in with the title "Memoire surwas at Parispublished separate 1818, les livres Chinois de la du et sur le du nouveau Cata-Roi,Bibliotheque plan Ministre dedont la a ete ordonnee S. Ex. le 1'Inttirieur;logue composition par avec des sur le E. en 1742.Fourmont,reniarques critiques Catalogue public par ofa charac-Par M. Abel-Remusat." This is with informationreplete special but the his areter, remarques severely cutting.critiques upon predecessor of a cen-Even Remusat with the additional of threehowever, light quarters and a rare for such albeit his talents have secured himstudies;tury, capacity and of Sino-a made him the founder of the modern schoollasting reputation, in his strictures on he is not the reach of criticism.Fourmont,logy, yet beyond His was almost verbatim in the second volume of his "Me-essay reproduced in under the title "Sur les livres Chinois de lalanges Asiatiques," 1826, du with a in which stateshe theBibliotheque Roi," supplementary article, extended form his bibliothecal labours had Messrs. Bour-assumed, Reinaud, and others of the first orientalists of thenouf, QuatremereLassen, day being associated with him in the work. I do not know to what extent the labours of these savants have been given " Ex-to the nor have 1 had an of the Notices etexaminingpublic, opportunity that collec-traits des manuscrits de la du but IBibliotheque Roi,"* presume theirtion must contain much information frominteresting pens. When nucleus of the Chinese collection in the at Berlinthe Royal Library of thewas in the latter half ofthe 17th a Latin books,formed, century, catalogue on a was Andrew Miiller the which has nowcurator,single sheet, published by become an excessive The same author a second of hisrarity. partpublished inlist 1683. The been from time to alibrary having augmented time, catalogue with most elaborate and rare was Julesdetails, extracts, completed by Klaproth in in1812. This was Paris ten with the titlepublished years afterwards, "Veraeichniss der Chinesischen und Mandshuischen Biicher und Handschriften der Bibliothek zu Berlin." Of this writer it has been thatKoniglichen said, there were few of or historic interest the inquestions literary East,regarding which he did anot take and almost he sohe did topart, every subject touched, the benefit of science. His various on oriental havewritings bibliography, thrown on some abstruse and enriched that class of literaturelight questions, with facts which were not known In the inmany before.generally catalogue he has contrived to exhibit aquestion, amount of that withgreat erudition, which his mind was so stored.richly * The was in 1787. and I find sale in the 17th vol-publication begun by Duprat's catalogue 1854, ume was then in the several more volumes thepress. are now added to series.ProbablyPREFACE. [iii] Since the of been added tothe last-named muchpublication work, having the more recentProfessor Schott of Berlin made a of thecollection, catalogue atas a continuation that wasof of Thisacquisitions, publishedKlaproth. Berlin in with the title "Verzeichniss der Chinesischen und Mandschu-1840, Biicher und Bibliothek zuHandschriften der Berlin.Tungusischen Koniglichen Eine des im Jahre 1822 erschienenen Verzeich-Fortsetzung Klaproth'schen nisses." this has not the embellishments ofAlthough got polyglott Klaproth'a there ais amount of curious and useful information in it.work, great A considerable Chinese exists at of which FatherSt.very library Petersburg, a at drew a included in his ac-Avakum, formerly missionary Peking, list,up count of the Asiatic waswhich in 1843. The translationLibrary, published of the title runs thus: of the and in"Catalogue books, charts,manuscripts, the Tibetan and Sanscrit in theChinese, Manchu, Mongol, languages, library of the Asiatic His are said to be and sodepartment"*. descriptions short, very that throw little on thegeneral, they light subject, In a thick octavo volume was in with the1852, published French, by Dorn, title des Manuscrits et Orientauxde la"Catalogue Xylographes Bibliotheque de St. This is executed with a dealImperiale publique Petersbourg." good of but it has not been accessible to me for consultation.care, The librorum a Ph. Fr. de Sieboldmanuscriptorum Japonicorum"Catalogus in Museoannexa enumeratione servan-illorum,collectorum, qui Regio Hagano and a list of theSiebold books intur," Hoffmann,by gives descriptive Japanese inthe Museum at the at 1845. ARoyal Hague, published Leyden great part of are editions ofChinese but the ofthese themerely works;Japanese compilers of thehave the which would begiven Japanese pronunciation titles,catalogue to the mere Chinese were not also in thestudent, they givenunrecognizable The details arecharacter at the end. and inexplanatory brief,original many a translation of thecases there is title.nothing beyond simple The of the Chinese of the Asiatic the"Catalogue Library Royal Society," by Rev. S. is a bald collection of worthKidd, titles, scarcely mentioning. On the death of when his books were to be sold theKlaproth, by auction, second of the was C. with the titlepart catalogue compiled by Landresse, de feu M.des Livres Deux-"Catalogue composantla Bibliotheque Klaproth, ieme 1839. This contains about three hundred Man-Partie," Paris, Chinese, chu and with notes on each and abooks, book,Japanese interesting prelimina- notice the collection.ry regarding at Berlin in with theA treatise Professor issued title1854,by Schott, is a"Entwurf der chinesischen learned contri-einer litteratur,"beschreibung in worth the of student inbution to the well everysubject question, perusal * nabe thus transcribed: e kartam Ketae-title rukopesyaraThe may "Katalog knegarnoriginal Tebetskom e Sanskretskom yasuikach, nachodyashtskemsyaMantchshurskoni, Mongolskom,skom, v' bebliotek Asiyatskago Departaruenta."PREFACE,[iv] ac-views of the and his extensivethat The writer,department. philosophic him an to be res-with the literature of the make authorityquaintance East, of the trueand there are few who can form a estimateprobably justerpected; China.character and value of the of the ofpressproductions been written onSuch are the works as far as I that haveknow,principal had mostand I haveChinese inBibliography, European languages; although most ac-is such as to call for theof them generalby me, my obligation merely of the fieldIndeed cover but a small occupied byknowledgment. they portion whichand while shew a remarkable amount ofthis treatise; they scholarship, withinconfinednot the aimed at their authors wereis necessarilything here, himself to.as it is not advisable for a resident in China to restrictsuch limits, Theto be exhaustive.the is not means intendedStill essay by anypresent like a com-are but a small selection from the mass andbooks named ; anything the native literature is a work that still remains to belist of accomplish-plete far the have been described from actualed. examination;By greater portion have beenbut a number of works which were not accessible toimportant me, from records in other Chinese To the cataloguenotified, publications. imperial k'o<3 tse