Duyizhi (Chinese: 獨異志, also known as Tu yi chih), a book in the genre of "transmissions of strange tales" (chuanqi), is now known only in partial form. The author has been identified as Li Rong. The book is a very important source for the modern study of Chinese mythology, containing many versions of otherwise lost narratives; such as the traditional story of Nüwa who mends the Heavens. The title (Duyizhi) has various translations into English, including Treatise on Extraordinary and Strange Things (Birrell 1993, 34); and, in Wade-Giles transliteration, as Tu yi chih (Birrell 1993, 272). Of the original ten volumes of the Duyizhi, only three volumes survive.
Author
Although sometimes known as Li Rong (Chinese: 李冗; Wade–Giles: Li Jung), due to lack of biographic data, there are various versions of his name or names, the truth of which is unclear. Other names given are Li Yin (李尢), Li Yuan (李元), and Li Kang (李亢). He flourished around 846 to 874 CE (Birrell 1993, 34), or the regnal periods of the two late Tang emperors Xuānzōng (846 – 859) and Yìzōng (859 to 873).
See also
References
- Theobald 2010, ChinaKnowledge.de .
- Theobald 2010, ChinaKnowledge.de . There is no apparent controversy about his family name: it is Lǐ. Whether the other attributed names represent a given name, a courtesy name, or something else is not clear. Especially if hand-written, the similar appearance and strokes of the Chinese characters in this case (冗, 亢, 冘, 元) suggest a possible source of confusion.
Further reading
- Birrell, Anne (1993). Chinese Mythology. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins). ISBN 0-8018-6183-7
- Theobald, Ulrich, 2010
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