Fu Wuji (Chinese: 伏無忌, fl. 136–152) was an Eastern Han dynasty scholar. He is known for his Fuhou gujin zhu, an important historical encyclopedia, and his work on the Dongguan Hanji, the standard history of the Eastern Han until it was replaced by the Book of the Later Han.
Life
Fu Wuji was born in Dongwu, Langya Commandery (modern-day Zhucheng, Shandong). His father, Fu Chen [zh], was recorded to be a "scholarly, generous man" and had married the Princess of Gaoyang. He came from a prominent family of scholars that claimed descent from the Qin and early Han scholar Fu Sheng. His great-great-grandfather Fu Zhan [zh] was an advisor to the Eastern Han founder Emperor Guangwu and had been made marquis of Buji [zh] (不其侯), with a fief of 3600 households. After his father's death, Fu Wuji inherited his title of marquis. Thus, Fu Wuji is often referred to as Marquis Fu (伏侯 Fu hou).
During the reign of Emperor Shun (126–144), he was made palace attendant commandant of garrison cavalry (侍中屯騎校尉, shizhong tunqi jiaowei) and in 136 he was commissioned with Huang Jing (黃景) to edit the imperial collections of Confucian classics and philosophical writings as well as works on art, calligraphy, mathematics, archery, chariot-driving, medicine, and divination. Nothing else is recorded about the project, suggesting that it involved cataloging rather than detailed copy-editing.
During the era of Yuanjia (151–153), Fu Wuji, Huang Jing, Cui Shi [zh], and others were called to work on the third expansion of the Han ji (漢記, lit. 'Records of Han'), which would later be known as the Dongguan Hanji. They worked on the Tables of kings, sons of kings, eminent statesmen and generals, and marquises not of royal descent and the biographies of the leaders of the southern branch of the Xiongnu and the Qiang. Fu Wuji and Huang Jing also worked on a Treatise on Geography (地理志, dili zhi).
After his death, his son Fu Zhi (伏質) succeeded him as marquis. Fu Zhi would serve as Minister of Finance under Emperor Huan or Ling.
Fuhou gujin zhu
Fu Wuji is most known for his Fuhou gujin zhu (伏侯古今注, lit. 'Notes of the Marquis Fu on Things Ancient and Modern') or simply Gujin zhu (古今注). It was a historical encyclopedia covering the time from the Yellow Emperor to 146 CE. It included information on a diverse range of topics, including astrological signs, terrestrial portents, population figures, the tabooed personal names of emperors, the dimensions of imperial tombs, official salaries, and the currency of the Qin dynasty. It is now lost apart from quotations.
The Book of Sui and Li Xian's Tang dynasty commentary to the Book of the Later Han both record the Fuhou gujin zhu as having 8 juan (volumes). The Old Book of Tang also lists the text as having 8 juan, indicating that the text was able to survive the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The Southern Song period encyclopedia Tongzhi lists the text as only having 3 juan. It was lost thereafter.
The Fuhou gujin zhu is quoted nearly 220 times in the commentary to the Book of the Later Han. In particular, Liu Zhao [zh] heavily quotes the Fuhou gujin zhu in his commentary to the Treatise on the Heavens (天文志) in the Book of the Later Han, as Sima Biao missed many astronomical signs: in total, Liu Zhao added 90 signs to the 139 listed in the treatise.
Several Qing dynasty scholars have reconstructed the text of the Fuhou gujin zhu from quotations preserved in extant texts, including Mao Panlin [zh], whose reconstruction can be found in several of his works; Ma Guohan [zh] in his Yuhan shanfang jiyi shu (玉函山房輯佚書); Huang Shi [zh] in his Huangshi yishu kao (黄氏逸书考) and Han xuetang congshu (漢學堂叢書); Gu Huaisan (顧櫰三) in his Bu hou hanshu yiwen zhi (補后漢書藝文志); and Tang Qiu [zh], whose reconstruction is now lost.
Notes
- The Shitong states that at an unspecified time Fu Wuji and Huang Jing compiled the Tables and Biographies as well as the Treatise on Geography. Some have interpreted this as meaning that this expansion of the Han ji included the Treatise, but Mansvelt Beck 1990 believes that the Shitong description does not warrant this.
References
- ^ Knechtges & Chang 2010.
- de Crespigny 2006, p. 229.
- Hou Hanshu, vol. 26: "六年，徙封不其侯，邑三千六百戶，遣就國。"
- Hou Hanshu, vol. 26: "卒，子無忌嗣"
"After the death , his son Wuji succeeded." - Hou Hanshu, vol 26: "順帝時，為侍中屯騎校尉"
"During the time of Emperor Shun, he was made palace attendant commandant of garrison cavalry." - Hou Hanshu, vol. 26: "永和元年，詔無忌與議郎黃景校定中書五經、諸子百家、蓺術。"
- Commentary to Hou Hanshu, vol. 26: "中書，內中之書也。蓺文志曰「諸子凡一百八十九家」，言百家，舉其成數也。蓺謂書、數、射、御，術謂醫、方、卜、筮。"
- ^ de Crespigny 2006, p. 233.
- Hou Hanshu, vol. 26: "元嘉中，桓帝復詔無忌與黃景、崔寔等共撰《漢記》。"
- Shitong, vol. 12: "復命侍中伏無忌與諫議大夫黃景作諸王、王子、功臣、恩澤侯表，南單于、西羌傳，地理志"
- ^ Mansvelt Beck 1990, p. 187.
- Hou Hanshu, vol. 26: "無忌卒，子質嗣，官至大司農。"
- de Crespigny 2006, p. 236.
- Mansvelt Beck 1990, pp. 129–130.
- ^ Mansvelt Beck 1990, p. 130.
- ^ Yin Yushan 2021.
Bibliography
- Compiled by Fan Ye. Hou Hanshu 後漢書 [Book of the Later Han] (in Chinese).
- Compiled by various authors. Dongguan Hanji 東觀漢記 [Han Records of the Eastern Pavilion] (in Chinese).
- Compiled by Liu Zhiji. Shitong 史通 (in Chinese).
- de Crespigny, Rafe (2006). A Biographical Dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms (23–220 AD). Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-15605-0.
- Knechtges, David R.; Chang, Taiping, eds. (2010). "Fu Wuji 伏無忌 (fl. 136-152)". Ancient and Early Medieval Chinese Literature: A Reference Guide. Vol. 1. Brill. pp. 248–249. ISBN 978-90-04-19127-3.
- Mansvelt Beck, B.J. (1990). The Treatises of Later Han: Their Author, Sources, Contents and Place in Chinese Historiography. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-08895-5.
- Yin Yushan (2021). "《伏侯古今注》辑文及相关问题考辨" [The Collection of Scattered Writings of the Fu Hou Gu Jin Zhu and the Textual Research of Related Issues]. Journal of Fuyang Normal University (Social Science).