Seven Collections

The Seven Collections (New Edition) is a merger of the complete Four Old Essays and half of the Collection of the Same Kind. The former was published by Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House in September 1979, and the latter by Wide Angle Publishing House in Hong Kong in March 1984. The original short prefaces to both volumes are preserved as appendices to this collection.
"Four Old Essays" was published five years ago and has long been difficult to buy. "Ye Shi Ji" (Collection of Old Essays), although newly published in Hong Kong, is not readily available in mainland China. Chinese readers seem to have a habit of writing to the authors themselves, often helpless, to complain when they can't buy a book. One reader—or perhaps, one who lacks books but desires to be read—wrote to me, asking me to combine "Ye Shi Ji" and "Four Old Essays" and publish them in Beijing and Shanghai for easier distribution. I followed his kind suggestion and took the opportunity to significantly revise the first four essays and make minor revisions to the last three. I also deleted the second half of "Ye Shi Ji" because it was merely excerpted from the new edition of "Tan Yi Lu," and the Beijing Zhonghua Book Company will publish the entire "Tan Yi Lu" early next year.
This "Seven-Part Collection (New Edition)" is a patchwork of seven old and new articles. It reminds me of ancient titles such as "Five-Part Clothes" and "Seven-Part Bowls," and I titled it "Seven-Part Collection."
The compilation and publication of "Four Essays on Ancient Literature" was made possible thanks to the enthusiasm and dedication of Comrade Wei Tongxian. This time, thanks to his continued enthusiasm and dedication, the following research articles, which are neither Chinese nor Western, neither Western nor ancient, have been published by the Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, renowned for its compilation of Chinese classical works. It seems that even "half-baked" and "half-blooded" people can still be considered as targets of solidarity for "gentlemen of the ancient times." I express my deepest gratitude to him.

2019-10-01

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