On Philologic Value of Summary of Chinese Rhymes (Gujin yunhui juyao) Anthologised in Imperial Collection of Four Divisions in Imperial Wen-yuan Library

Abstract

Summary of Chinese Rhymes (Gujin yunhui juyao 古今韵会举要) has many versions. There are some errors or mistakes in Gujin yunhui of the Imperial Collection of Four Divisions 四库全书 collected in Wen-yuan Pavilion Library 文渊阁, it also has some revision and re-creation as well, and some contents can even provide important bibliographic and philologic information. Through the investigation, the following four kinds of errors of the original texts are found: 1) there were obvious errors in the Wenyuan version, but no errors in the other versions; 2) there were no errors in the other versions, the Wenyuan version had changed, but wrong; 3) there were errors in the other versions, but the Wenyuan version did not read and correct proofs; 4) there were errors in the other versions, and the Wenyuan version did read and correct proofs, but still wrong. There are 9  cases in which the Wenyuan version is reformed and has some merits: 1) There were errors in the other versions,  and the Wenyuan version corrected them; 2) There were errors in the other versions, and the Wenyuan version did  read and correct proofs, and also be helpful to other documents; 3) There were no errors in the other versions, and  the Wenyuan version could provide different texts; 4) There were no errors in the other versions, and the Wenyuan version could provide additional information; 5) There were differences between the original texts and the
original texts in the other versions, and the Wenyuan version changed back to the original tests; 6) there were some differences between the original text and the original text of the other versions, and the Wenyuan version  had been changed, but not completely; 7) there were some differences between the original text and the original
text of the other versions, and the Wenyuan version had been changed, but not perfect; 8) There were all mistakes in the other versions, and the Wenyuan version provided additional information; 9) there were some texts could be changed or not, and the Wenyuan version had changed and which were believable. In short, the Wenyuan Version has considerable philologic value indeed.