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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <title>Chinese Literature - Liexianzhuan 列仙傳 (www.chinaknowledge.de)</title> <link rel="stylesheet" href="../../System/styles.css" type="text/css"> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name="description" content="The Liexianzhuan 列仙傳 is a collection of biographies of Daoist immortals from the Han period (206 BC-220 AD) compiled by Liu Xiang 劉向."> <meta name="keywords" content="Stichwort 1, Stichwort 2, usw."> <meta name="author" content="Ulrich Theobald"> <meta name="DC.Publisher" content="Ulrich Theobald"> <meta name="DC.Language" content="en"> </head> <body background="img/bg.jpg" class="sb"> <div style="position:absolute; top:0px; left:0px;"> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%"> <tr> <td> <img src="../../System/BronzeDing_ZhouTN.JPG" width="64" height="76" border="0"> </td> <td valign="top"> <div align="center"> CHINAKNOWLEDGE - a universal guide for China studies | <a href="../../index.html">HOME</a> | <a href="../../About/about.html">About</a> Encoding: Unicode (UTF-8) [Location: <a href="../../index.html">HOME</a> > <a href="../literature.html">Literature</a> > <a href="../Diverse/zibu.html">Masters and Philosophers</a> > <a href="daojia.html">Daoist treatises</a> > Liexianzhuan] </div> </td> </tr> </table> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%"> <tr> <td colspan="3" bgcolor="#daa520"><div align="center"> Chinese Literature Liexianzhuan 列仙傳 "Biographies of Immortals" </div></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="250" nowrap bgcolor="#daa520"> <div align="center"><table border="0"> <tr><td><a href="../../Art/art.html"><img src="../../Eidola/chineseartat.JPG" border="0"></a></td></tr> <tr><td><div align="center"><a href="../../History/history.htm"><img src="../../Eidola/chinesehistoryat.JPG" border="0"></a></div></td></tr> <tr><td><div align="center"><a href="../Religion/religions.html"><img src="../../Eidola/chinesereligionat.JPG" border="0"></a></div></td></tr> </table></div> </td> <td valign="top"> <table border="0"> <tr> <td valign="top"><img src="../../Eidola/imagelit.JPG" width="25" height="282" border="0"></td> <td valign="top"> The Liexianzhuan 列仙傳 "Biographies of immortals" is a collection of biographies of <a href="../Religion/daodeities.html">Daoist personalities</a> allegedly compiled by the <a href="../../History/Han/han.html">Han period</a> 漢 (206 BCE-220 CE) scholar <a href="../../History/Han/personsliuxiang.html">Liu Xiang</a> 劉向. The term liezhuan 列傳 is derived from the biographic-thematic type of historiography (<a href="../Terms/jizhuanti.html">jizhuanti</a> 紀傳體) and designates collective biographies of "normal" persons (not emperors). Liu Xiang is also credited with the compilation of the <a href="../Historiography/lienvzhuan.html">Lienüzhuan</a> 列女傳, a collection of biographies of outstanding women, which is qualitatively better than the Liexianzhuan. The Liexianzhuan includes 71 persons from the times of mythology, like Master Red Pine (Chisongzi 赤松子), to the physician Xuan Su 玄俗 who lived during the Han period. Similar to the Lienüzhuan, each biography is concluded with a short <a href="../Terms/zan.html">appraisal</a> (zanyu 贊語), and each chapter is finished with a general praise (zongzan 縂贊). All biographies describe how the Daoist practicioners became immortals by abstaining from the normal ways of live and dedicating themselves to the support of the helpless and the poor. The intention of all these stories is that becoming an immortal was not the result of sorcery but that of a life of certain moral virtues. The time of the compilation and the identity of the compiler were subject to a long and intense discussion. It is clear the the Liexianzhuan was not a product of Liu Xiang. It is not listed among his books in the imperial <a href="../Science/mulu.html">bibliography</a> <a href="../Science/hanshuyiwenzhi.html">Yiwenzhi</a> 藝文志 in the <a href="../Historiography/ershiwushi.html">official dynastic history</a> <a href="../Historiography/hanshu.html">Hanshu</a> 漢書 but the earliest catalogue listing it is the <a href="../Science/suishujingjizhi.html">Jingjizhi</a> 經籍志 in the history <a href="../Historiography/suishu.html">Suishu</a> 隋書. The <a href="../../History/Song/song.html">Song period</a> 宋 (960-1279) bibliographer Chen Zhensun 陳振孫 identified the language as that of post-Han times, an opinion not shared by Huang Bosi 黄伯思. The compilers of the annotations to the imperial <a href="../Terms/congshu.html">series</a> <a href="../Science/sikuquanshu.html">Siku quanshu</a> 四庫全書, the Siku tiyao 四庫提要, attributed some of the praises to the <a href="../../History/Division/jin.html">Jin period</a> 晉 (265-420) scholar Guo Yuanzu 郭元祖. The book itself seemed to have existed during the Later Han period 後漢 (25-220). It is not recorded in the imperial bibliography <a href="../Science/hanshuyiwenzhi.html">Yiwenzhi</a> 藝文志 of the <a href="../Historiography/ershiwushi.html">official dynastic history</a> <a href="../Historiography/hanshu.html">Hanshu</a> 漢書 that was written during the Later Han, but the Jin period books <a href="baopuzi.html">Baopuzi</a> 抱朴子 and <a href="shenxianzhuan.html">Shenxianzhuan</a> 神仙傳 mention the Liexianzhuan. The name of Liu Xiang might have been borrowed in order to obtain a higher value and credibility. There are many different editions of the Liexianzhuan with differences in many parts of the text. Some editions include 71 biographies, some 72, and some editions do not include the praises. The Daoist encyclopedia <a href="yunjiqiqian.html">Yunji qiqian</a> 雲笈七籤 only includes 48 biographies. The encyclopedias <a href="../Science/yiwenleiju.html">Yiwen leiju</a> 藝文類聚 and <a href="../Science/taipingyulan.html">Taiping yulan</a> 太平御覽 extensively quote from the Liexianzhuan. The Liexianzhuan is included in the Daoist Canon <a href="daozang.html">Daozang</a> 道藏 and the Siku quanshu. Sources: Durrant, Stephen (1986). "Lieh-hsien chuan 列仙傳", in William H. Nienhauser, ed. The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature (Bloomington/Indianapolis: Indiana University Press), 566-567. Gu Cunyun 古存云 (1988). "Shenxian zhuanji 神仙傳記", in: Zhongguo da baike quanshu 中國大百科全書, Zongjiao 宗教, pp. 350-351. Beijing/Shanghai: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe. Li Xueqin 李學勤, Lü Wenyu 呂文鬰 (1996). Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典, vol. 2, p. 2301. Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe. <table border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td>Contents</head></td> </tr> <tr> <td> 赤松子 Chisongzi 甯封子 Ningfengzi 馬師皇 Mashi huang 赤將子輿 Chijiang Ziyu 黃帝 Huangdi 偓佺 Woquan 容成公 Rongcheng gong 方囘 Fang Hui 老子 Laozi 關令尹 Guanling yin 涓子 Juanzi 呂尙 Lü Shang 嘯父 Xiaofu 師門 Shimen 務光 Wu Guang 仇生 Chou Sheng 彭祖 <a href="personspengzu.html">Pengzu</a> 卭疎 Qiong Su 介子推 Jiezi Tui 馬丹 Ma Dan 平常生 Pingchang sheng 陸通 Lu Tong 葛由 Ge You 江妃二女 Jiang fei er nü 范蠡 Fan Li 琴高 Qin Gao 冦先 Kou Xian 王子喬 Wang Ziqiao 幼伯子 Youbozi 安期先生 Anqi xiansheng 桂父 Guifu 瑕丘仲 Xiaqiu Zhong 酒客 Jiuke 任光 Ren Guang 蕭史 Xiao Shi 祝鷄翁 Zhuji weng 朱仲 Zhu Zhong 修羊公 Xiuyang gong 稷丘君 Jiqiu jun 崔文子 Cui Wenzi 赤須子 Chixuzi 東方朔 Dongfang Shuo 鉤翼夫人 Gouyi furen 犢子 Muzi 騎龍鳴 Qilongming 主柱 Zhuzhu 園客 Yuanke 鹿皮公 Lupi gong 昌容 Changrong 谿父 Xifu 山圖 Shantu 谷春 Guchun 陰生 Yinsheng 毛女 Maonü 子英 Ziying 服閭 Fu Lü 文賓 Wen Bin 商丘子胥 Shangqiu Zixu 子主 Zizhu 陶安公 Taoan gong 赤斧 Chifu 呼子先 Huzi Xian 負局先生 Fuju xiansheng 朱璜 Zhu Huang 黃阮丘 Huang Ruanqiu 女几 Nüji 陵陽子明 Lingyang Ziming 邗子 Hanzi 木羽 Mu Yu 玄俗 Xuan Su </td> </tr> </table> </tr> </table> </td> <td valign="top" nowrap bgcolor="#daa520" width="250"> <table border="0"> <tr><td> <div align="center">Chinese literature according to the four-category system</div> <ul> <li type="square"><a href="../Classics/jingbu.html">Confucian Classics</a> <li type="square"><a href="../Historiography/shibu.html">Historiography</a></li> <li type="square"><a href="../Diverse/zibu.html">Masters and Philosophers</a> ° <a href="../Classics/rujia.html">Rujia Confucian treatises</a> ° <a href="../Diverse/bingjia.html">Bingjia Military treatises</a> ° <a href="../Diverse/fajia.html">Fajia Legist or legalist treatises</a> ° <a href="../Science/nongjia.html">Nongjia Agricultural treatises</a> ° <a href="../Science/yijia.html">Yijia Medical treatises</a> ° <a href="../Science/tianwensuanfa.html">Tianwen suanfa Astronomical and mathematical treatises</a> ° <a href="../Daoists/shushu.html">Shushu Divination books</a> ° <a href="../Science/yishu.html">Yishu Treatises on art</a> ° <a href="../Science/pulu.html">Pulu Scientific treatises</a> ° <a href="../Diverse/zajia.html">Zajia Miscellaneous treatises</a> ° <a href="../Science/leishu.html">Leishu Encyclopedias</a> ° <a href="../Novels/xiaoshuojia.html">Xiaoshuojia Novels and stories</a> ° <a href="../Religion/shijia.html">Shijia Buddhists</a> ► <a href="../Daoists/daojia.html">Daojia Daoists</a></li> <li type="square"><a href="../Poetry/jibu.html">Anthologies and Collected Works</a></li> </ul> </td></tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <table width="100%"> <tr> <td valign="top" nowrap></td> <div align="center"> July 24, 2010 © Ulrich Theobald · <a href="mailto:theobald_uli@hotmail.com">Mail</a></div> </td> </tr> </table> </div> </body> </html>