Chapter 6 The third section is annotated research on the animals and plants in "Erya"

"Erya" preserves the rich biological knowledge of early ancient China, so it has become an important book for people to study animals and plants.At the beginning of the Eastern Han Dynasty, an official named Dou You was rewarded by Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty with ten thousand pieces of silk because he could identify various animals and plants according to the records in Erya.Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty also called on his ministers to ask their children to learn "Erya" from Dou You.However, because "Er Ya" was written earlier, the characters are simple and unsophisticated, and it has been circulated for a long time, the characters will inevitably fall off and make mistakes. As early as the Han Dynasty, many contents were difficult to understand.Therefore, after the Han Dynasty, many people specialized in the study of "Erya" and wrote many books.Among them, the most important one is "Er Ya Zhu" written by Guo Pu in the Jin Dynasty.

Guo Pu, courtesy name Jingchun.He was born in Wenxi (now Wenxi, Shanxi).Born in 267 AD and died in 324 AD.Guo Pu was erudite and talented. He not only wrote many beautiful literary works in his life, but also did a lot of annotating ancient books, leaving a rich literary heritage for future generations.The ancient books he annotated include, "Mu Tianzi Biography", "Erya", "Chu Ci", "Sancang" and "Dialect", etc. These ancient books involve a wide variety of animals and plants.Guo Pu's annotations to these ancient books, especially Erya, had a certain influence on the development of ancient Chinese traditional zoology and botany.

Guo Pu regards "Erya" as an introductory book for the study of animals and plants.He said in the preface of "Erya Notes": "If you can learn more about things without being confused, and know more about the names of birds, animals, plants and trees, there is nothing close to "Erya." He studied and annotated "Erya" for 18 years. For a long time, for the animals and plants recorded, first use the names of animals and plants commonly used by Jin people to explain the ancient names of animals and plants.For example, "Erya·Shiniao" records: "鸤 [shi corpse] dove, 鴶鵴 [jieju order chrysanthemum]." Guo Pu's "Erya Notes" pointed out according to the actual situation at that time that the dove was the common cuckoo at that time. The Jiangdong people at that time also called it Huogu. "Erya·Shimu" records: "槄 [tao dig], mountain tree [jiajia]." Guo Pu's annotation said: "Today's mountain catalpa is also." (Figure 5) Such annotations, on the surface, seem to be Seems simple, just explaining nouns by nouns.But it is not so easy in practice, it requires rich exegetical knowledge and rich practical experience to connect the ancient names of animals and plants with those known by the general public at that time, so that the ancient names have the basis of certain contemporary objects. meaning.For example, there is a record of "National raccoon [hehe] insect gnat [xiangxiang]" in "Erya · Shichong". If people do not read the annotations, it is difficult for people to understand the meaning of "National raccoon gnat". Guo Pu commented on this It says: "蚃", "now call pupa", and quote "Guang Ya" cloud: "soil pupa, also pupa". (Fig. 6) so-called chrysalis refers to the silkworm maggot (qu drive) fly larva that parasitizes in silkworm chrysalis body exactly.Guo Pu's annotations linked the ancient animal names such as "national raccoon dog" and "chong gnat" with the larvae of silkworm maggots and flies that widely existed in silkworm production at that time.In Guo Pu's annotations, references such as "Jinyan", "common sayings" and "Jiangdong today" often appear, and they appear more than 50 times in "Shichong" alone.This shows that Guo Pu's research on "Erya" is closely related to reality.Because it can understand the past from the present, his annotations have revived many ancient animal and plant names virtually.

Guo Pu also enriched and developed the descriptions of various animals and plants in Erya.He is from Shanxi, fled to Henan due to the war, and often travels in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, so he has a good understanding of the animals and plants in many places.He annotated "Erya" not only citing classics, explaining the correct names and aliases of various animals and plants, but also describing the morphological and ecological characteristics of many animals or plants in detail based on the knowledge he acquired from practice.For example, for the record of sturgeon [xunxun], "Erya · Shichong" only records it as "鳣 [zhanzhan]", without other explanations.And Guo Pu made a further description: "Zhi, a big fish, like 鱏 [xun xun] with a short nose, mouth under the jaw, body with evil-shaped armor, no scales, yellow flesh, the big one is two or three feet long, today Jiangdong is called yellow croaker." Guo Pu vividly described the morphological characteristics of scorpion, which is the current sturgeon. It is recorded in "Erya · Shichong": "蠰 [shuang double], nibbles mulberry." Here, only the ancient name of Sang Beetle is recorded.Guo Pu's annotation further described this: "Eating mulberry, like a longhorn, has long horns, and white spots on its body. It likes to gnaw mulberry trees, making holes into it, and Jiangdong is called "gnawing hair." It describes mulberry in considerable detail. The shape and living habits of longhorns.Another example is the "white tree [rui Rui]" (that is, flat-core wood) mentioned in "Erya Shimu". Red, can eat ".Guo Pu commented on "Huochun (tuotuo)" (i.e., Tongtuo wood): "The grass grows in the south of the Yangtze River, about ten feet high, with large leaves, flesh in the stem, and white." , also have some influence.

Guo Pu also annotated and drew pictures for "Erya", using the graphic method of classification research.According to the "Sui Shu", he wrote 10 volumes of "Erya Tu", but due to the long time, the original picture has long been lost.The "Erya Yintu" we can see now is a reprint of the Yingsong banknote drawing in the sixth year of Jiaqing in Qing Dynasty (1801 A.D.).It may be derived from Guo Pu's "Er Ya Tu".In the history of biology, Guo Pu played a role in connecting the past and ushering in the future.Thanks to his research and annotations, the classification ideas contained in Erya not only preserved but also revealed more. "Erya Notes" has become an important reference book for the study of animals and plants in my country in the past dynasties.

The study of animals and plants recorded in "Erya" has become an important part of traditional Chinese biology.Under the influence of Guo Pu, from Song Yuan to Ming and Qing Dynasties, there were nearly a hundred scholars who studied "Er Ya", among which Lu Dian's "Pi Ya" and Luo Yuan's "Er Ya Yi" were closely related to biology. Lu Dian (AD 1042-1102), courtesy name Nongshi, was born in Shanyin, Yuezhou (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang).Since childhood, he has been eager to learn and read a lot.It took him 40 years to write the book Pi Ya in his spare time. "Pi Ya" has 20 volumes, and its original name is "Physical Properties", which means to identify various types of animals and plants.The book is divided into "Shi Yu" (two volumes), "Shi Beast" (three volumes), "Shi Bird" (four volumes), "Shi Chong" (two volumes), "Shi Ma" (one volume), Wood" (two volumes), "Shicao" (four volumes), and finally "Shi Tian" (two volumes).Except for the second volume of "Shi Tian", the rest are related to biological issues.The style is basically the same as "Erya", except that "Shi Hu" is simplified as "Shi Ma".No use of hair, scales, feathers, Jie, and Ying as class names.

The number of biological species recorded in "Pi Ya" is less than that in "Er Ya", but the interpretation is more detailed, and the description of animal and plant forms is very careful.For example, the difference between oranges, grapefruits, and oranges in Rutaceae is written in the book: "Oranges are small like grapefruits, with white flowers and red fruits; oranges are also tangerines, and they are fragrant like grapefruits; grapefruits are like oranges but larger than oranges, and the peel of pomelo is extremely bitter. , Pigan and orange." Through the comparison of fruit shape, fruit color and peel, it is very clear.Regarding the difference between gourd [huhu] and gourd [pao planer] of the gourd family, the book points out: long and thin gourd is called gourd, short neck and big belly is called gourd, and gourd is sweet and bitter.easy to understand.

"Pi Ya" describes the carp [fu pay] (crucian carp) fish like this: "Small fish, shaped like a carp, dark in color and short in body, big in abdomen and swollen in back", which can grasp the main signs.Record squid (quarry 〔zei thief〕): "Eight-legged, extremely short ones gather their mouths, their beaks are shrunk on their abdomen, and their breast plates contain ink. Whenever they meet big fish, they often blow ink around their waves to defend themselves. If a small fish passes by Before that, it is to provoke it by spitting ink and salivating." It not only describes the characteristics but also describes the activities.For another example, "Pi Ya" has accurate and detailed observations and descriptions of the shape and habits of dragonflies: "Dragonflies have six legs and four wings, and their wings are as thin as cicadas. They eat mosquitoes and horseflies during the day. When it rains, it will be more abundant, so it can collect water and make money." Fly, and the end of the pavilion is on the water." Regarding the shape of birds in different regions, "Pi Ya" recorded in "Shi Niao": "There are Shu, Lu, Jing, and Yue varieties of chickens. The Yue chicken is small, the Shu chicken is big, and the Lu chicken is big. The rooster is big.” "Piya" also mentions the coexistence of badgers and raccoon dogs: "Badgers and raccoons have the same den but different places. Badgers come out of their dens, led by raccoon dogs." It shows that they also pay great attention to animal ecology. It provides materials that have not been recorded by the predecessors, which is of certain value.

"Er Ya Yi" compiled by Luo Yuan in the first year of Chunxi in the Southern Song Dynasty (AD 1174) is an important monograph after "Pi Ya" that studies animals and plants more deeply.Luo Yuan, styled Duanliang, was born in She[xixi] County, Huizhou. "Er Ya Yi" was written when he was 39 years old, and it was published by Wang Yinglin 96 years later.Wang called this book "that is, the essence of things and the connotation of the body and the application, and the details are exhausted" ("Eryayi·Wang Preface"), and gave him a high evaluation. "Summary of Siku" also commented on this book as "exquisite textual research, rigorous style, above Lu Dian's "Pi Ya".

Regarding the writing of this book, Luo Yuan said in his preface: "Using "Erya" as a base, omitting its exegesis, mountains, rivers, and stars; studying animals and plants, not following the rules. Viewing reality in autumn, playing with flowers in spring, overlooking Yuanyu, looking up at the dark clouds, looking up at the dark clouds, mountains and rivers, and enjoying things. Those who don’t understand, seek out the chu [chu] salary, take the farm as a teacher, and fish and shoot as a relative. Use it to join the team, and you will get the truth. This The completion of the book is "Ya" Yuhan." The purpose of writing is clearly stated, and the writing attitude is especially valuable.

"Erya Wing" has a total of 32 volumes, arranged as follows: "Shi Cao" (eight volumes), "Shi Mu" (four volumes), "Shi Bird" (five volumes), "Shi Beast" (six volumes), "Insects" (four volumes), "Shi Yu" (five volumes).The style still follows "Erya".Among them, 120 kinds of grass names, 64 kinds of tree names, 58 kinds of bird names, 85 kinds of animal names, 40 kinds of insect names, and 55 kinds of fish names are recorded, totaling 423 kinds.It is close to the number of "Erya".The textual research is more precise, the citations are accurate, and the arguments are rigorous. The book knowledge at that time, personal experience and folk materials are combined to conduct textual research on the names of animals and plants.For example, "Shiyu" records mandarin fish: "It has a huge mouth and thin scales, and the mane (lie column) is round, yellow skin, thick and tight, and feeds on small fish. It is good to hide in the stone crevice [xiaxia] in summer. .” For the form and living habits, I remember very concretely.It is also noticed that different fish have different feeding habits: "Although fish are of the same type, they eat different things: grass carp [huanhuan] only eats grass, trout eats snails and mussels, and carp [xu preface] eats grass carp." Recorded in "Shi Mu" Coconut: "Coconut wood is like a betel nut, without branches, more than ten fathoms high. The leaves are at the end, like a bunch of cattail. The reality is as big as a gourd, tied to the top of the tree. It has skin on the outside, like a walnut, and skin in the core, white as Snow, half an inch thick, smells like pig paste, and is as beautiful as a walnut. There is juice in the skin, which rises, is as clear as water, and is as beautiful as honey. Drinking it can make you thirsty, and the core is used as a drinking vessel." From the stem to the leaves, from the outside of the fruit Recorded in the fruit, the analysis is clear and vivid. "Shicao" corrects Guo Pu's "Erya Notes" saying that female radish and dodder are the same thing: "Today's female radish is green and slender, without stray vines, and as long as a belt", "Today's rabbit silk field There are many in the villages, all of which are floating on the sagebrush.It is very clear about the parasitic nature of dodder of flower family. "Release of Insects" corrects Guo Pu, Lu Ji, and Fan Guang's mistake of treating mayflies as dung beetles, saying: "According to today's water, there are insects with very neat feathers. After the Bailu Festival, they will float on the water in groups. There are thousands of them." Be true to yourself. personal observation.He also gave a comprehensive description of the fruit gooseberry [luo nude], saying that the gooseberry was the slender-waisted wasp.He agrees with what Tao Hongjing said, that the slender-waisted bees produce eggs as big as corn, put them in the house, catch spiders or caterpillars on the grass, fill the house and seal them as food for the larvae.Think Dow's theory is "actually physics".He also commented fairly: "The record in the book is not wrong, it just said that "the fruit bears it", and did not say that it should be regarded as its own larva.Obviously this is very objective. "Er Ya Yi" distinguishes orchids and Hui in "Shicao", thinking that although they are both vanilla, they have obvious differences: "The stems and leaves of orchids are similar to those of Eupatorium euphemum, with broad and long knots, red in the knots, and four or five in height. Chi", "The leaves of orchids are like sand, and in the first spring they sprout buds, five or six inches long, and the end of them is a flower. The flowers are very fragrant, and they are probably born in deep forests." , the orchid comes first and then the hui, all of which are soft catkins (ti mention). The end of the flower is made of orchids, one catkin and one flower, and the hui, one catkin, five or six flowers, and the fragrance is second to the orchid."Obviously, it has gone one step further than that recorded in "Pi Ya". "Er Ya Yi" does not separate horses from beasts, but in "Shi Beast", there are smaller classifications, which are more detailed than "Pi Ya".This is the result of emphasizing practice.Although the purpose of the author's assessment of the names and facts of animals and plants is still as an aid to the study of classics, in fact, the research on the morphology and classification of animals and plants has been further specialized and in-depth.