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Term Paper

Yongle Encyclopedia

Introduction

The Yongle Encyclopedia was compiled under the order of Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di during the Ming Dynasty. It can be regarded as the largest book of its kind in ancient China and a treasure in the history of world culture. This classic was finalized in the fifth year of Yongle (1407) and copied in the sixth year of Yongle (1408). The whole book consists of 22937 volumes (including 60 volumes of table of contents), divided into 11095 volumes. This book preserves a large amount of literature from the pre Qin period to the early Ming Dynasty, and enjoys a high position in the history of Chinese and even world literature. The original copy has been missing since the first year of Longqing, and the replica has also suffered many misfortunes in modern times, such as wars, burning, and looting. It is distributed in nearly ten countries and regions around the world. Up to now, more than 400 volumes and 800 volumes of existing fragments have been discovered. Although it is less than 4% of the original, the arduous efforts made by generations of scholars in investigating and searching are worth learning and continuing. The Encyclopedia Britannica,which refers to the Chinese Ming Dynasty encyclopedia Yongle Encyclopedia as the "largest encyclopedia in world history" in its "Encyclopedia" entry,. It can be seen that the Yongle Encyclopedia has become an important symbol of Chinese culture.

Content Introduction

The Yongle Encyclopedia consists of 22877 volumes, compiled into 11095 volumes with approximately 370 million words. It includes seven to eight thousand classic works from the pre Qin period to the early Ming Dynasty, covering various fields such as Confucian classics such as the Book of Songs and the Book of Documents, as well as scientific and technological works such as the Tiangong Kaiwu:The Exploitation of the Works of Nature, Qiming Yaoshu:Essential Techniques for the Welfare of the People, and The Book of Fan Shengzhi. There are also numerous classic works and folk materials collected in other fields, making it the "encyclopedia of ancient China". Unlike the traditional classification and arrangement of books based on content, the Yongle Encyclopedia adopts the arrangement method of "using rhyme to rank characters", that is, according to the rhyme entries of the Hongwu Standard Rhymes, single characters are sorted by rhyme, and then literature related to each character is compiled under each character, including pronunciation, meaning, allusions, poems, miscellaneous sayings, etc. This method breaks the limitations of traditional classification, facilitates users to search by rhyme, and greatly improves the efficiency of reading classics. The main text of the entire book was copied by calligraphers using the Ming Dynasty official regular script "Taige style", stroke by stroke, which is very neat and beautiful. For ease of understanding, the book also includes multiple illustrations, including portraits of people, antique utensils, palace architecture, gardening flowers and trees, and maps of mountains and rivers. The paper used is white cotton paper and leather paper, with a thickness of about 0.12 millimeters. The paper is translucent and flexible, making it an excellent writing paper. Wrap the surface with bright yellow silk, hang the book jacket with multiple layers of rice paper, and pack it on the back; The format is large, with a height of 50.4 centimeters and a width of 30 centimeters; The frame size is 35.3 centimeters high and 23.6 centimeters wide; Each volume is about 50 leaves, mostly two volumes in one binding, but there are also one volume in one binding or three volumes in one binding .

Birth

The idea of compiling a comprehensive collection of classics and history dates back to the lifetime of Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, but it was not implemented due to various reasons. After Zhu Di, the founder of Ming Dynasty, seized the throne, in order to eliminate the dissatisfaction of the court and the people after the "Jingnan Campaign", demonstrate literary and martial achievements、win over scholars from all over the world, and also to organize the classics of various dynasties systematically. In the first year of Yongle (1403), he issued an edict ordering Jie Jin to lead the compilation of a large-scale book, requiring that "all books and records should be compiled from hundreds of schools, and as for astronomy, geology, yin and yang, medical divination, monasticism, and skills, they should be compiled into one book". Jie Jin led over a hundred Confucian officials to compile the "Complete Collection of Documents" in just one year, but due to its concise content, it failed to meet Zhu Di's needs. In the third year of Yongle (1405), Zhu Di ordered Yao Guangxiao, Jie Jin and others to recompile, greatly expanding the scale of this compilation. At the same time, the compilation team expanded to 2196 people, more than 3000 people totally. It took five years to finalize in the sixth year of Yongle (1408), and Zhu Di personally wrote the preface and gave it the name Yongle Encyclopedia.

The Fate of Yongle Encyclopedia

After the compilation of the Yongle Encyclopedia, there was only one part (the original) copied, and it was originally planned to be printed in a rigid format, but due to the large scale of the project, it was not implemented. The original manuscript is hidden in the Wenyuan Pavilion in Nanjing, and its whereabouts are difficult to verify. After Ming Chengzu moved the capital to Beijing, the original copy was moved to the Forbidden City in Beijing. Afterwards, due to multiple fires in the palace before, Emperor Shizong ordered people to rewrite the Yongle Encyclopedia for unexpected situations. The transcription was completed in the first year of Longqing, and this is the copy. But the original copy of the Yongle Encyclopedia has been missing since the completion of this transcription, and the copies have also suffered many setbacks in modern times and have been repeatedly destroyed. They are now scattered in nearly ten countries and regions around the world. There are two main versions of stories regarding the whereabouts of the original text: one is the version of sacrificial burial. Some scholars speculate that based on Emperor Ming Shizong's love for the Yongle Encyclopedia, it was buried as a burial object in Yongling after the death of Emperor Jiajing. Emperor Ming Shizong once ordered someone to transcribe a copy, which took six years to complete. However, the original copy has not been recorded since then, providing indirect evidence for the theory of sacrificial burial. The second version is the burning theory. Some believe that the original documents were damaged during the wars of the late Ming Dynasty. After Li Zicheng led his army to attack Beijing, the Forbidden City was hit by a fire, and the original documents may have been reduced to ashes in the fire. However, this claim lacks direct literature support, and currently the theory of martyrdom has gained more recognition from scholars. In addition, the losses and destruction of copies are also heartbreaking. After the completion of the copy of the Yongle Encyclopedia, it was stored in the Imperial History Hall in Beijing. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, when the Qing government was compiling the "Complete Library of Four Treasures", it used the Yongle Encyclopedia to compile more than 500 lost classics. However, due to previous negligence in management and officials' theft of books, some copies were lost at this time. Later, as the Qing Dynasty's national strength declined, the fate of the replicas began to face difficulties. In the tenth year of the Xianfeng reign (1860), the Anglo French coalition invaded Beijing, and the Hanlin Academy was looted. Some copies of the Yongle Encyclopedia were burned down, and some were taken away by the invaders. In the 26th year of the Guangxu reign (1900), the Eight Nation Alliance invaded China, and the Hanlin Academy was burned again. The remaining copies were either burned, sold as waste paper, or discarded at will. After these two disasters, the copy of the Yongle Encyclopedia was completely lost. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, domestic collections were gradually restored through various channels such as collection by cultural and museum personnel in the private sector, donations from multiple collectors, and returns from foreign units. Nowadays, there are only over 400 surviving fragments of the Yongle Encyclopedia, scattered in libraries and museums in countries such as China, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, and Japan, which has become a major loss in the cultural history of the Chinese nation.

Value

The greatest literary value of the Yongle Encyclopedia lies in its function of collecting lost texts. The book contains a large number of lost classics from the Song and Yuan dynasties, which have not been passed down to future generations due to various reasons. Fortunately, fragments were preserved thanks to the inclusion of the Yongle Encyclopedia. During the Qing Dynasty's compilation of the Complete Library of Four Treasures, scholars lost important classics such as History of the Old Five Dynasties, Continuation of the Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government, and Commentary on the Water Classic from the Yongle Encyclopedia, greatly enriching the ancient Chinese literary treasure trove. In addition, the documents included in the Yongle Encyclopedia are mostly complete and excellent versions from the Song and Yuan dynasties, providing a reliable foundation for the compilation of ancient books and playing an irreplaceable role in restoring the original appearance of ancient books. Secondly, it also has considerable academic research value. The content of the Yongle Encyclopedia covers many fields of social sciences and natural sciences, and is a precious material for studying ancient society. In the field of history, the imperial edicts, memorials, local chronicles, and other materials included in books can supplement the shortcomings of official history; In the field of literature, a large number of poems, operas, and novels from the Song and Yuan dynasties have been preserved, providing new materials for studying the development of ancient literature; In the field of technology, the included astronomical calendars, medicinal formulas, and technological processes reflect the technological achievements of ancient China. At the same time, the arrangement style of the Yongle Encyclopedia reflects the level of literature organization in the Ming Dynasty and has had a profound impact on the compilation of later classified books. The search and restoration of the Yongle Encyclopedia also reflects the resonance and vibration of context and national destiny. In recent years, with the development of digital technology, multiple institutions at home and abroad have jointly carried out the digital sorting of the remaining volumes of the Yongle Encyclopedia, breaking through geographical limitations and making this precious classic accessible to scholars around the world. This not only helps to promote the study of the Yongle Encyclopedia, but also has important practical significance for inheriting excellent traditional Chinese culture and enhancing cultural confidence.

Questions

1.Which emperor presided over the compilation of Yongle Encyclopedia? 2.What are the theories about the whereabouts of the original version of Yongle Encyclopedia? 3.In which countries are the copies of Yongle Encyclopedia scattered now? 4.What fields of content does Yongle Encyclopedia cover?

Answers

1.Zhu Di, Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty. 2.The first is the "Burial Theory": Based on Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty's fondness for Yongle Encyclopedia, scholars speculate that it was buried in the Yong Mausoleum as a burial object after Emperor Jiajing passed away. The second is the "Destruction by Fire Theory": Some views hold that the original version was destroyed in the wars at the end of the Ming Dynasty. After Li Zicheng led his army to capture Beijing, the Forbidden City caught fire, and the original version might have been reduced to ashes in the blaze. 3.They are kept in libraries and museums in countries including China, the United Kingdom, France, the United States and Japan. 4.It includes books of all schools of thought in the categories of Shi, Zi, Ji; covering fields such as astronomy, geography, yin-yang studies, medicine and divination, Buddhism and Taoism, and crafts and skills. (The same answer with two different expressions: It also encompasses contents across a wide range of areas like Confucian classics, history, philosophy, literary works, astronomy, geography, medicine, divination, astrology, drama, novels, Buddhist scriptures, Taoist classics, craftsmanship and agriculture.)

《永乐大典》

引言

《永乐大典》由明朝时期明成祖朱棣下令编纂，堪称中国古代规模最大的类书，也是世界文化史上的瑰宝。这部典籍于永乐五年(1407年)定稿，于永乐六年(1408年)抄写完毕。全书共22937卷(其中目录60卷)，分装成11095册。该书保存了先秦至明朝初的大量文献资料，在中国乃至世界文献史上都享有极高的地位。正本在隆庆以后已下落不明，副本在近代亦命途多舛，屡遭劫难，如战乱、焚毁与劫掠等，分布于全球近十个国家和地区。时至今日，现存残本已查访到400余册，800余卷，虽不足原本的4%，但一代代学人为调查搜寻所付出的艰辛努力却值得我们学习与延续。 《不列颠百科全书》在"百科全书"条目中称中国明代类书《永乐大典》为"世界有史以来最大的百科全书"。由此可见，《永乐大典》已经成为中国文化的重要代表。

内容介绍

《永乐大典》全书共22877卷，装成11095册，约3.7亿字，收录了上自先秦、下迄明初的典籍七八千种，涵盖经史子集、天文地理、医卜星相、戏剧小说、释藏道经、工技农艺等诸多领域：儒家经典有《诗经》、《尚书》，科技著作收纳了有《天工开物》、《齐名要术》、《汜胜之书》等，其他领域的经典著作和民间资料收集也十分众多，堪称“中国古代的百科全书”。 与传统类书按内容分类编排的体例不同，《永乐大典》采用“用韵以次字”的编排方式，即依照《洪武正韵》的韵目，按韵分列单字，再在每个单字下辑录与该字相关的文献资料，包括字音、字义、典故、诗文、杂说等，这种体例打破了传统分类的局限，便于使用者按韵检索，极大提升了典籍的查阅效率。 全书的正文都是书手们用明代官用楷书"台阁体"一笔一画抄写的，十分工整美观。为方便理解，书中还加入了多张插图，包括人物肖像，古物器具，宫殿建筑，园艺花木，山河舆图等。所用纸为白棉纸和皮纸，厚度约0.12毫米，纸质莹白柔韧，是书写的极佳用纸。用明黄丝绢包面，书衣用多层宣纸硬裱，包背装；开本阔大，高50.4厘米，宽30厘米；版框尺寸高35.3厘米，宽23.6厘米；每册约50叶，大多两卷一册，也有一卷一册或三卷一册的。

诞生

想要编纂经史百家之大全的想法在明太祖朱元璋在世时就有了，但因为种种原因没有实施。明成祖朱棣夺取帝位后，为了消除“靖难之役”后朝野上下的不满，彰显文治武功、笼络天下士人，同时也为系统整理历代典籍，在永乐元年（1403年）下诏命解缙主持编纂一部大型类书，要求“凡书契以来经史子集百家之书，至于天文、地志、阴阳、医卜、僧道、技艺之言，备辑为一书”。解缙率百余名儒臣仅用一年便编成《文献大成》，但因内容简略未能满足朱棣需求。永乐三年（1405年），朱棣命姚广孝、解缙等人重新编纂，此次编纂规模大幅扩大，同时编纂队伍扩大到了2196人，累计达三千余人，历时五年，于永乐六年（1408年）定稿，朱棣亲自作序并赐名《永乐大典》。

下落

而《永乐大典》编成后只抄了一部(即正本)，本打算刻板印行，但因工程太大没有实行。正本被藏于南京文渊阁，原稿本的下落则难以考证。明成祖迁都北京后，正本被移至北京紫禁城。之后由于此前宫中多次失火，为防不测，世宗命人重抄《永乐大典》，在隆庆元年抄录完成，这就是副本。但《永乐大典》的正本在此次抄录完成以后便已经下落不明，副本也在近代亦命途多舛，屡遭劫难，现在分散在全球近十个国家和地区。 关于正本的下落，学界主要有两种说法：一是殉葬说，有学者依据明世宗对《永乐大典》的喜爱，推测其在嘉靖帝驾崩后，作为陪葬品埋入永陵。明世宗曾命人抄录副本，耗时六年方才完成，而正本自此便不见记载，这为殉葬说提供了间接证据。二是焚毁说，有观点认为正本在明末战乱中损毁，李自成率军攻入北京后，紫禁城遭遇火灾，正本可能在火中化为灰烬。但此说法缺乏直接文献佐证，目前殉葬说得到更多学者的认同。 除此之外，副本的流逝与损毁也让人心痛。《永乐大典》的副本完成后，藏于北京皇史宬。清代乾隆年间，清政府修纂《四库全书》时，曾利用《永乐大典》辑佚出五百余种失传典籍，但由于此前疏于管理和官员的偷书私藏，此时部分副本随之流失。之后随着清朝国力衰退，副本的命运开始走向坎坷。咸丰十年（1860年），英法联军攻入北京，翰林院遭劫掠，部分《永乐大典》副本被焚毁，部分被侵略者掠走。光绪二十六年（1900年），八国联军侵华，翰林院再次被焚，剩余的副本或被焚毁，或被当作废纸售卖、随意丢弃。经此两次劫难，《永乐大典》副本损失殆尽。 建国以后，通过文博工作人员在民间的收集、多位收藏家的捐赠和国外单位的归还等途径，国内藏本得以慢慢恢复。如今，现存的《永乐大典》残卷仅四百余册，分散于中国、英国、法国、美国、日本等国家的图书馆与博物馆中，成为中华民族文化史上的一大憾事。

价值

《永乐大典》最大的文献价值在于其辑佚功能，书中收录了大量宋元时期的失传典籍，这些典籍因种种原因未能流传后世，幸赖《永乐大典》的收录才得以保存片段。清代修纂《四库全书》时，学者们从《永乐大典》中辑佚出《旧五代史》《续资治通鉴长编》《水经注》等重要典籍，极大丰富了中国古代的文献宝库。此外，《永乐大典》所收录的文献多为宋元时期的足本、善本，为古籍整理提供了可靠的底本，对恢复古籍原貌具有不可替代的作用。 其次还具有相当大的学术研究价值。《永乐大典》内容涵盖社会科学与自然科学的诸多领域，是研究古代社会的珍贵资料。在历史学领域，书中收录的诏令、奏议、方志等资料，可补正史之不足；在文学领域，保存了大量宋元时期的诗词、戏曲、小说，为研究古代文学的发展脉络提供了新的素材；在科技领域，收录的天文历法、医药方剂、工艺技术等内容，反映了中国古代的科技成就。同时，《永乐大典》的编排体例，体现了明代的文献整理水平，对后世类书的编纂产生了深远影响。 对《永乐大典》的搜寻与恢复也体现了文脉与国运同呼吸共振动。近年来，随着数字化技术的发展，国内外多家机构联合开展《永乐大典》残卷的数字化整理工作，让这部珍贵典籍突破地域限制，为全球学者所共享。这不仅有助于推动《永乐大典》的研究，更对传承中华优秀传统文化、增强文化自信具有重要的现实意义。

参考文献

[1]彭薇.国宝级典籍的“前世今生[N].解放日报,2025-08-18(012).DOI:10.28410 (Peng, Wei. "Past and Present" of National Treasure Classics [N]. Jiefang Daily, 2025-08-18 (012). DOI: 10.28410) [2]王红.旷世宏编《永乐大典》的漂泊沉浮[J].炎黄春秋,2025,(03):95-100. (Wang, Hon. The Vicissitudes of the Unprecedented Great Compilation Yongle Encyclopedia [J]. Yanhuang Chunqiu, 2025, (03): 95-100.) [3]金满楼.《永乐大典》：划时代的百科全书[N].海南日报,2022-10-31(B07).DOI:10.28356 (Jin, M. L. Yongle Encyclopedia: An Epoch-making Encyclopedia [N]. Hainan Daily, 2022-10-31 (B07). DOI: 10.28356.) [4]高树伟.《永乐大典》正本流传史事考辨[J].历史研究,2022,(01):206-218+224. (2022,(01):206-218+224. Gao, S. W. Textual Research on the Circulation History of the Original Version of Yongle Encyclopedia [J]. Historical Research, 2022, (01): 206-218+224) [5]国宝外流：宫内秘籍《永乐大典》是如何流入日本的？[N].澎湃新闻,2022.1.25 (National Treasures Going Abroad: How Did the Palace Secret Book Yongle Encyclopedia Flow into Japan? [N]. The Paper, 2022-01-25)

术语

永乐大典 Yongle Encyclopedia 类书 leishu (encyclopedic reference book) 正本 original copy 副本 duplicate copy 文献辑佚 document compilation 文治武功 literary and martial achievements 经史子集 Confucian classics, histories, philosophers' works, literary collections 洪武正韵 Hongwu Rhyme Dictionary 按韵检索 search by rhymes 殉葬说 burial theory 焚毁说 destruction theory 文渊阁 Wenyuan Pavilion 皇史宬 Imperial Historical Archive 四库全书 Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) 辑佚 compilation of lost works 足本 complete edition 善本 rare edition 《天工开物》Tiangong Kaiwu:The Exploitation of the Works of Nature, 《齐名要术》Qiming Yaoshu:Essential Techniques for the Welfare of the People, 《汜胜之书》The Book of Fan Shengzhi 洪武正韵 Hongwu Standard Rhymes

问题

1.《永乐大典》是由哪位皇帝主持编撰完成的？ 2.关于《永乐大典》的正本的下落有哪些说法？ 3.《永乐大典》的副本如今散布于哪些国家？ 4.《永乐大典》包含了哪些领域的内容？

答案

1.明成祖朱棣 2.第一个是“殉葬说”：学者依据明世宗对《永乐大典》的喜爱，推测其在嘉靖帝驾崩后，作为陪葬品埋入永陵。第二个是“焚毁说”：有观点认为正本在明末战乱中损毁，李自成率军攻入北京后，紫禁城遭遇火灾，正本可能在火中化为灰烬。 3.中国、英国、法国、美国、日本等国家的图书馆与博物馆中。 史子集百家之书，至于天文、地志、阴阳、医卜、僧道、技艺,或者经史子集、天文地理、医卜星相、戏剧小说、释藏道经、工技农艺等诸多领域.。（同样的答案，两处不同表达）