Writings of the Northern and Southern Dynasties period describing one's personal experiences, thoughts, and learning in order to admonish one's children and grandchildren. Yan Zhitui wrote. Seven volumes, *** twenty articles. Zhi Tui (531~591 onwards), the character Jie. Yan was originally from Linyi, Luangshi (north of present-day Linyi, Shandong), and his ancestors crossed the river with the Eastern Jin Dynasty and lived in Jiankang. After the Houjing Rebellion, Xiao Dai, the first emperor of Liang, established himself in Jiangling, and was appointed as the minister of the scattered cavalry. In the third year of Cheng Sheng (554), the Western Wei broke Jiangling, and Zhitui was captured and went west. In order to return to Jiangnan, he took advantage of the rising Yellow River to sneak across from Hongnong (southwest of present-day Sanmenxia, Henan Province), and first fled to Northern Qi through the danger of the Mainstay. But the southern Chen Dynasty replaced the Liang Dynasty, the push to return to the south of the wish failed, that is, stayed in the northern Qi, the official to the yellow door minister. 577 years Qi died into the Zhou. In 577, after the fall of Qi, he joined the Zhou, and after the Sui Dynasty replaced the Zhou, he served in Sui again. The book was completed after Sui's destruction of Chen (589).

Yan Zhiwei came from a scholarly family and was y influenced by Confucianism and Buddhism. However, he was knowledgeable and talented, diligent and sensitive in dealing with matters, and responded in a leisurely manner, so he was favored under the various regimes of Hu and Han in the north and south of the country. He was over 60 years of life, "three for the people of the dead country", traveled throughout the south, Hebei, Guanzhong, and died in the north and south unification of Sui Kaihuang years, so the experience, experience are richer than the south or north of a corner of the high family clan can be compared. Although the book reveals some pedantic views, it also contains a lot of detailed observations and insightful comments on the society, politics and culture of the North and South Dynasties. Many situations recorded in the book have high historical value. For example, the book compares the differences and similarities between the styles of the Northern and Southern scholarly clans, the methods of learning and writing, and even the language and arts, and seeks to find their gains and losses. The fragility of the children of the Liang Dynasty, the method of teaching the children by the readers in Yecheng, and the unproductive fields of the overseas Chinese surnames in Jiangnan are all closely related to the historical events of the North and South Dynasties. The two articles, "Book Evidence" and "Sound Rhetoric," reflect the scholarly achievements of Yan Zhiwei. The book is annotated by Wang Liqi's Yen's Family Traditions and Zhou Fagao's Yen's Family Traditions. The book has an English translation by Deng Ziyu.

For details, see the following website:

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