Youyang in the title of the book refers to Shu instead of Youyang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County in Chongqing today.
In the preface, Duan's modest name is not like "Poetry is too thick, history is folded, children are acyl, and this is a book of three flavors." With such a high-end atmosphere, his book is like "Roasted Owl" (Roasted Owl, I can't imagine what it tastes like. ) generally can't get on the table, just dare to call it "miscellaneous".
(Quoted from Li Shu's Bibliography of Song and Han Dynasties, three kinds of ancient books are compared with three kinds of food, namely, ancient books, historical books and hundreds of books. Shaoxing's San Tan Yin Yue is published here. )
Duan uses food as a metaphor. His name is influenced by his father, a gourmet. If translated according to the modern title, Za Mi is Za Za Er.
Extended data
Youyang Miscellaneous Secrets is a novel in the Tang Dynasty. As a collection of note novels, its first volume has 20 volumes, and its sequel has 10. This secretary includes immortals, buddhas, ghosts, personnel, animals, plants, wine, temples and so on. , and classify and catalogue. Some contents belong to legends, while others record rare things in different places and exotic places, similar to Jin Zhanghua's natural history.
Youyang Miscellanies can be said to be a wonderful book hidden in the depths of China's history. Its contents involve immortals, buddhas, ghosts, monsters, Taoists, demons, people, animals, plants, food, dreams, grave robbing, predictions, omens, thunder and lightning, funerals, politics, science and technology, astronomy, geography, supernatural phenomena, medicine and so on.
Youyang Zaju is rich in content, and its legendary part has a certain position in the history of China literature. Youyang miscellaneous fish has not only literary value, but also historical value, scientific value and medical value. The ancient Chinese and foreign rumors, myths, stories and legends written in the book reflect the social reality in a tortuous way, providing valuable historical materials for the study of Tang legends, and even making up for the lack of official history in some aspects.
At the same time, the book also describes the anecdotes of the ruling class in the Tang Dynasty, the response and etiquette of servants in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and the exchange of Chinese and foreign cultures and products. For example, the chapter "Realm" introduces many customs of border ethnic minorities in the Tang Dynasty, and also introduces some foreign situations at that time. These contents come from hearsay or secret manuscripts, which provide valuable information for us to study ancient history, the history of Sino-foreign relations and the history of some countries in Central Asia and the Middle East at that time.
At the same time, folk weddings, funerals, customs, etc. Writing in the book also provided convenience for us to understand the social folk culture at that time. The explanation of animals, plants, astronomy, geography and supernatural phenomena has important scientific value. For example, the book not only records astronomical phenomena, meteorites, fossils and mineral deposits, but also introduces the morphology and characteristics of animals and plants in detail, which provides valuable reference materials for the research of natural science in China.
In addition, Youyang Miscellaneous Notes also introduced some Chinese herbal medicines in articles such as Fishing Songs, which undoubtedly provided some research materials for medical researchers.
In a word, Youyang Zayu has a wide range of contents, which can be described as "everything in heaven and earth is as one in appearance" and is a rare book in the Tang Dynasty. This book not only has a wide influence in the history of our country, but also spread abroad, forming a certain influence.
Tonight's Evening Paper-Why is it called Youyang Miscellany?
Baidu encyclopedia-Youyang Zaju