Xiang Cheng Vol. 05: Incense Types V · Lingling Xiang · Maoxiang
Lingling Xiang · Maoxiang — Original text (compiled and edited), with vernacular translation and annotations.
Vol. 05 · Incense Types V · Lingling Xiang · Maoxiang
Original Text (Compiled and Edited)
"Xiang Pu": Lingling Xiang, also known as Huicao, mostly grows in the valleys of Lingling. Its leaves resemble basil, its fragrance is rich and intense, it removes foul odors, and is suitable for inclusion in incense. Maoxiang grows in Jiannan and Huaixi; its stems and leaves are blackish brown, its flowers white; it can be boiled to make bathwater, and is used in blended incense.
Vernacular Translation and Annotation
Lingling Xiang is Huicao, growing in Lingling; its fragrance is rich and intense, it is good at removing foulness, and is often used as an incense guide. Maoxiang grows in Jiannan; it can be boiled for bathwater and is also used in blended incense for its warm and moist quality.
Annotations
- Huicao: an ancient name for Lingling Xiang
- Jiannan: present-day Sichuan area
- Tangmu: to boil for bathwater
Editorial Notes · Editions and Compilation Notes
Edition basis:The surviving text of Xiang Cheng traces its origin to the Ming Chongzhen-era printed edition; extant today are the Wenyuange Siku Quanshu edition, the Siku Huiyao edition, and various Qing manuscript copies. This compilation uses the commonly circulated collated edition as its base text, cross-checked against the Siku edition.
Collation for this volume:Records herbaceous aromatics such as linglingxiang and maoxiang; linglingxiang is also called "xuncao" and "hui," ancient names used interchangeably.
Facsimile comparison:The "original text" on this page is a collated transcription (punctuated and paragraphed according to modern conventions), not a facsimile of the original book; for character-by-character comparison, please consult authoritative public-domain editions:Full text of Xiang Cheng (twenty-eight volumes), Siku Quanshu edition, on Wikisource、Facsimile scans of Xiang Cheng (PDFs of the National Library of China holdings and others) on Wikimedia Commons. This site does not fabricate ancient book layouts, so it substitutes links to authoritative public-domain facsimiles.