Xiang Cheng, Volume 19: Incense Texts III · On Incense
On Incense — original text (compiled and edited), with vernacular translation and annotations.
Volume 19 · Incense Texts III · On Incense
Original Text (Compiled and Edited)
The ancients on incense: the uses of incense are the broadest of all. When the lofty hermit burns it, it clears the heart and gladdens the spirit; by a sunny window while rubbing ink and practicing calligraphy, it can be burned and enjoyed.
Vernacular Translation
The ancients said incense has the widest uses: the hermit burns it to clear the mind, and by a sunny window while practicing calligraphy it is burned to add inspiration. Incense is not merely for smelling—it is a means of nurturing the heart.
Annotations
- 溥: broad
- 拓帖: practicing calligraphy from copybooks
- 物外高隐: one who transcends worldly affairs and lives in seclusion
Editorial Notes · Editions and Editorial Notes
Edition basis:The received text of Xiang Cheng traces its ancestry to the Ming Chongzhen-era printed edition; extant today are the Wenyuan Ge Siku Quanshu edition, the Siku Huiyao edition, and various Qing manuscript copies. This compilation takes the commonly circulated modern collated edition as its base text and cross-checks it against the Siku Quanshu edition.
Collation for this volume:Records the incense theories of various schools (such as the Xiang Shi De and the prefaces and postscripts to the Xiang Lu); variant readings in quotations from the storytelling genres mostly appear in book titles.
Facsimile comparison:The "original text" on this page is a collated compilation (punctuated and paragraphed according to modern conventions), not a facsimile of the original book; for character-by-character collation, please consult authoritative public-domain editions:Full text of Xiang Cheng (twenty-eight juan) from the Siku Quanshu edition at Wikisource、Facsimile scans of Xiang Cheng at Wikimedia Commons (PDFs of the National Library of China holdings and others). This site does not fabricate ancient book layouts, and therefore substitutes external links to authoritative public-domain facsimiles.