Xiang Cheng, Volume 27: Incense Formulas VII · Wensi Incense
Wensi Incense — original text (compiled and edited), with vernacular translation and annotations.
Volume 27 · Incense Formulas VII · Wensi Incense
Original Text (Compiled and Edited)
Wensi Incense is said to have been made by Dongpo and Shangu. Agarwood, sandalwood, clove, and camphor are ground into powder, kneaded with honey, rolled into pills the size of a chicken's head, and burned for a clear, far-reaching fragrance.
Vernacular Translation
Wensi Incense is said to have been made by Su Shi and Huang Tingjian; agarwood, sandalwood, clove, and camphor in honey pills, burned for a clear, far-reaching fragrance. The name means "hearing and pondering tranquility," showing literati cultivating their nature through incense.
Annotations
- Chicken's head: gorgon euryale seed, indicating the pills are small
- Shangu: Huang Tingjian
- Clear and far-reaching: the clear qi extends far
Editorial Notes · Editions and Compilation Notes
Edition Basis:The received text of Xiang Cheng is based on the Ming Chongzhen-era printed edition as its ancestor; presently seen are the Wenyuan Ge Siku Quanshu edition, the Siku Huiyao edition, and various Qing manuscript copies. This compilation uses the commonly circulated collated edition as its base text, with reference to the Siku edition for collation.
Collation for This Volume:Records Wensixiang (or said to be created by Su Shi and Huang Tingjian); this formula has many alternative names (such as 'Xiangsi' and 'Wensi'), all noted here together.
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 volumes) from the Siku Quanshu edition at Wikisource、Facsimile scans of Xiang Cheng at Wikimedia Commons (PDFs of the National Library holdings and others). This site does not fabricate ancient book layouts, and therefore substitutes authoritative public-domain facsimile external links.