The Eighteen Volumes of the Classic of Mountains and Seas
Volume 1: The Classic of the Southern Mountains
Volume 2: The Classic of the Western Mountains
Volume 3: The Classic of the Northern Mountains
Volume 4: The Classic of the Eastern Mountains
Volume 5: The Classic of the Central Mountains
Volume 6: The Classic of Southern Regions Beyond the Seas
Volume 7: The Classic of Western Regions Beyond the Seas
Volume 8: The Classic of Northern Regions Beyond the Seas
Volume 9: The Classic of Eastern Regions Beyond the Seas
Volume 10: The Classic of Southern Regions Within the Seas
Volume 11: The Classic of Western Regions Within the Seas
Volume 12: The Classic of Northern Regions Within the Seas
Volume 13: The Classic of Eastern Regions Within the Seas
Volume 14: The Classic of Southern Great Wilderness
Volume 15: The Classic of Western Great Wilderness
Volume 16: The Classic of Northern Great Wilderness
Volume 17: The Classic of Eastern Great Wilderness
Volume 18: The Classic of Regions Within the Seas
In the service, Lieutenant Che and Dr. Chenxiu of Guanglu led the proofreading and secretarial work. He reported that Chen Wang, a subordinate of Secretary Taichang, had proofread the Book of Mountains and Seas in a total of thirty-two chapters, and the number has now been reduced to eighteen chapters.
"The Classic of Mountains and Seas" originated from the Tang and Yu dynasties. Once upon a time, floods covered the whole of China. People lost their homes and had to walk hard among the hills and build nests in trees. Gun failed to control the floods, so Emperor Yao sent Yu to control them. Yu took four kinds of transportation, cut wood along the mountains, and determined the boundaries of the mountains and rivers. Together with Boyi, he took the lead in driving away animals, naming mountains and rivers, classifying vegetation, and identifying water and soil. The four mountains assisted him to cover all directions. He reaches inaccessible places and places that are difficult to reach by car or boat.
He distinguished the mountains in five directions, divided the sea areas in eight directions, and recorded the treasures, exotic products, water, soil, vegetation, animals and insects, the habitats of unicorns and phoenixes, the hiding places of auspicious objects, and the places beyond the four seas. , alien people in a distant country. Yu divided the nine states, contributed items according to the characteristics of the land, Yi and others classified the quality of items, and wrote the "Book of Mountains and Seas". These are all deeds left by sages and important evidence of ancient writings. The facts it records are clear and credible.
During the reign of Emperor Xiaowu, someone offered a strange bird that would not eat anything. Dongfang Shuo saw the bird and told its name and the food it should eat, just as Shuo said. When asked how he knew this, he said it was because it was recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.
During the period of Emperor Xiaoxuan, the stone in Shangjun was struck, and a stone chamber was discovered, with thieves tied behind their backs inside. The father of the minister Zixiu at that time was a doctor admonishing him. He said that he was an unworthy minister. When asked by the emperor how he knew it, he also quoted the "Book of Mountains and Seas". The article says: Er Fu killed Yaoyiao, so the emperor tied him to the mountain, locked his right foot, and tied his hands behind his back. The emperor and courtiers were greatly surprised by this, and from then on many people in the court were surprised by "The Classic of Mountains and Seas".
Literary scholars all studied it and believed that its peculiarities could be used to examine auspicious objects, strangely changing things, and the customs and habits of distant countries and foreign races. Therefore, the "Book of Changes" says: Although the most profound things in the world are complicated, they are not chaotic. How can a learned gentleman be confused by this? I would like to risk my own life, Chen Xiu.
The "Classic of Mountains and Seas" newly printed by the National Academy of Sciences has mixed volumes, interrelated rows and columns, and there are still many errors.
Mr. Ge Laopeng once corrected it, and I revised it myself for easy reference. If there are any uncorrected points in the Haishi correction, I hope that a knowledgeable and elegant gentleman can correct it.
On the first day of the first lunar month of the Gengyin year in Chenghua, I learned from the ancient Wu Chen Jian Ji Xi Ji.