An Analytical List of the Tun-Huang Manuscripts in the National Library of Peiping
An Analytical List of the Tun-Huang Manuscripts in the National Library of Peiping is a comprehensive directory compiled by Chen Yuan (1880-1971), a prominent Chinese scholar, historian, and librarian, listing a total of 8,679 Dunhuang documents held by Peking Library (now the National Library of China) at the time. Published in 1931 by the Institute of History and Philology of the Academia Sinica, it is the earliest classification catalog of Dunhuang Chinese literature in the world. The title "劫余 (jieyu)" ("remnant") reflects the stance of Chinese scholars that the Dunhuang Caves manuscripts and artifacts were fraudulently acquired, robbed, and smuggled abroad by Western explorers.
The book first is a compilation of all the scriptures according to the types and order of Buddhist texts in the general catalog, arranging them into a table of contents, and recording the total number of each scripture under its title. The main catalog lists each document according to the Buddhist text catalog, noting the document's start and end, number of pages, number of lines, and quality. In the supplementary notes, it transcribes the colophons and any missing details of the manuscripts. This work has become a significant model in both organization of Dunhuang literature and cataloging methods.
In the preface written by Chen Yinke, the book is described as "an essential tool for scholars of Dunhuang studies". Chen also introduced the term "Dunhuang studies" and addressed the prevailing sentiment in China at the time that "Dunhuang studies represent the lamentable history of our country's scholarship". He argued that the new materials unearthed from the Dunhuang Caves had sparked a global trend in Dunhuang studies. He provided examples to illustrate that many valuable pieces of Dunhuang literature remain in China, aiming to encourage Chinese scholars to march forward so as to stand tall in the international field of Dunhuang studies.
《敦煌劫余錄》
《敦煌劫余錄》是由中國學者陳垣編撰的當時北平圖書館(今中國國家圖書館)共計8679件敦煌文獻的總目錄,1931年由中國中央研究院歷史語言研究所刊行,是全世界最早的敦煌漢文文獻分類目錄。該書以“劫余”為書名,表明了中國學者認為敦煌藏經洞文物被西方探險家騙購盜劫、流失海外的立場。
該書先在總目內依佛經種類和次序匯編全部寫經、排成目次,并在每部經名下記錄該經收藏的總數;在正錄內依佛經目次,記錄每件文獻的起訖、紙數、行數及品次,并在附記內抄錄題記及寫本殘缺情況。本書無論在敦煌文獻的整理工作抑或是編目方法上,都成為相當重要的范例。
由陳寅恪為該書撰寫的序言中,評價此書為“誠治敦煌學者,不可缺之工具”。同時,也提出了“敦煌學”一詞,并針對當時中國流行“敦煌學者,吾國學術之傷心史也”的說法提出自己的觀點。他認為,敦煌藏經洞出土的新材料,帶動了當時全世界敦煌學研究的新潮流,并舉例說明留存在中國的敦煌文獻也有很多有價值的精品,意在鼓勵中國學者奮起直追,使中國學者能夠屹立于國際敦煌學之林。