《庚辛玉册》:中国炼丹术在历史上的最后一部巨著

Gengxin Yuce, the Last Significant Chinese Text on Alchemy

《庚辛玉册》是朱权 ( 1 378— 1 448年 )的一部有关炼丹术的著作。西方学者琼克尔 ( D.R.Jonker)认为这部书已经失佚。明代李时珍在《本草纲目》中多次引述此书。另外 ,有一些片段也散载在某些类书中。文章英译了多年来所辑得的引自此书的条文 ,并试从这点蛛丝马迹中探讨这部书。自从 1 958年和李约瑟博士合作研究中国炼丹术史以来 ,他们两人就一直注意这部书。作者数十年来访问海外学术机构多处 ,顺便查访此书 ,但还没有发现整本的《庚辛玉册》。1 990年访问北京期间 ,薄树人陪作者和中山茂到北京图书馆查询此书 ,也无收获。今竟然读到 1 993年姚品文著《朱权研究》中有“北京图书馆有藏本”一句话。

The Genxin Yuce was a work on alchemy by Zhu Quan(1378—1448).According to J.R.Jonker the complete text of the book if no longer extant.A number of quotations from ot are given in Li Shizhens Bencao Gangmu .Other fragmentary passages from it also occur in some compendia. This paper provides an English translation of all the passages that the I have collected over the years and attempts to make a study of the Gengxin Yuce from the available material. The Gengxin Yuce had received the attention of Dr.Joseph Needham and me since we first embarked together in the study of the history of Chinese alchemy in the year 1958.During my many visits overseas over the years I used to try to look for this book in libraries whenever the opportunity arose, but was unable to find it outside China.In 1990 Nakayama Shigeru and I visited the Beijing Library, together with Bo Shuren.Helped by Bo Shuren, I asked the library about the book, but it was of no avail.I have come to read from Yao Pinwen (1993)that the Beijing Library has this book.Hopefully interested scholars will be able to make a full scale study of this interesting work in the future.