This article takes anecdote-format strange writing in the middle and late Ming as the object of discussion, discussing how it speaks about knowledge.
We will start from two points. First, observing the classification of strange writing in the bibliography of Ming Dynasty to find out that strange writing and novel is not so distinguished in the classification of the four branches. Not only that it is often classified to the section of Historical records and Philosophical writings, but it’s also hard to differentiate from Miscellaneous School note form. We try to find the boundary of strange writing with “The Master never talked” and “Tell you names of birds, beasts, plants and trees”, which form two types: ”Strange records by Zhu Yun-ming(1460-1526)” and “Natural history of Yang Shen(1488-1559)”. Strange writing stretches across the boundary of the novel, and in the need for knowledge of exotic objects lies the key.
The second point uses supernatural literature as a framework, this theory, which seems to contradict the traditional concept of nature, can transform strange writing into theory of things of fear and curiosity about the unknown. By many requirements like “seeing and hearing”, ” not deceiving”, ” delivering the trustworthy” and “testifying”, we can evaluate the knowledge dimension of strange writing.
To start, we refer to the thought of combining the natural history in the West with conventional natural history by gathering, naming, verification and omens, classifying, collecting, and organizing strange things. In the principle of persuasion, broaden knowledge, and textual criticism, people in the Ming dynasty tell ghost stories by experiences from elegant gatherings. They used note style and strange writing discourse to act on the role division of event participants, narrators, and recorders to strengthen their cognition. Moreover, they also obtained books and information, collecting differences with a scholarly attitude and making the literature highly prioritized in the examination. They put together the image of exotic objects in the collection of books but emphasized the relationship between people and exotic objects where their nature is not seriously considered. Last, they divided things into categories and classified them into the features of strange writing in the Ming, such as the three positionings of the structure: heaven, earth, and human beings, or an attempt to classify based on historical books, local chronicles, and novels. These mark the independent character created by strange writing, which can be regarded as an attempt to understand and grasp an image of the world with the order of heaven and earth.
The knowledge system of things in the Ming is constructed on the concept of “qi” and ghosts’ existence. The notion of using strange writing to “gewu” changed from summoning exotic objects by the sacrificial ceremony to cognitive behavior. By traditional method of examination, they found the truth of the normal and abnormal outside and pursuit the enlightenment of their inner mind. This opened up the communication between metaphysics and ethics, which performed exotic objects as a way to predict good and bad and completed the Confucianization of the knowledge of exotic objects. On the other hand, the natural history is derived from the knowledge of Confucius' knowing more theory and has always remained dormant at the outer edge of academics. It should be a broad knowledge as it covers both the normal and abnormal though, people seem to only like strange things, making it developing to a limited and narrow path. Whether it was either Zhu Yun-ming or Yang Shen, both said that strange writing corresponded to the situation of natural history, forming the rebellious spirit of the literati in the Ming dynasty that stayed away from the center, being on the edge and not showing their talent.