Originally published in the Jin (金) Dynasty as a rhyming book for the imperial examinations, this was the basis for the rhymes of poems written by literati at that time and afterwards. It was first engraved and published in Pingshui (now Linfen, Shanxi Province), hence the name. (Another theory is that it was named after one of the publishers, Liu Yuan, who was born in Pingshui, Jiangbei, now unknown). Rhyme is an important artistic feature of poetry. From ancient times to the Sui Dynasty, poetry rhymed according to the natural laws of rhyme. During the Sui Dynasty, when China was reunified and northern and southern cultures were fused, Lu Fayan (562-?) and others compiled a book called Qieyun (qie is a traditional method of marking pronunciation, yun means “rhyming system”), which represented a compromise between the northern and southern official dialects. In the Tang Dynasty, poetry was among the subjects of the imperial examinations, and books like Qieyun became the natural rhyme standard for poetry. In the Northern Song Dynasty, The Song Dynasty’s Enlarged Edition of Qieyun and Simplifed Rhymes of the Ministry of Rites were compiled and issued as official rhymes on the basis of Qieyun. A total of 206 rhymes were set out in these two works, though only about a hundred were actually used in the poetry of the Tang and Song dynasties. During the Jin Dynasty when a system of recruiting officials on the merit of their poetry was used, its official rhymes were based on the rhyme books of the Northern Song Dynasty, with some amalgamations adopted. In this context, during the coexistence of the Jin and Southern Song dynasties, Wang Wenyu of the Jin Dynasty published his Newly Revised Simplified Rhymes of the Ministry of Rites with 106 rhymes, and Liu Yuan of the Song Dynasty published his New Rhymes of the Ministry of Rites in the Renzi Year (1252) with 107 rhymes. The rhymes of these two books were essentially the same. Although the original books are now lost, the rhyming system established by them, namely pingshui rhyming system, is a direct inheritance from the Tang and Northern Song dynasties, and is more concise and convenient to learn and use. It became an important basis for rhyming poems written in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties and remains useful even today.

The rhyme books engraved by the Imperial College in the Southern Song Dynasty included the renowned scholar Mao Huang’s Enlarged Edition of the Rhymes of the Ministry of Rites and New Rhymes of the Ministry of Rites in the Renzi Year (1252) by Liu Yuan from Pingshui, Jiangbei. These books contain more rhymed characters than before. Now, according to the rhyme order and pronunciation, these characters are attached herewith marked respectively as “Mao’s additional rhymes” and “Pingshui additional rhymes.” (Xiong Zhong: Ancient and Modern Rhymes)

Recently, Wang Wenyu, the official responsible for engraving books in Pingshui, brought his new book of rhymes to me, the venerable Yi’an, and said to me, “I have always heard that some people have ridiculed the original Simplified Rhymes of the Ministry of Rites for its strict rhymes and simple commentaries. Copies of the book have been in use for years and there are no good engraved copies. I have kept an eye on this matter for many years, and have sought advice from learned people whenever and wherever I have been able to. I have engraved this book based on careful proofreading, adding a few more notes that are detailed and precise. I have come from hundreds of miles away to see you and ask you to write a preface for it.” (Xu Gu: Preface to Newly Revised Simplified Rhymes of the Ministry of Rites)