Life

Chen Menglei was born in modern day Fuzhou in Houguan county. In the ninth year of Kangxi (1670), at the age of 20, he obtained his scholar degree, became a Jinshi, and was selected as a scholar for the Hanlin Academy. In the 12th year of Kangxi's reign (1673), he returned to his hometown to visit his relatives, which coincided with the Revolt of the Three Feudatories, and he was caught in the midst of Geng Jingzhong's rebellion. Chen Menglei at the time was friends with fellow writer Li Guangdi. Chen Sui (陈遂) and Li Guangdi together went to the office of Fujian chancellor Fu Hongji (富鴻基) to demonstrate their loyalty to the Qing dynasty.

In the 15th year of Kangxi (1676), in September, the Qing soldiers passed through Xianxia pass (仙霞关) to enter Fujian, and Geng Jingzhong surrendered. At this time, as part of machinations by Li Guangdi, Menglei was framed and falsely accused by Xu Hongbi (徐鴻弼) from the Geng faction. Chen Menglei was mistakenly taken for Chen Fang (陳昉). But later Chen Menglei cleared his name and showed his innocence.

Writing the Gujin Tushu Jicheng

In the thirty-seventh year of Kangxi (1698), Emperor Kangxi made an eastern tour, and Chen Menglei went to work and study with the third son of Emperor Kangxi: Prince Cheng, Yinzhi. Chen Menglei's study was changed to "Songheshan Room" (松鶴山房), and he called himself "Songhe Elder" (松鶴老人), meaning "Pine Crane Elder" as the Kangxi emperor gave the couplet "The pine is tall and the branches and leaves are luxuriant, while the old crane has new feathers."

During this period, in October of the 40th year of Kangxi (1701), Chen began to compile the book, the Compendium, or Tushu Huibian (图书汇编). Chen Menglei referred to the "Xieyitang" (协一堂) book collection and more than 15,000 volumes of ancient books in his own family to classify and edit the encyclopedia. After five years (1701-1705) of 'eye to eye inspection, morning and evening' (「目营手检，无间晨夕」), in May of the 44th year of Kangxi, he completed the Compendium.

There are 10,000 volumes of the book and 40 volumes of catalogues, with a total of 160 million words. The whole book is divided into six parts: Astronomy/Calendar, Geography, Society, Nature, Philosophy, Economics, etc. (曆象、方舆、明论、博物、理学、经济等). Each edition is divided into several codices, totaling 36 codices, and each codex is divided into cadres, totaling 6,109. There are many contents, and the classification is clear.

In the 45th year of Kangxi (1706), the first draft was completed, and after the Kangxi emperor inspected it, he changed the title from Compendium to the Gujin Tushu Jicheng (古今图书集成), literally a 'compilation of ancient and modern books'. When the Yongzheng Emperor ascended the throne, he ordered Jiang Tingxi to help Chen Menglei finish completing the encyclopedia. In 1934, the Zhonghua Book Company (中华书局) published copies of the encyclopedia signing Chen Menglei's name.

Zhang Tingyu commented: "Since the book contract was established, one book has been used throughout the past and the present, covering everything, and there is no one like the author of Gujin Tushu Jicheng."

In Chen Menglei's "Songheshan Fangji" (《松鹤山房集》), Volume 2, "Starting the Compendium" (《进汇编启》 jin huibian qi), it is mentioned that in this great book "everything across the country, including Thirteen Classics and the 21 Histories, was covered. Almost nothing was left out from the collection of ancient history except maybe one or two words deleted."

In the 61st year of Kangxi (1722), the Kangxi emperor died. Chen Menglei continued to study with Prince Cheng, Yinzhi. However the incoming Yongzheng emperor had been opposed by Yinzhi, and in January of the 1st year of Yongzheng (1723), Chen Menglei and his two children moved to Heilongjiang, having been exiled by the new emperor. At this time, Chen Menglei was 74 years old. In the 6th year of Qianlong Emperor (1741), Chen Menglei died of illness in a garrison, aged 92.

Works

• Gujin Tushu Jicheng

• Gaodu Chenghuangwen (《告都城隍文》), July 1680: on City God (China)

生平

康熙九年（1670年）考中庚戌科二甲進士，選庶吉士，散館授編修。康熙十二年（1673年）回鄉省親，恰逢三藩之亂爆發，陷于耿精忠叛軍之中。陳夢雷原與李光地為同省籍同榜的好友，陳遂與李光地合署一道上疏，透過福建籍的大臣富鴻基，向朝廷說明情況，表示忠心，不料李光地刪去陳之名，單獨以蠟丸上疏求功。

康熙十五年（1676年）九月，清兵由仙霞關入福建，耿精忠投降。李光地青雲直上，康熙十七年（1678年），陳夢雷受耿黨徐鴻弼的誣告，誤會為「行賊偽命」的陳昉，被控「附逆」罪逮捕入獄論斬。

陳夢雷入獄後，曾一再要求李光地為他作證辨誣，但李光地一直保持沉默；直到康熙十九年（1680年），他才為陳夢雷「代具一疏」，但對陳夢雷在福州密圖內應及同謀請兵之事，一語不及。陳夢雷自是憎恨李光地，七月寫《告都城隍文》，罵他是「欺君負友」之徒，還寫了《與李安溪絕交書》（又稱《與李光地絕交書》）：「夫忘德不酬，視危不救，鄙士類然，無足深責；乃若悔從前之妄，護已往之尤，忌共事之分功，肆下石以滅口，君子可逝不可陷，其誰能堪此也？……向使與年兄非同年、同里、同官，議論不相投，性情不相信，未必決裂至此！回思十載襟期，恍如下夢，人生不幸，寧有是哉？」。後經刑部尚書徐乾學的援助，改流放奉天尚陽堡。

康熙三十七年（1698年）康熙皇帝東巡，得以放還，侍奉皇三子誠親王胤祉讀書。陳夢雷把書齋改為「松鶴山房」，自稱「松鶴老人」。後陳雖屢次彈劾李光地，但因李權勢顯赫，終不了了之。

在這段優遊的歲月裡，康熙四十年十月開始編纂《圖書彙編》一書，陳夢雷根據「協一堂」藏書和自己家藏典籍一萬五千餘卷，進行分類編輯，經過五年（1701年－1705年）「目營手檢，無間晨夕」，到康熙四十四年（1705年）五月，編成《古今圖書集成》。全書一萬卷，目錄四十卷，共一億六千萬字。全書分歷象、方輿、明論、博物、理學、經濟等六編，每編再分若干典，共三十六典，每典又分若幹部，總計6109部。內容繁多，分類明晰，康熙四十五年四月完成初稿，康熙御覽後改賜書名《古今圖書集成》。但一直擱置，直到雍正帝即位，命蔣廷錫重修，並刪去陳夢雷的名字。1934年中華書局影印本才將陳夢雷的名字署上。

張廷玉評價說：「自有書契以來，以一書貫串古今，包羅萬有，未有如我朝《古今圖書集成》者。」陳夢雷在《松鶴山房集》卷二「進彙編啟」提到這部大書「凡在六合之內，鉅細畢舉，其在十三經、二十一史者，隻字不遺；其在稗史集者，亦只刪一二」。

康熙六十一年（1722年），康熙帝逝世，誠親王胤祉失勢，陳因曾侍讀胤祉，雍正元年（1723年）一月，陳夢雷和兩個兒子再次被雍正帝發配黑龍江，這時他已是高齡七十四的老人了，又頑強地度過十八年的歲月。乾隆六年（1741年），病逝於戍所，終年九十二歲。