author
Chuo Zhuang
b. 1078
A Song-dynasty scholar-official, he is remembered for lively brush notes that preserve everyday details, cultural observations, and historical anecdotes from his time. His surviving work offers readers a rare, close-up glimpse of life in medieval China.
1 Audiobook
雞肋編
by Chuo Zhuang
About the author
Zhuang Chuo, also written as Chuo Zhuang in some catalogs, was a Chinese writer and scholar of the Song dynasty who was born in 1078. He is best known for Jilebian (A Compilation of Chicken Ribs), a work in the biji or “brush notes” tradition.
Sources available here agree that Jilebian gathers anecdotes, observations, and small pieces of historical and cultural material rather than telling a single continuous story. That makes his writing especially appealing to modern readers: it preserves the texture of daily life, local custom, and learned conversation in a direct, personal way.
Some reference pages also identify him by the courtesy name Zhuang Jiyu and connect him with official posts in places including Xiangyang. Because the easily confirmed information is limited, the safest picture is of a learned Song-era observer whose notes became an enduring window into his world.