'Kanwu' (《刊誤》) is a two-volume work compiled by Li Fu of the Tang Dynasty. The original edition of the book includes a preface where the author is referred to as Guozi Jijiu (National University Chief). Guo Zhongshu, in his work 'Peixi' (《佩觿》), also refers to Li Fu as "Li Jijiu." Given the proximity of the Five Dynasties period to the end of the Tang Dynasty, this title is likely accurate. However, in 'Weinan Ji' (《渭南集》), Lu You mentions that during the rebellion of Wang Xingyu, Li Fu, who held the position of Zongzheng Qing (Director of the Imperial Clan), strongly advocated for Wang's repentance. When Wang's head was eventually sent to the capital, Li Fu was exiled to the southern frontier and met his death there. It is uncertain whether this is the same Li Fu, but the possibility is noted.

The preface of 'Kanwu' states that it originally comprised fifty chapters. However, the extant version contains only forty-nine chapters, suggesting that one chapter has been lost. The work primarily focuses on the examination of historical records and the correction of errors in Tang Dynasty practices. Li Fu draws on ancient systems to rectify mistakes in Tang-era rituals and customs, providing valuable insights for the correction of ceremonial texts. The second volume occasionally touches on miscellaneous topics, such as the correction of the six characters "僅, 甥, 旁, 繆, 廄, 薦" and the identification of errors in Lu Fayan's 'Qieyun' (《切韻》). It also addresses the pronunciation of "不問馬" in 'The Analects of Confucius', the correction of "完" to "宇" in 'The Zuo Commentary', and the refutation of Li Shangyin's claim that Confucius studied under Lao Dan, who in turn studied under Zhu Qian. Additionally, the work corrects errors in Jia Dan's 'Qi Yao Li' (《七曜歷》).

In an era when Tang Dynasty scholars were increasingly inclined towards frivolous and superficial writing, Li Fu stood out for his rigorous examination of ancient texts, demonstrating a deep and well-rooted academic foundation.

References

• 《四庫全書總目提要·卷118 子部·雜家類二》

《刊誤》

《刊誤》，二卷，唐代李涪所撰。據舊本前結銜，稱李涪曾任國子祭酒。五代郭忠恕《佩觿》引用此書時，亦稱其為李祭酒涪，可見其身份大致可信。然而，宋代陸游《渭南集》中對此書的跋文提到，王行瑜作亂時，宗正卿李涪曾力陳其忠誠並表示他必會悔過。後王行瑜被誅，李涪亦被流放至嶺南並遭處死。因此，有人懷疑陸游所提到的李涪是否即為《刊誤》作者，但尚無定論。

《刊誤》前有自序，作者稱全書共五十篇，現存本卻僅存四十九篇，可能已佚失一篇。此書內容主要考究典故，引用舊制以糾正唐末制度之失誤，又引用古制以糾正唐代制度之誤，對於訂正禮儀文字多有貢獻。下卷則涉及一些雜事，如考證「僅、甥、旁、�繆、廄、薦」六字之誤，辨析陸法言《切韻》的錯誤，解釋《論語》中「不問馬」的讀音問題，校正《左傳》中「繕完葺牆」之「完」字應為「宇」字，駁斥李商隱所言「孔子師老聃，老聃師竺乾」之說，以及糾正賈耽《七曜曆》中的錯誤。這些內容皆顯示了作者廣博的學識。

唐末文學趨向輕浮巧詐，李涪獨自專心考證舊文，可謂是一位學有根柢的學者。《刊誤》因其詳實的考證和豐富的內容，成為研究唐末及五代歷史的重要參考資料。