The 'Nenggai Zhai Manlü' (《能改齋漫錄》，"Random Notes from the Nenggai Study") is an 18-volume historical and literary compilation written by Wu Ceng (曾虎臣) of the Song dynasty. Wu, a native of Chongren, gained official status during the tenure of Qin Hui by submitting his scholarly works. Appointed as Right Chengfeng Lang in the Shaoxing period (G10 corresponding to 1143 CE), he later served as an official in charge of Yudie records and eventually became a Ministry of Works (Gongbu Langzhong) before retiring as governor of Yanzhou. His son Fu appended a postscript to the text, noting that it contained over 2,000 entries organized into 18 volumes.

The work has undergone significant textual instability since its completion. Following the Yuan dynasty, printed editions vanished for centuries until a Ming-era copy was extracted from imperial archives, lacking the first and final volumes. To rectify this, Jiao Hong's family divided the second and seventeenth chapters into two each, artificially reconstructing 18 volumes—a version now widely circulated but not representing the original text. The 'Nenggai Zhai' was categorized into thirteen sections: "Origins," "Corrections," "Facts," "Continuities," "Geography," "Discussions," "Poetry," "Cautionary Notes," "Events," "Writings," "Local Products," "Music Bureau Texts," and "Immortals, Ghosts, and Spirits." However, later editions varied considerably in structure, with volumes merged, split, or reclassified—some omitting the "Cautionary" section entirely or collapsing multiple categories into one. Such inconsistencies stem from repeated transcription errors, making it difficult to determine which version reflects Wu Ceng's original intent.

The text faced criticism for its content and methodology. Zhao Yanwei noted in the 'Yunlu Manchao' that Wu refrained from publishing a nineteenth volume after Qin Hui's death, suggesting political caution. Scholars like Liu Changshi and Zhao Yanwei identified factual errors in the 'Nenggai Zhai', with Liu citing eleven inaccuracies and criticizing its omissions of key historical events from the 'Shiji' (Records of the Grand Historian). Zhou Hui (Zhou Hui) recorded that portions addressing controversial topics—such as critiques of a prince's theatrical performance or unusual customs among the imperial clan—were censored, leading to an edict ordering the destruction of its printing blocks. Another incident involved Vice Prefect Zheng Xianwen of Macheng County, who accused Wu Ceng of slander through his son Zhihan, resulting in demotions for both men before officials reversed the verdict.

The work's ideological leanings also drew scrutiny. Wang Shizhen observed in 'Chi Bei Outan' that Wu Ceng harbored biases against Wan Anshi, while his classification of Xun Yu as a loyal Han official and Feng Dao as a "great man" reflected historically contentious views. Wang Shizhen also highlighted passages praising Qin Hui, such as Wu's inclusion of ten quatrains lauding the disgraced chancellor, which underscored his perceived alignment with authoritarian power. Despite these controversies, the 'Nenggai Zhai' was praised for its erudition and meticulous references, often cited by later scholars alongside Hong Mai's 'Rongzhai Sui Bi'. While its author's character remains debated, the text is considered a valuable resource for Song-era historical and literary studies, meriting preservation despite its flaws.

References

• 《四庫全書總目提要·卷118 子部·雜家類二》

《能改齋漫錄》是宋代吳曾所撰的一部筆記小說，共十八卷。吳曾，字虎臣，江西崇仁人。在秦檜當政時期，吳曾因上呈所作文章而獲得官職。紹興癸酉年（1153年），吳曾從敕局改任右承奉郎，主管奉常簿，擔任玉牒檢討官。後升任工部郎中，出任嚴州知州，最終退休去世。

《能改齋漫録》的末尾有吳曾之子吳複的跋文，稱書中記錄的內容共有二千餘條，分為十八卷。自元朝初年以來，該書的刊本久已失傳，現有版本是明代人從秘閣抄錄的，原缺首尾兩卷。焦竑家傳抄的本子，將第二卷和第十七卷各分為兩卷，以補足卷數，但實際上並非完整版本。書中內容分為事始、辨誤、事實、沿襲、地理、議論、記詩、謹正、記事、記文、方物、樂府、神仙鬼怪等十三類。但各家傳本的卷數、次序、內容分類各有差異，甚至有的版本只有十五卷，或將第十一卷分為兩卷，將第九卷併入第八卷，或無謹正一類而併入記事類中，或多類對一門、有詼諧戲謔一門。這些版本的差異可能是由于輾轉抄錄時的隨意改動所致，因此內容參差不齊，難以確定原書的完整版本。

趙彥衛的《雲麓漫抄》提到，秦檜去世後，吳曾不敢刊出第十九卷，這表明書在當時可能就沒有定本，後來的版本紛紜也就不足為奇了。此書考証詳實，但當時卻遭到眾多批評。劉昌詩的《蘆浦筆記》摘錄了其中的十一處錯誤，並指出書中比事門（今本無此分類）多有遺漏，列舉了《史記》中的八件事作為例証。趙彥衛在《雲麓漫抄》中批評書中論佛法與天地並原一條為所學之誤，並稱書中對前賢的批評不少。周輝的《清波雜志》則提到，書中記載的荊王元儼戲劇批判及宗室子弟的特殊愛好等事，有人認為不應言及，結果被旨毀版。盛如梓的《恕齋叢談》記錄了當時麻城縣知縣鄭顯文派遣其子鄭之翰赴御史台論曾事涉謗，結果鄭顯文和其子各降兩官。王士禎的《池北偶談》認為吳曾書多不滿王安石，鄭顯文可能是在藉故打擊吳曾。觀其書，吳曾將荀彧視為漢之忠臣，將馮道視為大人，其是非判斷極為偏頗。書中還記載了孫仲鰲賀秦檜的詩和曾敦上秦檜的書事十絕句，這些內容顯示了吳曾對權奸的附和，這也是其書遭人攻擊的原因之一。

儘管吳曾的人品受到批評，但他的記述淵博，援引廣泛，考証精核，因此在當時的考據類著作中，許多學者仍不得不引用其說。與洪邁的《容齋隨筆》相埒，吳曾的《能改齋漫錄》在南宋的說部中仍屬佳作，不可完全廢棄。