从乾隆三十七年(1772年)开始,清廷用10余年的时间,集中大批人力物力,编纂了一部《四库全书》。其间,又对《四库全书》收录和存目的书籍编写内容提要和简评,名为《四库全书总目》或《四库全书总目提要》。在《四库全书总目》的卷首,刊载了乾隆帝从三十七年至五十五年有关编纂《四库全书》的一系列上谕,对编书宗旨、书名的确定、提要的撰写、书籍的删毁标准、敏感问题的处理办法等等,都作了明确的指示。乾隆曾经说过:“方今搜罗 Thirty-seven years from the Qianlong (1772), the Qing court spent more than 10 years, a large number of manpower and resources focused on the compilation of a ”Sikuquanshu.“ In the meantime, the Sikuquanshu is also included in the book and save the contents of the summary and briefing book, called ”Sikuquanshuzongmu“ or ”Sikuquanshuran summary.“ At the head of the ”Sikuquanshu Zongmu,“ he published a series of instructions from Qianlong Emperor from thirty-seven to fifty-five years on the compilation of the Sikuquanshu, and on the purpose and title of the editors, the abstract Writing, the standards of the book’s deletion, the handling of sensitive issues, etc., all made clear instructions. Qianlong once said: ”Now collecting