Wu Renchen (吳任臣) ( 1628 – 1689), with
courtesy names of
Zhiyi (志伊),
Erqi (爾器) and
Zhenghong (征鴻), and an
art name of
Tuoyuan (託園), was a
Qing Dynasty historian and mathematician. Originally from Renhe (仁和; today's
Hangzhou,
Zhejiang), he gained recognition in the field of historical scholarship and was recommended in 1678 to take the special examination known as
boxue hongci (博學鴻詞), which he passed in the following year. Thereafter he became a corrector in the
Hanlin Academy and contributed to the compilation of the official
History of Ming, focusing on the section dealing with the calendar, in which he made special contributions. He is best known for writing the
Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms on the 10th-century
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period history. This book, as well as his commentary on the
Classic of Mountains and Seas, were later included in the
Siku Quanshu.