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INTRODUCING THE TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY *WU JI 五紀 MANUSCRIPT WITH A FOCUS ON ITS MATERIALITY AND ITS STATUS AS A SOURCE Early China Pub Date : 2024-02-13 Rens Krijgsman
The recently published Tsinghua University bamboo manuscript *Wu ji 五紀 presents a manuscript copy that is riddled with curious irregularities, omissions, and mistakes in its text, punctuation, and the preparation of the slips. Only some of these mistakes were corrected by a proofreader, others reveal errors of misunderstanding by the scribe and/or punctuator. Furthermore, paratext that was included
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A NOTE CONCERNING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN “BUTCHER DING” AND “NOURISHING LIFE” IN THE TRADITIONAL ZHUANGZI COMMENTARIES Early China Pub Date : 2024-01-11 John Williams
The present discussion aims to help corroborate recent claims that the link between nourishing life 養生 and the Butcher Ding 庖丁 vignette from chapter 3 of the Zhuangzi 莊子 (c. fourth to third century bce) might be taken seriously, while at the same time falsifying recent claims that it is nonetheless uncommon for the connection to be taken seriously. This is achieved by supplying several pieces of textual
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THE PRINCE OF HUAYUANZHUANG 花園莊, ZU JIA 祖甲, AND THE SUCCESSION OF WU DING 武丁: ALLIANCE AND CRISIS Early China Pub Date : 2023-09-21 Gilles Boileau
Analysis of the oracular data newly discovered in the Shang era Huayuanzhuang site opens a fascinating window in the political and ritual activities of a prince previously unknown. He is identified as the prince Zai, the future king Zu Jia. These new data shed light of the pre-royal career of Zu Jia, and the nature and the mode of his relationship with the king Wu Ding, his father, and Lady Hao, his
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THE CHRONOLOGY OF WESTERN ZHOU Early China Pub Date : 2023-05-12 Pengcheng Zhang
By systematically analyzing the relative relationship between complete bronze inscription dates, this study deduces the lunar phases described by the specialized terms jishengba 既生霸, jiwang 既望, and jisiba 既死霸, finding that the term chuji 初吉 is unrelated to the lunar phase. The study then reconstructs a complete chronology of Western Zhou that is highly consistent with archaeological and textual evidence
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WANG MANG 王莽 (c. 45 b.c.e.–23 c.e.) AND CLASSICAL LEARNING AS PATH TO SUPREME POWER Early China Pub Date : 2022-10-17 Béatrice L'Haridon
This article inquires into the ideological circumstances behind Wang Mang's 王莽 seizure of power, to examine how he built legitimacy at every stage of his career, by establishing a political and symbolic continuum between the role of the minister and that of the sovereign, rather than suddenly wresting power from the Liu clan. His classical learning in general and his references to Zhougong 周公 in particular
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NOTES ON THE “NOTE” (JI 記) IN EARLY ADMINISTRATIVE TEXTS Early China Pub Date : 2022-10-17 Luke Habberstad
This article examines ji 記 in received and excavated texts from the late Warring States, Qin, and Western Han periods. In pre-imperial texts, the word rarely appears, and when it does, it usually refers to records of historical events, precedents, or authoritative knowledge, but the word, in contrast to later periods, never means “note” or “letter.” By contrast, Western Han documents from the arid
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RETHINKING THE ANCESTRAL SHRINES IN THE EARLY EMPIRES Early China Pub Date : 2022-10-17 Tian Tian, Zhou Wen
This article examines the development of early imperial ancestral shrines by exploring the Liye and Yuelu 嶽麓 Qin slips, along with other excavated texts and historical documents. It argues that Qin Shihuang's 秦始皇 court was the first to specify the regulations for the early imperial ancestral shrine, a crucial part of which was the establishment of the Taishang huang 太上皇 shrines throughout the realm
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CAI YONG'S 蔡邕 READING OF THE ODES, AS SEEN FROM HIS QINCAO 琴操 AND HIS “QINGYI FU” 青衣賦 Early China Pub Date : 2022-10-17 Dorothee Schaab-Hanke
Cai Yong 蔡邕 (132–192) was one of the most erudite scholars of the Eastern Han. A major project of his was the so-called “Stone Classics of the Xiping era” (Xiping Shijing 熹平石經) project first commissioned by Emperor Ling in 175 c.e., for which Cai Yong wrote the texts of the court-sanctioned Classics in his own calligraphy. For the text of one of these Classics, the Odes (Shi 詩), he is known to have
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THE WAY TO THE WHITE TIGER HALL CONFERENCE: EVIDENCE GLEANED FROM THE FORMATION PROCESS OF THE BAIHU TONG Early China Pub Date : 2022-10-17 Shi Jian
The White Tiger Hall conference, held in the fourth year (79 c.e.) of the Jianchu 建初 reign in the Eastern Han, was a significant event in both politics and classical learning during and after that time. As the summary of the conference, composed after its conclusion, the Baihu tong 白虎通 is the main resource for investigating the details of this conference. Clarifying the formation process of the Baihu
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THE HAIHUNHOU CAPSULE BIOGRAPHIES OF KONGZI AND HIS DISCIPLES Early China Pub Date : 2022-09-28 Mark Csikszentmihalyi
This article introduces the biographical texts accompanying illustrations of Kongzi and several disciples on the wooden frame and cover of a mirror stand excavated in 2015 from the Haihunhou tomb near Nanchang. These texts are analyzed with reference to evolving portrayals of these figures in the Western Han, paying particular attention to parallels with two generically similar chapters in the Shi
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BAN GU'S VIEW ON THE “SECOND VICTORY” OF “CONFUCIANISM” AND THE FALL OF THE FORMER HAN Early China Pub Date : 2022-09-07 Hans van Ess
This essay, which focuses on the reigns of Emperors Xuan and Yuan in Western Han, complicates the prevailing presumption that Ban Gu identified as a Ru 儒, and valued the Ru contributions to good governance above those who were identified with other forms of expertise. By a close reading of biographies of all major Ru scholars active during the time of these two emperors as well as some later ones,
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OPPOSITION TO BUDDHISM AND THE HAN LEGACY Early China Pub Date : 2022-09-07 T. H. Barrett
Michael Loewe has repeatedly and as recently as 2021 looked at how Confucius appears in Han sources and has drawn attention to his lack of prominence, at least to the degree one might expect. Here, a preliminary assessment of the sources of opposition to Buddhism in one key sixth-century c.e. collection of polemics further demonstrates that adherence to mingjiao 名教 (Teaching of a Good Name) or to lijiao
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WESTERN HAN NOBLE BURIALS: A VIEW FROM ZHANG ANSHI'S 張安世 TOMB Early China Pub Date : 2022-08-23 He Ruyue, Song Yuanru, Michael Nylan
The family cemetery of Zhang Anshi was the first cemetery for nobles to be discovered in which the tomb occupants, dating, and gravesite orientation was so clear to investigators. As such, the site is of enormous historical significance. This essay introduces the entire site to readers and extrapolates aspects of the Western Han mourning regulations from the evidence presented by the jade suits, carriage
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DIDACTIC NARRATIVE AND THE ART OF SELF-STRENGTHENING: READING THE BAMBOO MANUSCRIPT YUE GONG QI SHI 越公其事 Early China Pub Date : 2022-05-24 Yuri Pines
Yue gong qi shi 越公其事 is a recently published manuscript from the Tsinghua University collection. The manuscript provides a new version of the well-known story of King Goujian of Yue 越王句踐 (r. 496–464 b.c.e.), who turned defeat into victory and overcame Yue's formidable rival, the state of Wu 吳. My exploration of this text focuses on its two most notable aspects. First, the story about the policy of
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CATEGORIZING LABORERS: GLIMPSES OF QIN MANAGEMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES FROM AN ADMINISTRATIVE DOCUMENT FROM LIYE, HUNAN PROVINCE Early China Pub Date : 2021-09-30 Tsang Wing Ma
The excavation of the Qin wooden documents from Well No. 1 at Liye 里耶, Hunan province has significantly reshaped our knowledge of Qin history. This article examines a multi-slip manuscript from Liye on the Qin management of human resources in a newly conquered area, Qianling County. The manuscript is the best example of the multi-layered structure of a Qin administrative document; it also sheds new
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WANG CHONG'S FATALISM Early China Pub Date : 2020-11-05 Yunwoo Song
Although Wang Chong has often been categorized as a kind of fatalist, many scholars maintain that his fatalism does not include one's moral autonomy, as he argues that one's inborn moral tendencies can be changed through education. He even acknowledges that a person can live a different life from what one's ming must have dictated. But in this article, I show that even when Wang seems to claim that
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INTRODUCING THE *WU ZE YOU XING TU MANUSCRIPT FROM MAWANGDUI Early China Pub Date : 2020-07-27 Luke Waring
The *Wu ze you xing tu 物則有形圖 silk manuscript was discovered inside a lacquer case in Mawangdui Tomb 3. This little-known manuscript of unusual design contains a philosophical text on the relationships between things (wu 物), forms (xing 形), names (ming 名), and speech (yan 言), and the text is arranged on the surface of the silk in the form of a densely clustered spiral within a ring inside a square.
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A DREAM OF THE SELF: IDENTITY IN THE “INNER CHAPTERS” OF THEZHUANGZI Early China Pub Date : 2020-03-11 Matthew James Hamm
This article examines self and identity in the “Inner Chapters” (neipian內篇) of theZhuangzi莊子. Previous scholarship on this topic has tended to support its arguments by defining the “Way” (dao道) as either a normative order or an objective reality. By contrast, this article argues that the Way is a neutral designation for the composite, ever-changing patterns of the cosmos that does not provide normative
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WOMEN'S ROLE IN THE PRODUCTION AND SALE OF ALCOHOL IN HAN CHINA AS REFLECTED IN TOMB ART FROM SICHUAN Early China Pub Date : 2020-03-11 Hajni Elias
Pictorial brick tiles and stone carvings from the Eastern Han period show women engaged in the production of alcohol, and early histories and literary sources provide an insight into women's role in brewing, drinking, and selling alcohol in shops and in the market. Preparation of alcohol for ritual ceremonies, banquets, and daily consumption is listed among the many household duties for which women
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CHEN WEI 陳偉 (ed.), QIN JIANDU YANJIU 秦簡牘研究 (RESEARCH ON QIN STRIPS) FIVE VOLUME BOOK SERIES: A REVIEW ARTICLE Early China Pub Date : 2018-11-28 Christopher J. Foster
The Qin jiandu yanjiu 秦簡牘研究 (Research on Qin strips) book series, edited by Chen Wei 陳偉, presents important findings from the “Comprehensive Arrangement and Study of the Qin Bamboo Slip Manuscripts” research project. Organized thematically into five volumes, detailed case studies on newly unearthed Qin texts address issues in institutional history, law, geography, mantic arts, and linguistics. The
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SHUN 舜 AND THE INTERPRETATION OF EARLY ORTHOGRAPHICAL VARIATION Early China Pub Date : 2018-11-28 Jonathan M. Smith
Ji Xusheng's 季旭昇 account of the character 〈舜〉 as a derivative of 〈夋〉 and ultimately of 〈允〉 by reference to Warring States excavated manuscript evidence, recently elaborated by Adam Smith in these pages, appears to clear up the mystery of Shun's 舜 doppelgänger—Jun 俊—in the Shanhai jing 山海經. However, while Ji's observations are of value, there is danger in treating early orthographical variation of this
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WANTON GODDESSES TO UNSPOKEN WORTHIES: GENDERED HERMENEUTICS IN THE CHUCI ZHANGJU – ERRATUM Early China Pub Date : 2018-01-01 Monica E. M. Zikpi
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Michael Hunter. Confucius Beyond the Analects. Leiden: Brill, 2017. Early China Pub Date : 2018-01-01 Edward Slingerland
As the title suggests, Michael Hunter’s Confucius Beyond the Analects aims to debunk the traditional view of the received Lun yu as the most authoritative source of early Confucian teachings associated with the historical figure of Confucius. Hunter makes the case that our received Lun yu was assembled in the Western Han, probably around the time of the accession of Emperor Wu in 141 b.c.e. He further
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THE WUWEI MEDICAL MANUSCRIPTS: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION AND TRANSLATION Early China Pub Date : 2017-04-24 Yong Yang, Miranda Brown
Discovered by farmers from an unmarked tomb in 1972 in Gansu, the Wuwei strips and tablets set forth a wealth of information about ancient Chinese drug formulary and acupuncture. The present article supplies the first English-language translation of its contents along with a brief introduction.
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ECHOING RULERSHIP—UNDERSTANDING MUSICAL REFERENCES IN THE HUAINANZI Early China Pub Date : 2017-04-19 Avital H. Rom
The Huainanzi text (淮南子 presented in 139 b.c.e. compiled by Liu An 劉安 179–122 b.c.e.), while defining itself as a political guide, is replete with references to Music (yue 樂) itself and music-related terms. While no chapter of the work’s twenty-one chapters is specifically dedicated to the subject of music, no single chapter of it is without musical references. This gives rise to the question: Which
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The Political Implications of the Minority Policy in the Qin Law Early China Pub Date : 2017-02-10
Among the 190 articles in the so-called “Answers to questions about the Qin Laws/Statutes” (Falü dawen 法律答問) written on bamboo strips excavated from a tomb at Shuihudi in Yunmeng County, Hubei Province, the one concerning Qin's citizenship particularly attracts my attention. It says: “What is the meaning of a ‘Xia child’? (A child born of a) father from a vassal state, and a Qin mother.” (可 [何] 謂夏子
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The Qin Slips and Boards From Well No. 1, Liye, Hunan: A Brief Introduction to the Qin Qianling County Archives Early China Pub Date : 2017-02-10
This essay introduces the newly published Qin documents from levels 5, 6, and 8 of Well no. 1, Liye, Hunan province, the ancient Qianling County of the Qin dynasty, as presented in two 2012 works, Liye Qin jian (yi) 里耶秦簡 (壹) and Liye Qin jiandu jiaoshi (di yi juan) 里耶秦簡牘校釋 (第一卷), ed. Chen Wei 陳偉, together with some of the documents on display in the Liye Qin jian bowuguan (Liye Museum of Qin Slips)
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The Suigong Xu 遂公盨 Calligraphy and Inscription: A Contextual Reconstruction and Translation Early China Pub Date : 2017-02-10
This article discusses some of the major issues that arise in the reconstruction and interpretation of the Suigong xu inscription, including a discussion of the authenticity issue from the perspective of Western Zhou calligraphy, and provides a contextual reconstruction of the bronze inscription as well as an English translation. The author argues that the Suigong xu calligraphy is consistent with
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Dating the Houma Covenant Texts: The Significance of Recent Findings from the Wenxian Covenant Texts Early China Pub Date : 2017-02-10
This paper reconsiders the dating of the Houma covenant texts in light of new findings from the Wenxian covenant texts. Dating of the Houma covenants has focused on matching certain names found in the Houma covenants to names and events in historical texts. These include the name of the sanctioning spirit invoked in the covenants, and that of the covenant lord overseeing the covenants. I argue that
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Edict of Monthly Ordinances for the Four Seasons in Fifty Articles from 5 C.E.: Introduction to the Wall Inscription Discovered at Xuanquanzhi, with Annotated Translation Early China Pub Date : 2017-02-10
This article is an introduction to and translation of the wall inscription “Zhaoshu sishi yueling wushitiao” dating to 5 C.E., which was recovered from the Xuanquanzhi site, located near Dunhuang, Gansu Province. “Zhaoshu sishi yueling wushitiao” is the sole known example of a Han edict in wall inscription form. It provides new information about the processes by which an edict was created and disseminated
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Collected Interpretations of the X Gong Xu Early China Pub Date : 2017-02-10
This article aims at providing a Chinese-English reference source for researchers studying the inscription on a bronze vessel published in 2002, sometimes called the X Gong xu because the name of lord (gong) is transcribed by some scholars as Sui 遂 and by others as Bin 豳. It is a compilation of the transcriptions and interpretations of each character in the inscription by nineteen scholars in the field
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Han Yuandi, Reigned 48 to 33 B.C.E., and His Advisors Early China Pub Date : 2017-02-10
While Yuandi's reign is not known as a period of imperial expansion, discussions of the major questions of the concept of imperial government and the administrative problems of the day were to be of long-lasting influence. The views put forward by scholars and officials such as Xiao Wangzhi, Gong Yu, Wei Xuancheng, Kuang Heng, Liu Xiang and Yi Feng led the way to the open adoption of Zhou as the ideal
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The Period V Ritual Postface: Prospective or Retrospective? Early China Pub Date : 2017-02-10
This article argues that the Period V ritual postface associated with the five-ritual cycle in oracle bone inscriptions is prospective in nature.
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Using Sequential Relations of Day-Dates to Determine the Temporal Scope of Western Zhou Lunar Phase Terms Early China Pub Date : 2017-02-10
The meaning of the lunar phase terms in bronze inscriptions is a difficult problem in Western Zhou chronology. Scholars have attempted to discover their meanings by various means, including philological and textual analysis and by dating the inscriptions to specific historical contexts and to the reigns of particular kings. But because there are a number of uncertainties about the early texts, the
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Sage King Yu 禹 and the Bin GongXU豳公盨 Early China Pub Date : 2017-02-10
The recent discovery of an unusual ninth century B.C.E. bronze inscription dedicated to Yu as a founder deity has reopened discussions regarding the historicity of legendary figures. This article examines the occult role of this figure in Zhou society and suggests that the inscription be read as a song used in a harvest ceremony of thanksgiving to Yu. The author suggests that Yu once functioned along
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MOZI AND THE GHOSTS: THE CONCEPT OFMING明 INMOZI’S “MING GUI”《明鬼》 Early China Pub Date : 2017-01-23 Piotr Gibas
This article offers a new reading ofMozi’s chapter “Ming gui” 明鬼, conventionally considered as a treatise explaining Mohist ideas about ghosts and spirits, by shifting the focus from the ghosts (gui鬼) to the concept ofming明, interpreted as “sagely illumination.” The “Ming gui” chapter does not discuss ghosts in general, but instead a specific group of “punitive ghosts” who mete out punishments and
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THE WUWEI MEDICAL MANUSCRIPTS: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION AND TRANSLATION – ERRATUM Early China Pub Date : 2017-01-01 Yong Yang,Miranda Brown
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TO PUNISH THE PERSON: A READING NOTE REGARDING A PUNCTUATION MARK IN THE TSINGHUA MANUSCRIPT *MING XUN – ERRATUM Early China Pub Date : 2017-01-01 Edward L. Shaughnessy
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3. Shang and Zhou Bronze Nao Bells Excavated in South China Early China Pub Date : 2016-08-02 Gao Zhixi
Twenty-two bronze nao-bells dating to the late Shang and early Western Zhou periods have been unearthed from the five southern provinces of Hunan, Jiangsi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Fujian. Of these, sixteen were from Hunan, three from Zhejiang, and one each from the remaining three provinces. These bells can be classified into four categories: type A has an animal mask decoration (eleven examples); type
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State Control of Bureaucrats under the Qin: Techniques and Procedures Early China Pub Date : 2016-08-02 Robin D.S. Yates
This essay studies seven aspects of administration in the Qin state and empire in the light of the texts found at Shuihudi written on bamboo strips: rules for appointment of officials; age and other limitations; length of tenure in office; guarantees of performance; reports; methods of checking an official's performance; and salaries. The evidence is compared with that drawn from traditionally transmitted
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The Literary Function of K'un-lun Mountain in theMu T'ien-tzu chuan Early China Pub Date : 2016-08-02 Deborah Porter
In this article I question the assumption that all place-names in theMu T'ien-tzu chuanrefer to real places. I suggest instead a mythic origin for many of these seemingly referential elements. By analyzing a complex of myths either referred to or alluded to in the text, I show that several crucial place-names come in fact from cosmological referents rather than geographical ones. TheMu T'ien-tzu chuancannot
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Scribes, Cooks, and Artisans: Breaking Zhou Tradition Early China Pub Date : 2016-08-02 Constance A. Cook
Bronze Inscriptions of the Western Zhou period show how ritualists were once dedicated to maintaining the ritual apparatus supporting the divine authority of the royal Zhou lineage. Bronze and bamboo texts of the Eastern Zhou period reveal, on the other hand, that ritualists able to manipulate local rulers reliant on their knowledge subsequently subverted power into their own hands. Ritualists such
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28. Some Problems Concerning the So-Called Survivors of the Yin Dynasty Early China Pub Date : 2016-08-02 Tu Cheng-Sheng
The basic error in Hu Shi's “An Exposition on Confucians” lay in discussing the basic nature of the Confucian school on the basis of the “tragic fate and miserable status of the survivors of the Shang”; for half a century this mistaken premise has been accepted by most historians as proven. On the basis of an analysis of pre-Qin literary sources, this paper first proves that there was no “tragedy of
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A Never-Stable Word: Zhuangzi's Zhiyan and ‘Tipping-Vessel’ Irrigation Early China Pub Date : 2016-08-02 Daniel Fried
The zhiyan described in the “Entrusted Words” chapter of the Zhuangzi (“Zhiyan come forth daily, and are harmonized with the heavenly divisions; through this they spread out, and thus years draw to a close”) have long aroused debate and confusion among readers, as the word zhi usually refers to a type of wine goblet. Contemporary readers cannot easily obtain clear assistance from traditional commentaries
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1. A Reexamination of the Erlitou Culture Early China Pub Date : 2016-08-02 Yin Weizhang
Scholarly opinion is divided on the question of whether the cultural remains of Erlitou Periods III and IV belong to the early Shang. This paper carries the analysis of the remains from these two periods one step further, emphasizing a group of new cultural elements, including li-cauldrons, wide-mouthed zun-beakers, curled lip round-bottom pen-basins, and narrow-mouthed long-necked weng-jars and jia-tripods
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7. Yin Dynasty Jades Early China Pub Date : 2016-08-02 Xia Nai
This paper tries to study the typology, terminology, and functions of the jades of the Shang dynasty by using an archaeological approach based mainly on archaeological materials from scientific excavations. This contrasts with the old method which relied upon questionable textual evidence and less well-documented jades in public and private collections. The main points of the paper are as follows:(1)
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Notes on a Case of Illicit Sex from Zhangjiashan: A Translation and Commentary Early China Pub Date : 2016-08-02 Michael Nylan
This essay concerns the single case of illicit sex included in the Zouyan shu excavated at Zhangjiashan. Interest in this particular case has been high, since the case offers indisputable evidence regarding the separation of legal and moral principles in relation to domestic affairs at the time the judgment was rendered. Previous theories about the interpretation of the case have focused upon the quality
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29. An Observation on the State Functionaries Tian, Mu, and Wei in Oracle-Bone Inscriptions and the Origins of the Princes Hou, Dian, Nan, and Wei Early China Pub Date : 2016-08-02 Qiu Xigui
According to the historical sources of the early Zhou dynasty, the of the Shang kingdom included and . In the late oracle-bone inscriptions, and were mentioned side by side, and so were and . In the Western Zhou period, were all princes. The in oracle inscriptions was considered by most scholars as a kind of prince too. The author of this paper does not quite agree with this point of view. According
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6. A Tentative Description of the Civilization of the Middle Period of Late Shang Early China Pub Date : 2016-08-02 Wang Guimin
The late Shang represents a peak in bronze culture, and was the culmination of a long period of development. The words of the Duke of Zhou in the “Wu yi” chapter of the Shang shu that “The kings who arose after [Zu Jia], during their (whole) life enjoyed ease …. After this there were none who had any chance of reaching a high age…” is not sufficient to be relied upon. Nor is it appropriate to evaluate
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22. Some Remarks on the Graph and the Character Si Early China Pub Date : 2016-08-02 Jean A. Lefeuvre
The graph in the Shang oracle inscriptions, transcribed or , until now, among the best authorities, remains the object of different interpretations. Some common translations are: a rhinoceros, a unicorned si having the appearance of an ox, an ox of the si species, a si (without explanation), a coveted game animal, a wild animal of the central plain, etc. The aim of this short paper is to determine
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The Han Cosmic Board (Shih) Early China Pub Date : 2016-08-02 Donald J. Harper
The Warring States and Ch'in-Han periods witnessed not only an efflorescence of cosmological speculation but along with it the growth of intricate systems of divination, astrology, geomancy, and magic. The internal structure of the cosmos, elaborated in terms of Yin-Yang and Five Phase theories, was treated as something which could be manipulated to the advantage of a person who was initiated into
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13. The “Question” Question Early China Pub Date : 2016-08-02 David S. Nivison
This paper takes issue with the widely prevailing assumption that the “charge” (ming ci) in a Shang oracle inscription must always be understood as a question. I hold that we must distinguish between what the diviner is saying in the charge, and what he is doing in the whole divination rite. What he is doing is not always seeking information; and even when he is doing this, what he says is usually
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23. Pre-Chou Chronology: History VS. Numerology in Hsia, Shang, and Chou Early China Pub Date : 2016-08-02 David S. Nivison
(Ed. Note: This paper was an adaptation of Section X of my article “The Dates of Western Chou,” Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 43.2[1983]:482–580. In the article, this section is titled “Numerological Postscript,” and occupies pp. 556–566.)As now revised, this section (with related earlier sections of the article) represents my arguments that pre-Conquest dates in the present Bamboo Annals ([Chin-pen]
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9. On the Fu Hao Inscriptions Early China Pub Date : 2016-08-02 Chang Ping-Ch'üan
Both the paper and the author's presentation.The paper deals with the oracle-bone inscriptions referring to Fu Hao (or Zi), indirectly addressing the question whether this Fu Hao is the same person as the one mentioned in the bronze inscriptions from M5 at Anyang. The combined researches of Shima Kunio and Yen I-p'ing have already established that all but one of the 262 Fu Zi oracle inscriptions so
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31. Kingship and Kinship: The Royal Lineages of Late Shang Early China Pub Date : 2016-08-02 David N. Keightley
On the basis of inscriptional evidence, it is proposed that the following principles governed the system of succession and inheritance among the lineages forming the Shang dynasty:(1) The great Royal Lineage consisted of certain kings (Great Ancestors) and their consorts, selected from a federation of ten patrilineages, named by the ten kan stems; these patrilineages were linked by ties of marriage
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Astronomical Dates in Shang and Western Zhou Early China Pub Date : 2016-08-02 David W. Pankenier
This article reports the discovery in the Bamboo Annals of verifiable accounts of the general conjunctions of planets witnessed by Shang and Zhou dynasty observers, which occurred in 1576 and 1059 B.C. Besides exploring the connections between the planetary phenomena and mythologized accounts of the same events in Zhou and Han texts, the significance of these astronomical dates is discussed in reference
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The Development of Xunzi’s Theory of Xing, Reconstructed on the Basis of a Textual Analysis of Xunzi 23, “Xing E” 性惡 (Xing is Bad) Early China Pub Date : 2016-08-02 Dan Robins
The section of the Xunzi called “Xing e” 性惡 (xing is bad) prominently and repeatedly claims that people's xing is bad. However, no other text in the Xunzi makes this claim, and it is widely thought that the claim does not express Xunzi's fundamental ideas about human nature. This article addresses the issue in a somewhat indirect way, beginning with a detailed examination of the text of “Xing e”: identifying