2016: Dating a Pre-imperial Text: The Case Study of the Book of Lord Shang (original) (raw)
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Two Studies in Shang Chronology and Warring States Historiography
關於商代年代學和戰國史學的兩個問題
David S. Nivison, well known for his wide-ranging studies of Chinese history and philosophy, was the Walter Y. Evans-Wentz Professor Emeritus at Stanford University. Before he passed away on October 16, 2014, he sent the following two essays to BJAS. Though conceived separately, the relationship between the two essays is self-apparent, and the editors have chosen to present them together in this issue. Both essays attempt to take seriously the knowledge of Warring States scholars with regard to Chinese chronology as ancient as the beginning of the second millennium B.C. The first essay is entitled “Was Warring States China ahead of Greece in Science? ” Using both the Bamboo Annals and other early sources, Nivison argues that the compilers of the Bamboo Annals had astronomical records from the remote past that were far superior to those of the ancient Greeks. He thus answers his own question in the affirmative with regard to this particular issue. The second, “The 31 Years Problem, ” presents an intricate argument regarding a single discrepancy in the chronology of the Bamboo Annals, which Nivison argued was an authentic and largely accurate chronology. The essay includes thought-provoking reflections on epistemology and the philosophy of history. Nivison ’s unique combination of historical breadth and rigorous numbercrunching leads to countless keen observations, and challenges us to treat ancient texts seriously and with imaginative sympathy. The two essays are presented here with only slight editing, since their informal writing style vividly captures Nivison ’s creative thought processes. 倪德衛教授是斯坦福大學 Walter Y. Evans-Wentz 榮譽退休教授，他對中國歷史與哲學的研究貢獻向來最為人稱道。倪德衛教授於 2014 年 10 月 16 日逝世前，曾向《饒宗頤國學院院刊》投遞兩篇論文。雖然兩篇論文各自獨立，但卻有相當密切的關係，因此本刊編輯決定於是期同時發表這兩篇論文。 兩篇論文以出現於兩千年前的歷史年表《竹書紀年》為基礎，試圖去理解戰國時代學者們的知識水平。第一篇論文題為「戰國時期的中國在科學方面領先於希臘嗎？」借由《竹書紀年》以及其他早期資料，作者認為《竹書紀年》的編撰對於遠古時期的星象記錄遠勝古希臘人，因此針對這一問題給予了肯定的回答。第二篇論文討論「三十一年問題」，此文談及《竹書紀年》中的複雜問題；作者認為此年表的記載大體準確，應是可信的文獻。除此之外，此篇論文中還反省了認知論與歷史哲學，發人深思。 倪德衛教授治學獨闢蹊徑，以豐富的歷史知識結合嚴謹的史料甄別，提出了許多深具慧眼的敏銳觀察，促使我們以嚴肅且富有想像力的態度去看待古代文獻。兩篇論文的風格不同，但不拘格套，展現了倪德衛教授富有創造力的思索過程，故在此僅略作格式方面的修改。
2013: REASSESSING TEXTUAL SOURCES FOR PRE-IMPERIAL QIN HISTORY
“Reassessing Textual Sources for Pre-Imperial Qin History,” in Sergej Dmitriev and Maxim Korolkov, eds., Sinologi Mira k iubileiu Stanislava Kuczery: Sobranie Trudov. (Uchenye Zapiski Otdela Kitaja 11). Moscow: Institut Vostokovedeniia RAN, 2013: 236-263., 2013
The revolutionary impact of archeological discoveries of the recent decades on the field of early China's studies is self-evident. The immense richness of material data, and especially the newly discovered paleographic sources from the Warring States (Zhanguo 戰 國 , 453-221 BCE), Qin (秦, 221-207 BCE) and Han (漢, 206 BCE-220 CE) 1 periods had not just added new pages to socioeconomic, administrative, cultural and religious history of the Chinese world, but also necessitated rethinking of many previous perceptions. The sheer size of the newly available data easily dwarfs that of textual sources which previously served as the sole source of knowledge on China's history before and after the imperial unification. Suffice it to look just at the publications of unearthed (or looted and subsequently purchased) texts during the recent year and a half: two volumes of the new Tsinghua (Qinghua) University Chu 楚 slips collection, two volumes of the Yuelu Academy 岳 麓 書 院 Qin slips collection; the first (of the planned 6) volumes of the Qin slips from Liye 里 耶 , Hunan; the first two volumes of the Han slips from the Jianshui Jinguan 肩 水 金 關 , Gansu; this in addition to the ongoing publication of the Shanghai Museum collection of Chu slips, and the planned publication of Qin and Han slips from the Peking University collection. Scholars who were used to write textbooks of early China's
Review of Yuri Pines, The Book of Lord Shang: Apologetics of State Power in Early China
Journal of Chinese Military History, 2019
As the first empire in Chinese history, the Qin dynasty (221-207 BCE) has left a far-reaching institutional legacy to imperial China, but the sources of its history are scant. Thanks to the ever-increasing number of archaeological findings in recent decades, we are no longer confined to the writings compiled during Han times (202 BCE-220 CE), which used to leave us with no choice but to study Qin history through the lens of the Han literati. With the excavation of Qin documents on bamboo and wooden slips and boards, we now have firsthand written records of the Qin people, which not only enrich our knowledge of the Qin empire but also give us a glimpse of the daily life of its commoners. Together with the texts found at Shuihudi 睡虎地 of Yumeng 雲夢, which have been studied in depth by scholars since their discovery in the 1970s, the recently unearthed Qin legal and administrative documents from Longgang 龍崗 and Liye 里耶, and those acquired by the Yuelu Academy 嶽麓書院, among others, have been in the academic spotlight and subjected to intensive research. They enable historians to gather invaluable information on the routine functions of the Qin imperial state and the underpinning social structure of the empire. With new sources come new interpretations, and a new history of Qin is now eagerly anticipated.
Asiatische Studien 77 (3-4), 2023
Spring and Autumn Historiography is a useful book, even though it is also somewhat of a missed opportunity. It is useful because the author excels in deciphering the formulaic language of one of the most enigmatic early Chinese texts, making this text more accessible to students and scholars. It is disappointing, because the author could have advanced our understanding of this text much further, had she opted for a more nuanced historical approach and had she paid more attention to previous and current research. The text under discussion is Chunqiu 春秋, which I prefer to translate as the Springs-and-Autumns Annals; Van Auken opts for a singular "Spring and Autumn" (to avoid confusion, I shall hereafter refer to the text as Chunqiu). As Van Auken acknowledges, the first time she looked at the text she "thought it was boring" (p. xiii), and this is the impression shared by the overwhelming majority of modern readers. The dry chronicle of major events in the life of the state of Lu 魯 and its neighbors and allies between 722 and 481 (or 479) BCE is surely not engaging reading. For two millennia, however, the text was a must for any educated man of letters, because it was widely believed that its formulaic language contains the "great meaning in subtle words" 微言大義 allegedly embedded there by Confucius 孔子 (551-479 BCE) himself. In the early twentieth century, however, as the traditional examination curriculum was abolished, while Confucius lost his position as China's "utmost sage" 至聖, the interest in Chunqiu receded dramatically. 1 An attempt to re-engage the text from a post-Confucian perspective is therefore highly welcome. Van Auken's book is based on her PhD dissertation, "A Formal Analysis of the Chuenchiou (Spring and Autumn Classic)" completed back in 2006 (University of Washington, under the supervision of William G. Boltz). That seventeen years separate the dissertation and the current monograph may reflect the publishers' 1 Throughout the twentieth century, scholars who addressed Chunqiu did it primarily at sidelines of the studies of one of its commentaries, primarily Zuozhuan 左傳 (Zuo Tradition) and Gongyang zhuan 公羊傳 (the third commentary, Guliang zhuan 穀梁傳, merited much less scholarly attention). In the twenty-first century, signs of renewed interest in Chunqiu abound, including a new journal, Chunqiu studies 春秋學研究, the inaugural issue of which was published by Shanghai guji chubanshe 上海古 籍出版社 in May 2023.
Historical Consciousness and the Use of the Past in the Ancient World, edited by John Baines, Henriette van der Blom, Y. S. Chen, and Tim Rood, 2019
This chapter compares two groups of inscriptions on ritual bronze vessels and bells from the 10th–5th centuries BC that refer to the distant past, examining how Early Chinese elites mobilized historical memory. The first group of inscriptions, commemorating the founders of the Zhou dynasty (ca. 1050–256), is from the Zhou metropolitan area around Xi’an and dates from the 10th–early 8th centuries. Inscriptions in the second group, also referring to earlier rulers, post-date the 8th century and derive from various polities. Comparison uncovers significant regional differences and temporal changes. Two late 9th century inscriptions exhibit the metropolitan practice of referring to the past in relation to royal appointments and rewards. Their ‘historical’ excurses are products of a Zhou memory policy that provided ideological support for the dynasty which, unlike rulers elsewhere in the ancient world, could not count on a shared pantheon to boost cohesion and loyalty among subordinates who were not royal kin. Zhou kings targeted discourse about the First Kings in order to maintain the hierarchy among metropolitan lineages. Elites imitated kings and used memory about royal ancestors to display and enhance their own prestige. Four inscriptions, commissioned by regional rulers and elites of the 8th to early 5th centuries, show that they only partly followed the metropolitan example of referring back to the early Zhou kings. In seeking legitimation for their autonomy or new political alliances they could evoke a more distant past or contrast the present Zhou kings to the dynasty’s founders. Thus, the roots of Chinese historiography go back to discourse about status and hierarchy among the Zhou elites from the 10th century onward, whereas deepening historical perspectives and the emergence of a critical approach to the past can be connected with political changes during the 8th–5th centuries.
Preface, by Edward L. Shaughnessy (University of Chicago) IX The He zun Inscription and the Beginning of Zhou 1 Supplement to the "The 'Question' Question"-British Museum Scapula and British Museum Library Deer Horn 17 The King and the Bird: a Possible Genuine Shang Literary Text and Its Echoes in Later Philosophy and Religion 22 The Hampers of Zeng: Some Problems in Archaeoastronomy 29 New Study of Xiaotun Yinxu Wenzi Jiabian 2416 42 Research Notes On Yin Li Chronology per Zheng Xuan 55 A Telltale Mistake in the Lü shi Chunqiu: The Earthquake Supposedly in the Eighth Year of Wen Wang of Zhou 62 The Origin of the Chaochen Rule 69