QIAN 謙 IN EARLY CHINESE THOUGHT

Qian xun 謙遜 in modern Chinese is usually translated as “modesty” in English. In this paper, I examine the arguably earliest version of it in early Chinese thought, qian 謙. I first extract its basic features from the qian hexagram 謙卦 in the Yi jing 易經 and identify very similar features in other texts, such as the Dao de jing 道德經, the Xunzi 荀子, and the Lüshi chunqiu 呂氏春秋. On the basis of this textual comparison, then, I reconstruct the idea of qian in a way that captures what underlies the relevant passages in all of the aforementioned texts. Finally, I understand the qian person to be someone who is disposed not to present himself in a better light than the other person in social interactions but to treat the other person as better by highlighting some aspect of the other person. I ultimately argue that this idea of qian was shared widely among early Chinese thinkers regardless of later historical divisions of different schools of thought.

Kultúrhéroszok vagy hivatalnokok

The 17th book of Lüshi chunqiu 呂氏春秋, compiled by Lü Buwei 呂不韋 inthe 3rd c. B.C., comprises two lists of officials who are credited with initiatingcertain cultural phenomena. In this study, I explore the available informationon these 26 individuals (Da Nao 大橈, Qian Ru 黔如, Rong Cheng 容成, XiHe 羲和, Shang Yi 尚儀, Hou Yi 后益, Hu Cao 胡曹, Yi Yi 夷羿, Zhu Rong祝融, Yi Di 儀狄, Gao Yuan 高元, Yu Xu 虞姁, Bo Yi 伯益, Chi Ji 赤冀, ChengYa 乘雅, Han Ai 寒哀, Wang Hai 王亥, Shi Huang 史皇, Wu Peng 巫彭, WuXian巫咸, Xi Zhong 奚仲, Cang Jie 蒼頡, Houji 后稷, Gao Yao 皋陶, Kunwu昆吾, Gun 鯀), and propose a new interpretation of their presence in this earlysource.

Lushi chunqiu

The Lushi chunqiu (Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Lu Buwei), composed 241–238 bc, marks a firm beginning for the eclectic movement in Qin and Han philosophy. It embraces various pre-Qin philosophies such as Lao–Zhuang and Huang–Lao Daoism, Confucianism, Mozi, Legalism, the logicians, the military arts, Agriculturalists, Yang Zhu, Zou Yen and Story Tellers. As a compendium of classical knowledge, the Lushi chunqiu contains cultural and philosophical material on the art of rulership.

THEZHOU XUN周訓 AND “ELEVATING THE WORTHY” (SHANG XIAN尚賢)

The present paper aims to investigate the idea of “elevating the worthy” (shang xian尚賢) as it appears in the newly found manuscriptZhou xun周訓. This manuscript is part of the Peking University collection (Beijing daxue cang Xi-Han zhushu北京大學藏西漢竹書), presumably copied in the first half of the first centuryb.c.e. In sharp contrast to most recently discovered manuscripts promulgating “elevating the worthy,” theZhou xunintroduces the meritocratic principle to support hereditary power transfer, by positing that the right to rule should be passed on to the most able son of a ruler. I argue that this position served several purposes. First, it provided a solution to the central problem of abdication discourse, namely, the conflict between the principles of “respecting worthies” (zun xian尊賢) and “loving kin” (ai qin愛親). Second, this interpretation of “elevating the worthy” entailed a significant extension of the number of potential contenders to the throne, challenging the system of primogeniture, the very cornerstone of political order in early China. This fundamental challenge appears to be deliberate and can be interpreted as an attempt to formulate a new paradigm for the ruling house of Zhou. The complete absence of the idea of Heaven's Mandate (tian ming天命) from theZhou xuncertainly underscores its radical departure from Zhou conventional claims to power. However, I argue that, given the close association between theZhou xunand theLüshi chunqiu呂氏春秋, it is also plausible that the former's theory was created to justify the Zhou's overthrow by the Qin 秦. In any case, theZhou xunprovides us with new insights into how the idea of “elevating the worthy” was applied to politics in early China.

The Shenzi Fragments

The Shenzi Fragments is the first complete translation in any Western language of the extant work of Shen Dao (350–275 B.C.E.). Though his writings have been recounted and interpreted in many texts, particularly in the work of Xunzi and Han Fei, very few Western scholars have encountered the political philosopher’s original, influential formulations. This volume contains both a translation and an analysis of the Shenzi Fragments. It explains their distillation of the potent political theories circulating in China during the Warring States period, along with their seminal relationship to the Taoist and Legalist traditions and the philosophies of the Lüshi Chunqiu and the Huainanzi. These fragments outline a rudimentary theory of political order modeled on the natural world that recognizes the role of human self-interest in maintaining stable rule. Casting the natural world as an independent, amoral system, Shen Dao situates the source of moral judgment firmly within the human sphere, prompting political philosophy to develop in realistic directions. Harris’s sophisticated translation is paired with commentary that clarifies difficult passages and obscure references. For sections open to multiple interpretations, he offers resources for further research and encourages readers to follow their own path to meaning, much as Shen Dao intended. The Shenzi Fragments offers English-language readers a chance to grasp the full significance of Shen Dao’s work among the pantheon of Chinese intellectuals.

Shen Dao in the Early Chinese Intellectual Milieu

Works to situate Shen Dao in the early Chinese intellectual milieu and upon the philosophical landscape. The goal of this chapter is not merely to demonstrate that Shen Dao was deeply tied into the intellectual milieu of his time and addressing similar issues as his contemporaries. Rather it is to demonstrate how he actually influenced a range of early Chinese thinkers. In doing so, it focuses on Shen Dao’s place in debates about the nature and role of Heaven as well as his influence on Xunzi, Han Feizi, and the compilers of the Lüshi Chunqiu and the Huainanzi.