Yangzi Legal Commentary and Annotations

Author: Li Shoukui et al.
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Yang Xiong (53 BC–18 BC), also known as "Yang Xiong," styled Zi Yun, was a native of Chengdu, Shu Commandery (modern-day Pidu County, Chengdu, Sichuan), Western Han. A renowned scholar, philosopher, and litterateur of the late Western Han Dynasty, Yang Xiong was diligent in his studies from a young age, focusing on understanding the text rather than rigidly adhering to interpretations. He was well-read and knowledgeable in all fields, though he suffered from a speech impediment that hindered his fluency in conversation. He preferred deep contemplation over lively discussion. Yang Xiong was a simple and tranquil person, unambitious for wealth and status, nor did he grieve over poverty or humiliation. He did not cultivate a reputation for virtue to gain recognition. He only read works of sages and virtuous men, refusing to engage with anything else. He studied under Yan Junping and mastered the I Ching and the Tao Te Ching. He was skilled in prose and poetry. In his youth, he admired the prose of Qu Yuan and Sima Xiangru. He modeled his own prose on Sima Xiangru's style, writing many magnificent works that were sent to the capital and favored by Emperor Cheng of Han. He was appointed as an official in the Yellow Gate Office, serving alongside Wang Mang, Liu Xin, and Dong Xian. Later, he came to believe that prose was merely "carving insects and seals," a pursuit for children, not for grown men ("The Words of Yan," My Disciples). He then turned to philosophy. He considered the I Ching the greatest classic and the Analects the greatest commentary, and thus imitated the I Ching to write The Great Mysterious and the Analects to write The Words of Yan. He also wrote works such as The Compilation of Teachings, The Regional Dialects, and The Commentary on Cangjie's Teachings, among others in the field of linguistics and philology. After Wang Mang seized power, Yang Xiong became a Middle. However, he refused to curry favor or compromise with the regime. He chose to remain silent, not participating in politics, and worked as a book compiler in the Tianlu Pavilion while dedicating himself to writing. Despite this, Yang Xiong could not escape misfortune. Liu Xin's son, Liu, forged a "divine decree" (a type of prophecy) to please Wang Mang, but it backfired, leading to Yang Xiong's downfall. He was exiled to the "Four Barbarian Regions." Liu had studied ancient scripts under Yang Xiong, which implicated him. When the envoy arrived at the Tianlu Pavilion to arrest Yang Xiong, he jumped from the pavilion but survived. He was later spared. Afterward, he lived in obscurity until his death at the age of seventy-one. The representative works of Yang Xiong's thought are The Great Mysterious and The Words of Yan. The Great Mysterious is a work in which he expressed his cosmological and metaphysical philosophical ideas. Structurally and formally, it is a semi-philosophical divination book modeled after the I Ching, containing both classics and commentaries. However, Yang Xiong still innovated, such as using a three-part system of odd, even, and harmony in The Great Mysterious, whereas the I Ching uses only odd and even; the I Ching focuses on using hexagrams to judge fortune and misfortune, while The Great Mysterious primarily uses numbers to determine prosperity and adversity, and so on. The core idea of The Great Mysterious is to establish a philosophical system that posits "the Mysterious" as the origin of all things in the universe. The Words of Yan, on the other hand, is a work in which Yang Xiong expressed his ideas on human nature, ethics, and political theory. The purpose of writing The Words of Yan was to defend and promote the orthodox Confucian doctrine. In form, it imitates the Analects and adopts a question-and-answer structure. In terms of content, Yang Xiong established the idea of revering Confucianism and the teachings of Confucius in the book, believing that "those who understand heaven, earth, and humanity are Confucians" (The Words of Yan, The Gentleman); only Confucius's teachings are "unashamed before all sages and not ashamed to cover the sky and earth" (The Words of Yan, Five Hundred); the teachings of Confucius and the Duke of Zhou are the highest theories for governing the state and cultivating oneself. He advocated that scholars should uphold the fundamental and suppress the secondary, following the thoughts of the Duke of Zhou and Confucius; he also pointed out that the teachings of the Hundred Schools differed from those of Confucius, except for those of Mencius and Xunzi, who were no different. Therefore, Mencius and Xunzi were superior to the other schools, and all doctrines should return to Confucius: "Those who love books but do not follow Zhongni are but book stalls; those who love to speak but do not follow Zhongni are but bell-ringers" (The Words of Yan, My Disciples). In terms of human nature theory, Yang Xiong proposed the "theory of mixed good and evil," believing that people can eliminate evil and promote good through self-cultivation (see The Words of Yan, Self-Cultivation); in ethics, he proposed that Confucian filial piety (xiào) is the most fundamental principle of being a person: "Filial piety is supreme! A single word encompasses it, and the sages do not add to it" (The Words of Yan, Examining the Supreme).