Classics Treasury - The Wen Xuan of Zhaoming (Volumes 1-2)

Author: Tan Guoqing, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-03-01
Features: During the Xiao and Liang dynasties, Guichi was the fiefdom of the Bright Prince, whose spirit was revered for millennia, and his power was formidable. It was said that no matter whether there were floods, droughts, or epidemics, his worship never failed to bring relief. The temple had the Wenxuan Pavilion, grand and magnificent, yet it lacked the printing plates of this very book, as it was considered a lack of tradition. In the past, the locals had once tried to raise funds to have it printed, but it failed. Now, this book is ( means "circulating in the world" but is kept in Chinese as it's a special phrase), and all the versions in circulation are the Five Ministers' annotated editions. The Five Ministers' annotations often focus on explaining the meaning without citing the original sources. Only Li Shan's annotations are comprehensive and meticulous, renowned for their precision.
To observe the origins of the universe, one glimpses the profound wind. In the era of winter caves and summer nests, when people ate raw meat and drank blood, the world was simple and people were pure, yet culture had not yet emerged. When Fu Xi ruled the world, he began to draw the Eight Trigrams and created written characters to replace the system of tying knots, giving rise to literature. The Book of Changes says, "By observing the celestial phenomena, one can discern the changes of seasons; by observing human culture, one can transform the world." The significance of culture is vast! As for the wheelbarrow being the prototype of the grand carriage, how could the grand carriage retain the quality of the wheelbarrow? As for ice formed from accumulated water, how could the accumulated water have been as cold as the ice? Why is this? It is because they followed the original work and added brilliance, changed the foundation and intensified it. Since things exist, culture should be the same. Changing with the times, it is difficult to describe in detail.