Book of Documents: An Annotated Edition

Author: Chen Shuguo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-08-01
Features: A significant achievement in the study of the Shangshu in the last century was the conclusion that the Shi Fu in the Yuzhou Shu is indeed the true Wucheng of the Shangshu, a view that has become widely accepted. For thousands of years, the true Wucheng has been included in the Shangshu as a reliable text, and our Shangshu Commentary is the second edition, hoping that the academic community will not find it strange. With the inclusion of the true Wucheng, the narrative and historical records in the Shangshu have become more prominent. The Shangshu reflects the Shang and Zhou dynasties, a period when oracle bone and bronze inscriptions had already emerged and were in use. The Zhou people recorded events of their own dynasty and compiled legends or textual materials from previous dynasties, including the Shang, into the Shu, an endeavor that likely began in the early Spring and Autumn period and was finally completed around that time or slightly later. The Grand Historian had not seen ancient Shang or pre-Shang scripts, and his Records of the Grand Historian used Shangshu materials to write the history of ancient China, essentially equating to Sima Qian’s father interpreting and translating the corresponding Shangshu texts according to his own understanding (what is known as "interpreting and annotating the Shangshu"). Later, the stone classics and Dunhuang manuscripts both included parts of the Shangshu. Many diligent scholars of the Shangshu have noticed these facts. The Shangshu is one of the oldest historical document collections preserved to this day, containing a wealth of invaluable materials on pre-Qin politics, thought, history, and culture. This series is a commentary on the Shangshu.