Boshu Laozi Annotations

Author: Gao Ming
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-03-01
Features: The "Zishu" (Schools of Thought) series is an important part of China's ancient classics. The earliest of "Zishu" emerged during the Hundred Schools of Thought in the late Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period, many of which are precious crystallizations of ancient Chinese thought and culture. After the Qin and Han dynasties, throughout the feudal society, numerous thinkers and scholars wrote similar works, some of which were also outstanding. In the 1950s, Zhonghua Book Company revised and reprinted the "Zishu Jicheng" (Comprehensive Collection of Schools of Thought) published by the original Shijie Book Company before the founding of the People's Republic of China. This series of books compiled the results of Qing Dynasty scholars' collation and annotation of "Zishu," making it more suitable for academic research needs. However, it did not include the new achievements of scholars in recent decades, especially after the founding of the People's Republic of China, in organizing "Zishu." The variety of "Zishu" collected was not sufficient, and there were still many errors in punctuation and typesetting. Therefore, it was decided to re-edit and publish a new "Comprehensive Collection of Schools of Thought." The new "Comprehensive Collection of Schools of Thought" includes "Zishu" from the pre-Qin to the Tang and Five Dynasties periods, with a focus on selecting those closely related to the study of philosophy and intellectual history. Some books that do not belong to the "Zishu" category, such as Ban Gu's "Baihu Tongyi," are also planned to be included because they are closely related to the study of philosophy and intellectual history (using the collation and annotations by Chen Li of the Qing Dynasty). The entire series will be published in two volumes. The first volume includes "Zishu" similar to the old "Comprehensive Collection of Schools of Thought," which are frequently read or referenced by general researchers. Each book selects the best annotated version available to date. For a few that still lack annotations, annotations will be provided separately. Some books include multiple annotated versions, each with its own strengths. To maintain consistency in style, except for a few exceptions, only annotated versions written in classical or colloquial classical Chinese are included. The main text and annotations of each book are uniformly annotated with modern punctuation, and errors in printing or typesetting are corrected. The second volume collects other "Zishu" outside the first volume. Most of them lack existing annotated versions. For those that require annotations, annotations should be added; the rest will be selected from better versions for collation and annotation. Many of the books in this volume are incomplete or scattered, and during the organization process, different situations are distinguished. Some select better existing collated versions, while others need to be supplemented or re-collated. Some "Zishu" include forgeries or books suspected of being forgeries. Those with earlier origins that had a certain historical impact and still have reference value for studying certain issues are tentatively included. Both volumes of this series will first publish paperback editions, each priced separately, and will be released successively. After all volumes are completed, a hardcover combined edition will be published. Each paperback book will include a tentative list of the current volume to help readers understand the overall outline of the series.
Laozi is one of the earliest philosophical and literary works in China, which has had a profound impact in history and has been widely disseminated abroad. It continues to be praised by some Western scholars to this day. Since the Wei and Jin periods, there have been numerous versions of Laozi, with the most popular being the annotated versions by Wang Bi and He Shanggong. In the early Tang Dynasty, Fu Yi obtained ancient manuscripts from the early Han Dynasty, but the collated ancient manuscripts were based on several old versions and did not preserve the original form of the early Han Dynasty manuscripts. Since Bi Yuan of the Qing Dynasty, many scholars have collated Laozi (such as Luo Zhenyu, Ma Xuren, Lao Jian, and Zhu Qianzhi), but the old manuscripts they used were based on Tang steles and Tang scrolls, the earliest available, and had not yet seen manuscripts from before the Tang Dynasty. In recent years, the discovery of the Mawangdui Han's silk Laozi manuscripts (Jia and Yi versions) has been a significant event. In these manuscripts, "Chang Dao" is written as "Heng Dao," indicating they are from before Emperor Wen of Han, making them the earliest extant ancient manuscripts. The discovery of the silk Laozi manuscripts is a cause for celebration. The excavation of the silk Laozi manuscripts has resolved many long-standing debates in certain chapters. For example, in the widely circulated version of Chapter 38, the sentence "Shang De wu wei er wu yi" is followed by "Xia De wei zhi er you yi," or sometimes "Xia De wei zhi er wu yi," which is repetitive in meaning. Both the Jia and Yi versions of the silk Laozi lack the "Xia De" sentence, proving that it is an addition. Another example is Chapter 61: "Therefore, a large country should lower itself to a small country, and then it will take the small country; a small country should lower itself to a large country, and then it will take the large country." The sentence structures of "take the small country" and "take the large country" are identical. The Jia version of the silk Laozi reads: "Da Bang [yi] Xia [Bang], then it will take the small country; a small country should lower itself to a large country, and then it will take from the large country." The Yi version reads: "Therefore, a large country should lower itself to a small country, and then it will take the small country; a small country should lower itself to a large country, and then it will take from the large country." The phrases "take the small country" and "take from the large country" are clearly different, proving that the widely circulated version is missing the character "yu." Similar examples are numerous, indicating that the silk Laozi manuscripts are indeed superior to the widely circulated versions.
The book Laozi is traditionally attributed to Lao Dan, who lived at the same time as Confucius. The works of the pre-Qin philosophers were passed down through handwritten copies. During the process of copying, disciples and later scholars often added content. In Chapter 63 of Laozi, there is the phrase "report grievances with virtue," which is recorded in the Analects as Confucius' criticism of "reporting grievances with virtue." This proves that the legend of Lao Dan living at the same time as Confucius is not fictional. However, the Analects do not include the phrase "benevolence and righteousness" together, and sentences like "The Great Way is abandoned, and benevolence and righteousness arise" or "Abandon benevolence and righteousness" could not have appeared in the late Spring and Autumn period; they were clearly added by later generations. Based on the content of the Laozi, the upper and lower chapters were likely written in the early Warring States period, about two hundred years before the early Han Dynasty. During the Warring States period and the early Qin and Han period, there may have been different versions of Laozi. In the "World of Zhuangzi," Zhuangzi quotes Lao Dan as saying: "Know the masculine and guard the feminine, be the valley of the world; know the white and guard the humble, be the valley of the world." The Wang Bi annotated version of Chapter 28 reads: "Know the masculine and guard the feminine, be the valley of the world; being the valley of the world, constant virtue does not leave, returning to the infant. Know the white and guard the black, be the model of the world; being the model of the world, constant virtue does not err, returning to the infinite. Know the honor and guard the humiliation, be the valley of the world; being the valley of the world, constant virtue is sufficient. Returning to the simple." In the late modern period, scholars like Yi Shundeng and Ma Xuren argued, based on the "World of Zhuangzi," that sentences like "guard the black" to "returning to the infinite, know the honor" were added by later generations. However, both the Jia and Yi versions of the silk Laozi include phrases like "guard the black" and "returning to the infinite," with only minor differences in individual characters. The "Huainanzi" in the "Dao Ying" section also quotes Laozi as saying: "Fine words can purchase respect, fine actions can elevate people" (also seen in the "Ren Jian" section of the "Huainanzi"). The Wang Bi annotated version of Chapter 62 reads: "Fine words can purchase, noble actions can elevate people." Yu Yü believed that the Wang Bi version should be corrected based on the "Huainanzi." The silk Laozi manuscripts also read: "Fine words can purchase, noble actions can elevate people." This indicates that in the early Han Dynasty, there were indeed different versions of Laozi. The silk Laozi manuscripts were discovered in the early Han Dynasty, while the version used by the "Huainanzi" differs from the silk Laozi. However, based on the Laozi manuscripts available today, the Jia and Yi versions of the silk Laozi are the earliest surviving manuscripts. Since the publication of the silk Laozi manuscripts, they have been highly valued by academia, and in recent years, several annotated and collated works on the silk Laozi have been published. However, some issues still require further examination. Comrade Gao Ming is an expert in archaeology and has conducted in-depth research in paleography. In 1978, he published annotations on the collation of the Jia and Yi versions of the silk Laozi manuscripts and the current Laozi, proposing many insightful views. Recently, he has written and compiled the annotated version of the silk Laozi, further interpreting the silk Laozi. This book's collation is meticulous, and its investigation is precise, surpassing recent similar works. It offers unique insights into many difficult issues, making it a significant new achievement in the study of the silk Laozi. This is a valuable contribution to the study of pre-Qin classics and is highly recommended to readers. Comrade Gao Ming sought my opinion on his manuscript, and I have briefly outlined my views here as a preface.