Commentary on the Inner Chapters of the Baopuzi (Revised and Expanded Edition)

Author: Wang Ming
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-03-01
Features: The Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal is undoubtedly an important source for the study of the history of Taoism and the history of science and technology. Previous and contemporary scholars have done considerable collation work. This time, I have compiled them together, adding some of my own annotations and corrections, which can be considered the first comprehensive collation. As for annotations, there has never been a published annotated edition. According to records, Tao Hongjing's nephew, Tao Yi, mentioned in the "Record of Tao Hongjing's Taoist Writings" (found in the 107th volume of the Cloud Chamber Seven Treasures compiled by Zhang Junfang of the Song Dynasty and in the Biography of Tao Hongjing by Jia Song of the Song Dynasty) that Tao Hongjing wrote twenty volumes of annotations to the Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal (see above). Tao Hongjing's twenty volumes of annotations to the Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal were likely annotations for the Inner Canon, but this annotated edition has long been lost, leaving no trace. Now, I have made a rough annotation to provide some assistance to readers. Since the Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal is not a popular reading, the annotated edition, with both collated and annotated content, is already quite extensive. Therefore, except for a few places where I take the opportunity to express my critique (such as the mistaken claim in the "Subtle Meaning" chapter that Guo Ju buried his child and found gold), I generally do not add separate comments on religious superstition or feudal ethical teachings. The Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal was originally published as a standalone book, separate from the Outer Canon. In the preface to the Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal, Ge Hong writes: "Among the works I wrote, I set apart this one and called it the Inner Canon, consisting of twenty volumes, which follows the same order as the Outer Canon." Ge Hong wrote the Outer Canon first and then the Inner Canon (see Yellow and White). The self-introduction of the Outer Canon of the Emerald Immortal states: "I wrote twenty volumes of the Inner Canon and fifty volumes of the Outer Canon." Thus, the Inner Canon was twenty volumes, which is beyond doubt. However, the Catalog of Classics in the Sui Book lists the Inner Canon as twenty-one volumes, while the Arts and Literature Catalog in the New Tang Book lists it as ten volumes, which is inconsistent. The currently circulating Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal is twenty volumes, with each volume consisting of one chapter. Therefore, the ten-volume edition of the New Tang Catalog may have combined two chapters into one volume. I believe the Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal was originally twenty volumes, with each volume consisting of one chapter, but this may not be its original form. Because the Book of Jin mentions that Ge Hong's Inner Canon and Outer Canon together consisted of one hundred and sixteen chapters. The current edition has twenty chapters in the Inner Canon and fifty-two in the Outer Canon, totaling only seventy-two chapters, which is forty-four chapters short of the original one hundred and sixteen. These forty-four chapters have clearly been lost. Therefore, Yan Kejun in his Iron Bridge Random Notes writes in the preface to the Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal: "The current edition only contains the middle and later parts of the Inner Canon and the middle and later parts of the Outer Canon." After that, it needs to be stated here.