Shuguang Wenshi Zazhu

Author: Wang Shumin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: Excerpt: "Summer" and "China" - Ancient Names for Our Country
Our country is one of the birthplaces of world civilization. Very early on, it called itself "Summer" or "China." Where did these names come from? Have their meanings evolved? When did they become the exclusive names for our country? Based on my limited understanding, I will offer some preliminary insights.
In ancient historical legends, the Xia Dynasty was the earliest. It is noteworthy that the Xia had an agricultural economy as its foundation, had developed city-states, possessed high culture, and exerted significant influence, lasting for several hundred years, hence the name "Xia Dynasty." The Zuo Zhuan (Commentary of Zuo) in the Spring and Autumn Annals states: "The Duke of Tang was granted a large chariot, drums from Misu and Muxu, the fortress of Guogong, the Guxi drum, and nine clans of the Huai surname, along with five officials, and was given the Tang Ode to govern the 'Xia' region. He was to rule with 'Xia' governance and govern the frontier with the 'Rong' code." The Duke of Tang was the founding ancestor of the Jin State during the Western Zhou Dynasty, whose fief was in the Fen River basin of southern Shanxi Province, known as "Xia Xu" (the Ruins of Xia), indicating that the ancient Xia Kingdom was located in this region. In the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River, such as Yu's capital Yangcheng, traditionally located in Dengfeng County, Henan Province; the Book of Han (Historical Records of the Han Dynasty) mentions a Great Xia County in Longxi Prefecture, with a Great Xia River (now the Guangtong River, flowing east into the Tao River, not the modern Great Xia River). These remaining names sufficiently demonstrate the great influence of ancient Xia culture.
To "fear not to neglect our duty and preserve our teachings" is precisely to uphold the culture of Xia. The Book of Documents (Shang Gao) states: "Only then can our great and illustrious ancestor King Wen, by clarifying virtue and being cautious in punishment, not oppress the widowed and orphaned, and act with diligence and respect, inspiring the people to establish our 'Xu Xia,' beyond our one or two states, to govern our Western Territory." Here, "Xu Xia," "one or two states," and "Western Territory" are all preceded by the pronoun "I" in grammar, forming parallel structures. The meaning of "Western Territory" is quite clear, as King Wu stated in the Pastoral Oath: "Far away, the people of the Western Territory." The Ode of Wine also says King Wen "founded his state in the Western Territory." Here, "Western Territory" should refer to the small states under Zhou's leadership (hence King Wen was called "Western"), while "one or two states" refers to the few states closely allied with Zhou. The term "Xu Xia" is more ambiguous. This passage refers to King Wen's political influence spreading from near to far, with "Xu Xia" being the closest, likely referring to Zhou itself. However, ancient annotations on this passage were all incorrect. The Pseudo-Kong Commentary says: "By this virtue of clarifying virtue and being cautious in punishment, he began to govern our region of Xia, hence he governed our one or two states to repair them." The annotation breaks the sentence at "repair" and reads "our Western Territory" as a continuous phrase, completely losing the original meaning. Sun Xingyan's Commentary and Exegesis of the Book of Documents Classical and Contemporary Texts splits the term "Xu Xia" and explains it separately, which is also inappropriate. In reality, "Xu Xia" is the same as "Xia Qu," meaning the places that preserved Xia culture, and the Zhou people regarded themselves as inheritors of Xia culture. "Xu Xia" is also written as "You Xia" or "Shi Xia." For example, in the Book of Documents (Jun Shi): "Only then can King Wen still preserve and harmonize our You Xia." In the Odes (Zhou Song, Shi Mai): "I seek noble virtue, spreading it in Shi Xia, and King will surely protect it." In Si Wen: "You have given me millet, the Mandate of Heaven commands us to nurture, without bounds, your boundaries, establishing them in Shi Xia." The character "you" is a grammatical particle. "Shi" means "this," or "the." The Jun Shi and Shi Mai passages both discuss matters within Zhou's territory. Thus, "You Xia" and "Shi Xia" are the same as "Xu Xia" in the Shang Gao.