The Linguistic Characteristics of the Yi Zhou Shu and Its Philological Value

Author: Zhou Yuxiu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-02-01
Features: This book is an important historical work because the literature of the pre-Qin period that has survived to this day, especially that before the Western Zhou Dynasty, is extremely scarce. We cannot irresponsibly and lightly attribute all of it to the Warring States or even the Qin and Han dynasties, nor can we disregard the issues discovered by many scholars and categorize it all as from the mid-Spring and Autumn period, believing it to be the remnants of Confucius's discussions on the "One Hundred Chapters of the Shangshu." Moreover, as Liu Xiang said, the "Yuzhou Shu" is considered the leftover discussions of Confucius on the "One Hundred Chapters of the Shangshu." In ancient times, this implicitly diminished their documentary value: either their thoughts were not in line with orthodox Confucianism, or their historical records were inconsistent and unreliable. This is also one reason why, since the Han Dynasty, discussions about the Three Dynasties have primarily cited the "Shangshu" while rarely paying attention to the "Yuzhou Shu." Therefore, when we study the "Yuzhou Shu" today, we are neither maintaining the skeptical stance of the "doubtful ancient texts" school nor completely reverting to Liu Xiang's views. Instead, we must conduct our own in-depth and meticulous analysis.