Mencius

Author: (Eastern Han) Zhao Ji
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1998-06-01
Features: Mengzi, whose name was Ke, was from Zou in the Warring States period (now Zoucheng City, Shandong Province). He was born around 385 BC and died around 300 BC. Mengzi was a prominent thinker and educator during the Warring States period. He inherited and developed the thoughts of Confucius, becoming the most authoritative representative of the Confucian school in the mid-Warring States period. In feudal society, Mengzi was revered as the second sage after Confucius, known as the "Second Sage." The book Mengzi is the most direct and reliable material for studying Mengzi's thoughts. Since the Han Dynasty, scholars have studied Mengzi and written commentaries on it, with many such works appearing especially after Emperor Shenzong of Song ordered Mengzi to be honored as a classic in the Xining era. Among the thousands of works on Mengzi, three are particularly praised by scholars: Zhao Ji's Commentary on Mengzi, Zhu Xi's Collected Annotations on Mengzi, and Jiao Xun's Corrective Commentary on Mengzi. Additionally, Sun Shuang's Annotations and Explanations on Mengzi and Song Xiangfeng's Supplementary Corrections to Zhao Ji's Annotations on Mengzi are also influential commentaries. Below are brief introductions to these works:
After its completion, Mengzi was initially circulated as a book of the Hundred Schools of Thought. During the time of Qin Shi Huang's burning of books and burying scholars, the Confucian scholars of the Mengzi school also suffered greatly, but Mengzi itself remained largely unharmed, miraculously preserved. Zhao Ji said, "After Mengzi's death, the great way declined. By the time of the fallen Qin, they burned and destroyed the classics, executed Confucian scholars, and wiped out Mengzi's followers. His book was classified as a work of the Hundred Schools of Thought, so its texts were not completely obliterated" (Preface to Mengzi). During the Western Han Dynasty, the status of Mengzi slightly improved. Emperor Wen of Han once established Mengzi as a subject of study, appointing scholars as zhibi (biographical scholars), known as zhibi scholars. Zhibi were considered subordinate to the classics, ranking between the classics and the works of the Hundred Schools of Thought in ancient texts. This shows that Mengzi held a higher status in the early Western Han than it did during the Qin Dynasty. After Emperor Wu of Han ascended the throne, he implemented the policy of "abolishing the Hundred Schools of Thought and promoting the Six Classics," establishing only the Five Classics scholars while abolishing the zhibi scholars. As a result, Mengzi reverted to its status as a work of the Hundred Schools of Thought and remained unchanged throughout the Western Han Dynasty.
Since Mengzi was largely treated as a work of the Hundred Schools of Thought during the Han Dynasty, fewer people studied it compared to the classics. The recorded works on Mengzi during the Han Dynasty include Yang Xiong's Annotations on Mengzi, Cheng Zeng's Commentary on Mengzi, Zheng Xuan's Annotations on Mengzi, Gao You's Commentary on Mengzi, Liu Xi's Annotations on Mengzi, and Zhao Ji's Commentary on Mengzi, totaling six works. To this day, except for Zhao Ji's Commentary, the others have been lost, and only fragments can be found in (collected lost texts) from the Qing Dynasty. Zhao Ji's Commentary on Mengzi is the only surviving fruit of Han Dynasty scholarship on Mengzi and the earliest complete commentary on Mengzi to survive to this day. Therefore, it is the only reliable source for studying Han Dynasty Mengzi studies and holds great historical value.
Zhao Ji (1082–101), styled Fenqing, was a native of Changling in Jingzhao Commandery during the late Eastern Han Dynasty. His original name was Jia, and he was also known as Taiqing, but he changed his name to avoid trouble. Zhao Ji had a conflict with Tang Huan, the brother of the eunuch Tang Heng, who was the Commandant of Jingzhao. In the first year of the Yanhui era, Tang Huan became the Governor of Jingzhao Commandery, making Zhao Ji a subject under his rule. Zhao Ji fled to avoid trouble. Tang Huan indeed arrested Zhao Ji's family and relatives, condemned them to severe punishment, and executed them all. After fleeing, Zhao Ji lived incognito and wandered far and wide. While selling pancakes in Beihai Commandery, he met a man named Sun Bingshi and became friends. Sun Bingshi brought Zhao Ji home and hid him in a secret compartment. After Tang Huan's death, Zhao Ji returned to the capital to serve as an official. Legend has it that his Commentary on Mengzi was completed during his period of exile.
Ruan Yuan of the Qing Dynasty, in the preface to his Annotations and Explanations of the Thirteen Classics, commented on the Commentary on Mengzi as follows: "Zhao Ji's scholarship, compared to that of Ma Rong, Zheng Xuan, Xu Shen, and Fu Qian, is somewhat outdated, but in separating words and phrases, he explains matters and emotions, and his annotations do not conflict with interpretations. The subtle meanings and profound principles of the seven chapters can be understood through this work." The General Outline of the Siku Catalogue also commented: "Although his explanations are not as precise as those of later scholars, he pioneered the field, allowing later scholars to follow and delve deeper. His contributions are undeniable." Overall, these two reviews are largely realistic and fair.
The greatest advantage of Zhao Ji's annotations lies in preserving many ancient meanings in terms of names and interpretations. His annotations are generally quite accurate. This may be because Zhao Ji lived closer to the Warring States period and was more familiar with ancient idioms and expressions. Later scholars, living much later, were often unfamiliar with some ancient common phrases, making it easy for them to misunderstand by interpreting words literally. For example, in Liang Hui Wang I: "To stretch a branch for an elder, and say to others, 'I cannot,' is not that I cannot, but that I will not." The term "stretching a branch" in ancient times referred to actions like massage or scratching to relieve physical fatigue. Therefore, Zhao Ji explained: "Stretching a branch means massage, to stretch the hand joints to relieve fatigue. A 'pained limb' refers to a tired limb. Zhao Ji's annotation accurately explains the meaning of 'stretching a branch.'" However, Lu Shanjing of the Tang Dynasty did not understand the ancient meaning of "stretching a branch" and explained it as "breaking branches of plants." On the surface, Lu's explanation seems simple, but it is actually based on literal interpretation. Zhu Xi also did not understand the meaning of "stretching a branch," so he followed Lu Shanjing's error. Another example is Zhao You of the Qing Dynasty in The Four Books: A Record of What Was Once Known, who said: "The Comprehensive Examination of Documents records Lu Yun explaining it as 'making a sound while bowing or bowing,' just like bowing or bowing today." Explaining "stretching a branch" as bowing is also a misunderstanding caused by not understanding the ancient meaning. This shows that Zhao Ji's annotations made significant contributions to preserving ancient meanings.