Translation of the given content to English: Classical Chinese Masterpieces Translation and Annotation Series (Second Series) -- The Book of Documents

Author: Xu Qitang
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Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: The Shangshu (Book of Documents) was originally titled Shu, and is a compilation of historical documents from ancient China and some works recounting historical events. It is also the earliest extant historical document in China. According to the Book of Han·Bibliography, the Shangshu was compiled by Confucius, consisting of one hundred chapters. Its content spans from the legendary Emperor Yao to the Duke Mu of Qin during the Spring and Autumn period, and can be divided into four parts in chronological order: the Yushu (Books of Yu), the Xashu (Books of Xia), and the Zhoushu (Books of Zhou). Since the Shangshu was included by Confucianism as one of the classics, it is also known as the Shujing (Classic of Documents). The Shangshu holds a very important position in ancient Chinese classics. Since it was established as an official subject in the Han Dynasty, it has been highly revered and became one of the most important textbooks in the feudal society. There have been many commentaries on the Shangshu throughout history, but the Shangshu Jinguwen Zhushu by the Qing Dynasty scholar Sun Xingyan is particularly noteworthy. Additionally, the Shangshu Yizhu by the modern scholar Zeng Yundian and the Baihua Shangshu by Zhou Bingjun are also highly regarded and should be noted.