Shanghai Museum Collection of Chu Bamboo Slips from the Warring States Period (II)

Author: Ma Chengyuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-12-01
Features: The second volume contains six articles, 115 bamboo slips, and approximately 4,000 words. It includes 140 pages of color illustrations of bamboo slips arranged in order and color enlargements of the slips by 3.65 times, as well as 150 pages of black-and-white original images of bamboo slips and their annotations. The first article has no title, and is now named The People's Parents. It consists of 14 slips and 397 characters, mostly complete with good preservation. The content largely appears in the Records of the Rites·Confucius in Solitary Retirement and the Discourses on Rites·Confucius on Rites from the Analects of Confucius·Discussions with Zixia, which records the dialogue between Confucius and Zixia on the "Five Approaches" and "Three Absences," as well as the so-called "Five Initiations." It holds significant reference value for understanding Confucian moral views and also helps clarify the nature of the Records of the Rites and the Discourses on Rites. The second article is titled Zigao. It consists of 14 slips and 395 characters, with no complete slips. The content is Confucius answering Zigao's questions about the succession of Yao and Shun and the succession of Yu, Qi, and Houji as emperors, which differs from the Five Emperor system recorded in the GreatRites·Deeds of the Five Emperors and the Records of the Grand Historian·Basic Annals of the Five Emperors, but the deeds of these five emperors are consistent with common accounts. The third article is the same as Zigao and Confucius on Poetry, but its content is not related. It is now listed as a separate article and titled Great Drought in Lu. It consists of 6 bamboo slips of varying lengths and preserves 208 characters. The content records Lu Ai asking Confucius for advice on the great drought in Lu, Confucius' response that sacrifices and prayers are futile, and a discussion between Confucius and Zigong about the impact of this event on the people. The fourth article is titled Engaging in Governance, and due to the varying lengths of the slips, it is divided into Part A and Part B. Part A has 18 slips and 519 characters, while Part B has 6 slips and 140 characters. The text proposes that rulers should focus on "promoting the Five Virtues, strengthening the Three Oaths, and eliminating the Ten Grievances," along with detailed explanations, which can be cross-referenced with related statements in Confucian classics such as the Analects and the Records of the Rites, providing new material for Confucian political thought. The fifth article has no title and is now named When the Lord Was Old. It consists of 4 slips and 158 characters. None of the slips can be read together, and the number of missing characters is unknown. The content roughly records the rituals and norms during the period from the lord's old age to his death and the's visit. The sixth article was originally titled Rongchengshi. It consists of 53 complete and incomplete slips and approximately 2,200 characters. The content is related to legends about ancient emperors and can be divided into seven parts: the first part discusses 21 ancient emperors including Rongchengshi; the second part discusses the Gaoxin clan before Emperor Yao; the third part discusses Emperor Yao; the fourth part discusses Emperor Shun; the fifth part discusses Emperor Yu of the Xia Dynasty; the sixth part discusses Emperor Tang of the Shang Dynasty; the seventh part discusses King Wen and King Wu of the Zhou Dynasty. The text mentions Yu dividing the nine states, with state names differing from those in books such as the Book of Documents·Yu's Tribute. The subjugation of nine states by King Wen is mentioned, with state names previously unknown, and Han scholars could not elaborate on it. This text provides supplementary information.