New Interpretation of the Book of Documents: The Book of Yu and Xia

Author: Jin Jingfang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1995-05-01
Features: The oldest and most valuable two ancient classics of China are the Shangshu (Book of Documents) and the Zhouyi (Book of Changes). The Shangshu uniquely records events since Yao, making it the first reliable historical record in Chinese history. The Zhouyi is the only surviving book, after Lianshan and Guizang, that is both a divination text and a philosophical work, making it a unique and mysterious book. However, before the great thinker Confucius paid attention to these two books, the former was a dusty archive stored in the palace, while the latter was a common divination book circulating among the people. Only after Confucius studied them did the dusty archive undergo organization and compilation, becoming one of the Six Arts and passed down to later generations. The original common divination book, with its ancient and profound content, was read by Confucius until the leather straps of his book were worn out three times ("Wei Bian San Jue"), and he wrote the "Ten Wings" to accompany it, which was also included among the Six Arts and passed down to later generations. Unfortunately, after the Burning of the Books during the Qin Dynasty, the Shangshu became incomplete, with many of its profound meanings lost. Although the Zhouyi survived as a divination book, the old customs of shamans and historians persisted over time, and its fate was almost the same as that of the Shangshu.