Wenzhou Literature Series. Six Books Explanation

Author: Dai Dong (Song Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-12-01
Features: "The Six Books Explanation" in thirty-three volumes, with a preface titled "The Six Books General Explanation" in one volume, written by Dai Dong of the Song Dynasty. Dai Dong, styled Zhongda, was from Yongjia (now Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province), born in the sixth year of the Guangyuan era of Emperor Ningzong of the Song Dynasty (1200). In the first year of the Chunyou era of Emperor Lizong of the Song Dynasty (1241), he passed the imperial examination and was appointed as the keeper of Taizhou. In the first year of the Deguang era of Emperor Gongdi of the Song Dynasty (1275), he was summoned as a Librarian of the Imperial Academy and later promoted to the position of Vice Director of the Arms Bureau, but he declined the appointment due to illness and did not take office. He died in the twenty-first year of the Zhiyuan era of Emperor Zongzhu of the Yuan Dynasty (1284), at the age of eighty-five. He wrote "Commentaries on the I Ching, Book of Songs, Four Books, and the Six Schools" and "The Six Books Explanation." Today, only "The Six Books Explanation" is extant. Dai Dong was dedicated to the study of textual exegesis, with a deep and rooted background. His father, Dai Meng, styled Yangbo, passed the imperial examination in the first year of the Shaoshou era of Emperor Guangzong of the Song Dynasty (1190) and was appointed as the county magistrate of Lishui. Soon after, he resigned from his post to study under Zhu Xi at Wuyi. Yangbo was skilled in debate and had a profound understanding of the "Six Books" theory. He once "corrected the shortcomings in Xu Xie's writings and passed them down to his family's academy, but the work was never completed." His older brother, Dai Zi, styled Shouyong, once served as a local. At the age of nearly forty, he abandoned the imperial examinations and devoted himself to scholarship, living modestly and enduring adversity. He wrote commentaries on the "Book of Songs," "Book of Documents," "Book of Changes," "Rites of Zhou," and the "Four Books." Dai Dong inherited the aspirations of his father and brother, carried forward the family's academic tradition, devoted himself to deep study and reflection, and after thirty years of effort, completed this magnificent work of over three million words. This book consists of thirty-three volumes, with a preface titled "The Six Books General Explanation" in one volume. It is a specialized work on textual exegesis and an important dictionary of ancient China. The entire book is organized into thematic sections based on meaning, using the "Six Books" (pictographic, indicative, phono-semantic, associative compound, mutual reference, and borrowed) to clarify the meanings of characters, examine their origins, and present a well-structured and meticulous analysis.