Legacy of Ancient Chinese Literature
The ancient sage Confucius, his words sparse yet profound, influenced his seventy disciples deeply. Thus, the “Spring and Autumn Annals” were divided into five parts, the “Book of Songs” into four, and the “Book of Changes” branched into multiple schools of interpretation during the Warring States period. Scholars debated fervently, causing confusion among their teachings.
Amidst the turmoil, the Qin Dynasty burned many writings, plunging the populace into ignorance. The Han Dynasty later rectified these losses, collecting vast literary works and encouraging scholarly pursuits. Emperor Xiao Wu lamented the decay of rituals and music, prompting him to establish imperial libraries and appoint officials to preserve and disseminate classical texts and philosophical treatises.
During the reign of Emperor Cheng, efforts to gather scattered texts intensified. Liu Xiang, as Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, meticulously reviewed and organized the classics, while Ren Hong, as Commander of Infantry, supervised military texts. Simultaneously, Minister of Astronomy Yin Xian oversaw mathematics, and Imperial Physician Li Zhuguo managed medical treatises. Each manuscript underwent thorough examination and annotation, leading to compilations such as the “Seven Summaries,” including “Selected Works,” “Six Arts,” “Masters’ Teachings,” “Poetry and Rhetoric,” “Military Strategy,” “Mathematical Arts,” and “Medical Techniques.”
Today, these essential texts are curated to preserve their essence, with the “Book of Changes” containing twelve volumes attributed to the Shi, Meng, and Liang Qiu schools. The “Book of Changes Commentary” by Zhou Shi comprises two volumes, while the “Fu Shi” has two volumes attributed to the Fu family and two to the Yang family. Cai Gong’s two volumes, from Wei, relate to the descendants of King Zhou. Han Ying’s two volumes are associated with the Han family, and Wang Shi’s two volumes bear the name Tong. Ding Shi’s eight volumes, attributed to Kuan, also known as Zixiang, originate from Liang.
The “Ancient Five Words” span eighteen volumes, discussing Yin and Yang in the “Book of Changes.” The “Huainanzi” consists of two volumes. King Huainan An invited nine scholars renowned for their interpretations of the “Book of Changes,” collectively known as the Nine Masters. The “Ancient Miscellaneous” comprises eighty volumes, “Miscellaneous Calamities and Anomalies” thirty-five volumes, and “Divine Revelations” five volumes, along with a single diagram.
Meng Kejingfang’s eleven volumes and the “Calamities and Anomalies of Meng’s Home” sixty-six volumes, Wu Lu Chongzong’s three volumes of “Summary Statements,” and Jing Shi Duan Jia’s twelve volumes of “Annotations and Explanations” are also noteworthy. The “Zhang and Ju Commentaries” each include two volumes by Shi, Meng, and Liang Qiu. In total, the “Book of Changes” encompasses thirteen schools and two hundred and ninety-four volumes.
The “Book of Changes” states, “The Mi Xi family observed celestial phenomena above and terrestrial laws below, studying the patterns of birds and beasts in relation to geographical suitability. They applied these observations to themselves and all things, creating the Eight Trigrams to convey the virtues of divine beings and to illustrate the emotions of myriad entities.” During the Yin and Zhou periods, King Zhou ruled tyrannically, defying the heavens and mistreating his subjects. King Wen, however, complied with the lords and followed the divine mandate, proving the effectiveness of predictions made by celestial and human omens.