Edward L. Shaughnessy

In recent years, three ancient manuscripts relating to the Yi jing (I Ching), or Classic of Changes, have been discovered. The earliest—the Shanghai Museum Zhou Yi—dates to about 300 B.C.E. and shows evidence of the text’s original circulation. The Gui cang, or Returning to Be Treasured, reflects another ancient Chinese divination tradition based on hexagrams similar to those of the Yi jing. In 1993, two manuscripts found in a third-century B.C.E. tomb at Wangjiatai contained almost exact parallels to the Gui cang’s early quotations, supplying new information on the performance of early Chinese divination. Finally, the Fuyang Zhou Yi was excavated from the tomb of Xia Hou Zao, lord of Ruyin, who died in 165 B.C.E. Each line of this classic is followed by one or more generic prognostications similar to phrases found in the Yi jing, indicating exciting new ways in which the text was produced and used in the interpretation of divinations. This book details the discovery and significance of the Shanghai Museum Zhou Yi, the Wangjiatai Gui cang, and the Fuyang Zhou Yi, including full translations of the texts and additional evidence that constructs a new narrative of the Yi jing’s writing and transmission in the first millennium B.C.E.

Recently Discovered Manuscripts of the Yi Jing ( I Ching) and Related Texts

Unearthing the Changes

An Introduction to the Reading of Inscriptions and Manuscripts

New Sources of Early Chinese History

Michael Loewe

The Cambridge History of Ancient China provides a survey of the institutional and cultural history of pre-imperial China.

From the Origins of Civilization to 221 BC

The Cambridge History of Ancient China

Una antología de profunda literatura filosófica y espiritual china sobre familia, educación, guerra, el dao, gobierno, sapiencia y muerte. Más de 250 historias, extractos y aforismos recién traducidos procedentes de la edad de oro del pensamiento chino. Seleccionados a partir de textos clásicos, como las Analectas de Confucio y el dao de jing de Laozi, así como manuscritos aparecidos en excavaciones más recientes. Refleja una idea subyacente a la raíz de la cultura china: todos nacemos con el potencial necesario para crecer, pero la mayoría de nosotros sólo aprendemos poco a poco mientras maduramos e interactuamos con los demás. Una magnífica selección de textos ilustrados de la literatura filosófica y espiritual china. Desde los ideales humanos de Confucio y Mencio hasta el pensamiento más esotérico expresado en el Tao Te Ching y en el Zhuangzi, fundamentos del taoísmo; desde la filosofía de la guerra expuesta por Sunzi a la promoción del amor universal de Mozi. Esta original recopilación ofrece una interesante introducción a la visión de la filosofía china sobre aspectos tan fundamentales como la vida, la muerte, la divinidad, la sociedad y la moral. Un estudio que refleja nuestro viaje a través de la vida con todas las etapas que ésta implica. Una invitación a la reflexión, la interiorización e incluso la emoción a través de las lecciones de este corpus.

Inspiraciones filosóficas de Confucio, Mencio, Laozi, Zhuangzi y otros maestros

Sabiduría China

Explores the rewriting of early Chinese texts in the wake of new archaeological evidence.

Rewriting Early Chinese Texts

James O'Neill

"My Name Is Might-Have-Been"

Ella, James, and Jamie O'Neill

The thousands of ritual bronze vessels discovered by China's archaeologists serve as the major documentary source for the Western Zhou dynasty (1045-771 B.C.). These vessels contain long inscriptions full of detail on subjects as diverse as the military history of the period, the bureaucratic structure of the royal court, and lawsuits among the gentry. Moreover, being cast in bronze, the inscriptions preserve exactly the contemporary script and language. Shaughnessy has written a meticulous and detailed work on the historiography and interpretation of these objects. By demonstrating how the inscriptions are read and interpreted, Shaughnessy makes accessible in English some of the most important evidence about life in ancient China.

Inscribed Bronze Vessels

Sources of Western Zhou History

Examines the original composition of China's oldest books, the Classic of Changes, the Venerated Documents, and the Classic of Poetry, and attempts to restore their original meanings.

Studies in the Creation of the Chinese Classics

Before Confucius

In recent years, three ancient manuscripts relating to the Yi jing (I Ching), or Classic of Changes, have been discovered. The earliest—the Shanghai Museum Zhou Yi—dates to about 300 B.C.E. and shows evidence of the text's original circulation. The Guicang, or Returning to Be Stored, reflects another ancient Chinese divination tradition based on hexagrams similar to those of the Yi jing. In 1993, two manuscripts were found in a third-century B.C.E. tomb at Wangjiatai that contain almost exact parallels to the Guicang's early quotations, supplying new information on the performance of early Chinese divination. Finally, the Fuyang Zhou Yi was excavated from the tomb of Xia Hou Zao, lord of Ruyin, who died in 165 B.C.E. Each line of this classic is followed by one or more generic prognostications similar to phrases found in the Yi jing, indicating exciting new ways the text was produced and used in the interpretation of divinations. Unearthing the Changes details the discovery and significance of the Shanghai Museum Zhou Yi, the Wangjiatai Guicang, and the Fuyang Zhou Yi, including full translations of the texts and additional evidence constructing a new narrative of the Yi jing's writing and transmission in the first millennium B.C.E. An introduction situates the role of archaeology in the modern attempt to understand the Classic of Changes. By showing how the text emerged out of a popular tradition of divination, these newly unearthed manuscripts reveal an important religious dimension to its evolution.

Edward L. Shaughnessy

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