Guoyu (book)
| Language | Classical Chinese | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | History of Spring and Autumn period states | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Publication date | 4th century BC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publication place | China | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 國語 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 国语 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | state discourses | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Guoyu, usually translated as Discourses of the States, is an ancient Chinese text that consists of a collection of speeches attributed to rulers and other men from the Spring and Autumn period (771–476 BC). It comprises a total of 240 speeches, ranging from the reign of King Mu of Zhou (r. 956–918 BC) to the execution of the Jin minister Zhibo in 453 BC.[1] Compilation of the Guoyu probably began during the 5th century and continued until the late 4th century BC. The earliest chapter of the compilation is the Discourses of Zhou.[2]
The text's author is unknown, but it is sometimes attributed to Zuo Qiuming, a contemporary of Confucius;[3][4][5] although as early as Jin dynasty, Fu Xuan objected to that attribution of authorship.[6]
Contents
[edit]The texts compiled within Guoyu comprise the period, people, and events seen in the Spring and Autumn Annals, particularly one of its commentaries, the Zuo Zhuan by Zuo Qiuming.[7] Thus, during the end of the Han dynasty, it was called the preface of the Zuo Zhuan.[8] Scholars like Xu Gan mention it in their work (in this case, the Zhōnglùn 中論 "Balanced Discourses"), though the tradition has since died out.[citation needed]
The text comprises eight books covering the Zhou court and seven of the feudal states, divided into 21 chapters:
| No. | Chinese | Pinyin | Translation | Chapters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 周語 | Zhōu Yǔ | Discourses of Zhou | 3 |
| 2 | 魯語 | Lǔ Yǔ | Discourses of Lu | 2 |
| 3 | 齊語 | Qí Yǔ | Discourses of Qi | 1 |
| 4 | 晉語 | Jìn Yǔ | Discourses of Jin | 9 |
| 5 | 鄭語 | Zhèng Yǔ | Discourses of Zheng | 1 |
| 6 | 楚語 | Chǔ Yǔ | Discourses of Chu | 2 |
| 7 | 吳語 | Wú Yǔ | Discourses of Wu | 1 |
| 8 | 越語 | Yuè Yǔ | Discourses of Yue | 2 |
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ Shih & Knechtges (2010), p. 308.
- ^ Chang, Boltz & Loewe (1993), p. 264.
- ^ Zhou, Jixu (May, 2011) "Confucius and Lao Zi" Their Differing Social Foundations and Cultures", Sino-Platonic Papers 211. p. 2
- ^ Sima Qian, Shiji, "Grand Historian's Autobiographical Postface". quote: "左丘失明，厥有國語"
- ^ Sima Qian, "Letter to Ren An", in Book of Han "Vol. 62 - Account of Sima Qian" quote: "左丘失明，厥有國語"
- ^ Kong Yingda, True Meaning of Chunqiu Zuozhuan "vol. 60" p. 20 of 146, quote: "傅玄云：《國語》非丘明所作。凡有共說一事而二文不同，必《國語》虛而《左傳》實，其言相反，不可強合也。" translation: "Fu Xuan said: '′Discourses of the States′ was not authored by Qiu Ming. Wherever they both narrate one thing yet their wordings differ, certainly ′Zuo tradition′['s narrative] is authentic while ′Discourses of the States′['s narrative] is spurious. The contradictory wordings cannot be forcibly reconciled.' "
- ^ Durrant (2017), p. 189.
- ^ Chen, Tongsheng (2013). 国语 [Guoyu]. Beijing: Zhonghua Book Company. p. 1. ISBN 978-7-101-09208-0.
Sources
[edit]- Chang, I-jen; et al. (1993). "Kuo yü 國語". In Loewe, Michael (ed.). Early Chinese Texts: A Bibliographical Guide. Berkeley: Society for the Study of Early China; Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California Berkeley. pp. 263–268. ISBN 1-55729-043-1.
- Durrant, Stephen (2017). "Chapter 13: Histories (Shi 史)". In Denecke, Wiebke; Li, Wai-Yee; Tian, Xiaofei (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Classical Chinese Literature (1000 BCE-900CE) (e-book ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 189.
- Kern, Martin (2010). "Early Chinese literature, Beginnings through Western Han". In Owen, Stephen (ed.). The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature, Volume 1: To 1375. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–115. ISBN 978-0-521-11677-0.
- Shih, Hsiang-lin; et al. (2010). "Guoyu 國語". In Knechtges, David R.; Chang, Taiping (eds.). Ancient and Early Medieval Chinese Literature: A Reference Guide, Part One. Leiden: Brill. pp. 308–311. ISBN 978-90-04-19127-3.
External links
[edit]
- Guoyu Original text in Chinese
- Guoyu 《國語》 Chinese text with matching English vocabulary