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BULLETIN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CHINESE LITERATURE NATIONAL CHENGCHI UNIVERSITY NO.40
Publication date: 2023-12
Special Article Textual Analysis of “Guangbei sibiao”and “Hengbei sibiao” in “Yaodian”: An aspect of Han Dynasty Classics Masters’Transcribing and Reading
One of the most important methods for classical masters in the Han dynasty to teach ancient texts was “Han reading.” Han reading not only entails the objective existence and variation of the form, sound, and meaning of Chinese characters but also reflects the subjective understanding of the characters by the masters. The discrepancy and contradiction between the subjective and objective aspects can lead to various misunderstandings and errors.
“Guangbei sibiao” and “Hengbei sibiao” in “Yaodian” were a set of classic examples of variant texts that have been widely analyzed by scholars since the Qianjia period. “Guang” can be written into “光” and “桄”, and “Heng” can be transcribed into “橫” and “廣.” The phonetic relationship and how they correspond to different versions of Book of Document, and also the interpretation of “充塞(filled with)” and “光燿(radiance)” were deliberated. Among these, the analysis of the changes in the forms of the characters between variant texts during text transcription was neglected.
Through sorting out the oracle bone script, bronze inscriptions, and ancient forms of these variant texts and their evolution, especially the characteristics of the Qi system characters, while considering the changes in duplicating. This article analyzed the reasons for the errors made by the classical masters in identifying, transcribing, and reading, revealing a path by which the masters formed the text of the classics over time during the process of teaching.
Theme Thesis On the Ancient Taiji Diagram of Ming Dynasty
The theoretical purpose of this diagram is to respond to the question of how ancient sages draw hexagrams, so its basic expression idea is from Taiji to yin-yang to the four images to the eight hexagrams. Among a large number of scholars in the Ming Dynasty who discussed the Ancient Taiji Diagram, Zhang Huang (1527-1608) pushed its ideological significance and theoretical value to a new theoretical realm and historical height. This diagram can be seen as the theoretical fruit of the development and evolution of the Book of Changes in the Song and Ming dynasties, intuitively and exquisitely depicting the harmonious relationship between Taiji, yin-yang, four images, and eight hexagrams. In revealing the waxing and waning, the mutual roots, the co-existence and the transformation of yin and yang, there are indeed characteristics and advantages that other Yi diagrams do not possess.
Theme Thesis Analysis of Ming-Scholar Lu Han’s Theory of “Yuan,” “Heng,” “Li,” “Zhen” on Yixue Tushuo
Lu Han was a prolific philosopher and excelled in the field of Yi, with Yi Jing Zhong Shuo being his representative work. Lu interpreted Yili from the perspective of Lixue (Neo-Confucianism) and devised concise Tushi for 64 Gua (divinatory hexagrams) and Yi Zhuang. Following his predecessors Zheng Dongqing in the Southern Song and Liu Dingzhi in the Ming Dynasty, Lu specialized in 64 Gua, explaining Zhouyi with Yili thoughts, which made him prominent and distinct from other scholars of his time. Lu grasped the essence of the four virtues, Yuan, Heng, Li, Zhen, and explained their meanings through qian gua gua-ci (the description of qian hexagram). He further established his theory from the perspective of Tuanci Zhuan and Wenyan Zhuan. The present study aims to explore the important contents of Lu’s views and the characteristics of Lu’s thoughts in the following four aspects, corresponding to the four virtues: the relation to tian-dao (the Heavenly Way), tian-dao in relation to humanity, qian gua theory, and ren-dao (the Human Way), as well as the relation between Li and Taiji, hoping to give an objective indication of his role in Yi history and Tushuo Yixue.
In this article, the legal text was first dissected into two categories: accusing son and accusing slaves, based on relevant legal texts from the Qin and Han Dynasties. Variant texts on similar themes were compared, differences in culpability across different periods were examined, and the relevant provisions of such offenses in Qin laws were explored. The reasons behind the combination of accusing son and accusing slaves into the same legal text were also discussed. Furthermore, the errors and missing sections found in the text were thoroughly analyzed, taking into consideration the combination of legal provisions and the structure of multiple layers, as outlined in Qin laws. The primary objective of this analysis was to present the various conditional settings of the legal text, with the aim of facilitating a correct understanding of it.
First, this article reviewed the origins of Recipes for Rescue, which could be traced evidentially; however, some of the origins were found while some were not. The commonalities between Recipes for Rescue and the examination book were (1) multiple rescue methods for the same condition, and (2) one particular medicine or method could be used to deal with multiple situations. The differences between the two were: (1) the methods stated in Recipes for Rescue required fewer materials, and (2) the materials stated in Recipes for Rescue were easily accessible. The concepts behind the emergency rescues in Recipes for Rescue were (1) stimulation to generate yang qi, (2) avoiding the cross-stimulation of cold and heat, (3) allowing the spirit to resume in the body, and (4) using medicinal food to recuperate the body.
There were scant discussions regarding the outcomes of rescues recorded in the examination books; hence, this study intended to fill the research gap.
This study analyzed Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified from the perspective of maintaining life instead of death. In the past, the common belief was that the examination works in ancient times were only of little relevance to medical science. However, this study argued that the topic of emergency rescues found within the original works proved that the examination works in ancient times and medical science were related and that inherent within the examination works had been overlooked in previous research. This study revealed another facet of the examination book.