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UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Models of Authorship and Text-making in Early China Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3nm3m1rv Author Zhang, Hanmo Publication Date 2012 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Models of Authorship and Text-making in Early China A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Asian Languages and Cultures by Hanmo Zhang 2012 © Copyright by Hanmo Zhang 2012 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Models of Authorship and Text-making in Early China by Hanmo Zhang Doctor of Philosophy in Asian Languages and Cultures University of California, Los Angeles, 2012 Professor David C. Schaberg, Chair This dissertation aims to show how the author functioned as the key to classifying, preserving, and interpreting a body of ancient knowledge; the author not only served as a foundation upon which different elements of knowledge were brought together, but also as furnished cues to the interpretation of composite texts and thus created a notional coherence in texts. On a deeper level, the inquiry of early Chinese authorship also sheds light on the ritual, religious, and sociopolitical contexts influencing authorial attributions and on how such attributions are associated with early Chinese intellectual history in general. I argue in Chapter One that the figure of the Yellow Emperor was forged out of the Eastern Zhou ritual and religious thought that bears the mark of the ancestral veneration of high antiquity while at the same time reflecting the concerns of the changing social realities of the time. I argue in Chapter Two that the written materials later incorporated into the Lunyu originally served different purposes and were interpreted differently in different contexts. The compilation of the Lunyu in the early Western Han was concomitant with the trend of elevating ii and mythicizing Confucius as the creator of the Han governmental ideology because he filled the need for a tangible, quotable authority. Chapter Three argues that the “Yaolüe,” the last chapter of the extant Huainanzi, was composed after Liu An’s death as the means to impart a cohesive unity to the writings left from Liu An’s Huainan court. It further explores the relationship between the patron-author and the actual writers or compilers. In Chapter Four I argue that neither of the two documents is autobiographical account written by Sima Qian. Instead, the voice of frustration conveyed in these two sources should be understood as the collective voice of the Han intellectuals. In Chapter Five I suggest that in the study of early Chinese translations of Buddhist texts we cannot view early catalogues of Buddhist translations as historical records; instead, we need to explore why and under what circumstances those catalogues were compiled. The intention to differentiate “true,” “authentic” translations from apocryphal sutras was one of the most important factors motivating the cataloguing of early translated Buddhist scriptures. iii The dissertation of Hanmo Zhang is approved. Lothar von Falkenhausen Richard E. Strassberg Li Min Jack W. Chen David C. Schaberg, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2012 iv To my parents and my teachers v Table of Contents Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1 I.1. Subject and Thesis ........................................................................................................................... 1 I.2. What Was a Text in Early China? ................................................................................................. 7 I.3. What Is an Author? ....................................................................................................................... 13 I.4. What Was an Author in Early China? ........................................................................................ 22 I.5. The Author’s Intention and the Bianwei Tradition ................................................................... 28 I.6. The Nature of This Study and Chapter Outlines ....................................................................... 35 Chapter 1 The Author as Culture Hero: The Yellow Emperor, the Symbolic Author ........ 44 1.1. The Yellow Emperor as Author in the “Yiwen zhi” ................................................................ 48 1.2. Did the Yellow Emperor Have Four Faces? ............................................................................. 57 1.3. The Yellow Emperor in Persuasion ............................................................................................ 67 1.4. The Yellow Emperor Associated with Violence and Statecraft ............................................. 81 1.5. Ritual, Religious, Cosmological Thinking and the Yellow Emperor .................................... 95 1.6. The Four Classics by the Yellow Emperor .............................................................................. 117 Chapter 2 The Author as Head of Teaching Lineage: Confucius, the Quotable Author ... 125 2.1. Sage, Disowned Dog, and the Problem of Interpretation ...................................................... 128 2.2. Was There a Text Called the Lunyu before the Western Han? ............................................. 140 2.3. The Walls of Confucius’ Mansion and the Archaic, Lu, and Qi Lunyu .............................. 152 2.4. Texts Hidden in the Walls and the Function of the Lunyu .................................................... 159 2.5. The Xiping shijing, the Dunhuang and Turfan Manuscripts, and the “Zhanghou lun” ..... 174 2.6. The Formation of the Lunyu and the Re-creation of Confucius ........................................... 188 2.7. The Lunyu, the Chunqiu, and the Quotable Author ............................................................... 218 vi Chapter 3 The Author as Patron: Prince of Huainan, the Owner-Author .......................... 242 3.1. The Author: Writing or Presenting the Text? ................................................................................ 243 3.2. The Sources: Narratives or Historical Accounts?................................................................... 248 3.3. Esoteric Writings, Authorship, and the Liu An Lore ............................................................. 263 3.4. Editorial Voice in the “Yaolüe” Regarding Multi-pian Text Formation ............................ 274 3.5. Composition of the “Yaolüe” and Early Postface Writing .................................................... 292 3.6. The Nature of Early Chinese Writing and the Authorship of the Huainanzi ...................... 302 Chapter 4 The Author as Individual Writer: Sima Qian, the Presented Author ................ 327 4.1. Early Literature of Individual Frustration and Authorial Voice ........................................... 331 4.2. Reading the Shiji through Frustration, Fame, and Filial Piety .............................................. 338 4.3. Author’s Intent and Textual Chaos in the Shiji Postface ....................................................... 355 4.4. Author of or Authored by the Biographical Information? .................................................... 376 4.5. Authorial Intent and Han Intellectual Self-identification ...................................................... 402 Chapter 5 The Author as Translator: Foreign Monk, the Authoritative Author ............... 423 5.1. Sources and “Evidence” ............................................................................................................. 424 5.2. Method Examined ....................................................................................................................... 429 5.3. Apocrypha, Foreign Monk, and Translatorship ...................................................................... 439 5.4. The Dream of the Emperor and the Translation of a Scripture ............................................ 450 Conclusion..................................................................................................................................... 483 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 497 vii Acknowledgments I wish to take this opportunity first to express my gratitude to all my teachers and friends who have guided me through my Ph. D years at UCLA and helped me with my dissertation project at its various stages. David C. Schaberg, my mentor and Chair of my dissertation committee, inspired me to choose this topic and has continuously expanded my knowledge and research to those fruitful areas that always bring about surprising finds. If there is any quality in this dissertation, it is through his influence, his solid scholarship, great patience, and consistent encouragement, that made this project possible. Lothar von Falkenhausen has unflaggingly supported my study at UCLA and the entire writing process of this dissertation. Some of the best parts of this dissertation were written in his library as well as his house that he generously allowed me to use. His trust, support, and insight not only helped make this project possible, but make it better than expected. My other committee members have also contributed tremendously to this project. Jack W. Chen was always ready to help when I asked, no
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