DOCSLIB.ORG

The Chinese Reader's Manual

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Chinese Reader's Manual @ William Frederick MAYERS THE CHINESE READER’S MANUAL The Chinese Reader's Manual à partir de : THE CHINESE READER‟S MANUAL A handbook of biographical, historical, mythological, and general literary reference par William Frederick MAYERS (1831-1878) American Presbiterian Mission Press, Shanghai, 1874. Réimpression : Literature House, Taipeh, 1964. Parties I et II (XXIV+360 pages), de XXIV+440 pages. Édition en format texte par Pierre Palpant www.chineancienne.fr décembre 2011 2 The Chinese Reader's Manual CONTENTS Preface Introduction Part A : Index of proper names A — C — F — H — I — J — K — L — M — N — O — P — S — T — W — Y Part B : Numerical categories Two — Three — Four — Five — Six — Seven — Eight — Nine — Ten — Twelve — Thirteen — Seventeen — Eighteen — Twenty-four — Twenty- eight — Thirty-two — Seventy-two — Hundred. 3 The Chinese Reader's Manual PREFACE @ p.III The title „CHINESE READER‟S MANUAL‟ has been given to the following work in the belief that it will be found useful in the hands of students of Chinese literature, by elucidating in its First Part many of the personal and historical allusions, and some portion at least of the conventional phraseology, which unite to form one of the chief difficulties of the language ; whilst in its remaining sections information of an equally essential nature is presented in a categorical shape. The wealth of illustration furnished to a Chinese writer by the records of his long-descended past is a feature which must be remarked at even the most elementary stage of acquaintance with the literature of the country. In every branch of composition, ingenious parallels and the introduction of borrowed phrases, considered elegant in proportion to their concise and recondite character, enjoy in Chinese style the same place of distinction that is accorded in European literature to originality of thought or novelty of diction. The Chinese are not, indeed, singular in the taste for metaphor or quotation adopted from the events or from the masterpieces of expression in the past. No European writer — it is needless to observe — can dispense with illustrations drawn from a multitude of earlier sources, and in even the most familiar language fragments of history and legend lie embedded, almost unperceived. What with ourselves, p.IV however, is at the most an exceptional feature, takes with the Chinese the character of a canon of literary art. Intricacies of allusion and quotation present themselves, consequently, at every turn in the written language, to furnish a clue to some of which, and at the same time to bring together from various sources an epitome of historical and biographical details much needed by every student, have been the principal objects of the present work. A complete and final execution of the design which was formed when the idea of publication first suggested itself was soon discovered to be out of the question, its scope being virtually coëxtensive with the entire 4 The Chinese Reader's Manual range of Chinese literature ; and the author anticipates criticism in this respect by acknowledging the empiricism of his plan. In arranging his materials he has found no other rule to follow than that afforded by his own experience of what is likely to prove most serviceable. To have extended the work indefinitely by simply transferring matter which stands ready to hand in the original authorities would have been an easier task than that of compressing it within the limits which have permitted its publication to be ventured upon ; and in the course of its execution the complaint of the great lexicographer of the last century, that „to the weariness of copying there must be added the vexation of expunging‟, has often been forcibly recalled. Such as it is, and notwithstanding defects and omissions of which no one can be more painfully aware than himself, the author is encouraged to hope that his work may prove not wholly without use as a contribution to the general stock of knowledge of Chinese subjects, and as a help toward familiarity with a vast and important body of literature. p.V An account is given elsewhere of the sources, from which the information presented in this volume is mainly derived ; and all that remains to be added in this place is a cordial acknowledgment of the assistance rendered during the passage of the work through the press. In consequence of the distance by which Peking and Shanghai are separated, the author has been unable to discharge the final duty of proof-reading, and would have found himself seriously embarrassed in his undertaking, notwithstanding the high capabilities of the Presbyterian Mission Press, had he not met with ready sympathy and assistance at the hands of a friend. Mr. ERNEST T. HOLWILL, of the Imperial Maritime Customs‟ service, whose attainments in Chinese abundantly qualify him to apply a critical judgment in the execution of such a task, has from first to last discharged this necessary duty in a manner which calls for the expression of the author‟s sincerest gratitude. PEKING, February 28th, 1874. @ 5 The Chinese Reader's Manual INTRODUCTION @ p.VII In Part I of the following work, the designation „Index of Proper Names‟ embraces both its principal feature as a historical and biographical compendium, and also the accounts of mythical beings and legends connected with animate or inanimate objects which cannot be overlooked in an attempt at interpreting the figurative language or the traditional expressions of the Chinese. In the domain of history and biography, it has been sought to collect in a form convenient for reference the data existing in Chinese literature with regard to personages of renown in every epoch and condition, thus assembling what may be termed the component parts of a tableau of Chinese history from the mythical period down to the present day. The principal object of the work being that of elucidating Chinese thought and expression, the language of the original authorities has been followed throughout as closely as possible ; and it has seemed expedient only in a few instances to enlarge on particular subjects from an independent point of view or with a critical intent. In the execution of this task a multitude of Chinese works have been collated, as no single native compilation unites the requisites demanded by a European enquirer. The author has at the same time sought to remove those difficulties which attend the course of original research, owing not only to the absence of an alphabetic system, but, also to the disregard exhibited by most Chinese writers, p.VIII notwithstanding the methodical genius of the people, for the simplest expedients of indexing and literary order. To dilate in this place upon the toil involved in most instances in consulting the huge and ill-arranged Chinese repertories might bear the semblance of overrating the labour bestowed on the preparation of the present work ; but it is impossible to avoid referring to one of the intricacies which a student must be prepared to encounter, in order to explain the system that has been devised to meet the difficulty. As is well known, every Chinese possesses, beside his surname or 6 The Chinese Reader's Manual patronymic — — and his cognomen — —, a literary appellation — —, by which he is most usually designated in familiar parlance or in literature ; in addition to which he may further adopt one or even several pseudonyms — — which are commonly employed as noms de plume. Moreover, in accordance with ancient custom, posthumous titles, constituting a species of canonization, are officially bestowed on persons of distinguished merit. Under some of the earlier dynasties, also, the practice of conferring patents of nobility with titles of a feudal order upon objects of Imperial favour was extensively followed. It is the practice of Chinese writers to mention individuals by one or other of these subsidiary epithets rather than by their surnames — a custom which adds greatly to the obscurity of such references ; and in order to overcome this difficulty, the Index of Proper Names has been arranged with a view to readiness of consultation by means of the radical Index given at the end, (see Part IV). The surnames being arranged alphabetically, according to English pronunciation, will be readily found ; and p.IX following each are given, first the ordinary name and cognomen of the individual, next the literary appellation, preceded by an asterisk, and after this the pseudonym, indicated by a dagger, when a title of this kind has been adopted. In the body of the notice the titles of nobility and canonization are further introduced, and all these designations will be found indexed under their respective initial characters in part IV. Through the same medium, proper names and phrases which are embodied in the numbered paragraphs of Part I may likewise be traced. In addition to the historical and biographical sections of this Part, a limited number of illustrations of a mythological and legendary character are included. This department might be increased by many hundred-fold without exhausting the material collected in native cyclopædias ; but the time has not yet arrived when a European compiler can think it necessary, even were the undertaking feasible, to offer a complete substitute for works of this kind in the profounder walks of Chinese study. It is scarcely probable that more than a fraction of such matter as 7 The Chinese Reader's Manual is comprised within works of the kind referred to, indispensable though it be for occasional reference, can ever be transferred to a European language. Twenty volumes of the largest size would barely suffice to contain the matter categorically arranged in the most modern and useful cyclopædia of literary reference, the Yüan Kien Lui Han ; nor would a less liberal allowance of space be sufficient to meet the wants of a complete biographical dictionary ; but the European student, whose researches carry him so far as to necessitate minute enquiry will, in most cases at least, be in a position to avail himself of p.X the original authorities.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Local Authority in the Han Dynasty: Focus on the Sanlao
    Local Authority in the Han Dynasty: Focus on the Sanlao Jiandong CHEN 㱩ڎ暒 School of International Studies Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences University of Technology Sydney Australia A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Technology Sydney Sydney, Australia 2018 Certificate of Original Authorship I certify that the work in this thesis has not previously been submitted for a degree nor has it been submitted as part of requirements for a degree except as fully acknowledged within the text. I also certify that the thesis has been written by me. Any help that I have received in my research work and the preparation of the thesis itself has been acknowledged. In addition, I certify that all information sources and literature used are indicated in the thesis. This thesis is the result of a research candidature conducted with another University as part of a collaborative Doctoral degree. Production Note: Signature of Student: Signature removed prior to publication. Date: 30/10/2018 ii Acknowledgements The completion of the thesis would not have been possible without the help and support of many people. Firstly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Associate Professor Jingqing Yang for his continuous support during my PhD study. Many thanks for providing me with the opportunity to study at the University of Technology Sydney. His patience, motivation and immense knowledge guided me throughout the time of my research. I cannot imagine having a better supervisor and mentor for my PhD study. Besides my supervisor, I would like to thank the rest of my thesis committee: Associate Professor Chongyi Feng and Associate Professor Shirley Chan, for their insightful comments and encouragement; and also for their challenging questions which incited me to widen my research and view things from various perspectives.
    [Show full text]
  • I. the Excellencies and Above Chancellor of State 相國 and Assisting Chancellor 丞相
    THE HUNDRED OFFICES OF WEI AND JIN A Brief Summary of the Bureaucracy of Wei and Jin Times Yang Zhengyuan This grew largely from a collection of personal notes used in trying to achieve some degree of consistency in the translation of office titles in various other translation projects. Hundred Offices (baiguan) 百官 is a term for bureaucracy. Though a thorough study of the government of the Han dynasty already exists in the form of The bureaucracy of Han times by Hans Bielenstein, the book is limited in scope to the early and middle Han dynasty. Bielenstein himself calculates the date of the Treatise on Bureaucracy of the Hou Han shu (HHS), a major source for his book, to between September 141 and September 142, meaning that it provides no information on the evolution of the bureaucracy through the collapse of Han or through the Three States period (220 – 280) to Jin. This work is not meant to be a replacement for Bielenstein’s work, but a supplement. Therefore emphasis is placed on differences and changes from the Han bureaucracy, and some familiarity with Bielenstein’s work and the basic structure of the Han bureaucracy is assumed. As San Guo zhi (SGZ) itself does not contain Treatises or Tables, the main sources are the Treatises on Bureaucracy in the Song shu (SS) of Shen Yue and Jin shu (JS) of Fang Xuanling et al. The translation of bureaucracy titles derives mainly from the continually evolving Dubs-Bielenstein-de Crespigny system, with some additional modifications. The main departure from the Dubs-Bielenstein- de Crespigny system is the effort to group together offices by level to aid the casual reader in guessing relative rank.
    [Show full text]
  • [Re]Viewing the Chinese Landscape: Imaging the Body [In]Visible in Shanshuihua 山水畫
    [Re]viewing the Chinese Landscape: Imaging the Body [In]visible in Shanshuihua 山水畫 Lim Chye Hong 林彩鳳 A thesis submitted to the University of New South Wales in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Chinese Studies School of Languages and Linguistics Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences The University of New South Wales Australia abstract This thesis, titled '[Re]viewing the Chinese Landscape: Imaging the Body [In]visible in Shanshuihua 山水畫,' examines shanshuihua as a 'theoretical object' through the intervention of the present. In doing so, the study uses the body as an emblem for going beyond the surface appearance of a shanshuihua. This new strategy for interpreting shanshuihua proposes a 'Chinese' way of situating bodily consciousness. Thus, this study is not about shanshuihua in a general sense. Instead, it focuses on the emergence and codification of shanshuihua in the tenth and eleventh centuries with particular emphasis on the cultural construction of landscape via the agency of the body. On one level the thesis is a comprehensive study of the ideas of the body in shanshuihua, and on another it is a review of shanshuihua through situating bodily consciousness. The approach is not an abstract search for meaning but, rather, is empirically anchored within a heuristic and phenomenological framework. This framework utilises primary and secondary sources on art history and theory, sinology, medical and intellectual history, ii Chinese philosophy, phenomenology, human geography, cultural studies, and selected landscape texts. This study argues that shanshuihua needs to be understood and read not just as an image but also as a creative transformative process that is inevitably bound up with the body.
    [Show full text]
  • Jinfan Zhang the Tradition and Modern Transition of Chinese Law the Tradition and Modern Transition of Chinese Law
    Jinfan Zhang The Tradition and Modern Transition of Chinese Law The Tradition and Modern Transition of Chinese Law Jinfan Zhang The Tradition and Modern Transition of Chinese Law Chief translator Zhang Lixin Other translators Yan Chen Li Xing Zhang Ye Xu Hongfen Jinfan Zhang China University of Political Science and Law Beijing , People’s Republic of China Sponsored by Chinese Fund for the Humanities and Social Sciences (本书获中华社会科学基金中华外译项目资助) ISBN 978-3-642-23265-7 ISBN 978-3-642-23266-4 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-23266-4 Springer Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London Library of Congress Control Number: 2014931393 © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. Exempted from this legal reservation are brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis or material supplied specifi cally for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the Copyright Law of the Publisher’s location, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Permissions for use may be obtained through RightsLink at the Copyright Clearance Center.
    [Show full text]
  • UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara Scribes in Early Imperial
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara Scribes in Early Imperial China A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in History by Tsang Wing Ma Committee in charge: Professor Anthony J. Barbieri-Low, Chair Professor Luke S. Roberts Professor John W. I. Lee September 2017 The dissertation of Tsang Wing Ma is approved. ____________________________________________ Luke S. Roberts ____________________________________________ John W. I. Lee ____________________________________________ Anthony J. Barbieri-Low, Committee Chair July 2017 Scribes in Early Imperial China Copyright © 2017 by Tsang Wing Ma iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank Professor Anthony J. Barbieri-Low, my advisor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, for his patience, encouragement, and teaching over the past five years. I also thank my dissertation committees Professors Luke S. Roberts and John W. I. Lee for their comments on my dissertation and their help over the years; Professors Xiaowei Zheng and Xiaobin Ji for their encouragement. In Hong Kong, I thank my former advisor Professor Ming Chiu Lai at The Chinese University of Hong Kong for his continuing support over the past fifteen years; Professor Hung-lam Chu at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University for being a scholar model to me. I am also grateful to Dr. Kwok Fan Chu for his kindness and encouragement. In the United States, at conferences and workshops, I benefited from interacting with scholars in the field of early China. I especially thank Professors Robin D. S. Yates, Enno Giele, and Charles Sanft for their comments on my research. Although pursuing our PhD degree in different universities in the United States, my friends Kwok Leong Tang and Shiuon Chu were always able to provide useful suggestions on various matters.
    [Show full text]
  • A History of China 1 a History of China
    A History of China 1 A History of China The Project Gutenberg EBook of A History of China, by Wolfram Eberhard This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net Title: A History of China Author: Wolfram Eberhard Release Date: February 28, 2004 [EBook #11367] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A HISTORY OF CHINA *** Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Gene Smethers and PG Distributed Proofreaders [Transcriber's Note: The following text contains numerous non-English words containing diacritical marks not contained in the ASCII character set. Characters accented by those marks, and the corresponding text representations are as follows (where x represents the character being accented). All such symbols in this text above the character being accented: breve (u-shaped symbol): [)x] caron (v-shaped symbol): [vx] macron (straight line): [=x] acute (égu) accent: ['x] Additionally, the author has spelled certain words inconsistently. Those have been adjusted to be consistent where possible. Examples of such Chapter I 2 adjustments are as follows: From To Northwestern North-western Southwards Southward Programme Program re-introduced reintroduced practise practice Lotos Lotus Ju-Chên Juchên cooperate co-operate life-time lifetime man-power manpower favor favour etc. In general such changes are made to be consistent with the predominate usage in the text, or if there was not a predominate spelling, to the more modern.] A HISTORY OF CHINA by WOLFRAM EBERHARD CONTENTS INTRODUCTION THE EARLIEST TIMES Chapter I : PREHISTORY 1 Sources for the earliest history 2 The Peking Man 3 The Palaeolithic Age 4 The Neolithic Age 5 The eight principal prehistoric cultures 6 The Yang-shao culture 7 The Lung-shan culture 8 The first petty States in Shansi Chapter II 3 Chapter II : THE SHANG DYNASTY (c.
    [Show full text]
  • Modern Daoism 149 New Texts and Gods 150 Ritual Masters 152 Complete Perfection 154 Imperial Adaptations 157 an Expanded Pantheon 161
    Contents Illustrations v Map of China vii Dynastic Chart viii Pronunciation Guide x Background to Daoism 1 Shang Ancestors and Divination 2 The Yijing 4 Ancient Philosophical Schools 8 Confucianism 10 Part I: Foundations 15 The Daoism That Can’t Be Told 16 The Text of the Daode Jing 17 The Dao 20 Creation and Decline 22 The Sage 23 Interpreting the Daode Jing 25 Lord Lao 28 Ritual Application 30 At Ease in Perfect Happiness 35 The Zhuangzi 36 The World of ZHuang ZHou 38 The Ideal Life 41 Poetic Adaptations 43 The Zen Connection 46 From Health to Immortality 50 i Body Energetics 51 Qi Cultivation 52 Healing Exercises 54 Magical Practitioners and Immortals 59 Major Schools of the Middle Ages 64 Celestial Masters 65 Highest Clarity 66 Numinous Treasure 68 The Theocracy 70 The Three Caverns 71 State Religion 74 Cosmos, Gods, and Governance 80 Yin and Yang 81 The Five Phases 82 The Chinese Calendar 85 Deities, Demons, and Divine Rulers 87 The Ideal of Great Peace 92 Cosmic Cycles 94 Part II: Development 96 Ethics and the Community 97 The Celestial Connection 98 Millenarian Structures 100 Self-Cultivation Groups 103 Lay Organizations 105 The Monastic Life 108 Creation and the Pantheon 114 Creation 115 Spells, Charts, and Talismans 118 Heavens and Hells 122 ii Gods, Ancestors, and Immortals 125 Religious Practices 130 Longevity Techniques 131 Breath and Sex 134 Forms of Meditation 136 Body Transformation 140 Ritual Activation 143 Part III: Modernity 148 Modern Daoism 149 New Texts and Gods 150 Ritual Masters 152 Complete Perfection 154 Imperial
    [Show full text]
  • Libraries and Archives in the Former Han Dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE): Arguing for a Distinction
    Max Jakob Fölster Libraries and Archives in the Former Han Dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE): Arguing for a Distinction Abstract: The imperial collection of the Former Han dynasty, the oldest Chinese manuscript collection of which we possess a catalogue, has both been called an archive and a library. This paper discusses the fundamental difference between an archive and a library in the manuscript age. On the basis of this distinction, it argues for the imperial collection to be identified as a library and provides evidence of a clear distinction between ‘archive’ and ‘library’ in this period of Chinese history. 1 Introduction The imperial collection of the Former Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE) is the oldest Chi- nese manuscript collection about which we have detailed information in the form of a catalogue. This catalogue, in turn, has come down to us in the form of a chapter in the History of the Han (Hanshu 漢書) entitled Treatise on Classics and other Texts (Yiwenzhi 藝文志).1 As is well known, the compiler of the History, Ban Gu 班固 (32– 92), shortened an earlier catalogue for the Treatise composed by Liu Xin 劉歆 (c.50 BCE–23 CE), but this earlier version has now been lost. The former catalogue known as Seven Epitomes (Qilüe 七略) was based on elaborate editorial reports, most of which have also been lost. These were written down as part of the grand collation project initially headed by Liu Xin’s father, Liu Xiang 劉向 (79–8 BCE) and continued by the son after the latter’s death.
    [Show full text]
  • OFFICIAL TITLES of the HAN DYNASTY a Tentative List
    Last updated: 5/24/10 OFFICIAL TITLES OF THE HAN DYNASTY A Tentative List Compiled for The Han Dynasty History Project University of Washington 2 The Han Dynasty History Project began many years ago in China, was subsequently located at Columbia and is now at the University of Washington in Seattle. Over the years, many scholars have worked on various parts of the Project and all of them have contributed to our growing file of official titles. This list was compiled from that file (and in part from a list sent by Homer H. Dubs to Karl August Wittfogel). We found in going through the file that we sometimes had three or four English versions of a single Chinese title. For the most part, we have not included the variations in this list; instead, we have attempted to give one English version for each Chinese title. Ideally, such a list should be compiled only after the Project as a whole is nearing completion. That would allow us to perceive more clearly the alternatives from which we might choose; it would also permit us to compile the list after the monograph on the central government had been completed. However, since we now have several volumes in the final stage of completion (copy editing) and more volumes nearing that stage, we felt it necessary to provide our contributors and other interested scholars with this tentative list. To the extent that some principle has been applied in the rendition of these titles into English, it is that the English versions should be both concise and fairly literal.
    [Show full text]
  • THE FAVORITE ANIMAL: the HORSE AS MINGQI in HAN TOMBS a Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell Univer
    THE FAVORITE ANIMAL: THE HORSE AS MINGQI IN HAN TOMBS A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Yuan Fang May 2017 © 2017 Yuan Fang ABSTRACT This thesis seeks to understand the horse’s societal roles in Han Dynasty China, especially its prevalence as mingqi (mortuary objects) in Han tombs. The Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE) was the second imperial dynasty of China. Scientific and philosophical inventions, advances in material culture, and exchanges with surrounding regions witnessed considerable development during this period. The breeding of horses saw a surge during the Han Dynasty, and the Han Chinese expressed their fervor for horses in many aspects of their lives, including burying live horses and horse figures with the deceased in tombs. The thesis examines the Han dynasty and its social and ideological background. It also uses archaeological evidence and literature texts to study the social functions of the horse in Han China, and the Han Chinese perceptions of the tomb, the afterlife, and mingqi. An analysis of a horse mingqi figure at the Johnson Museum of Art is also included. The thesis shows that the significance of the horse as a funerary item is closely related to the widespread use of horses in the daily life of the Han dynasty Chinese, from the elites to commoners, specifically in terms of transportation, military defense, and entertainment. Horses also were given mythical and symbolic meanings associated with the concept of the afterlife. These factors made the horse a part of the Chinese mingqi tradition and an important element of Chinese art, which explains the prevalence of horse figures in Han tombs.
    [Show full text]
  • The Anxiety of Low-Ranked Scribes in the Qin and Han Bureaucracies
    anxiety of scribes in qin and han Asia Major (2020) 3d ser. Vol. 33.2: 25-59 tsang wing ma Between the State and Their Superiors: The Anxiety of Low-Ranked Scribes in the Qin and Han Bureaucracies abstract: This paper challenges to some degree the traditional stereotypes surrounding Qin- and Han-era official scribes. It explores certain anxieties they encountered in their service to the bureaucratic hierarchy. Han texts have portrayed them as “knife-and- brush officials,” “harsh officials,” and “legal clerks,” but are silent on the realities of a scribe’s life under the unified empire. Incorporating newly unearthed adminis- trative documents, the following study examines the processes undertaken by local scribes in preparing annual account-books to be forwarded to the next bureaucratic level. Given the complexities, tight schedule, and material constraints, to prepare such accounts could be a nightmare, even for these professionals. While struggling with endless paperwork and meager salaries, low-ranked scribes faced pressure from two quarters: the state and their superiors. By examining the legal regulations for monitoring related administrative practices as well as corruption cases pertaining to the forwarding of account-books, this paper shows that the low-ranked scribes were placed in a dilemma: to choose between the state’s regulations and the orders of their often locally-dominant superiors. keywords: scribes, anxiety, forwarding of accounts, hierarchy of documents, Qin and Han periods INTRODUCTION cholars have rightly recognized that bureaucratic scribes (shi 史) of S the Qin 秦 (221–207 bc) and Han 漢 (206 bc-220 ad) periods were indispensable to maintaining the legal and administrative system.1 They earned the name “knife-and-brush officials” (daobi li 刀筆吏) by using a Tsang Wing Ma, Dept.
    [Show full text]
  • The Three Sovereigns Tradition: Talismans, Elixirs
    THE THREE SOVEREIGNS TRADITION: TALISMANS, ELIXIRS, AND MEDITATION IN EARLY MEDIEVAL CHINA A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES AND THE COMMITTEE ON GRADUATE STUDIES OF STANFORD UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Dominic Steavu-Balint March 2010 © 2010 by Dominic Emanuel Steavu-Balint. All Rights Reserved. Re-distributed by Stanford University under license with the author. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial 3.0 United States License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/us/ This dissertation is online at: http://purl.stanford.edu/sz439qw2285 ii I certify that I have read this dissertation and that, in my opinion, it is fully adequate in scope and quality as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Carl Bielefeldt, Primary Adviser I certify that I have read this dissertation and that, in my opinion, it is fully adequate in scope and quality as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Bernard Faure, Co-Adviser I certify that I have read this dissertation and that, in my opinion, it is fully adequate in scope and quality as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Fabrizio Pregadio Approved for the Stanford University Committee on Graduate Studies. Patricia J. Gumport, Vice Provost Graduate Education This signature page was generated electronically upon submission of this dissertation in electronic format. An original signed hard copy of the signature page is on file in University Archives. iii Abstract This dissertation attempts to elucidate the origins and nature of the lost Sanhuang wen (Writ of the Three Sovereigns), and identify its surviving fragments in the Daoist Canon.
    [Show full text]