Painting the Formless and Strumming the Soundless: Yang Xiong’s Taixuan jing as Expression of the Absolute Jennifer Liu A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Washington 2019 Reading Committee: David R. Knechtges, Chair Ping Wang Olga Levaniouk Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Asian Languages and Literature © Copyright 2019 Jennifer Liu University of Washington ABSTRACT Painting the Formless and Strumming the Soundless: Yang Xiong’s Taixuan jing as Expression of the Absolute Jennifer Liu Chair of the Supervisory Committee: David R. Knechtges Department of Asian Languages and Literature This dissertation is a study of Yang Xiong’s (53 BCE–18 CE) Taixuan jing that attempts to incorporate philological methods with philosophical insights by situating the text within the intellectual and historical context of the late Eastern Han. Secondarily, it is a response to the modern suggestion that the Taixuan jing paved the way for Wei-Jin xuanxue movement, and thus seeks to probe the limits of the extent of this claim with an investigation into Yang Xiong’s mentor Zhuang Zun (83 BCE–ca. 6 CE) and the Jingzhou school established under the auspices of Liu Biao (144-208). While most studies have taken the Taixuan jing as an imitation of the Zhou yi, I have argued that if we are to truly understand Yang Xiong’s project we must break free of this preconception and look at it in its own right. That is, the Taixuan is not merely an imitation i of the Zhou yi, but that of a higher, transcendental truth which I have called the “absolute” that is expressed through image, parallel prose, and verse. In §1 I will set forth the philosophical background by looking at the concept of mimēsis as it had evolved in meaning by the time of Plato; the historical and intellectual background that prompted this study; and a philological analysis of the usages of the word xuan. In §2 I will introduce Zhuang Zun and his only extant text, the Laozi zhigui, and discuss the concepts of xuanmo (profound quietude) and xuande (profound virtue) that may have informed Yang Xiong’s intellectual endeavors. In §3 I will look at the historical times of Yang Xiong and trace a trajectory in the development of his thought through from his early and late fu to his more philosophical texts, the Fa yan and Taixuan. §4 is devoted to the Taixuan itself where I look at passages from the text that embody the three forms of expressions of the absolute (image, prose, and verse). Finally, in §5 I attempt to bring together the threads that may or may not connect Zhuang Zun, Yang Xiong, and their relation to xuanxue. A fully annotated translation of the “Preface” and “Li” commentary of the Taixuan jing is provided in the Appendices. ii For My Family iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are many individuals in the Chinese Languages and Literature division at the University of Washington that I remain indebted to and need to mention. I am most grateful to my advisor, Professor David Knechtges for his tireless dedication, encouragement, and constructive criticism through the writing of this dissertation; his learned wisdom is that which I hope to have acquired, even if only a minute percentage. Most importantly: for his inspiration that allowed me to pursue Yang Xiong. Likewise, I wish to thank my committee members, Professor Ping Wang for her acuteness and originality in poetic interpretation, and Professor Olga Levaniouk for her powerful grace and knowledge of all things Greek and beyond—all of which I also hope to have rubbed off on me. I am gracious to Professor William Boltz for his suggestions on all matters of reading a text, and to Professor Zev Handel for his guidance when I encountered questions pertaining to historical phonology. Without the aforementioned scholars I would not have learned how to properly read a classical text. Notable thanks to dear shimu Chang Tai-ping 張泰平 for her generous and warm hospitality each time I trespass upon their residence in Portland, eager for help from and conversation with Professor Knechtges. A special honorable mention to Jason Wirth and Elizabeth Sikes for their philosophical insights, undying support and enthusiasm in the making of this scholar from my early undergraduate years at Seattle University—sweat, tears, anger, and laughter: you have truly seen it all! Additionally, I would like to mention Lindsay Morse and Michiko Yusa 遊佐道子 for looking at drafts and giving me recommendations. To Cheng Yu-yu 鄭毓瑜 and Wendy Swartz, thank you for listening and for your helpful comments and kind support (not to mention free meals and coffee) each time I harass you about my project. To my fellow colleagues, Chen Zhinan 陳芷南, Fu Siyuan 傅斯原, Kwok Youngjun 權榮俊, Sun Yingying 孫瑩瑩, Zhang Man iv 張漫, Zhao Fei 趙菲, and Zhu Xi 朱曦, I thank you for the wonderful conversations and support you have given me, sometimes academic, sometimes not so academic, but equally valuable. I wish to express appreciation and unspeakable love to my family – mom 媽媽 and dad 老爸, Jessica 大姊, Carey 二姊, and Rebecca 阿華 – who have never once doubted my abilities, even at times when I have strayed off course; to my mother- and father-in-laws, Liu Pang-fu 劉 邦復 and Mao Su-chun 毛蘇春 for their mental and financial support; and to my husband Cody Chung-ku Liu 劉重谷, my kids Alex 哥哥 and Angela 妹妹, and my sweet dog Maneki, for taking my mind off scholarly matters every now and then, showing me what matters most. I am truly blessed. Finally, I would like to pay homage to Yang Xiong, without whom this dissertation would be utterly impossible. Rest in peace, dear Master Yang, for your Taixuan has been transmitted throughout time, and for some of us, it has indeed become a classic. v The rounded world is fair to see. Nine times folded in mystery: Though baffled seers cannot impart The secret of its laboring heart. Throb thine with Nature’s throbbing breast, And all is clear from east to west. Spirit that lurks each form within Beckons to spirits of its kin; Self-kindled every atom grows, And hints the future which it owes. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract i Acknowledgements iv Table of Contents vii Note on Translations and Abbreviations ix §1 Prolegomena 1 1.1 Theoretical Background 1 1.1.1 Mimēsis 2 1.1.2 Plato’s “Ancient Quarrel” Between Poetry and Philosophy 7 1.1.3 Hiatus 11 1.2 Intellectual Historical Background 12 1.2.1 The Hunt for Xuanxue 玄學: From Laozi Learning to Wei-Jin Xuan Discourse 13 1.2.2 The Significance of Shu 26 1.2.3 The Jingzhou School and the Rise of Local Scholarship 32 1.3 Philological Analyses 37 1.3.1 Xuan 玄 37 1.3.2 Xuande 玄德 39 1.3.3 Xuanmo 玄默 46 §2 Zhuang Zun and the Laozi zhigui 49 2.1 The Figure and Life of Zhuang Zun 49 2.2 The Text of the Laozi zhigui 54 2.2.1 Textual History and Transmission 54 2.2.2 Structure and Contents of the Zhigui 57 2.3 Ideas, Motifs in the Zhigui 63 2.3.1 Xuande as “Superior Potency” 67 2.3.2 Xuanmo as Condition to Sagehood 81 vii §3 From Embellished Fu to Absolute Philosophy 91 3.1 The Life and Times of Yang Xiong 揚雄 (53 BCE – 18 CE) 91 3.2 From Fu to Philosophy 100 3.2.1 Rhetorical Didacticism: A Theory of Literature 101 3.2.2 Exhausting Meaning Through Speech and Image 115 3.3 Interlude: “Painting the Formless” and “Strumming the Soundless” 118 §4 The Absolute in Yang Xiong’s Taixuan jing 124 4.1 Text and Transmission of the Taixuan 124 4.1.1 Transmission 125 4.1.2 Structure and contents of the Taixuan 129 4.2 Modern Scholarship on the Taixuan 133 4.3 Taixuan as Exemplar of the Cosmos 136 4.3.1 A Theoretical Revision of the Cosmos 138 4.3.2 Ontological Imitation of the Cosmos 141 4.4 A Close Reading of the Taixuan 145 4.4.1 Reading the Tetragrams: Shifting Imagery of the “Center” 146 4.2.2 The “Preface” 163 4.4.3 The “Li” Commentary 165 §5 Epilegommena 180 Appendices 186 I The Taixuan “Preface” to the Shou 186 II The “Li” Commentary 198 Bibliography 229 viii NOTE ON TRANSLATIONS & ABBREVIATIONS Throughout I have used the pinyin system with tone marks on words when their meaning is up for discussion. I have made exceptions for Chinese words which have become so common in Western literature including tao, yin, and yang, leaving these words un-italicized when they occur as proper nouns. When citing from older books that use the Wade-Giles system, I have changed them into pinyin. For names of scholars from Taiwan and Hong Kong, I have retained their spelling according to the system in that area. All English translations of Chinese passages are mine unless otherwise noted. BSOAS Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies DZ Daozang 道藏 HYDCD Hanyu da cidian 漢語大辭典 HS Han shu 漢書 HYGZ Huayang guozhi 華陽國志 JAOS Journal of the American Oriental Society JDSW Jingdian shiwen 經典釋文 JS Jin shu 晉書 LZZG Laozi zhigui 老子指歸 MS Monumenta Serica SBBY Sibu beiyao 四部備要 SBCK Sibu congkan 四部叢刊 SGZ Sanguo zhi 三國志 SKQS Siku quanshu 四庫全書 SS Sui shu 隋書 SWJZ Shuowen jiezi 說文解字 TP T’oung Pao TXCM Taixuan chanmi 太玄闡秘 TXJ Taixuan jing 太玄經 TXJZ Taixuan ji zhu 太玄集注 YWLJ Yiwen leiju 藝文類聚 ZYZY Zhou yi zheng yi 周易正義 ix §1 Prolegomena κοῦφον γὰρ χρῆμα ποιητής ἐστιν καὶ πτηνὸν καὶ ἱερόν, καὶ οὐ πρότερον οἷός τε ποιεῖν πρὶν ἂν ἔνθεός τε γένηται καὶ ἔκφρων καὶ ὁ νοῦς μηκέτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐνῇ: ἕως δ᾽ ἂν τουτὶ ἔχῃ τὸ κτῆμα, ἀδύνατος πᾶς ποιεῖν ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν καὶ χρησμῳδεῖν.1 1.1 Theoretical background A proper study of any subject that is of intellectual significance to the whole of a culture cannot be done in isolation without some knowledge of other cultures and their intellectual history.