The Songs of the Five Sons

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

4.3

Word count: 438 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

The Songs of the Five Sons is a lament for the fall of the earliest Chinese emperor's state, embodying China's earliest and most primitive political thought, namely that "the people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is firm, the state is at peace." It is people-centered rather than god-centered; the Tang-dynasty figure Tong Guzi is also said to have adapted The Songs of the Five Sons based on its allusions.

Editor's review

Though brief, The Songs of the Five Sons occupies a foundational place in the history of Chinese political thought. This book presents this anonymous pre-Qin text in the 2024 Bashu Press edition; its core value lies in giving readers direct access to the original textual form of the proposition "the people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is firm, the state is at peace." It is not a narrative work but a set of admonitory songs set against the backdrop of a fallen state, with an emotional tone that combines lamentation and warning. What merits attention in reading is that the text shifts the basis of political legitimacy from divine will to popular will—a shift especially precious in early documents. The book also touches on related traces of the Tang-dynasty Tong Guzi's adaptation based on its allusions, offering a reference for understanding the text's later reception and re-creation. For readers concerned with the origins of Chinese political thought and the forms of early classical texts, this small volume is suitable as an object of close reading; read it with annotations, chewing over its concise yet weighty expressions. It is better suited to slow reading than to a single pass, and to savoring its historical echoes in a quiet reading environment.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the origins of early Chinese political thought
University students needing to study passages from pre-Qin classics in the original
Researchers concerned with the historical roots of the "people as foundation" idea
Readers who enjoy close reading of short classical texts

Not a good fit for

General readers expecting a complete narrative or a long story
People impatient with classical Chinese who need a full vernacular reading
Readers hoping for a systematic theory of modern political science

Reading tips

First read through the original text once, marking words and phrases you do not understand, then read closely sentence by sentence with annotations.
Copy out the line "the people are the foundation of the state" and reflect on it in comparison with later discussions of people-centered thought.
While reading, attend to the text's lamenting tone and appreciate the admonitory meaning against the backdrop of a fallen state.
Read alongside relevant chapters of the Book of Documents to understand the thread of early political ideas.

About the publisher

Bashu Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Bashu Publishing House is a publisher centered on collating and publishing classical Chinese cultural texts, with its main publishing areas covering classical literature, Eastern philosophy, ancient poetry, and educational classics. Its library currently holds 1,075 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber, the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, Renjian Cihua, and Out to the Frontier, involving authors such as Cao Xueqin, Wang Xizhi, Wang Guowei, Wang Changling, Liu Xie, and Yan Yu. These reflect the publisher's focus on literary classics, poetry criticism, and philosophical readings. Its publishing character lies in working around ancient texts and canonical works, with attention to textual collation and presentation. Public information on its more detailed publishing background and series plans is limited; this introduction is based only on the library's book information.

版权信息
夏书·五子之歌第三

FAQ

What is the relationship between The Songs of the Five Sons and the Book of Documents?

The Songs of the Five Sons is generally regarded as a chapter of the "Documents of Xia" in the Book of Documents, recording how after Tai Kang lost the state, his five younger brothers sang songs of warning. This book presents it as a standalone piece, making it convenient to focus on this passage, but it should still be understood within the overall context of the Book of Documents.

How is "the people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is firm, the state is at peace" reflected in the book?

This sentence is the core expression of The Songs of the Five Sons, and the text in this book centers on it in lamenting the lessons of a fallen state. It marks a shift in political thinking from divine will to popular will, and readers can feel the original power of this idea in the text's concise lines.

What is the adaptation by Tong Guzi mentioned in the book?

According to sources, the Tang-dynasty figure Tong Guzi adapted the allusions of The Songs of the Five Sons. This suggests that the text continued to be received and re-created in later ages; readers may regard it as a clue to understanding the circulation of the classic, rather than as the main content of the book.

Can someone without a foundation in classical Chinese read this book?

You can try, but you will need annotations and reference works. The book is short and suitable for tackling sentence by sentence. If you have no classical Chinese reading ability at all, it is advisable to start with an anthology that includes translation, then return to the original for close reading.

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About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is not a real personal name but a general Chinese designation for authors whose names are unknown, lost, or unsigned. Neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be verified, and available public information is limited, so the works attributed to this name are the only basis for description. The collection holds 2,078 works under Anonymous, spanning medicine, classics, historical readings, ancient poetry, classical literature, and philosophy. Representative works include The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Lingshu, Mencius, The Book of Documents, Nineteen Old Poems, Complete Song Ci, and The Peacock Flies Southeast. Most of these works took shape through long transmission and editing, emerging either from collective folk creation or from authors whose names were lost over time. In ancient China, the Book of Songs, the Great Learning, and many popular storybooks and plays were signed Anonymous because their authors could not be traced. Anonymous works cross the classics, histories, philosophical writings, medical texts, and poetry; their subjects are broad, and their styles vary from archaic simplicity to clear naturalness, making them important and influential sources for understanding ancient Chinese thought, medicine, and literature.