Essays on the Treatise on the Five Elements

Name: Essays on the Treatise on the Five Elements
ISBN: 9787100206617

俞晓群The Commercial Press · ChinaDec 2023

3.8

Word count: 216K words
Chapters: 30
ISBN: 9787100206617

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Summary

The "Treatises on the Five Phases" (Wuxing zhi) is a category of historical treatise (zhi) in the official dynastic histories, recording strange phenomena, disasters, and yin-yang doctrine. From its first establishment in the Book of Han through the Draft History of Qing, fifteen of the official histories of ancient China contain a "Treatises on the Five Phases" (or treatises similar in nature). Over more than a thousand years, the composition of such treatises continued without interruption, becoming a noteworthy historiographical phenomenon.

This book focuses on the content of the "Treatises on the Five Phases" in the Twenty-Five Histories, documenting, organizing, and analyzing it—for example, sorting out ghosts, anomalies, and calamities, the Six Calamities, Six Ailments, Six Blights, and Six Auspices, discussing "the worst emperors" and "the worst consorts," and uncovering the historical developments and political phenomena hidden behind "superstition." By linking human affairs, meteorology, and disasters through the doctrine of interactions between Heaven and humanity, the "Treatises on the Five Phases" may appear steeped in superstitious conflation, yet they in fact preserve some ancient meteorological data and the meteorological views of the ancients, possess a degree of reference value, contain a wealth of historical information, and vividly reflect the social and political changes of their time.

Editor's review

Wuxing zhi suibi (Essays on the Treatises on the Five Phases) is Yu Xiaoqun's in-depth yet light-footed survey of a unique category in ancient historical texts, the "Treatises on the Five Phases," written in the manner of scholarly essays. This is not a dense academic monograph but rather the thoughts and notes the author developed over years of editing and publishing classical works and immersing himself in traditional culture, regarding this historical genre that records disasters, anomalies, omens, and prognostication. With an editor's acuity and a scholar's rigor, the author connects the strange tales scattered through the "Treatises on the Five Phases" in such official histories as the Book of Han and the Book of Jin with ancient political culture, social mentality, and even the construction of knowledge systems. Reading this book, you will follow the author in decoding the historical narratives shaped by the doctrine of "interactions between Heaven and humanity," seeing how the ancients used disasters to explain political successes and failures, and how, within these seemingly absurd records, they constructed a self-consistent cosmology and view of history. Yu Xiaoqun's prose is plain yet insightful, making this book both an entertaining introduction to the mystical side of traditional Chinese culture and a mental exercise in reflecting on historical writing and the production of knowledge. The publication quality of the Commercial Press further ensures the text's accuracy and authority, making it suitable for readers interested in history, culture, and intellectual history to savor at leisure.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in ancient Chinese history, culture, and thought, especially the doctrine of "interactions between Heaven and humanity."
Readers who enjoy encountering deep scholarly topics in a relaxed essay format and seek both reading pleasure and intellectual gain.
Professionals in history, philology, publishing, or cultural research hoping for inspiration from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Those curious about the "non-mainstream" records involving disasters and omens in ancient histories and eager to explore the logic behind them.

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a systematic academic monograph with clear conclusions.
Readers seeking sensational collections of strange tales or purely curiosity-driven reading.

Reading tips

It is not necessary to read the book straight through; begin with chapters on historical periods or types of anomalies that interest you (such as eclipses, earthquakes, or anomalous creatures and plants).
While reading, compare relevant chapters in familiar official histories (such as the Book of Han or the Book of the Later Han) to appreciate the originality of the author's interpretations.
Treat the ancients' ways of thinking presented in the book as a cultural frame of reference, and reflect on how they differ from modern views of the relationship between nature and society; this may yield a deeper reading experience.

About the publisher

The Commercial Press China · Founded in 1897

The Commercial Press is a publisher known for classic works and academic publishing, with titles spanning Eastern philosophy, foreign literature, world history, social culture, and applied psychology. Its list includes classical commentaries such as Zhu Xi's Collected Commentaries on the Analects and Wang Bi's Commentary on the Zhouyi, as well as modern annotated translations like Zhuangzi with Modern Notes and Translation. In foreign literature it offers War and Peace and Crime and Punishment, while in world history it carries Braudel's The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II. Applied psychology is represented by Irvin D. Yalom's Existential Psychotherapy, and ethical texts include a Greek-Chinese-English edition of the Nicomachean Ethics. Its authors and translators include Zhu Xi, Wang Bi, Yalom, Braudel, and translators such as Huang Zheng, Zhang Yiling, Shen Dongyu, and Tang Jialong, balancing the editing of original texts with academic translation.

版权信息
序一
序二
自序
上编
十五史
五行六事
六咎
六恒
十妖
十二孽
六祸
六痾
五眚五祥
六沴
八鬼
下编
最坏的皇帝
后妃恶行榜
储君们
反叛的皇子
篡逆者
大臣的恶名
重要典籍记略
为皇家占卜
年号与吉凶
古史舛误考
天空的记忆
祥瑞物
后记

FAQ

Is this a book about feng shui and fortune-telling?

Not at all. The book's core subject is the "Treatises on the Five Phases" in the official histories, which chiefly record natural disasters and unusual phenomena believed in ancient times to be linked to Heaven's will and human affairs. The author aims to explore the political and cultural significance and the logic of historical writing behind these records; the book belongs to the field of historical and cultural studies, not to the practice of divination.

Can someone without a background in history understand it?

Yes. The author, Yu Xiaoqun, is himself a veteran publisher skilled at explaining scholarly topics in an accessible essay style. The book clearly provides the necessary background knowledge and focuses on guiding readers toward an understanding of a way of thinking rather than on professional textual research and argumentation, so the entry threshold is not high.

How does this book relate to the author's other works, such as Shuo yu shushu zhaji (Notes on Numbers and Divination)?

They belong to the same series of essays by Yu Xiaoqun on "non-mainstream" knowledge systems in traditional Chinese culture. This book focuses on the view of anomalies in historical records, while works such as Shuo yu shushu zhaji concentrate more on divination culture itself. They reflect the author's sustained attention to ancient Chinese knowledge systems and ways of thinking from different angles and can be read as companions to one another.

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About the author

俞晓群 Author

Yu Xiaoqun is a Chinese author known for writing on cultural subjects. Public information about him is limited, and a complete account of his life is not yet available. Two works can be confirmed: Stories Behind the Books and Random Notes on the Treatise on the Five Phases. Both fall under the category of culture. Judging from their titles and classification, his writing centers on books, reading, and traditional literary and historical knowledge, and has the knowledgeable, essayistic quality of a writer who presents cultural anecdotes and personal reflections through narration. The title Stories Behind the Books suggests an interest in the details and circumstances surrounding books, while Random Notes on the Treatise on the Five Phases indicates an engagement with ancient texts and historical ideas. Though the two books differ in subject, they both show an approach that draws topics from documents and everyday reading. Because verifiable material is insufficient, his specific career, educational background, and the full range of his writing cannot yet be described in detail; readers who wish to understand his style should turn to the works themselves.