Cultivating Authority

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaNov 2020

4.2

Word count: 883 words
Chapters: 5

Summary

Xiu Quan means regulating power—that is, how power should be used. Shang Yang identified three factors for good governance: law, credibility, and power. Power rests with the ruler alone, while law and credibility are established and observed by ruler and ministers together; none of the three can be neglected. Shang Yang also proposed "relying on law and eliminating private interest," opposing the use of power for personal gain.

Editor's review

"Xiu Quan" is the chapter of The Book of Lord Shang that focuses on the principles governing the use of power. The title means regulating power; its core is not seizing power but using it correctly. Shang Yang sets out three factors for good governance—law, credibility, and power—and notes that power rests with the ruler alone, while law and credibility must be established and observed by ruler and ministers together; none can be neglected. This structure places power within the constraints of law and credibility, and he further proposes "relying on law and eliminating private interest," opposing the use of power for personal gain. The chapter is short, tightly focused, and clearly argued, making it a good entry point for understanding Shang Yang's view of power. The 2020 Bashu Publishing House edition gives readers direct access to the original text. As you read, note the tension among the three: the balance between concentrated power and shared law and credibility is what most rewards close attention.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students interested in Shang Yang and Legalist political thought
Researchers who need to study individual chapters of The Book of Lord Shang in the original
Thoughtful readers concerned with constraining power and institutional credibility

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting light, story-driven reading who are unaccustomed to argumentative prose
Readers seeking a modern management how-to rather than a classical text

Reading tips

First grasp the three elements—law, credibility, and power—and sketch their relationships before reading the original.
Highlight passages on "relying on law and eliminating private interest" and consider their opposition to using power for personal gain.
Compare with other chapters of The Book of Lord Shang to see where the "Xiu Quan" argument sits in the work.

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
正文一
正文二
正文三
正文四

FAQ

In "Xiu Quan," does xiu mean studying or regulating?

Here xiu means regulating or rectifying; "Xiu Quan" means regulating power and discusses how to properly hold and use power, not studying statecraft in the ordinary sense. The chapter's focus on law, credibility, and power fits this theme.

What are the three factors Shang Yang considers essential to good governance?

The chapter explicitly names law, credibility, and power. Power rests with the ruler alone, while law and credibility are established and observed by ruler and ministers together; none can be neglected. This division frames the exercise of power within institutions and credibility and is the chapter's core structure.

What does "relying on law and eliminating private interest" mean in this chapter?

It means acting according to law and setting aside private motives and gains, opposing the use of power for personal benefit. It echoes the chapter's claim that law and credibility must not be neglected, requiring those in power not to let personal likes and private interests interfere with public office.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

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.