An Examination of Forged Books, Ancient and Modern

姚际恒Jun 2024

4.6

Word count: 182K words
Chapters: 9

Summary

Forgers of books have appeared in every age, past and present, and so forged books have multiplied in the world. If scholars cannot distinguish the true from the false in this, can they still be said to read books? One must take them up and clearly distinguish them—this is the first principle of reading. I therefore, without measuring myself, have divided the forged books transmitted in the world into three classes—classics, histories, and philosophers—and investigated and verified them below. Song Jinglian of the Ming had his Bian Zhuzi; I combine classics, histories, and philosophers and distinguish them together. Works not transmitted today and those too trivial and few are all omitted. Where predecessors have already argued precisely, I record their words in full beforehand to show that these are not merely my private views. The four divisions include the collections: collections are individual anthologies, and people find it hard to forge them; old collections occasionally contain one or two added forgeries, not enough to count, so I do not touch them. Among the philosophers, the books of the two schools are also not included.

Editor's review

The Gujin Weishu Kao is the representative work of Qing scholar Yao Jiheng in the study of textual authenticity. Holding that the "first principle of reading" lies in clearly distinguishing the true from the false, the author divides forged books circulating in the world into classics, histories, and philosophers and verifies them one by one. Where predecessors have already argued precisely, he records their words in full beforehand to show that these are not merely his private views—cautious in attitude yet clear in position. The book omits works not transmitted today and those too trivial and few; the collections division is not touched because it is hard to forge, and the books of the two schools are likewise outside its scope, with clear boundaries of selection. Coming after Song Lian's Bian Zhuzi, it extends the scope of authenticity criticism from the philosophers to the three divisions of classics, histories, and philosophers, and has a transitional significance in the history of the discipline. For readers who want to understand the methods of authenticity criticism in traditional scholarship and cultivate critical reading awareness, this book is both a display of concrete results and a methodological demonstration. When reading, one should consult specific titles rather than rush to accept the conclusions wholesale.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Professional scholars and graduate students studying Chinese intellectual history and the history of authenticity criticism
Humanities researchers concerned with the authenticity of ancient books who need reference on methods of authenticity criticism
Enthusiasts of traditional culture who wish to cultivate critical reading habits
Practitioners engaged in organizing ancient books and in bibliographical work

Not a good fit for

Beginners with no foundation in classical Chinese who need line-by-line translation
Readers who expect a systematic general-history narrative and lack patience for item-by-item verification
Readers who only want literary works and are not interested in scholarly textual research

Reading tips

First read the author's preface to grasp his purpose and scope before entering the main text.
Read in batches by the three classes of classics, histories, and philosophers, making a brief summary after each class.
For doubtful entries, consult the predecessors' arguments cited and compare the differences among various views.
Treat the book's conclusions as clues rather than final verdicts; for important titles, seek specialized studies to verify.

版权信息
序
经类
史类
子类
神异经
贾谊新书
附录一
附录二

FAQ

Why does this book criticize only the classics, histories, and philosophers and not the collections division?

According to the original preface, the collections division consists mostly of individual anthologies, which people find hard to forge; old collections occasionally contain one or two added forgeries, not enough to count, so it is not touched. The books of the two schools, Buddhism and Daoism, among the philosophers are also outside its scope.

Are the book's conclusions about authenticity all reliable by today's standards?

Not necessarily all. Later scholarship has produced much new evidence and many new methods, so the book's conclusions should be regarded as one view and as clues for further research; important entries need to be re-verified in light of excavated documents and specialized studies.

What is its relationship to Song Lian's Bian Zhuzi?

According to the original preface, Song Lian's Bian Zhuzi criticized only the philosophers, whereas Yao Jiheng combined the classics, histories, and philosophers and criticized them together, with a broader scope. The book also records predecessors' precise arguments beforehand to show that these are not merely his private views.

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

姚际恒 Author

Yao Jiheng was a Qing-dynasty scholar. Public information about his life and official career is limited, and his name is known to later generations mainly through several surviving works. Four of his works are included here: Gujin Weishu Kao (A Study of Ancient and Modern Forged Books), Shijing Tonglun (A General Discussion of the Classic of Poetry), Chunqiu Tonglun (A General Discussion of the Spring and Autumn Annals), and Haogutang Shumu (Catalogue of the Haogu Hall). In subject matter he worked across classical scholarship, bibliography, and textual authentication: Gujin Weishu Kao examines the authenticity of transmitted texts one by one, the two Tonglun works show his approach to interpreting the classics, and Haogutang Shumu records his book collecting and cataloguing. His writing is marked by solid textual research and cautious judgment, often offering independent views within plain exposition, and has had a certain influence on the study of textual authentication and the classics. He is commonly grouped under categories such as philosophical reading, Eastern philosophy, and literary appreciation.