Four Evaluations

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

3.1

Word count: 1.3K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

The Guanzi is a compilation of writings by the Jixia Daoists honoring Guan Zhong, that is, the Guanzi school of Jixia learning. The Hanshu Yiwenzhi lists it under the Daoist category in the Masters section, the Suishu Jingjizhi under the Legalist category, and the Siku Quanshu under the Legalist category in the Masters section. The work is grand in scale, complex in content, and rich in thought, an important classic for studying ancient Chinese academic and cultural thought, especially that of the pre-Qin period.

Editor's review

Titled "Si Cheng" and compiled and published by Bashu Publishing House, this book points in content to the Guanzi. According to available sources, the Guanzi is a collection of writings by Jixia Daoists honoring Guan Zhong and can be regarded as the Guanzi learning of the Jixia school. The "Yiwen Zhi" of the Book of Han lists it under Daoism, while the "Jingji Zhi" of the Book of Sui and the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries place it among Legalist works; this very divergence in classification shows that its thought integrates Daoism and Legalism and cannot be confined to a single category. Grand in scale, complex in content, and rich in ideas, the work is an important classic for the study of pre-Qin scholarship, culture, and thought. Readers should not trim the text to fit a single school label but should attend to differences in ideological inclination among its chapters and to traces of Daoist-Legalist interpenetration within the Jixia scholarly context. For readers who wish to delve into pre-Qin thought and understand how "Guan Zhong learning" was constructed, this is a classic that demands patience and background knowledge.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying the intellectual history of the pre-Qin period and Jixia scholarship
Learners interested in the Guanzi text and the relationship between Daoism and Legalism
Students with some grounding in classical Chinese who are willing to work through a substantial classic
Readers of literature and history concerned with the classification of ancient Chinese schools of thought

Not a good fit for

General readers seeking a light introductory book and lacking a foundation in classical Chinese
Readers who want only the story of Guan Zhong's life rather than his thought
Beginners seeking a concise general survey from the perspective of a single school

Reading tips

Begin with the classification clues mentioned in the sources, enter the text with the question "Daoist or Legalist?", and note differences in inclination among the chapters.
Read alongside the relevant entries in the "Yiwen Zhi" of the Book of Han and the "Jingji Zhi" of the Book of Sui to understand how different bibliographic traditions positioned the Guanzi.
There is no need to read the whole book through; select chapters by theme and note passages showing Daoist-Legalist interpenetration as you go.
After reading, try to summarize the characteristics of "Jixia Guanzi learning" in a paragraph to test whether you have grasped its overall shape.

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
四称第三十三

FAQ

Does the Guanzi belong to Daoism or Legalism?

The sources show that bibliographic works classify it differently: the "Yiwen Zhi" of the Book of Han places it under Daoism, while the "Jingji Zhi" of the Book of Sui and the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries place it under Legalism. This divergence precisely shows that the Guanzi integrates Daoist and Legalist thought and cannot be simply assigned to one school. Readers need not rush to take sides but should note differences in inclination among the chapters within the text.

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

It will be rather difficult. The Guanzi is grand in scale, complex in content, and involves pre-Qin scholarly background; without a foundation in classical Chinese, readers easily remain at the literal level. It is advisable first to acquire basic knowledge of pre-Qin texts, or to choose an annotated edition, start with shorter chapters, and then gradually expand.

What is the relationship between "Si Cheng" and the Guanzi?

The sources indicate that this book points in content to the Guanzi, and the Guanzi is a collection of writings by Jixia Daoists honoring Guan Zhong, that is, the Guanzi learning of the Jixia school. "Si Cheng" should be understood as a title or chapter arrangement within this textual compilation, and readers may understand it within the overall intellectual context of the Guanzi.

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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.