Numerous Officers

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

4.0

Word count: 807 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

When Chengzhou was completed, the stubborn people of Yin were relocated; the Duke of Zhou, by the king's command, made a proclamation, and thus composed "Duoshi."

Editor's review

"Duoshi" is an important proclamation text in the *Book of Documents*, recording how the Duke of Zhou, after building Chengzhou, admonished the remnants of the Shang dynasty by the king's command. This edition, prepared and published by Bashu Publishing House, offers readers a reliable reading text of the ancient work. Its value lies in being primary material for studying early Western Zhou political strategy and policy toward Shang remnants: in the proclamation the Duke of Zhou both sets out the doctrine of the transfer of Heaven's mandate and reassures the people of Yin, embodying the early Zhou rulers' governing wisdom of combining firmness with conciliation. The language is archaic, simple, and austere, with plain syntax, making it a typical sample for understanding the proclamation style of ancient Chinese and Western Zhou political discourse. For readers studying pre-Qin history, ancient Chinese, or intellectual history, this piece can be read alongside other proclamations in the *Book of Documents* and understood with reference to excavated bronze inscriptions. Readers should first read through the annotations to grasp the flow of meaning, then appreciate the层层 advancing argumentative structure of the proclamation, so as to see its intent.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students and researchers in pre-Qin history and ancient intellectual history
Learners of ancient Chinese who need to study the proclamation style of the *Book of Documents*
Readers interested in history and culture who are curious about early Western Zhou policy toward Shang remnants
Readers engaged in collating ancient texts or popularizing traditional culture

Not a good fit for

General leisure readers hoping for easy stories or popular retellings
Beginners without classical Chinese foundations who are unwilling to use annotations
Readers looking for modern or contemporary history or current-affairs reading

Reading tips

First read through the annotations and translation to clarify the layers of the Duke of Zhou's proclamation, then return to close reading of the original sentence by sentence.
Read alongside other pieces in the *Book of Documents* such as "Zhao Gao" and "Luo Gao" to understand the overall context of building Chengzhou and resettling Shang remnants.
Read with reference to materials related to Western Zhou bronze inscriptions to deepen understanding of early Zhou political discourse.
After reading, retell the main points of the proclamation in your own words to test whether you have truly grasped its argumentative logic.

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
周书·多士第十六

FAQ

Whom does "duoshi" in the title "Duoshi" refer to?

"Duoshi" generally refers to the numerous former officials and scholars of the Shang dynasty. According to the opening of the piece, after Chengzhou was completed, the Zhou relocated the stubborn people of Shang there, and the Duke of Zhou admonished them by the king's command; the proclamation is therefore addressed to the scholar-official class among the Shang remnants, not to Zhou nobles.

Can I read this book without a classical Chinese foundation?

You can begin with the annotations and translation in this edition, but the proclamation is archaic and austere, and its syntax differs considerably from later classical Chinese, so complete beginners will still find it difficult. It is advisable to have some experience reading the *Book of Documents* or other pre-Qin texts, or to use it with an introductory course.

How does reading "Duoshi" help in understanding Western Zhou history?

This piece directly reflects early Zhou policy toward Shang remnants and the doctrine of Heaven's mandate, and is important material for studying Western Zhou political strategy, ideological propaganda, and social change at the turn of Yin and Zhou. Through the wording and argumentation of the proclamation, one can glimpse how the Zhou argued for the legitimacy of their regime and how they reassured and restrained the old Shang clans.

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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.