The Shi Ying Chapter
Tags
Summary
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers studying Han dynasty intellectual history and Lunheng
- Readers interested in the concept of auspicious omens and critical thinking
- Researchers who need to cite Wang Chong's views on auspicious omens
Not a good fit for
- General readers seeking storytelling or literary interest
- Beginners unfamiliar with classical Chinese argumentative prose and lacking patience
Reading tips
- First read the relevant passage in the Xu Song chapter to clarify the target and context of Wang Chong's criticism.
- Mark the arguments and examples section by section, trace the logic of the rebuttal, and then make an overall assessment.
- Compare it with other chapters of Lunheng that discuss auspicious omens and compare their methods of argumentation.
About the publisher
Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) was a private publishing and distribution house in Shanghai during the late Qing and early Republican periods, issuing traditional works by lithographic printing. Judging from the 1,194 titles in the collection, its publishing focused on classical poetry, Eastern philosophy, historical reading, traditional Chinese medical texts, and canonical works, along with books on literary appreciation. Representative titles include the poetry and prose collections of Du Fu and Ouyang Xiu; historical works such as the Book of Han and Zizhi Tongjian; classical texts such as the Book of Documents and Mencius; and specialized and literary classics such as Treatise on Cold Damage and Li Sao. Its author resources cover major figures across the ages, including Du Fu, Ban Gu, Sima Guang, Zhang Zhongjing, Qu Yuan, Ouyang Xiu, and Tang Shenwei, reflecting the house's characteristic reliance on traditional scholarship and medical literature while serving general readers. Public information on its early history and operational details is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 卷十七 是应篇第五十二
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About the author
Wang Chong (27–c. 97), courtesy name Zhongren, was a native of Shangyu in Kuaiji (present-day Shaoxing, Zhejiang). A thinker, literary critic, and atheist of the Eastern Han, he entered the Imperial Academy in Luoyang in his youth and studied under Ban Biao; later he left office, stayed at home, and devoted himself to writing. His representative work, the eighty-five-chapter Lunheng (Balanced Inquiries), criticizes Chenwei superstition and the theory of interactions between Heaven and humanity, advocates a naturalist theory of qi, and stands as an important representative of Han-dynasty materialist thought. Wang Chong valued evidence and analysis in his writing, often developing arguments through questions and debates in a plain but sharp style. The collection holds sixty-nine of his works, including such pieces as Shizhi pian, Wenkong pian, Ziran pian, Daoxu pian, Duizuo pian, and Hanwen pian, covering philosophy, social criticism, and literary appreciation. He championed independent thinking and opposed blind submission to authority, exerting a lasting influence on later thought and literary criticism.
