Original Creation

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

2.8

Word count: 316 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Lü Buwei of Qin invited men of outstanding ability and had them compose the Lüshi Chunqiu. Liu An, the King of Huainan in the Han, engaged the eloquent debaters of the realm to write chapters and essays. When the books were completed, they were displayed in the marketplace with a thousand pieces of gold hung up as a reward, inviting all scholars to examine them, and no one was able to alter a single word—because their affairs were concise and elegant, their form complete, and their words subtle. Dong Zhongshu devoted himself wholly to transmitting antiquity; by the age of sixty-odd he had never looked out at his garden or vegetable plot. I have written the Xinlun, discussing ancient and modern methods, also wishing to promote good governance—how is this different from the praise and blame of the Spring and Autumn Annals! Those who doubt it today are like one who calls a mussel different from a clam, or takes two and five to be anything but ten. Having seen Liu Xiang's Xinxu and Lu Jia's Xinyu, Tan wrote the Xinlun. Zhuang Zhou's fables include the claim that “Yao questioned Confucius”; the Huainanzi says that “Gonggong contended for supremacy and the pillar of heaven broke”—both are fabrications. Hence many people say short writings are useless. Yet in discussing the heavens, none is clearer than the sage; and though Zhuang Zhou and others are empty and fantastic, one should still adopt what is good in them—how can one say to discard them entirely!

Editor's review

Under the title “Ben Zao” (The Making of a Book), this volume collects ancient discussions of writing and establishing one's words: from Lü Buwei hanging up a thousand pieces of gold for alterations to the Lüshi Chunqiu, to the King of Huainan gathering debaters to compose books, to Dong Zhongshu's single-minded transmission of antiquity and Huan Tan's Xinlun distinguishing ancient and modern, together with Zhuang Zhou's fables and the fantastic claims of the Huainanzi. Though brief, the text lays before readers the ancients' attitudes toward authorship, their confidence, and their controversies. It affirms the pursuit of writing that is “concise and elegant, complete in form, and subtle in words,” while reminding readers not to discard the good in short writings and miscellaneous accounts. For readers interested in China's early traditions of authorship, the formation of the various masters' texts, and the idea of “establishing one's words,” this is rewarding material. As you read, note how the ancients positioned their works between confidence and self-examination, and let it prompt reflection on writing and transmission today.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in China's early traditions of authorship and the texts of the various masters
Students of literature and history studying the idea of “establishing one's words” and ancient scholarly life
Readers who enjoy short classical notes and close reading of texts
Language teachers who need classroom material on ancient attitudes toward authorship

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a complete history of Chinese literature or scholarship
Writers hoping for guidance on modern writing technique
Casual readers with little interest in classical quotations and allusions

Reading tips

First sort out the titles and authors mentioned in the text—the Lüshi Chunqiu, Xinlun, Xinxu, and others—then read the main text.
Read the “hanging up a thousand pieces of gold” and “never looking at his garden” passages side by side and compare two ancient postures toward authorship.
Pause at “short writings are useless” and write down your own view of the relation between miscellaneous accounts and classics.
Extend your reading with the “Prefatory Intent” chapter of the Lüshi Chunqiu or surviving fragments of Huan Tan's Xinlun.

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
本造第一

FAQ

What does the title “Ben Zao” mean?

From the material, “Ben Zao” points to the making of a book and the establishing of words—that is, how the ancients composed works and how they regarded their own books. The volume gathers records and commentary on Lü Buwei, the King of Huainan, Dong Zhongshu, Huan Tan, and others as they wrote and propounded their ideas, discussing how books come into being, their value, and the controversies around them. Readers may understand it as a set of ancient remarks about “the act of writing a book,” not a modern methodology of writing.

Why does the text criticize Zhuang Zhou's fables yet say to adopt what is good in them?

On the one hand, it points out that claims such as “Yao questioned Confucius” and “Gonggong contended for supremacy” are fabrications, warning that short writings cannot be wholly trusted; on the other, it says that though Zhuang Zhou and others are empty and fantastic, one should still adopt what is good in them and not discard them entirely. This reflects a cautious ancient attitude toward miscellaneous accounts: distinguish what is false and take what is valuable. Let it prompt reflection on the boundary between classics and miscellaneous writings, and between truth and fable.

Do I need to read the Lüshi Chunqiu first?

No. The quotations in the book are only fragments, and reading the book first will give you leads. To go deeper, you may then read chapters such as the “Prefatory Intent” of the Lüshi Chunqiu, the collected surviving fragments of Huan Tan's Xinlun, and relevant passages of the Huainanzi. On the first pass, focus on understanding the book's discussion; on the second, look up the original texts by name and title and gradually build connections between them.

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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.