Talent and Principle

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

4.0

Word count: 1.7K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Book of Zhou · Records of Examining Crafts · Bow Maker: "The bow maker makes bows, taking the six materials at their proper times... The horn is two chi five cun long; if the three colors lose none of their pattern, it is called 'a bull wearing a bull.'" Later, "material pattern" (caili) came to mean the texture and grain of bow-making materials.

Editor's review

Grounded in the "Bow Maker" chapter of the Records of Examining Crafts in the Book of Zhou, this book centers on caili, a technical term in bow making, and re-presents the traditional craft knowledge of selecting the six materials, taking materials in season, and judging horn grain. Readers thus see more than a glossary entry: they come to understand how the ancients linked material properties, timing of production, and quality of objects. Caili looks highly specialized, yet it touches on ancient craft standards, the investigation of names and objects, and ritual institutions—a small but solid entry point into pre-Qin technological civilization. The 2024 Bashu Publishing House edition is portable and well suited as supplementary reading for topical study of ancient texts. Treat it as a key: first grasp the categories of the six bow materials and the principles for choosing among them, then appreciate the weight of li (pattern/principle) in a craft context, and go on to reflect on how much the ancients valued material suitability and production standards. The book contains many technical terms, so readers need patience in consulting the original text and related notes and in gradually building connections between concepts.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the Book of Zhou, the Records of Examining Crafts, and the nomenclature and institutions of pre-Qin times
Researchers in the history of ancient crafts or technology, or in textual criticism
Self-learners who wish to build knowledge of classical Chinese and ritual studies starting from glossary entries
Professionals in ancient-text editing, museums, and traditional culture content

Not a good fit for

Beginners who want only light storytelling or popular introductions
Craft enthusiasts expecting a systematic, hands-on bow-making tutorial
Readers without a foundation in classical Chinese who are unwilling to consult annotations

Reading tips

First read the relevant original passages in the "Bow Maker" chapter, then use this book to understand the context and meaning of caili.
Keep pen and paper to sort out the types of the six materials, their timing of collection, and inspection standards, and build your own glossary.
Cross-check with reference works on pre-Qin ritual institutions and the investigation of names and objects, so as not to understand a single entry in isolation.
After each passage, restate its craft logic in two or three sentences to test whether you have truly grasped the concepts.

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
材理第四

FAQ

What exactly does the term caili mean?

According to the "Bow Maker" chapter of the Records of Examining Crafts cited in this book, it relates to the materials used to make bows and refers to their texture and grain. The bow maker must obtain the six materials in accordance with the seasons and judge whether the grain of parts such as the horn is suitable; only when materials are chosen rightly and grain judged accurately can a good object be made.

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

You can try, but be prepared to consult annotations. The book revolves around ancient craft terms and contains much original text and commentary. It is advisable first to familiarize yourself with the basic content of the Records of Examining Crafts through a vernacular translation or reference works, and then to approach this book; the reading burden will be much lighter.

Is this book suitable as a bow-making craft manual?

No. The book focuses on explaining the ancient term caili and its textual sources; it is not a modern operational guide to bow making and offers no practical tutorials on selecting materials, mixing components, or production steps. It is better treated as topical reading on ancient texts.

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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.