The Oath of Tang

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

4.1

Word count: 363 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

In order to eliminate Xia Jie in one stroke, before the battle Shang Tang issued a solemn mobilization order—this is the famous "Tang Shi" in history.

Editor's review

"Tang Shi" is a famous piece in the Book of Documents, recording Shang Tang's mobilization oath before attacking Xia Jie, compiled by an anonymous historian and published by Bashu Press in 2024. The text is divided into two sections: first stating the reasons for the military campaign, then announcing the rewards and punishments, with a clear structure; it is an important text for understanding the oath genre and early political mobilization. The line "When will this sun expire? We will perish with you" vividly reflects the Xia people's hatred of tyranny and has high historical and literary value. This book is suitable as introductory material for selected readings from the Book of Documents and for early Chinese history and thought, and can also be used for reciting classics. Note that its language is archaic and should be understood with annotations; the book is short and better suited to thematic study than general history reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students and self-learners studying the Book of Documents or early Chinese history and culture
Researchers interested in the oath genre and political mobilization texts of antiquity
Classics enthusiasts and Chinese teachers who need materials for reciting classics
General readers interested in historical legends of the Xia-Shang transition

Not a good fit for

Casual readers seeking long narratives or literary stories
Beginners lacking classical Chinese foundations who are unwilling to use annotations

Reading tips

First read the annotations and introduction to clarify the historical background of Shang Tang's campaign against Jie before reading the main text.
Organize in two sections: grasp the reasons for the campaign in the first, and examine the rewards and punishments in the second, taking brief notes.
Focus on reciting the line "When will this sun expire?" and consider the people's resentment and the logic of mobilization in context.
Read alongside other oath pieces in the Book of Documents to compare the writing of early political proclamations.

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
商书·汤誓第一

FAQ

What is the main content of "Tang Shi"?

"Tang Shi" is Shang Tang's mobilization oath before attacking Xia Jie. The first section states the reasons for the military campaign, and the second announces the rewards and punishments; the text reflects the Xia people's hatred of tyranny.

What foundation should I have before reading "Tang Shi"?

It is best to have basic classical Chinese reading ability and some knowledge of the historical outline of the Xia-Shang transition; if your foundation is weaker, you can first read the introduction and annotations, then compare them with the original text line by line.

Does this book contain only "Tang Shi"?

According to the material, this book takes "Tang Shi" as its content and is a compilation of a single classical text; for whether other appendices are included, please refer to the actual table of contents.

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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.