Laws and Prohibitions

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.6

Word count: 1.4K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

The Guanzi is a compilation of works by Jixia Daoists honoring Guan Zhong, namely the Guanzi school of Jixia learning. The Hanshu Yiwenzhi lists it under the Daoist class of the Masters section; the Suishu Jingjizhi lists it under the Legalist class; the Siku Quanshu lists it under the Legalist class of the Masters section. The book is grand in scale, complex in content, and rich in thought, an important classic for studying ancient Chinese—especially pre-Qin—academic and cultural thought.

Editor's review

"Fajin" is drawn from an important chapter of the Guanzi on laws and prohibitions, published by Bashu Press in a properly collated edition that gives readers a clearer entry into this classic of the Jixia Guanzi school. Its value lies not in isolated legal provisions but in presenting the complex intertwining of Daoist, Legalist, and political thought in pre-Qin thought: the same text is classed under Daoism in the Hanshu Yiwenzhi and under Legalism in the Suishu Jingjizhi and Siku Quanshu, which shows that its intellectual layers cannot be captured by a single label. This edition helps readers approach it chapter by chapter and understand how the ancients discussed the relationship between prohibition and conduct, law and custom, power and order. It suits thematic reading in pre-Qin intellectual history and close textual reading by those interested in early legal concepts. It should not be read as a modern legal code but placed back in the context of Jixia scholarship and Warring States politics to see its argumentative style and problem awareness.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Undergraduate and graduate students studying pre-Qin philosophy, political thought, and intellectual history
Readers interested in the relationship between early Legalism and Daoism
Readers who want to understand the Guanzi through its original chapters
Teachers designing thematic courses on the history of Chinese legal thought

Not a good fit for

Readers who want only modern legal practice or contemporary legal provisions
Readers seeking light, story-driven reading and lacking patience for classical Chinese

Reading tips

Read the publication notes and chapter introduction first to clarify the place of "Fajin" in the Guanzi and the disputes over its classification.
Compare the relevant entries in the Hanshu Yiwenzhi, Suishu Jingjizhi, and Siku Quanshu Zongmu to grasp the intellectual judgments behind the changing classifications.
In close reading, mark recurring core terms such as prohibition, law, conduct, and custom, and trace their levels of argument and logical relations.
Read alongside relevant chapters of the Xunzi to compare different formulations of law and conduct within Jixia scholarship.

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
法禁第十四

FAQ

Is "Fajin" an independent book?

No. "Fajin" is a chapter within the Guanzi. The Guanzi is a compilation of works by Jixia scholars honoring Guan Zhong; its content is complex and its scale grand, and this chapter must be understood within the whole book and the Guanzi school.

Why is the Guanzi classified differently in catalogues?

The Hanshu Yiwenzhi places it under Daoism, while the Suishu Jingjizhi and Siku Quanshu place it under Legalism. This shows that its school affiliation has long been disputed and reminds readers not to sum up its thought with a single label.

Is the 2024 Bashu Press edition suitable for beginners?

It suits readers in literature and history who want to begin with the original chapters. Use the collated edition's explanatory material to build background first, then move into close reading; there is no need to read the whole book at the outset.

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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.