The Sea King

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

2.5

Word count: 714 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Duke Huan asked Guanzi, "What if I were to levy taxes on terraces and walls?" Guanzi replied, "That would be destroying what has been built." "What if I levied on trees and woods?" "That would be cutting down the living." "What if I levied on the six domestic animals?" "That would be killing the living." "What if I levied on the people?" "That would be concealing the true situation." Duke Huan said, "Then how am I to govern the state?" Guanzi replied, "Only by making mountains and seas official is it feasible."

Editor's review

This book centers on the "Hai Wang" chapter of the Guanzi, whose core is the dialogue between Duke Huan and Guanzi on how to obtain state revenues. In just a few lines, Guanzi rejects one by one the proposals to levy directly on terraces and walls, trees and woods, the six domestic animals, and the people, pointing out that such measures would destroy what has been built, cut down the living, kill the living, and conceal the true situation, and finally proposes the solution of "making mountains and seas official." Though brief, this passage concentrates the wisdom of ancient fiscal thought—"taking in moderation and guiding according to circumstances"—and reveals the tension between state management of mountain and sea resources and the livelihood of the people. This Bashu Press edition is suitable as introductory material for studying the original text of the Guanzi, allowing readers to appreciate the dialogue form and concise style of pre-Qin political discourse. Readers may wish to understand it within the overall context of the Guanzi's chapters on lightness and heaviness, examining not only Guanzi's fiscal proposals but also the governing logic behind the questions and answers. For readers interested in ancient economic thought, political philosophy, or the reading of classical texts, this is a short chapter worth repeated savoring.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in ancient Chinese economic thought and fiscal history
Enthusiasts of pre-Qin classics who need to study the original text of the Guanzi
University students of literature and history using it as supplementary course reading
General readers who enjoy short classical Chinese texts and are willing to read the dialogue form closely

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a complete annotated translation or lengthy exposition of the Guanzi
Beginners lacking a foundation in classical Chinese who need sentence-by-sentence vernacular explanation
Readers seeking only quick conclusions about modern economic management

Reading tips

Read the original text several times first, marking the correspondence between each of Duke Huan's questions and Guanzi's answers.
Read it alongside the Guanzi's chapters on lightness and heaviness to understand the place of "making mountains and seas official" within the whole book.
List the several levying methods Guanzi rejects in a simple table, comparing their advantages and disadvantages and their governing implications.
Discuss with friends how a state may take wealth without harming the people, deepening your understanding.

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
海王第七十二

FAQ

What is the main issue discussed in the "Hai Wang" chapter?

In the chapter, Duke Huan asks Guanzi how to obtain state revenues. Guanzi explains one by one that levying on terraces and walls, trees and woods, the six domestic animals, and the people would bring consequences such as destroying what has been built, cutting down the living, killing the living, and concealing the true situation, and finally proposes the method of "making mountains and seas official." The core issue is how the state may take fiscal revenue in a proper way without harming the people's livelihood.

What does "making mountains and seas official" mean?

"Making mountains and seas official" means the state manages and operates mountain and sea resources, such as salt and iron, to obtain fiscal revenue rather than directly imposing additional levies on the people. This is a representative fiscal proposal of the Guanzi school, emphasizing guiding according to circumstances and taking in moderation.

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

The book is mainly the original text and is short, but it requires some ability to read classical Chinese. Readers with a weak foundation may first use annotated editions or reference works to clarify the words and sentences, then return to read the original closely and gradually appreciate the logic of the dialogue.

Is this passage suitable as introductory reading for the Guanzi?

It is suitable as an introduction to a segment. It is short and focused on a single issue, allowing readers to directly experience the dialogue style and fiscal thinking of the Guanzi. But to understand the whole book, one still needs to read it together with the chapters on lightness and heaviness and other chapters.

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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.