The Tablet Law

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.8

Word count: 455 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

The Guanzi is a collection of writings compiled by the Jixia Daoists in honor of Guan Zhong, and thus represents the Guanzi school of Jixia learning. The Hanshu·Yiwenzhi classified it under the Masters section, Daoist category; the Suishu·Jingjizhi placed it under the Legalist category; and the Siku Quanshu listed it under the Masters section, Legalist category. The work is grand in scale, complex in content, and rich in thought, making it an important classic for the study of ancient Chinese—especially pre-Qin—academic, cultural, and intellectual history.

Editor's review

Banfa is the chapter in the Guanzi that concentrates on expounding the concept of rule by law and the principles of statecraft; it is concise in length yet profound in intention. Centering on core propositions such as governing by law, measured reward and punishment, and compliance with the will of the people, its language is archaic and compressed. It offers a glimpse of the academic lineage in which the Jixia school blended Daoist and Legalist thought, and conveys the pragmatic thinking of pre-Qin statesmen on order and governance. This Bashu Publishing House edition helps readers grasp the intellectual foundation of the Legalist strand in the Guanzi within a relatively short space. For readers studying pre-Qin political philosophy and the history of legalist thought, this chapter can serve as an entry point into the vast system of the Guanzi; for ordinary enthusiasts of traditional culture, it can also serve as a means of appreciating the ancients' dialectical grasp of institutions and human nature. In reading, one may wish to consult other chapters of the Guanzi and the question of school classification recorded in the Hanshu·Yiwenzhi, so as to appreciate the multiple interpretive possibilities of the same text between Daoism and Legalism.

Who it's for

A good fit for

University students studying pre-Qin political philosophy and the history of legalist thought
Enthusiasts of traditional culture who wish to begin with a short chapter to understand the Guanzi system
Scholars engaged in teaching and research on the history of ancient Chinese thought
General readers interested in the classic proposition of the relationship between rule of law and the will of the people

Not a good fit for

Casual readers seeking light, story-driven reading
Beginners lacking a foundation in classical Chinese who are unwilling to use annotations
Readers who wish to read the entire Guanzi systematically without preparing to study individual chapters

Reading tips

First read through the original text once, marking key phrases such as reward and punishment, the will of the people, and legal measures, then read closely against the annotations.
Read alongside other chapters of the Guanzi that discuss law, comparing similarities and differences in argument within the same school.
Combine this with the records of school classification in the Hanshu·Yiwenzhi and the Siku Quanshu, and reflect on the dispute over Daoist versus Legalist affiliation.
After reading, try to summarize the chapter's main arguments in your own words, testing whether you have grasped the line of reasoning.

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
版法第七

FAQ

What is the position of Banfa within the whole Guanzi?

Banfa is one of the chapters in the Guanzi that discusses the rule of law and the principles of statecraft. The Guanzi is heterogeneous in content, encompassing discussions of Daoism, Legalism, economics, military affairs, and more; this chapter concentrates on the governance approach of the Legalist strand. It is not long and is suitable as an introductory chapter for understanding the concept of rule by law in the Guanzi.

Why is the Guanzi classified under different schools in different bibliographies?

The Guanzi was not written by one person at one time, and its content blends Daoist, Legalist, economic, and many other strands of thought. The Hanshu·Yiwenzhi listed it under the Daoist category, while the Suishu·Jingjizhi and the Siku Quanshu placed it under the Legalist category, reflecting differences in the academic positioning of this work across different eras. Readers may wish to note this phenomenon.

Can someone without a foundation in classical Chinese read this chapter?

You can try, but it is advisable to choose an edition with annotations and a translation: first read the translation to grasp the general meaning, then return to the original text. This chapter is relatively short, and the threshold for repeated comparative reading is not high; the key lies in patience and the use of reference works.

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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.