The Oath of Qin

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

4.3

Word count: 412 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

The Duke said: "Ah! My officers, listen in silence! I swear and proclaim to you the foremost of all sayings. The ancients had a saying: 'When people wholly follow their own ways, they fall into much error.' To reprove others is not difficult; only to receive reproof as smoothly as flowing water—that is truly hard! The sorrow in my heart is that the days and months pass by, as if they would never come again. The men of counsel in ancient times, I said, did not come to me because I shunned them; the men of counsel today, I for now will treat as kin. Even so, I will still consult these hoary-headed elders, and so shall I avoid transgression."

Editor's review

This volume presents the text of "The Oath of Qin," the words with which Duke Mu of Qin swore and proclaimed to his ministers. Its core lies in self-examination and the way of accepting counsel: reproving others is easy, receiving reproof is hard. The line "To reprove others is not difficult; only to receive reproof as smoothly as flowing water—that is truly hard!" brings out the difficulty of hearing criticism and has reflective value across the ages; "I will still consult these hoary-headed elders" stresses seeking the counsel of mature and seasoned words, embodying the political wisdom of the pre-Qin era. Though brief, it combines historical value with a meaning of self-cultivation, and is well suited as introductory reading in a selection of pre-Qin classics. Read it slowly, clarifying the meaning sentence by sentence, and understand the background of the oath in light of Qin's situation during the Spring and Autumn period. For readers interested in traditional political ethics, leadership cultivation, and classical diction, this volume offers a concise text to be savored and reread.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers of literature and history interested in pre-Qin classics and texts of the Shangshu type
General readers concerned with self-examination, accepting counsel, and leadership cultivation
Language teachers needing short classical Chinese materials for classroom teaching
Readers hoping to enter classical political ethics through a concise text

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting long narrative or a complete history of Qin
Readers without basic classical Chinese reading ability who are unwilling to use annotations
Readers seeking practical modern management methods rather than a classical text

Reading tips

Read the original text through once, then go sentence by sentence with the annotations to clarify word meanings, focusing on the meaning of "receive reproof as smoothly as flowing water."
Read in light of the historical background of Duke Mu of Qin's time, and appreciate the context and audience in which the oath arose.
Copy out the lines that leave the deepest impression, and write a short reflection connecting them to your own work or life.
Read the whole text aloud several times to feel the rhythm of the pre-Qin oath and its tone of admonition.

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
周书·秦誓第三十二

FAQ

What is the core idea of "The Oath of Qin"?

Its core lies in self-examination and accepting counsel. The text points out that reproving others is not difficult; what is hard is to receive criticism as smoothly as flowing water, and it stresses that in any matter one should consult mature and seasoned people. Overall it conveys the ruler's vigilance over his own words and conduct and his admonition to his ministers, carrying a double meaning of self-cultivation and political ethics.

My classical Chinese is weak—can I still understand this book?

You can try, but it is best to read sentence by sentence with annotations or a translation. The text is short, and the difficult points are concentrated in a few words and phrases; once the words are clarified, reading the whole piece is manageable. If you are completely unwilling to engage with classical Chinese, the reading experience will suffer.

Is this book suitable for classroom teaching?

It is suitable as short classical Chinese reading material. The text is concise and the theme focused, making it convenient for sentence-by-sentence explanation and discussion in class. Teachers can design thought-provoking questions around "receiving reproof" and "consulting the hoary-headed elders" to guide students to connect with reality, but they will need to supply background materials and annotations themselves.

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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.