Establishing Government

Guan Zhong / 管仲Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) · ChinaJun 2024

4.3

Word count: 2.5K words
Chapters: 4

Summary

The Guanzi is a collection of works by the Jixia Daoists honoring Guan Zhong, that is, the Guanzi school of Jixia learning.

Editor's review

"Standing Government" is a chapter of the Guanzi, a work of the Jixia Daoists honoring Guan Zhong, reflecting the Guanzi school's inclination to integrate political governance with Daoist and Legalist thought. The text discusses establishing offices and duties, selecting the worthy and employing the capable, and the implementation of decrees; its language is concise and its organization clear. It is important material for understanding pre-Qin political thought and the character of Jixia scholarship. This edition, printed by Shanghai Jinzhang Book Company, provides a usable text for study, suitable as a starting point or for comparative reading. As you read, note how Daoist and Legalist ideas are translated into institutional design, and consider how pre-Qin thought moved from concept to arrangements of governance. It should be noted that the received Guanzi was largely edited by later hands and its chapters come from complex sources; readers should consult annotations and relevant scholarship, distinguish textual layers, and avoid simply attributing the whole book to Guan Zhong's own hand.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying pre-Qin political thought and Jixia scholarship
Teachers and students needing selections from the Guanzi for teaching or papers
History enthusiasts interested in ancient official systems and the idea of selecting the worthy

Not a good fit for

Beginners expecting a complete annotated translation of the Guanzi
General readers who prefer light stories or popular works

Reading tips

Read the original text first, mark core passages on establishing offices and selecting the worthy, then consult annotations.
Read alongside other chapters of the Guanzi and note similarities and differences in Jixia school thought.
Read with the background of pre-Qin institutional history in mind, and avoid understanding individual passages in isolation.

About the publisher

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) China · Founded in 1901

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) was a private publishing and distribution house in Shanghai during the late Qing and early Republican periods, issuing traditional works by lithographic printing. Judging from the 1,194 titles in the collection, its publishing focused on classical poetry, Eastern philosophy, historical reading, traditional Chinese medical texts, and canonical works, along with books on literary appreciation. Representative titles include the poetry and prose collections of Du Fu and Ouyang Xiu; historical works such as the Book of Han and Zizhi Tongjian; classical texts such as the Book of Documents and Mencius; and specialized and literary classics such as Treatise on Cold Damage and Li Sao. Its author resources cover major figures across the ages, including Du Fu, Ban Gu, Sima Guang, Zhang Zhongjing, Qu Yuan, Ouyang Xiu, and Tang Shenwei, reflecting the house's characteristic reliance on traditional scholarship and medical literature while serving general readers. Public information on its early history and operational details is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.

版权信息
正文二
正文一
正文三

FAQ

Was "Standing Government" written by Guan Zhong himself?

That cannot be firmly established. The received Guanzi is largely a collection of works by Jixia scholars honoring Guan Zhong, and its chapters come from complex sources; it should be treated as Guanzi school literature rather than Guan Zhong's own writing.

Do I need to read the whole Guanzi before reading "Standing Government"?

Not necessarily. You can begin with this chapter, grasp the basic issues of establishing offices and duties and selecting the worthy and capable, then extend to other chapters according to interest and gradually understand the book's structure.

Is this printing suitable for scholarly citation?

It can be used as a study text, but for scholarly citation one should check more authoritative critical and annotated editions and note the source of the edition to ensure reliable wording.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Guan Zhong Author · Chinese

Guan Zi is Guan Zhong, of the Ji clan and the Guan lineage, named Yiwu, styled Zhong, posthumously honored as Jing, a native of Yingshang (present-day Yingshang County, Anhui). A statesman of the early Spring and Autumn period and a forerunner of Legalism in the state of Qi, he assisted Duke Huan of Qi in uniting the feudal lords and setting the realm in order, and has been acclaimed as "the foremost minister of China." His thought is preserved in the book Guanzi, of which 28 related works are held in the collection, with representative chapters including "Guo Xu," "Nei Ye," "Di Yuan," "Qing Zhong Ding," "Zhou He," "Li Zheng," "Jin Zang," and "You Guan." These pieces span economic regulation, mind-and-nature cultivation, geography and products, and statecraft; their style is sometimes terse and substantive, sometimes developed through dialogue, reflecting an early blend of Legalist and Qi-regional scholarship. Public sources on the details of his life are limited, and later accounts mostly rely on the Guanzi text and pre-Qin histories. His works are commonly classified under Eastern philosophy, prose and miscellaneous writings, comprehensive biography, and literary appreciation, and have influenced both ancient political thought and the prose tradition.

管仲 Author

Guan Zhong was an important statesman and thinker in China's ancient Spring and Autumn period. His sayings and deeds are chiefly preserved in the book Guanzi, attributed to him. The library holds eight related works, including Guanzi and an unannotated edition of it, as well as chapters such as "Li Zheng," "Ba Xing," "Ba Yan," "Zhi Fen," "Guo Zhun," and "Di Zi Zhi." These texts deal with governing the state, enriching the country and strengthening the army, combining ritual and law, and economic regulation, and they also touch on educational discipline and the way of ruler and minister. Because public information on Guan Zhong's dates of birth and death and nationality is limited, it is difficult to give a detailed personal biography. Judging from the extant texts, his writing excels in political argument and dialogue, is clearly organized, and often uses concrete institutions and examples to explain his views; it has had a profound influence on later Legalist and political thought.