Supplement to the Treatise on Agriculture

张履祥Jun 2024

4.4

Word count: 6.9K words
Chapters: 16

Summary

Why was the Supplement to the Agricultural Treatise written? In former times, Mr. Wu Kangzhai expounded the learning of Lian, Luo, Guan, and Min, and lived in retirement among farmers, leading his disciples to till the soil themselves. The author admired and emulated him. Beyond the lessons of the study hall, he acquainted himself with every minute task of the farming household and could explain its principles. His earnest teaching of later generations with the two words "farming and reading" is fully recorded in the Notes for Beginners and Words for Instructing Sons. As for the methods of fields, planting, and livestock, he took the Shen Family Agricultural Treatise as his basis and elaborated in greater detail on the minor tasks—what is meant by "both the court and the mountain forest have their affairs." Some may regard him as one of the likes of Changju and Jieni—how could they truly know the man? Respectfully recorded by the later student Chen Kejian.

Editor's review

The Bu nongshu (Supplement to the Agricultural Treatise) is an agricultural work compiled by the early Qing Neo-Confucian scholar Zhang Lüxiang as an expansion of Shen’s Agricultural Treatise (Shenshi nongshu). Its distinctive value lies in its juxtaposition of farming and study: the author does not merely record methods of field cultivation, planting, and animal husbandry, but incorporates agricultural work into the daily practice of self-cultivation and scholarship, embodying the literati attitude that “both court and mountain forest have their affairs.” The book’s accounts of the minutiae of farm household affairs are detailed and practical, yet repeatedly reveal a concern with Neo-Confucian self-cultivation; in reading it one sees both the principles of farming and the author’s delight in establishing his own conduct. This edition makes this short yet richly connoted agricultural work accessible to modern readers. It is suitable for reading as source material on agricultural history, rural studies, and the life history of traditional literati, and is also suitable for general readers interested in the culture of farming and study to browse at leisure. When reading, it is advisable to consult the preface and postscript to understand the context of its composition; one need not judge its agricultural methods by the standards of modern technical manuals.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars and students studying Ming-Qing agricultural history and the rural economy
Readers concerned with the culture of farming and study and the literati way of life
Those engaged in the organization of traditional agriculture and local documents
General readers who enjoy short, plain, and unadorned ancient texts

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking modern planting techniques that can be directly applied
Readers who prefer systematic agricultural scientific theory
Readers impatient with classical Chinese prefaces and postscripts and Neo-Confucian discourse

Reading tips

First read Chen Kejian’s preface to understand the origin of the supplement and the author’s intent, then proceed to the agricultural entries in the main text.
Read it alongside Shen’s Agricultural Treatise, noting which details of minor household affairs Zhang Lüxiang added.
Copy out passages that give equal weight to farming and study, and appreciate the perspective of a Neo-Confucian on agricultural work.
One need not strive to finish it in one sitting; read it in installments by topic, such as fields and crops or trees and livestock.

版权信息
补农书
逐月事宜
二月惊垫、春分
三月清明、谷雨
四月立夏、小满
五月芒种、夏至
六月小暑、大暑
七月立秋、大暑
八月白露、秋分
九月寒露、霜降
十月立冬、小雪
十一月大雪、冬至
十二月小寒、大寒
运田地法
沈氏《奇荒紀事》

FAQ

What does the “supplement” in Bu nongshu supplement?

According to the preface, Zhang Lüxiang used Shen’s Agricultural Treatise as his base text, supplementing its methods of field cultivation, planting, and animal husbandry and recording the minor affairs of farm households in greater detail; hence “Supplement to the Agricultural Treatise.” It is not a new agricultural treatise built from scratch, but a supplement to and elaboration upon an existing agricultural work.

What is the relationship between this book and Neo-Confucianism?

The preface states that Zhang Lüxiang admired Wu Kangzhai’s practice of living in seclusion, farming himself, and teaching through farming and study; amid his reading and coursework he paid attention to farm household affairs, and in the Initial Studies Memorandum (Chuxue beiwang) and Words of Instruction to My Sons (Xunzi yu) he earnestly taught later generations through farming and study. The agricultural accounts in the book therefore carry a concern with Neo-Confucian self-cultivation and should not be regarded merely as a technical manual.

What do “Changju and Jieni” mean in the preface?

Changju and Jieni are recluses who lived by farming in the Analects. The preface author uses them to explain that it is inappropriate for some to regard Zhang Lüxiang as a world-avoiding recluse, because he maintained that “both court and mountain forest have their affairs”—farming and study, withdrawal and worldly affairs, are not opposites.

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

张履祥 Author

Zhang Lüxiang is an author about whom very little biographical information survives; public sources are limited, and his native place, dates of birth and death, and specific life experiences cannot be reliably established. Judging from the two works held in the collection, Supplement to the Agricultural Treatise (Bu Nong Shu) and Instructions for My Sons (Xun Zi Yu, translated and annotated), his writing spans both farming and family instruction, and he is commonly classified under Eastern philosophy. Supplement to the Agricultural Treatise deals with cultivation, sericulture, and other agricultural matters in plain, concrete language with a strongly practical orientation. Instructions for My Sons aims to admonish younger family members, discussing self-cultivation, household management, and conduct in the world in an earnest tone, reflecting the traditional scholar's emphasis on family education. Though the two works differ in subject, both are written in plain language close to daily life, showing the author's concern with practical affairs and ethical instruction. Given the limited material, the details of his life and the full scope of his thought await further study.