Rules for Posthumous Names

苏洵Jul 2024

3.9

Word count: 3K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Traditional Chinese thought has a long history and is highly original, inventive and literary. Its early forms are distinctive: religious theology, classical Chinese medical texts, ancient military strategy, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism and the Hundred Schools, feng shui and metaphysics, the Twenty-Four Histories, and local customs and geography are all vast and profound. This series, "Essence of Chinese Classics: Original Texts," preserves the original appearance of the works and focuses on preserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. By reading the literary essence left by ancient sages, readers cultivate their temperament and quietly absorb the classics of Chinese learning.

Editor's review

Shifa (Posthumous Names) was compiled by Su Xun and deals specifically with the ancient system of posthumous titles: what a posthumous name is, how one is determined, and how each type of posthumous character is interpreted. It is an important introductory text for understanding traditional ritual institutions and the system of evaluating historical figures. Its value lies in organizing and classifying posthumous-name materials scattered across classical and historical works, allowing readers to see through the meanings of characters the standards and ritual logic by which the ancients judged people. This edition belongs to the "Essence of Chinese Classics: Original Texts" series, preserves the original appearance of the work, focuses on preserving and transmitting traditional thought and culture, and is suitable as a reference for the study of ritual institutions, historiography and textual scholarship. When reading, one should combine it with cases of posthumous names of specific historical figures to appreciate the tension between institutional rules and actual practice; it can also be seen as a microcosm of ancient political culture and moral evaluation rather than a mere dictionary of names and terms. Readers unfamiliar with ancient ritual institutions are advised to begin with the introductory sections and then gradually move on to individual posthumous characters.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying ancient ritual institutions, the posthumous-name system and historical texts
Readers interested in traditional systems of evaluating figures and in ritual culture
Readers who need to look up the meanings of posthumous characters or work on editing and annotating classical texts
Readers with some grounding in classical Chinese who are willing to read the original text closely

Not a good fit for

Complete beginners with no classical Chinese who need sentence-by-sentence vernacular translation
Readers who want only entertaining historical stories and have no patience for institutional rules
Readers expecting a modern scholarly survey or extensive commentary by contemporary researchers

Reading tips

Read the introductory sections first to understand the origins of the posthumous-name system and the principles of assigning names, then move on to the entries for individual characters.
Keep pen and paper ready to excerpt entries by posthumous character, and compare them with the posthumous names of familiar historical figures to deepen understanding.
Read alongside biographies in the Twenty-Four Histories to observe how institutional rules were actually applied.
It need not be read straight through; it is better used as a reference work to consult as needed and to build up knowledge gradually.

版权信息
谥法解

FAQ

What is Shifa about, and why is it worth reading?

Shifa is the ancient system of granting posthumous names based on a person's life and conduct, involving ritual institutions, historiography and moral evaluation. Su Xun's book organizes the meanings of posthumous characters and the principles for determining names; through it readers can understand how the ancients praised and criticized figures and how ritual law constrained evaluation. It is a key to entering traditional ritual culture.

Can I read this book without any grounding in classical Chinese?

This edition preserves the original text and is heavily written in classical Chinese, so complete beginners will find it difficult at first. It is advisable to have basic classical Chinese reading ability or to use it with reference works and annotated editions; if you only want to understand the basics of posthumous names, start with the introductory sections and common posthumous characters, and do not feel obliged to read it all.

Is this book suitable as a reference work?

Yes. The book organizes posthumous characters and their meanings by category, so readers encountering a specific posthumous name can look it up to understand its evaluative meaning and ritual basis. Consulting it as a reference work fits its arrangement better than reading it cover to cover and makes it easier to build up knowledge of the posthumous-name system gradually.

What background knowledge is needed to read Shifa?

It is best to have basic knowledge of ancient ritual institutions and classical Chinese, as well as some familiarity with biographies in the Twenty-Four Histories. While reading, combine it with cases of posthumous names of specific historical figures and observe the differences between institutional rules and actual practice; this makes their cultural meaning easier to grasp than memorizing the meanings of characters in isolation.

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About the author

苏洵 Author

Su Xun was an important prose writer of the Northern Song dynasty. Together with his sons Su Shi and Su Zhe, he is known as one of the "Three Su" and is counted among the "Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song." Seven of his works are included in this collection, among them such representative pieces as "On the Six States," Quanshu, Jice, and Shenfa, as well as an anthology of the Three Su and a selected collection of the Eight Great Masters. "On the Six States" argues from the historical fact that the six states of the Warring States period perished by bribing Qin, using the past to criticize the present with keen and forceful reasoning; it is a representative example of his political prose. His writing excels at argument, with penetrating analysis and concise, vigorous language, and he was skilled at drawing on historical events to set forth political views, leaving a deep influence on later argumentative prose. His works are often classified under Eastern philosophy, classic works, and culture, and also show elements of documentary literature. Public information on the details of his life is limited, so this introduction focuses on his transmitted works and prose style.