Questions on Hegemony

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

2.8

Word count: 84 words
Chapters: 2

Report an error Find this book

Summary

The sixty-second chapter of Wenba (lacunose).

Editor's review

This book is a 2024 facsimile or critical edition published by Bashu Shushe, titled Wenba; its main text preserves only the entry information for “Chapter Sixty-Two (Lacunose),” and the content is in fact incomplete. Its value does not lie in providing a complete readable text, but in preserving the chapter structure and textual clues of an ancient work, which can be used to examine the cataloguing of the book in successive dynasties, the division and merging of chapters and volumes, and its transmission and loss. For general readers, the loss of the main text means that no substantive thought or story content can be obtained; but for researchers in textual bibliography, the collation of ancient books, and the history of book collecting, this surviving fragment can serve as physical evidence for textual comparison and help determine the book's position within a given textual system. It should be read as a primary source rather than as ordinary reading material, and used together with bibliographic reference works and related summaries in order to realize its documentary value.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Professional scholars engaged in research on the textual bibliography of ancient books who need to compare chapter entries
Book collectors interested in Bashu Shushe's ancient-book collation publications and in collecting facsimile editions
University students taking courses in documentary studies who need exposure to examples of incomplete editions

Not a good fit for

General readers hoping to read a complete story or systematic thought
People expecting to gain practical knowledge or recreational reading from the book

Reading tips

First consult bibliographic reference works to confirm the textual lineage of the book, then record the chapter information in this volume for comparison
Compare “Chapter Sixty-Two (Lacunose)” with other editions or catalog entries of the same book, noting clues to what is missing
Use it as a case study in textual scholarship; there is no need to read the entire text

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
问霸第六十二

FAQ

Why does this book's main text consist of only one chapter entry?

According to the available information, this book contains “Wenba, Chapter Sixty-Two (Lacunose),” meaning that the main text of that chapter is already lost and only the chapter entry survives. This is a common incomplete form in the transmission of ancient books, and readers should regard it as physical textual source material rather than a complete reading edition.

What can general readers get from this book?

General readers will find it hard to obtain coherent reading content from it, because the main text is lost. Its significance lies mainly at the documentary level and is suited to understanding the incomplete forms of ancient books, and not to everyday reading.

What should be noted when using this book?

It should not be cited or interpreted as a complete work, and when citing it, its “lacunose” status must be noted. It is advisable to use it together with bibliographies, textual catalogues, and other reference works to confirm its position among similar editions before making scholarly judgments.

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

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.