The Book of Documents

Wang Shishun / Wang CuiyeZhonghua Book Company2012

Rating 4.2
Word count
270K words
Chapters
40
Series
Complete Text, Complete Annotation, Complete Translation of Chinese Classics
ISBN
9787101083033

Tags

History Historical Classics New Text ShangshuHistorical DocumentsOld Text ShangshuMoral CultivationFull Annotated TranslationAnnotated TranslationClassic MasterpieceZhonghua Book CompanyChinese ClassicsAncient Chinese History

Summary

The Book of Documents is one of the Five Classics of Confucianism and the earliest extant compilation of official historical documents in China. Its name means "the book of antiquity," and it is traditionally said to have been compiled by Confucius. Its chapters were not written at one time; they broadly preserve decrees, oaths, admonitions, and historical records from the Yu, Xia, Shang, and Zhou periods, especially the early Western Zhou, and have been regarded through the ages as a classic basis for governance and moral self-cultivation. Because of its long transmission, its ordeal in the Qin book-burning, and copying through the Han, Wei, and subsequent dynasties, the text developed into two systems—the New Text Book of Documents and the Old Text Book of Documents—with differences in both chapters and wording that have long been debated. Its language is archaic and terse, and it has always been considered difficult to read. This edition belongs to Zhonghua Book Company's Complete Text, Complete Annotation, Complete Translation of Chinese Classics series, translated and annotated by the Book of Documents experts Wang Shishun and Wang Cuiye, using Zhonghua Book Company's photocopy of Ruan Yuan's edition of the Correct Meaning of the Book of Documents as the base text. The book treats the New Text and Old Text portions separately: each chapter opens with an introduction explaining the meaning of the title, the historical background, and the main content; the original text follows in paragraphs with pronunciation and glosses for difficult words, then a fluent vernacular translation, helping readers understand the meaning without losing sight of the original. A long preface surveys the book's formation, the authenticity debate, and scholarly findings through the ages. At about 270,000 characters, the book is rigorously organized, with concise and reliable annotation and translation, suitable both as an introductory reader for university students of literature and history and as a desk reference for general readers working through this ancient classic.

Editor's review

读《尚书》最大的障碍从来不是篇幅，而是文字：一句话里三四个生僻字，同一个字在不同篇里含义还不一样。这个译注本的聪明之处，是把“读懂”拆成三步——先给题解，告诉你这一篇在讲什么、大约成于何时；再逐段注音释义，把拦路的字词一一搬开；最后给通顺的白话译文，让读者回头对照原文，能看出古文的分寸与语气。 底本采用中华书局影印阮元刻本《尚书正义》，是学界通行的善本；译注者王世舜长期治先秦儒道经典，著有《尚书译注》《庄子译注》，其注释不炫博、不枝蔓，遇到异说往往择要说明而不强作定论，态度审慎。 全书的一个优点是今文、古文两部分分开编排，读者一望即知哪些是汉初伏生所传的今文二十八篇，哪些是东晋以后出现的古文篇章。对想弄清“《尚书》真伪之争”的人来说，这个结构本身就是一种入门引导。精装一册，字大纸厚，经得起反复翻阅批注。

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Reading tips

  1. 不必从《尧典》一路硬啃，可从《洪范》《无逸》《秦誓》等名篇入手，先建立语感再回读前篇。
  2. 每篇读三遍：先读题解抓主旨，再读译文通大意，最后回看原文体会其简峻的语气。
  3. 把今文部分当作核心，古文部分可略读；读时可对照前言中的真伪争论，形成自己的判断。
  4. 准备一支笔和一本笔记，把反复出现的“德”“命”“民”“天”等关键词随手记下，前后贯通。

About the publisher

Zhonghua Book Company China · Founded in 1912

Zhonghua Book Company is a publisher known for collating ancient texts and academic publishing, with its output centered on Eastern philosophy, culture, classic works, art, and historical reading. Its library contains 532 titles, including Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms, Guo Qingfan's Collected Commentaries on Zhuangzi, the four-volume Chinese Literature: Four Great Classical Novels, and the two-volume Table of Seal and Clerical Script Forms from Qin, Han, Wei, and Jin. These titles span historical classics, commentaries on the philosophers, classical novels, and philological reference works. Representative authors include Chen Shou, Guo Qingfan, Wu Cheng'en, Shi Nai'an, Cao Xueqin, Luo Guanzhong, Xu Wenwu, and the Hanyu Dazidian character-form group, reflecting a focus on primary sources and scholarly editors. Its publishing character lies in combining authoritative editions and annotated texts with both accessible classics and specialized research. Public information on its fuller catalog is limited; this note describes only the directions evident in the library's holdings.

Contents

  1. Preface
  2. The New Text Book of Documents
  3. Yu Book: Canon of Yao
  4. Yu Book: Counsels of Gao Yao
  5. Xia Book: Tribute of Yu
  6. Xia Book: Oath of Gan
  7. Shang Book: Oath of Tang
  8. Shang Book: Pan Geng (Parts One, Two, and Three)
  9. Shang Book: Day of the Supplementary Sacrifice to Gao Zong
  10. Shang Book: The Western Count Subdues Li
  11. Shang Book: Weizi
  12. Zhou Book: Oath of Mu
  13. Zhou Book: Great Plan
  14. Zhou Book: Golden Coffer
  15. Zhou Book: Great Announcement
  16. Zhou Book: Announcement to Kang
  17. Zhou Book: Announcement on Wine
  18. Zhou Book: Timber of Zi
  19. Zhou Book: Announcement of Shao
  20. Zhou Book: Announcement of Luo
  21. Zhou Book: Many Officers
  22. Zhou Book: Against Luxurious Ease
  23. Zhou Book: Lord Shi
  24. Zhou Book: Many Regions
  25. Zhou Book: Establishing Government
  26. Zhou Book: Testamentary Charge
  27. Zhou Book: Announcement of King Kang
  28. Zhou Book: Marquis Lü on Punishments
  29. Zhou Book: Charge to the Marquis Wen
  30. Zhou Book: Oath of Fei
  31. Zhou Book: Oath of Qin
  32. The Old Text Book of Documents
  33. Yu Book: Great Plan of Yu
  34. Xia Book: Songs of the Five Sons
  35. Xia Book: Punitive Expedition of Yin
  36. Shang Book: Announcement of Zhong Hui
  37. Shang Book: Announcement of Tang
  38. Shang Book: Instructions of Yi
  39. Shang Book: Tai Jia (Parts One, Two, and Three)
  40. Shang Book: Always of One Virtue

FAQ

这本书是全本吗，今文和古文都收了吗？ 是的。本书属“全本全注全译”体例，今文《尚书》与古文《尚书》两部分均收，各篇都有题解、注释和白话译文，不是节选本。
没有古文基础能读懂吗？ 可以入门。每篇先有题解交代背景，正文逐段注音释义并配白话翻译，读者即使文言基础薄弱，也能借助译文把握大意；但《尚书》文辞古奥，个别篇目仍需反复阅读。
这个版本和中华书局“中华经典藏书”本的《尚书》有何不同？ “中华经典藏书”本由慕平注，2009年出版，选收虞夏书、商书、周书部分篇目；“全本全注全译”本由王世舜、王翠叶译注，2012年出版，今古文兼收，注释与题解更为详细。
书中“今文”“古文”是指字体吗？ 不是指书写字体。今文《尚书》指汉代以当时通行的隶书所传的本子，古文《尚书》指相传以先秦古文字写成的本子，二者的篇目与真伪问题历来是学术公案。

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About the author

Wang Shishun Author

Wang Shishun is one of the important scholars in the field of collating, annotating, and translating classical Chinese texts. Public information about him is limited, and his dates of birth and death, native place, and educational background are not definitively recorded. The two works included in the library—The Four Books and Five Classics (Complete Text, Complete Annotation, Complete Translation, Large-Print Edition) and The Book of Documents—indicate that his focus lies in the collation and popularization of Confucian classics and ancient historical documents, covering categories such as philosophy and religion, Eastern philosophy, history, and historical classics. His works are characterized by complete texts, full annotation, and full translation, striving to preserve the original appearance of the text while clarifying its meaning through annotations and translations accessible to contemporary readers, thereby lowering the threshold for reading pre-Qin classics. This approach, balancing scholarship and readability, helps general readers approach the intellectual traditions and historical memory carried by the Four Books and Five Classics and The Book of Documents, and also provides relatively complete and reliable editions for study and research in related fields.

Wang Cuiye Author

Wang Cuiye — public information about her is limited. What can be confirmed is that one work appears under her name: Shangshu (The Book of Documents). The work falls under the categories of history and historical classics. It may therefore be inferred that her writing and editorial work centers on classical Chinese texts, with a focus on presenting and interpreting the Shangshu, an ancient political and historical document. The Shangshu brings together edicts, oaths, and political discourses from the Yu, Xia, Shang, and Zhou periods; it is one of the earliest extant historical works in China and an important Confucian classic. Wang Cuiye's work thus sits at the intersection of traditional historiography and classical study, and may be of use to readers interested in pre-Qin history, ancient political thought, and classical textual scholarship. Because reliable biographical information is lacking, her education, career, and academic background cannot be described.