Inscriptions and Admonitions

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

4.2

Word count: 984 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

In ancient times, the Yellow Emperor inscribed the carriage and table to correct transgressions, and Yu the Great engraved the bell stands to invite remonstrance. Tang the Completer had the rule of daily renewal written on his basin and bowl; King Wu had the lesson of constant caution inscribed on his doors and mats. The Duke of Zhou was careful in speech before the golden man, and Confucius changed countenance before the tilting vessel. That the successive sages took warning from such examples has been long established. Thus ming means "naming": when viewing a vessel one must name it, rectifying names and examining use, valuing above all abundant virtue. Zang Wuzhong, in discussing inscriptions, said: "The Son of Heaven is inscribed for his excellent virtue, the feudal lords for their calculated merits, and the great officers for their proclaimed exploits." The Xia cast the golden tripods of the nine provinces, and the Zhou engraved the bitterwood arrows of Sushen—these are matters of excellent virtue. Lü Wang inscribed his merits at Kunwu, and Zhongshan engraved his achievements on a great vessel—this is the meaning of calculating merit. Wei Ke recorded his merits on the Jing bell, and Kong Kui displayed his diligence on the Wei tripod—this is the category of proclaiming exploits. As for Feilian being granted a stone coffin, and Duke Ling receiving the posthumous title Qili, with inscriptions emerging from hidden stones—alas, how strange! King Wuling of Zhao had his traces engraved at Fanwu, and King Zhao of Qin had a game of bo carved on Mount Hua, boasting to posterity—alas, how laughable! Examining all these examples in detail, the meaning of ming becomes clear.

Editor's review

This book centers on the ancient literary form of "ming and zhen." The recorded text discusses the origins, naming, and function of ming: from the Yellow Emperor carving the carriage and table, Yu the Great engraving the bell stands, to Tang the Completer's basin and bowl and King Wu's doors and mats, and further to the Duke of Zhou and Confucius valuing warnings and lessons, it sketches the tradition of inscriptions that "rectify names, examine use, and value abundant virtue." It also distinguishes types of inscriptions—"the Son of Heaven for excellent virtue, the feudal lords for calculated merit, the great officers for proclaimed exploits"—and illustrates them with the Xia casting golden tripods, the Zhou engraving bitterwood arrows, and Lü Wang inscribing his merits, while criticizing the boastful and laughable works of Feilian's stone coffin, Duke Ling's posthumous title, King Wuling of Zhao's engraved traces, and King Zhao of Qin's carved game. Concise and dense with material, it serves as an introductory reader for understanding the ming and zhen forms and ritual concepts from the pre-Qin through Han-Wei periods. Read it at the intersection of ancient stylistics and political ethics, noting how the definition "ming means naming" governs vessels, merit, and admonition, and use the annotations to sort out the many figures and allusions. This Bashu Press edition is convenient for consultation and suited to slow, careful reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in ancient Chinese stylistics and the ming-zhen tradition
Students of pre-Qin and Han literature, ritual, and intellectual history
Enthusiasts who need short classical Chinese texts for close-reading practice
Readers who enjoy approaching ancient politics through vessel inscriptions

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a long general survey or systematic literary history textbook
Complete beginners with no classical Chinese who are unwilling to look up allusions
Those seeking light stories or uninterested in discussions of literary form and ritual

Reading tips

Read through once for the general sense, then go paragraph by paragraph, sorting the figures, vessels, and inscription types into a simple table.
Hold on to the core definition "ming means naming" and review how each example embodies rectifying names, admonition, and recording merit.
Look up allusions in reference works or annotations first, then consider the author's praise and blame.
Read alongside other discussions of ancient literary forms to compare the functions and styles of ming and zhen.

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
铭箴第十一

FAQ

What literary form does this passage mainly discuss?

It mainly discusses the literary form of ming, covering its origins, naming, function, and types, and evaluates examples of inscriptions from successive ages. The "zhen" in the title suggests a connection to admonitory forms, but the recorded text is chiefly concerned with ming.

Why does the text call some inscriptions "laughable"?

It criticizes practices such as Feilian's stone coffin, Duke Ling's posthumous title, King Wuling of Zhao's engraved traces, and King Zhao of Qin's carved game, holding that they depart from the true purpose of inscriptions—rectifying names, examining use, and admonishing virtue—and lapse into boastful display for posterity; hence the denunciation as "strange" and "laughable."

What background knowledge is needed to read this material?

A basic familiarity with pre-Qin and Han ritual, vessels, and common historical figures and allusions is needed; otherwise the dense examples will read piecemeal. It is best to use annotations and reference works, first clarifying the source and meaning of each example, then grasping the overall argument.

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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.