Words on Hegemony

管仲Bashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

4.2

Word count: 2.6K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

This is an essay recorded in the ancient Chinese classic the Guanzi, appearing as the twenty-third chapter of that work.

Editor's review

"Ba Yan" is the twenty-third chapter of the Guanzi, one installment in a compilation of writings by Jixia scholars honoring Guan Zhong. A single chapter is limited in scope, but for that very reason it makes a good entry point into the Guanzi: readers need not first confront the monumental complexity of the whole book, but can instead grasp its argumentative style and intellectual character through one concrete text. Cataloging the Guanzi reveals both Daoist and Legalist affinities—the Hanshu Yiwenzhi places it among the Daoists, while the Suishu Jingjizhi and the Siku Quanshu place it among the Legalists—and this complexity is likewise palpable within a single chapter. Published by Bashu Shushe, this volume serves as a textual basis for close study of a specific chapter of the Guanzi. Read it against the whole book and the pre-Qin scholarly context, noting how the chapter's arguments relate to Jixia intellectual culture and attending to differences among commentators' explanations of words and phrases, so that close reading of one chapter gradually opens out into the entire classic.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginners who want to approach the Guanzi through a single chapter
Readers of history and literature studying pre-Qin political discourse and Jixia scholarship
Teachers and students who need the original text of Guanzi chapter twenty-three for teaching or research
Enthusiasts who have read some Guanzi chapters and wish to study them one by one in detail

Not a good fit for

Readers who hope to grasp all of the Guanzi's thought in one chapter
Readers wholly unsuited to classical Chinese who seek only vernacular stories
Workplace readers expecting modern management-case interpretations

Reading tips

First confirm the chapter's place within the whole Guanzi, browsing the contents to understand its links to neighboring chapters.
Read paragraph by paragraph, marking key claims, and after finishing summarize each paragraph's argument in your own words.
Compare explanations from different commentaries, noting how differences in glossing words affect understanding of the chapter.
After reading, review the classifications in the Hanshu Yiwenzhi and Suishu Jingjizhi and consider the relation between a single chapter and the whole book's school affiliation.

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
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FAQ

What is the position of "Ba Yan" within the Guanzi?

According to the source, "Ba Yan" is a chapter recorded in the Guanzi, appearing as chapter twenty-three. It belongs to the compilation of writings by Jixia scholars honoring Guan Zhong; a single chapter is limited in scope but serves as a good entry point into the whole Guanzi, after which readers can expand to other related chapters and gradually grasp the book's intellectual structure.

Can reading only this chapter convey the thought of the Guanzi?

A single chapter presents only part of the Guanzi. The Guanzi is monumental in length, complex in content, and rich in thought, embracing both Daoist and Legalist orientations, so reading "Ba Yan" alone cannot grasp the whole. It is advisable to use this chapter as a starting point, read it alongside other chapters with reference to the contents, and consult the preface for the background of the book's formation in order to arrive at a fuller understanding.

What background knowledge is needed to read this chapter?

It is best first to understand that the Guanzi is a compilation of writings by Jixia scholars honoring Guan Zhong, and the different ways ancient catalogs assigned it to the Daoist or Legalist schools. Basic competence in reading classical Chinese, with annotations or reference works at hand, will markedly reduce difficulty; readers unfamiliar with pre-Qin political terminology may first read relevant introductory materials before turning to the original text.

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About the author

管仲 Author

Guan Zhong was an important statesman and thinker in China's ancient Spring and Autumn period. His sayings and deeds are chiefly preserved in the book Guanzi, attributed to him. The library holds eight related works, including Guanzi and an unannotated edition of it, as well as chapters such as "Li Zheng," "Ba Xing," "Ba Yan," "Zhi Fen," "Guo Zhun," and "Di Zi Zhi." These texts deal with governing the state, enriching the country and strengthening the army, combining ritual and law, and economic regulation, and they also touch on educational discipline and the way of ruler and minister. Because public information on Guan Zhong's dates of birth and death and nationality is limited, it is difficult to give a detailed personal biography. Judging from the extant texts, his writing excels in political argument and dialogue, is clearly organized, and often uses concrete institutions and examples to explain his views; it has had a profound influence on later Legalist and political thought.