Huainanzi
Encyclopedia
The Huáinánzǐ is a 2nd century BCE Chinese philosophical classic from the Han dynasty
that blends Daoist, Confucianist, and Legalist
concepts, including theories such as Yin-Yang and the Five Phases
. It was written under the patronage of Liu An
, Prince of Huainan
, a legendarily prodigious author. The text, also known as the Huainan honglie 淮南鸿烈 ("The Great Brilliance of Huainan"), is a collection of essays presented as resulting from literary and philosophical debates between Liu and guests at his court, in particular the scholars known as the Eight Immortals of Huainan
.
The Huainanzi was the first Chinese classic text to use the Pythagorean comma
, and to precisely analyze 12-tone tuning in Chinese music (McClain and Ming 1979:213, 206), although the latter was preceded by bronze inscriptions on the (433 BCE) bells of the Marquis Yi of Zeng
(Temple 1986:199).
and Records of the Grand Historian
record that when Liu An paid a state visit to his nephew the Emperor Wu of Han
in 139 BCE, he presented a copy of his "recently completed" book in twenty-one chapters.
The Huainanzi is an eclectic compilation of chapters or essays that range across topics of mythology, history, astronomy, geography, philosophy, science, metaphysics, nature, and politics. It discusses many pre-Han schools of thought (especially Huang-Lao
Daoism), and contains more than 800 quotations from Chinese classics. The textual diversity is apparent from the chapter titles (tr. Le Blanc, 1985, 15-16):
Some Huainanzi passages are philosophically significant, for instance, this combination of Five Phases and Daoist themes.
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
that blends Daoist, Confucianist, and Legalist
Legalism (Chinese philosophy)
In Chinese history, Legalism was one of the main philosophic currents during the Warring States Period, although the term itself was invented in the Han Dynasty and thus does not refer to an organized 'school' of thought....
concepts, including theories such as Yin-Yang and the Five Phases
Five elements (Chinese philosophy)
The Wu Xing, also known as the Five Phases, the Five Agents, the Five Movements, and the Five Steps/Stages, are chiefly an ancient mnemonic device, in many traditional Chinese fields....
. It was written under the patronage of Liu An
Liu An
Líu Ān was a Chinese prince and advisor to his nephew, Emperor Wu of Han of the Han Dynasty in China and the legendary inventor of t'ai chi...
, Prince of Huainan
Huainan
Huainan is a prefecture-level city with 2,334,000 inhabitants in central Anhui Province, People’s Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Hefei to the south, Lu’an to the southwest, Fuyang to the west, Bozhou to the northwest, Bengbu to the northeast and Chuzhou to the east.Its...
, a legendarily prodigious author. The text, also known as the Huainan honglie 淮南鸿烈 ("The Great Brilliance of Huainan"), is a collection of essays presented as resulting from literary and philosophical debates between Liu and guests at his court, in particular the scholars known as the Eight Immortals of Huainan
Eight Immortals of Huainan
The Eight Immortals of Huainan , also known as the Eight Gentlemen , were the eight scholars under the patronage of Liu An , the prince of Huainan during the Western Han Dynasty. They are not deified in any religions and the xian "immortal" is used metaphorically to describe their talent...
.
The Huainanzi was the first Chinese classic text to use the Pythagorean comma
Pythagorean comma
In musical tuning, the Pythagorean comma , named after the ancient mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras, is the small interval existing in Pythagorean tuning between two enharmonically equivalent notes such as C and B , or D and C...
, and to precisely analyze 12-tone tuning in Chinese music (McClain and Ming 1979:213, 206), although the latter was preceded by bronze inscriptions on the (433 BCE) bells of the Marquis Yi of Zeng
Bianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng
The Bianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng , or Zenghouyi Bells, were bianzhong unearthed in 1978 in the Zeng-hou-yi Tomb in Sui County, Hubei Province, China. The bianzhong were made in 433 B.C.....
(Temple 1986:199).
The book
The date of composition for the Huainanzi is more certain than for most early Chinese texts. Both the Book of HanBook of Han
The Book of Han, Hanshu or History of the Former Han Dynasty |Fan Ye]] . Various scholars have estimated that the earliest material covered in the book dates back to between 206 and 202 BCE...
and Records of the Grand Historian
Records of the Grand Historian
The Records of the Grand Historian, also known in English by the Chinese name Shiji , written from 109 BC to 91 BC, was the Magnum opus of Sima Qian, in which he recounted Chinese history from the time of the Yellow Emperor until his own time...
record that when Liu An paid a state visit to his nephew the Emperor Wu of Han
Emperor Wu of Han
Emperor Wu of Han , , personal name Liu Che , was the seventh emperor of the Han Dynasty of China, ruling from 141 BC to 87 BC. Emperor Wu is best remembered for the vast territorial expansion that occurred under his reign, as well as the strong and centralized Confucian state he organized...
in 139 BCE, he presented a copy of his "recently completed" book in twenty-one chapters.
The Huainanzi is an eclectic compilation of chapters or essays that range across topics of mythology, history, astronomy, geography, philosophy, science, metaphysics, nature, and politics. It discusses many pre-Han schools of thought (especially Huang-Lao
Huang-Lao
Huang-Lao or Huanglao was the most influential Chinese school of thought in the early 2nd-century BCE Han Dynasty, and is generally interpreted as encompassing Daoism and Legalism...
Daoism), and contains more than 800 quotations from Chinese classics. The textual diversity is apparent from the chapter titles (tr. Le Blanc, 1985, 15-16):
| Number | Name | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 原道訓 | Yuandao | Searching out Dao |
| 2 | 俶真訓 | Chuzhen | Beginning of Reality |
| 3 | 天文訓 | Tianwen | Patterns of Heaven |
| 4 | 墜形訓 | Zhuixing | Forms of Earth |
| 5 | 時則訓 | Shize | Seasonal Regulations |
| 6 | 覽冥訓 | Lanming | Peering into the Obscure |
| 7 | 精神訓 | Jingshen | Seminal Breath and Spirit |
| 8 | 本經訓 | Benjing | Fundamental Norm |
| 9 | 主術訓 | Zhushu | Craft of the Ruler |
| 10 | 繆稱訓 | Miucheng | On Erroneous Designations |
| 11 | 齊俗訓 | Qisu | Placing Customs on a Par |
| 12 | 道應訓 | Daoying | Responses of Dao |
| 13 | 氾論訓 | Fanlun | A Compendious Essay |
| 14 | 詮言訓 | Quanyan | An Explanatory Discourse |
| 15 | 兵略訓 | Binglue | On Military Strategy |
| 16 | 說山訓 | Shuoshan | Discourse on Mountains |
| 17 | 說林訓 | Shuolin | Discourse on Forests |
| 18 | 人間訓 | Renjian | In the World of Man |
| 19 | 脩務訓 | Youwu | Necessity of Training |
| 20 | 泰族訓 | Taizu | Grand Reunion |
| 21 | 要略 | Yaolue | Outline of the Essentials |
Some Huainanzi passages are philosophically significant, for instance, this combination of Five Phases and Daoist themes.
When the lute-tuner strikes the kung note [on one instrument], the kung note [on the other instrument] responds: when he plucks the chiao note [on one instrument], the chiao note [on the other instrument] vibrates. This results from having corresponding musical notes in mutual harmony. Now, [let us assume that] someone changes the tuning of one string in such a way that it does not match any of the five notes, and by striking it sets all twenty-five strings resonating. In this case there has as yet been no differentiation as regards sound; it just happens that that [sound] which governs all musical notes has been evoked.
Thus, he who is merged with Supreme Harmony is beclouded as if dead-drunk, and drifts about in its midst in sweet contentment, unaware how he came there; engulfed in pure delight as he sinks to the depths; benumbed as he reaches the end, he is as if he had not yet begun to emerge from his origin. This is called the Great Merging. (chapter 6, tr. Le Blanc 1985:138)
Translations
The first complete Huainanzi translation into English was by Major, Queen, Meyer, and Roth (2010). Prior translations were limited to parts or chapters of the text. Morgan (1934) freely rendered chapters 1, 2, 7, 8, 12, 13, 15, and 19; and Major (1993) academically translated chapters 3, 4, and 5. Other translations are restricted to Huainanzi chapters 1 (Balfour 1884, Ames and Lau 1983), 6 (Le Blanc 1985), 9 (Ames 1983), and 11 by (Wallacker 1962). In addition, Roth (1992) and Vankeerbergehen (2001) have analyzed aspects of the Huainanzi.External links
- 淮南子 - Chinese Text ProjectChinese Text ProjectThe Chinese Text Project is a digital library project that assembles collections of early Chinese texts. The name of the project in Chinese literally means "The Digitization Project of Chinese Philosophy Books", showing its focus on books related to Chinese philosophy...
- 淮南子, original text in Chinese 21 chapters
- 淮南子, original text in Chinese 21 chapters
- 淮南子, original text in Chinese 21 chapters
- Tao, the Great Luminant, Morgan's translation
- Huainan-zi, Sanderson Beck's article
- Huainanzi, Chinaknowledge article