Commentary on the Water Classic
| Commentary on the Water Classic | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 A map of theWei RiverfromShui Jing Zhu | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | Thủy kinh chú | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | Thủy kinh chú | ||||||||
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TheCommentary on the Water Classic(Chinese:Thủy kinh chú), orCommentaries on the Water Classic,[1]commonly known asShui Jing Zhu,is a work on theChinese geographyinancient times,[2]describing the traditional understanding of itswaterwaysandancient canals,compiled byLi Daoyuanduring theNorthern Wei dynasty(386–534 AD). The book is divided into sections by river, each described with its source, course, and major tributaries, including cultural and historical notes.
The work is much expanded from its source text, the older (and now lost)Water Classic(ShuijingThủy kinh ). The original text described 137 different rivers in China and was traditionally credited toEastern HanscholarandgeographerSang Qin ( tang khâm ) during theThree Kingdoms period(220–280 AD).[3]Qing dynastyscholars gave it a later date (during the Three Kingdoms period) because of the names of the counties and commanderies. Its authorship was then attributed toJin dynastyscholarGuo Pu.Li Daoyuan's 40-volume, 300,000-character version includes 1252 rivers.
Although very thorough for its time, it did repeat the earlier mistake of the "Tribute of Yu"in viewing theMin riverof Sichuan as the headwaters of theYangtze.It was not until theMing dynastythatXu Xiakecorrectly listed theJinshaas the principal source.
See also
[edit]- Yang ShoujingandXiong Huizhen,authors of the 19th-century annotationShui Jing Zhu Shu( thủy kinh chú sơ )
References
[edit]- ^Ying-shih Yü (20 September 2016).Chinese History and Culture: Sixth Century B.C.E. to Seventeenth Century, Volume 1.Columbia University Press.pp. 127–.ISBN978-0-231-54201-2.
- ^Ji Lu.Biography of Li Daoyuan.DeepLogic. GGKEY:PS5B7KYN5KH.
- ^"Commentary on the Waterways Classic – Geographer's ideas flow like a fresh spring".Shanghai Daily.September 2, 2012.
Further reading
[edit]- Needham, Joseph (1986).Science and Civilization in China: Volume 3.Taipei: Caves Books, Ltd.
- Strassberg, Richard E.:Inscribed Landscapes: Travel Writing from Imperial China.University of California Press, Berkeley, Calif. 1994
- Cihai,Shanghai cishu chubanshe, Shanghai 2002,ISBN7-5326-0839-5
External links
[edit]
- "Chinese Literature:ShuijingzhuThủy kinh chú "Commentary to the River Classic""atChina Knowledge
- "Unter dem Himmel"(in German)
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