Huainanzi

Huainanzi
Qing-era copy ofHuainanzi
Chinese	Hoài Nam Tử
Literal meaning	[The Writings of] the Huainan Masters
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Huáinánzǐ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Hwainantzyy Wade–Giles Huai2-nan2tzŭ3 IPA [xwǎɪ.nǎn.tsɨ̀] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Wàaih-nàahm-jí Jyutping Waai4-naam4-zi2 IPA [waːi˩ naːm˩ tsiː˧˥] Southern Min Tâi-lô Huâi-lâm-tsú Middle Chinese Middle Chinese Hweaj-nom-tzí Old Chinese Baxter–Sagart (2014) *[ɢ]ʷˤrijnˤ[ə]mtsəʔ

TheHuainanziis an ancient Chinese text that consists of a collection of essays that resulted from a series of scholarly debates held at the court ofLiu An,Prince of Huainan,sometime before 139 BCE. TheHuainanziblendsChinese folk religion,Taoist,Confucianist,andLegalistconcepts, including theories such asyin and yangandWu Xingtheories.

TheHuainanzi's essays are all connected to one primary goal: attempting to define the necessary conditions for perfect socio-political order.It concludes that perfect societal order derives mainly from a perfect ruler, and the essays are compiled in such a way as to serve as a handbook for an enlightened sovereign and his court.

Influences

In quantitative terms, the Huainanzi has major influences from the Zhuangzi andLüshi Chunqiu,and to a lesser extent theLaoziandHan Feizi,but glosses and opposesHan Fei's combination ofShang YangandShen Buhai( "Chinese Legalism") along penal lines.

The book

Scholars are reasonably certain regarding the date of composition for theHuainanzi.Both theBook of HanandRecords of the Grand Historianrecord that when Liu An paid a state visit to his nephew theEmperor Wu of Hanin 139 BC, he presented a copy of his "recently completed" book in twenty-one chapters. Recent research shows that Chapters 1, 2, and 21 of theHuainanziwere performed at the imperial court.

TheHuainanziis an eclectic compilation of chapters or essays that range across topics of religion, history, astronomy, geography, philosophy, science, metaphysics, nature, and politics. It discusses manypre-Han schools of thought,especially theHuang–Laoform of religious 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	Nguyên nói huấn	Yuandao	Searching outDao(Tao)
2	Thục thật huấn	Chuzhen	Beginning of Reality
3	Thiên văn huấn	Tianwen	Patterns ofHeaven
4	Trụy hình huấn	Zhui xing	Forms of Earth
5	Khi tắc huấn	Shize	Seasonal Regulations
6	Lãm minh huấn	Lanming	Peering into the Obscure
7	Tinh thần huấn	Jingshen	SeminalBreath and Spirit
8	Bổn kinh huấn	Benjing	Fundamental Norm
9	Chủ thuật huấn	Zhushu	Craft of the Ruler
10	Mâu xưng huấn	Miucheng	On Erroneous Designations
11	Tề tục huấn	Qisu	Placing Customs on a Par
12	Nói ứng huấn	Daoying	Responses of Dao
13	Giải thích qua loa huấn	Fanlun	A Compendious Essay
14	Thuyên ngôn huấn	Quanyan	An Explanatory Discourse
15	Binh lược huấn	Binglue	On Military Strategy
16	Nói sơn huấn	Shuoshan	Discourse on Mountains
17	Nói lâm huấn	Shuolin	Discourse on Forests
18	Nhân gian huấn	Ren gian	In the World of Man
19	Tu vụ huấn	Youwu	Necessity of Training
20	Thái tộc huấn	Taizu	Grand Reunion
21	Yếu lược	Yaolue	Outline of the Essentials

SomeHuainanzipassages are philosophically significant, for instance, this combination of Five Phases and Daoist themes.  

When the lute-tuner strikes thekungnote [on one instrument], thekungnote [on the other instrument] responds: when he plucks thechiaonote [on one instrument], thechiaonote [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)

Notable translations

• Major, John S.; Queen, Sarah A.; Meyer, Andrew Seth; Roth, Harold D. (2010).The Huainanzi.Columbia University Press.ISBN978-0-231-52085-0.
• Le Blanc, Charles; Mathieu, Rémi (2003).Philosophes Taoïstes II: Huainan zi(in French). Paris: Gallimard.

Translations that focus on individual chapters include:

• Balfour, Frederic H.(1884).Taoist Texts, Ethical, Political, and Speculative.London: Trübner.
• Morgan, Evan (1933).Tao, the Great Luminant: Essays from the Huai-nan-tzu.London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co.
• Wallacker, Benjamin (1962).The Huai-nan-tzu, Book Eleven: Behavior Culture and the Cosmos.New Haven: American Oriental Society.
• Kusuyama, Haruki (1979–1988).E-nan-jiHoài Nam Tử[Huainanzi]. Shinshaku kanbun taikei (in Japanese). Vol. 54, 55, 62.
• Larre, Claude (1982).Le Traité VIIe du Houai nan tseu: Les esprits légers et subtils animateurs de l'essence[Huainanzi Chapter 7 Translation: Light Spirits and Subtle Animators of Essence]. Variétés sinologiques (in French). Vol. 67.
• Ames, Roger T.(1983).The Art of Rulership: A Study in Ancient Chinese Political Thought.Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
• Le Blanc, Charles (1985).Huai nan tzu; Philosophical Synthesis in Early Han Thought: The Idea of Resonance (Kan-ying) With a Translation and Analysis of Chapter Six.Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
• Major, John S. (1993).Heaven and Earth in Early Han Thought: Chapters Three, Four and Five of the Huainanzi.Albany: State University of New York Press.
• Ames, Roger T.;Lau, D.C.(1998).Yuan Dao: Tracing Dao to Its Source.New York: Ballantine Books.

Television series

• The Legend of Huainanzi

References

Sources

• Le Blanc, Charles (1993). "Huai nan tzuHoài Nam Tử ". In Loewe, Michael (ed.).Early Chinese Texts: A Bibliographical Guide.Berkeley, CA: Society for the Study of Early China; Institute for East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley. pp.189–95.ISBN1-55729-043-1.
• Major, John S.(2010).The Huainanzi A Guide to the Theory and Practice of Government in Early Han China.Columbia University Press.ISBN978-0-231-52085-0.

External links

• Hoài Nam Tử-Chinese Text Project
• Hoài Nam Tử,original text in Chinese 21 chapters
• Hoài Nam Tử,original text in Chinese 21 chapters
• Hoài Nam Tử,original text in Chinese 21 chapters
• Tao, the Great Luminant,Morgan's translation
• Huainan-zi,Sanderson Beck's article
• Huainanzi,Chinaknowledge article