Some Notes on the Organization of the Han Dynasty Bamboo “Annals” Found at Fuyang

Hu Pingsheng

doi:10.1017/S0362502800002571

Some Notes on the Organization of the Han Dynasty Bamboo “Annals” Found at Fuyang

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 March 2015

Hu Pingsheng

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Hu Pingsheng*: Affiliation:
Ancient Documents Section Bureau of Cultural Relics Beijing, China

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The Fuyang bamboo-strip “Annals” was compiled prior to 165 B.C., at least sixty or seventy years earlier than Sima Qian edited the various chronological tables in the Shiji. The “Annals,” which begins about the time of the Gong He interregnum of the Western Zhou and continues through the time of Qin Shi huangdi, seems to be incompatible with the “Qin Records” and was perhaps compiled using the “Historical Records” of some state other than Qin. It possibly includes two different types of tables: one in which years denominate the vertical columns and statenames the horizontal rows, with events recorded therein horizontally; and one that records the number of years that the feudal lords reigned. Although extensive damage makes it impossible to reconstitute the “Annals,” it can still provide useful information regarding some historical questions, such as the Warring States-period states of “East Zhou” and “West Zhou,” the appellations “Current King” and “Current Duke,” etc.

165 B.C. .

Type: Articles
Information: Early China , Volume 14 , 1989 , pp. 1 - 25

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0362502800002571 [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © Society for the Study of Early China 1989

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References

1. For more information concerning other texts discovered at Fuyang, see Pingsheng, Hu and Ziqiang, Han , “Cangjie pian de chubu yanjiu” Wenwu 1983.2, 35–40 Google Scholar; zu, Fuyang Hanjian zhengli , “Fuyang Hanjian Cangjie pian” , Wenwu 1983.2, 24–34 Google Scholar; “Fuyang Hanjian Wan wu” , Wenwu 1988.4, 36–17 Google Scholar; Pingsheng, Hu and Ziqiang, Han, “Wanwu lüeshuo” , Wenwu 1988.4, 48–54 Google Scholar; zu, Fuyang Hanjian zhengli, “Fuyang Hanjian Shijing ” , Wenwu 1984.8, 1–12 Google Scholar; Pingsheng, Hu and Ziqiang, Han, “Fuyang Hanjian Shijing jianlun” , Wenwu 1984.8, 13–21 Google Scholar.

* For facsimiles of the original strips, see pp. 24–25. — DP

† All references to the Shiji are based on the 1959 Beijing Zhonghua shuju edition, with the juan given first, followed by the page number. — DP

2. The text of the “Record of Great Events” is relatively more detailed; for example the entry: “In the eighth year, sent cavalry to Donghuan,” reports how in the eighth year of Han Gaozu (199 B.C.) Liu Bang personally led an army “east to attack remnants of King Xin of Han's rebels, at Donghuan,” a format obviously different from that found in the “Annals.”

3. There remain some markings of a few graphs in the frame below the entry “Xiong E nine.” Only the right part of the first graph remains; it seems to be dong (winter). The right part of the second graph seems to be the graph for the negative prescriptive wu , and there are also the remnants of the left part, seeming to make up the graph ; the entire graph should be read as li . The third graph appears to be shi (ten). In the “Qin Annals” of the Shiji, Sima Qian states: “The ancestors of Qin were surnamed Ying; later they were separately enfeoffed, taking the names of their states as surnames. There were Xu , Yan , Ju , and Zhongli lineages. …” Perhaps the fragmentary graphs that follow the entry “Xiong E nine” in the “Annals” refer to this Zhongli mentioned by Sima Qian.

4. On the back of one of the Fuyang strips we discovered a single graph duan , which is a loan word for duan (beginning), signifying the beginning of the text.

5. Only a few diagonal strokes of the lower right part of the graph mu remain. Only the yang side remains of the first graph shang , but the archaic pronunciations of both words belonged to the yang rhyme category, so their pronunciation must have been similar.

6. Mu, Qian, Xian-Qin zhuzi xinian (Hongkong: Hongkong University Press, 1956), 536 Google Scholar.

* Unless otherwise noted, references to traditional works are to the Sibu beiyao edition. — DP

7. Niansun, Wang , in his Dushu zazhi (Shanghai: Shangwu, 1934), vol. 8, p. 128 Google Scholar, says that the graph for “ruler” (jun ) is missing after the word “current” (jin ) in the sentence “May I please ask, between Duke Zhuang and the current (?), who is the more worthy” (qing wen Zhuang gong yu jin shu xian ). Since the text continues with: “Yanzi responded saying: ‘The former ruler Duke Zhuang was not satisfied with situating himself in quietude, he was happy eating and drinking, he did not love the bells and drums.…; the current ruler considers a huge palace to be of great importance, and considers a high platform to be beautiful.…’” Now, on the basis of the “Chronicles” found at Shuihudi, “current” refers to “the current ruler.” We know that jun is an abbreviation for jin jun. Despite the use of jin jun in the continuing text, there is no reason to emend the preceding abbreviation.