The Seven Worthies of the Bamboo Grove
Although Shan Tao, Ruan Ji, Xiang Xiu, Liu Ling, Ji Kang, Ruan Xian, and Wang Rong were historical figures, their identity as a group of like-minded iconoclasts who flouted Confucian ideology and norms of behavior has been questioned in modern scholarship. Even their epithet Zhulin qixian (The Seven Worthies of the Bamboo Grove), as some scholars argued, was retrospectively coined. This chapter argues that not only were the Seven Worthies historical figures in the third century, but they were also famously known by their epithet in their own time. Further, the political significance of their domicile in Shanyang District is explained. Yet the Seven Worthies were not a homogenous group because their political aspirations and philosophical inclinations were quite diverse and dissimilar, as the analysis of the philosophical thinking of Ruan Ji, Ji Kang, and Xiang Xiu in this chapter demonstrates.
Shih-shuo hsin-yü : a new account of tales of the world
"Shih-shuo hsin-yu (A New Account of Tales of the World), " compiled by Liu I-ch'ing (403-444), is a collection of anecdotes, short conversations, and pithy observations on personalities who lived in China between about 150 and 420 A.D. Mather's classic translation incorporates the commentary of Liu Chun (461-521), adding invaluable information through citations from lost works of the third and fourth centuries.The new edition introduces numerous revisions to this first complete English translation of the work.Richard B. Mather is Professor Emeritus of Chinese Language and Literature, University of Minnesota. His published works include articles on Six Dynasties literature and books on Shen Yueh and Lu Kuang."
Buddhist translation procedures in third -century China: A study of Dharmarak\d sa and his translation idiom
Cheng is a key term in Chinese culture. At the same time, it has been widely viewed as an "elusive," even "the most unintelligible term" by both Chinese and Western scholars, because of its various, sometimes even contradictory usages and definitions. This dissertation points out that cheng possesses a core meaning—consistency. It is shared by all the usages and definitions, and legitimizes their validity as the members of the cheng family. The idea of cheng evolves mainly through two traditions, the traditions of influence and of reality. The first one emphasizes the impact of cheng on other people. It claims that cheng is the ultimate source from which comes a series of positive consequences. The second one treats cheng as essential attribute, or reality of a thing. It can explain why a thing exists as itself. Between the two traditions, cheng/ influence is more prominent and complicated. The tradition of influence in turn divides into two subtraditions, the sub-traditions of transformation and of change. One stresses that the sage with perfect cheng will effortlessly enlighten people, necessarily draw them to follow him. The goal of social transformation will be automatically realized in the above two-way process. The other emphasizes that cheng in a person's heart/ mind can be made to actively radiate out, impact on other people, and stimulate, inspire, and persuade them to do what the person treasures and wishes. The first one characterizes cheng in mainstream Confucianism, while the second is often found in various philosophers out of the mainstream. The work of Song Confucians signifies the summit of the evolution of the idea of cheng. They construct a system, with the notion of heaven, or the heavenly way as its foundation, and that of the transformation as its framework. In modern times, due to both theoretical rejections and practical challenges, the notion of heaven is decisively