Commentary on the Water Classic
| Commentary on the Water Classic | ||
|---|---|---|
Hanyu Pinyin Shuǐ Jīng Zhù | | |
| Wade–Giles | Shui Ching Chu | |
The Commentary on the Water Classic (
Northern 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 (Shuijing 水經). The original text described 137 different rivers in China and was traditionally credited to
Jin dynasty scholar Guo 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 the Min river of Sichuan as the headwaters of the Yangtze. It was not until the Ming dynasty that Xu Xiake correctly listed the Jinsha
as the principal source.
See also
- Yang Shoujing and Xiong Huizhen, authors of the 19th-century annotation Shui Jing Zhu Shu (水經註疏)
References
- ISBN 978-0-231-54201-2.
- ^ 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
- 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
- ISBN 7-5326-0839-5
External links
Chinese Wikisource has original text related to this article:
- "Chinese Literature: Shuijingzhu 水經注 "Commentary to the River Classic" " at China Knowledge
- "Unter dem Himmel" (in German)
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