Tsinghua Bamboo Slips
The Tsinghua Bamboo Strips (
On 7 January 2014 the journal Nature announced that a portion of the Tsinghua Bamboo Strips represent "the world's oldest example" of a decimal multiplication table.[3]
Discovery, conservation and publication
The Tsinghua Bamboo Strips (TBS) were donated to Tsinghua University in July 2008 by an alumnus of the university. The precise location(s) and date(s) of the illicit excavation that yielded the strips remain(s) unknown. An article in the
Similarities with previous discoveries, such as the manuscripts from the
A series of articles discussing the TBS, intended for an educated but non-specialist Chinese audience, appeared in the Guangming Daily during late 2008 and 2009. The first volume of texts (photographic reproductions, transcriptions, and commentary) was published by the Tsinghua team in 2010.[8] The series is scheduled to have a total of 18 volumes, with the latest volume 13 forthcoming in December 2023. A series of studies and publications are appearing in the series The Tsinghua University Warring States Bamboo Manuscripts: Studies and Translations《清華大學藏戰國竹簡》研究与英译, edited by Huang Dekuang 黃德寬 and Edward Shaughnessy.
The texts
The Tsinghua manuscripts vary greatly in content. The collection caught attention because several of the TBS texts have connections to the received
Other content resembles that of annalistic histories (編年體史書), recording events from the beginning of the
Another text running across 14 strips recounts a celebratory gathering of the Zhou elite in the 8th year of the reign of
Texts by volume
Volume one
The following texts were published in volume one: *Yin zhi 尹至, *Yin's arrival; *Yin gao 尹誥, *Yin's Announcement; Cheng wu 程寤; *Baoxun 保訓, *The Protective Instructions; *Qi ye 耆夜; *Jin teng 金縢;*Huangmen 皇門, *August gate; and Zhai Gong zhi gu ming 祭公之顧命 The Duke of Zhai's Retrospective Command; and Chu ju 楚居.
- *Yin zhi 尹至, *Yin's arrival and *Yin gao 尹誥, *Yin's Announcement were written by the same scribe, and were considered two texts in the "writings" style.[13]
- *Baoxun 保訓, *The Protective Instructions. The text purports to be a record of a deathbed admonition by the Zhou king Shun acquiring The Middle by living a modest, thoughtful life, and a more puzzling second tale which describes the Shang ancestor Wei (微) "borrowing The Middle from the River."[15][16] A complete translation and study has been published as part of the series The Tsinghua University Warring States Bamboo Manuscripts: Studies and Translations《清華大學藏戰國竹簡》研究与英译.[17]
Volume two
It includes one text only, the "Xinian" 繫年 (系年), probably composed ca. 370 BC. This text relates key events of Zhou history. It comprises 138 strips in a relatively well preserved condition. Among the contents they transmit is an account of the origin of Qin by supporters of the Shang dynasty, who were opposed to the Zhou conquest.[18]
Volume three
It includes the Fu Yue zhi ming 傅說之命, Command to Fu Yue;[19] the *Liang chen 良臣, the Zhu ci 祝辭, among others.
Volume seven
It includes "Zi Fan Zi Yu" 子犯子餘, "Jin Wen Gong ru yu Jin" 晉文公入於晉, "Zhao jianzi" 趙簡子, "Yue Gong qi shi" 越公其事.[20]
- "Zi fan Zi Yu" 子犯子餘 records a dialogue between Zi Fan and Chong'er is in exile, traveling from state to state.[20]
- "Jin Wen gong ru yu Jin" 晉文公入於晉 narrates the story of the Duke Wen of Jin (posthumous name of the aforementioned Chong'er) returning to his state after years of battle, and putting it in order.[21]
Volume eight
It includes eight texts: *She ming 攝命, *Bang jia zhi zheng 邦家之政, *Bang jia chu wei" 邦家處位; *Xin shi wei zhong 心是謂中; *Tianxia zhi dao 天下之道; Ba qi wu wei wu si wu xing zhi shu 八氣五味五祀五行之屬, and Yu Xia Yin Shang zhi zhi 虞夏殷商之治.
- *She ming 攝命, *Command to She. Titled by the editors. 32 strips. It purports to be a royal command to a certain She. It is written in shu 書 style.[22][10] The editors identified it as the "original" Shangshu chapter Jiong Ming 囧命.[23]
- "Xin shi wei zhong" 心是謂中. *The heart is what is at the center, a short (8 strips) text of philosophical nature discussing the heart-mind (xin 心) as the central organ in charge of the body, but also the concept of "luck" and mandate (ming 命). It includes the statement that humans are in charge of their destiny, so far otherwise unattested.[24]
Volume nine
Volume nine, published in 2019, presents five manuscripts:
- *Zhi zheng zhi dao 治政之道. This manuskript is of 43 strips, around 44 cm long by 0.6. Based on the incision cuts on the verso of the strips and the similarities in the writing, the editors realized that this manuscript was originally bound together with *Bang jia zhi zheng 邦家之政 from volume eight, and the two should be read together.[25] Given that the manuscripts still present codicological differences, Jia Lianxian 賈連翔 identified them as an example of tong pian yi zhi 同篇異制, "one bundle with different configurations."[26]
- Cheng ren 成人
- *Nai ming (one and two) 迺命一二 (*Then he commanded). These are two manuscripts written by the same person, as noted by the editors. The first is of 12 strips; the strips are numbered from 1 to 11, with the last one being left blank after the conclusion of the text (signaled by a hook-shape mark). Similarly, the second manuscripts is of 16 strips, numbered from one to 15.[25] These two texts record commands given by an unnamed person to a group of officials (in the first one), and to a group of males who are presumably serving the person who is speaking.
- Dao ci 禱辭
Volume twelve
Volume twelve presents strip images, transcription and study of one manuscript, titled by the editors "San Bu Wei" 参不韋, the name of the person who talks in the manuscript. The manuscript is of 124 strips wavering 32.8 cm in length; they are numbered on the verso side in well-preserved conditions. The content is otherwise unattested. In the text, San Bu Wei admonishes Qi 啟 (founder of the Xia dynasty) on how to govern, revise punishments, and conduct rituals.[27]
Volume thirteen
The volume contains 5 manuscripts:
- Daifu Shi Li 大夫食禮.
- Daifu Shi Li Ji 大夫食禮記.
- Wu yin tu 五音圖. One of the most striking features of this (and the following manuscript) is the size: the 35 extant strips (from 37, originally) of Wu Yin tu average around 19.3 cm, a length that is half of most of the manuscripts in the Tsinghua collection. The writing develops around the 5 edges of a star, which figures at the center. It has attracted a great deal of attention for being one of the few writings related to music that predate imperial times.[25]
- Yue feng 樂風.
- Wei tian yong shen 畏天用身. The text is reproduced in full in a paper by Shi Xiaoli 石小力.[28] The manuscript is of 17 strips, measuring 44.4 cm by 0.6 cm. The title was assigned by the editors, based on the two initial principles introduced by the manuscript: "being in awe of Heaven" 畏天 and "using one's abilities" 用身. The text articulates behavioral principles (pay attention to surroundings; speaking properly) and how even and the self/person differ. Shi Xiaoli notes several echoes with ideas known in the Xunzi 荀子.
A first introduction to the manuscripts on music can be found in Jia Lianxian's 贾连翔 2023 article in Zhongguo shi yanjiu dongtai 中國史研究動態.[29]
Decimal multiplication table
Twenty-one bamboo strips of the Tsinghua Bamboo Strips, when assembled in the correct order, represent a decimal multiplication table that can be used to multiply numbers (any whole or half integer) up to 99.5.[3]
See also
References
Citations
- ^ "清华入藏战国竹简典籍--专家称学术价值不可估量". Tsinghua University News. 2008-10-23. Archived from the original on 2008-10-27. Retrieved 2009-05-14.
- ^ "Tsinghua Acquires Warring States Bamboo Strips from Chu". Tsinghua University News. 2008-10-24. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2009-05-14.
- ^ from the original on 22 January 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
- Guangming Daily. 2008-10-30. Archivedfrom the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2009-05-14.
近日,清华大学宣布,2100枚战国时期的竹简入藏清华,它是由校友赵伟国从境外拍卖会买到后捐赠给清华的。
- ^ "李学勤谈清华竹简". Tsinghua University News. 2008-11-10. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
We respect the alumnus's wishes and have not further pursued the question of his identity. Nor do we know how this collection of bamboo slips came to leave the country. The important thing is that they are very well preserved. 我们尊重校友的意愿,没有再去追问其个人身份,我们也不知道这批竹简是怎么流失到国外去的,重要的是这批竹简保存得非常好。
- ^ "清华大学"出土文献研究与保护中心"成立". Guangming Daily. 2009-05-04. Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2009-05-14.
- ^ "Tsinghua University Unveils Its Center for Excavated Texts Research and Preservation". Tsinghua University News. 2009-04-26. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
- ^ Li Xueqin (2010).
- JSTOR 41811208.
- ^ ISBN 978-7-302-60187-6.
- ^ Li Xueqin (2008-12-01). "初识清华简". Guangming Daily. Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
- ^ "清华简:"让人读起来太激动"". Guangming Daily. 2009-04-28. Archived from the original on 2020-11-04. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
- ^ Zhou Boqun (周博群) (n.d.). The Yi Yin Manuscripts and Related Texts (vol 3) (in English and Chinese). Beijing: Qinghua daxue chubanshe 清華大學出版社.
- ^ Jiang Guanghui (2009-05-04). "《保训》十疑". Guangming Daily. Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2009-05-14.
- ^ Li Xueqin (李学勤) (2009-04-13). "周文王遗言". Guangming Daily. Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
- ^ Zhao Ping'an (赵平安) (2009-04-13). "《保训》的性质和结构". Guangming Daily. Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2009-05-14.
- ISBN 978-7-302-60187-6.
- ^ Yuri Pines, with Lothar von Falkenhausen, Gideon Shelach and Robin D.S. Yates, "General Introduction: Qin History Revisited," in: Yuri Pines, Lothar von Falkenhausen, Gideon Shelach and Robin D.S. Yates, eds., Birth of an Empire: The State of Qin revisited. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2014:12.
- ^ Poli, Maddalena. "Command to Fu Yue 傅說之命. Database of Religious History, Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia". Database of Religious History. Archived from the original on 2022-02-28. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
- ^ a b Li Xueqin; 清華大學出土文獻研究與保護中心, eds. (2017). Qinghua daxue cang Zhanguo zhujian qi 清華大學藏戰國竹簡七. Zhong Xi shuju. pp. 91–99.
- ^ Li Xueqin; 清華大學出土文獻研究與保護中心, eds. (2017). Qinghua daxue cang Zhanguo zhujian qi 清華大學藏戰國竹簡七. Zhong Xi shuju. pp. 100–105.
- S2CID 229014779.
- ^ Li Xueqin; 清華大學出土文獻研究與保護中心, eds. (2018). Qinghua daxue cang Zhanguo zhujian 清華大學藏戰國竹簡, vol. 8.
- ^ Poli, Maddalena. "*The Heart is what is at the center, *Xin shi wei Zhong 心是謂中". Database of Religious History. Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia. p. 6. Archived from the original on 2022-02-28. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
- ^ a b c Qinghua daxue chutuwenxian yanjiu yu baohu zhongxin bian 清華大學出土文獻研究與保護中心編, and Huang Dekuan 黃德寬 (2023). Qinghua Daxue Cang Zhanguo Zhujian (shi san) 清華大學藏戰國竹簡(拾三) [Warring States Bamboo Slips in the Collection of Tsinghua University thirteen] (first ed.). Shanghai: Zhongxi shuju. p. 71.
- ^ Jia Lianxiang, 賈連翔 (2020). "《从〈治邦之道〉〈治政之道〉看战国竹书"同篇异制"现象》". 清华大学学报. 1.
- ISBN 978-7-5475-1969-1.
- ^ Shi Xiaoli, 石小力 (2023). "清华简《畏天用身》中的天人思想". 中国史研究动态. 5.
- ^ JIa Lianxiang, 賈連翔 (2023). "清华简《五音图》《乐风》两种古乐书初探". 中国史研究动态. 5.
- Upi.com. Jan 20, 2014. Archivedfrom the original on 22 January 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
- ^ Berlin, Jeremy (5 April 2014). "World's Oldest Decimal Times Table Found in China". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
Sources
- ISBN 978-7-5475-0178-8.
- Li Xueqin; Liu Guozhong (2010). "The Tsinghua Bamboo Strips and Ancient Chinese Civilization". Journal of Chinese Philosophy. 37: 6–15. ISSN 0301-8121.