Chapter 11 Section Two: The Age Levels of the Chapters in "Shangshu"

Now let's put aside the 25 false ancient texts, and look back at the 28 (or 33) true ancient texts.Because these 28 real ancient texts are equivalent to the 28 modern texts handed down by Fu Sheng, some people call them the 28 modern texts.This is a matter of names, and scholars can go on arguing about it.For now we just need to understand its actual content. It should be clarified again: the so-called authentic ancient texts do not mean that they are all genuine ancient historical materials, but that they are basically chapters handed down from the pre-Qin period rather than forged ancient books after the Han Dynasty.As for the extent to which these chapters handed down from the pre-Qin period preserved the nature of the original ancient historical materials, it is impossible to know at all.Judging from our research conditions today, it is not easy to roughly determine the actual writing age of various chapters.

According to the opinion of the late Professor Gu Jiegang, an authoritative contemporary scholar on Shangshu, these 28 scriptures can be divided into three levels in terms of age.In a letter to Hu Shi on June 1, 1923, he said: My husband wants me to bring up the official case of the "Shangshu" and point out that the "Jinwen "Shangshu" is not credible. I really want to do this.The day before yesterday, I divided the twenty-eight articles into three groups and recorded: The first group (thirteen articles): "Pangeng", "Dagao", "Kanggao", "Jiugao", "Zaicai", "Zhaogao", "Luogao", "Toshi", "Duofang", "Lu Xing", " The Order of Marquis Wen", "Fei Oath", "Qin Oath".

This group, in thought and in writing, is credible and true. The second group (twelve articles): "Gan Oath", "Tang Oath", "Gao Zong Xun Ri", "Xibo Kanli", "Wei Zi", "Mu Oath", "Jin Yu", "Wu Yi", "Jun Shi", "Li Zheng" , "Gu Ming", "Hong Fan". In this group, some of them have a smooth style of writing, which is not like ancient Chinese;This may be a forgery of later generations, or a historian's postscript, or the real ancient text has been translated, it is not certain.But it is definitely the work of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

The third group (three articles): "Yao Dian", "Gao Tao Mo", "Yu Gong". This set of decisions is a forgery from the Warring States period to the Qin and Han Dynasties, and is connected with the theories of the philosophers at that time.At that time, many books were drafted, and these three were the best of them.Those crude ones (such as the "Shun Junjing" section cited in "Mencius") have all been lost. But even though I made this list, I can't publish it for a while, because I can tell the fakes of the third group from the facts, and I haven't been sure to separate them from the first group and the second group.I would like to study ancient grammars and point out their differences from grammar, but that is for the future.

(Page 201 of the original "Ancient History Bian", which is now quoted from page 507 of "History of Shangshu Xuexue" by Liu Qiqi) Mr. Gu divided the 28 "Shangshu" scriptures into these three age levels. There are many textual researches, and the most intuitive basis is first of all their language and the epochal nature of the thoughts expressed.In order to give readers a perceptual understanding of "Shangshu", and to deepen their understanding of Mr. Gu's three eras, let's read one or two passages respectively. The first group cited the first paragraph of "Pan Geng Shang":

Pan Geng moved to Yin, and the people could not live there.He led all his relatives and made an oath, saying: "My king comes, and since I live here, I value my people endlessly."Can't Xu Kuang Yisheng, Bu Ji said it is like a platform!The former kings were obedient and faithful to the mandate of heaven, so it is still not always peaceful, not always Jueyi, in the five states today.The present is not inherited from the past, and I don't know the fate of the heavens, and I say that it can overcome the brilliance of the previous kings!If there is a tiller on the top of the tree, the sky will last forever, and I will live in the new town of Zi, Shaoxing the great cause of the ancestors, and Sui Fang [di Di, old reading only] Sui Fang!

[To the effect] Pan Geng moved his capital to Yin, and the people were not used to living in this place, so he summoned his trusted ministers to go out and spread the word: Our king changed his residence here to protect the people and prevent them from dying.What's the use of divination if you can't help each other to survive!According to the law of the former kings, one must abide by the mandate of heaven, so he dare not live comfortably for a long time, and settle in one place for a long time, so he has moved five times so far.If you don't follow the ancient precepts today, you just don't understand God's will, how can you inherit the legacy of the kings!The trees are dead and can still sprout, the emperor wants us to live in this new capital, inherit the great cause of the ancestors and pacify the Quartet!

This "Pangeng" is really difficult to read.Han Yu, a great writer in the Tang Dynasty, once lamented that "Zhou Gao Yin Pan, and Qu Qu's teeth are questioned", and "Yin Pan" refers to this "Pan Geng".This is a lecture given by Pan Geng, the 20th king of the Shang Dynasty, to appease the people after he moved his capital to Yin (now Anyang, Henan).Regarding its era, according to "Historical Records Yin Benji", after Pan Geng's death, his younger brother Xiao Xin inherited the throne and the country declined. century.But judging from the writing style, it is very close to the bronze inscriptions of the Western Zhou Dynasty.Therefore, it is also possible that after entering the Western Zhou Dynasty, the descendants of the Shang Dynasty wrote it down according to the legends of their ancestors.Even so, it has a history of 3,000 years.This "Pangeng" chapter, which is comparable to the "Code of Hammurabi" in ancient Babylon, has survived countless disasters in the past 3,000 years and has been preserved to this day. It is extremely precious.

The second group cited the full text of "Tang Oath": Wang said: Ge!All the concubines, listen to my words!If a non-Taiwan boy dares to call chaos, Xia Duo has committed many crimes, and he is destined to kill him!Now there are people, you said: I will not be sympathetic to my people, I will give up my work and cut off Zhengxia!I only heard what you said, that the Xia family was guilty, and I feared God and dared not be wrong.Now Ruqi said: "Xia's crimes are like a platform?"The king of Xia led all the forces to cut off Xia Yi, and some people were lazy and uncooperative, saying: "The time is mourning, and you and I will die!"Xia Deruozi, I must go now!Er Shangfu gave one person the punishment of the heavens, and gave him a grand prize [lai lai] for you.You believe it all, and I will not break my promise.If you don't obey your oath, I will kill you, and there will be no forgiveness for you!

[To the effect] The king said: Come here!Y’all come and listen to me!It's not that I dare to raise troops to make trouble, but that the Xia family is guilty, and the heavens want to destroy him!Now you all say: "Our king doesn't care about us, so why did he waste our crops and attack the Xia clan?" I just heard your comments that I know that the Xia clan is guilty.I am in awe of the heavens, and I dare not refuse to conquer.Now you ask: "What are the crimes of the Xia family?"They said: "When will Sun Taiyang die? We will die with you!" The Xia family's style is so bad, I must go today!You help me to carry out the punishment of heaven, I have a great reward.Don't believe me, I mean what I say.If you don't obey your oath, I will execute his whole family, and I will never forgive you!

This is Shang Tang's mobilization order when he crusade against Xia Jie. "Wang" and "My Queen" refer to Shang Tang, "Xia Shi" and "Xia Wang" refer to Xia Jie.From the language point of view, it is a little easier, not as difficult to understand as "Pan Geng".From an ideological point of view, it has penetrated into the "benevolent government" consciousness of Yin revolutionizing Xia Ming and saving the people from fire and water, so Mr. Gu Jiegang said that it must be the work of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, and even added the embellishment of Confucianism.Based on this, it can be inferred that although the era of Shang Tang was much earlier than that of Pangeng, the article "Tang Oath" was much later than the article "Pan Geng". Looking at these two articles, some sentences do not seem to be logically smooth, so the sentences have been broken and explained differently, and we can only figure out their general meaning.Because since ancient times, it has been common for ancient books to have wrong slips and missing characters, so that the upper and lower sentences do not connect.Therefore, if you really speak every place in a smooth manner, it may be wrong.But through these written barriers, we can still feel the difficulty of tribal settlements and the brutality of tribal wars in ancient times.At the same time, it can also be seen that the ancient ancestors had a strong idea of ​​obeying the sky, so the tribal leaders could issue orders under the guise of God's will.There are quite a few chapters in the first and second levels of "Shangshu" that vividly reproduce a certain historical scene like this.Although they may not be the original archives at the time when the historical events took place, they are the only historical materials that can be seen so far, and their value should be similar to that of the original materials. As for the articles on the third level, just by looking at the text, it can be concluded that they appeared very late, even as late as the Warring States Period, and there may be additions and changes to the writings of Confucian scholars in the Qin and Han Dynasties.Like "Shun Dian": "The emperor said: Kui [kui sunflower]! Order you to Dianle and teach the sons. Straight and warm, wide and chestnut, strong but not cruel, simple and not proud. Poetry expresses ambition, and song is eternal. Words, the sound is eternal, the rhythm is harmonious, the octave is in harmony, there is no phase, and the gods and men are in harmony." In "Da Yumo", "fullness hurts, modesty benefits", "don't listen to nonsensical words" and other sayings , from thought to language will not be what primitive society can have. The text of "Yu Gong" is even more incomparable with the "Zhou Gao Yin Pan" of the "Jie Qu Ju Ya" style.Therefore, Mr. Gu Jiegang said that "it is definitely a fake work from the Warring States Period to the Qin and Han Dynasties". But this does not mean that they do not have historical value. The "Yao Dian" and other four "Yu Shu" recorded many ancient legends and myths. Although it was a dramatic "court" organized according to Confucian ideals, it more or less reflected the shadow of primitive society in ancient legends. "Yu Gong" records the rivers, geology and products of the whole country in the Warring States Period, and is a valuable paleogeographical document.This kind of chapters, if we don’t regard them as things from the Yao, Shun and Yu eras, but return to their true colors, as things from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, then they are completely authentic historical materials.