英文摘要 |
This study considers three different passages from the early Chinese text ''Ziyi'' (Black Robes). Through a careful comparison of the three extant versions of ''Ziyi''-two manuscript versions and a third received version in the canonical Liji (Records of Rites)-the study shows that the transmission of the ''Ziyi'' undergoes a transformation from the Warring States to the Han. An early version of the text presents a position where the minister stands on an equal footing with the ruler and is thus able to challenge his authority wherever necessary. However, in the later version, this position is revised, literally rewritten, to reflect a different position: the ruler's absolute power dominates the minister absolutely. Such findings have significant implications for understanding ''Ziyi,'' the Guodian manuscripts, and early Confucian thought, and they illustrate an approach that can be considered when reading other newly excavated manuscripts with received counterparts. |