Heaven and Earth in Early Han Thought: Chapters Three, Four, and Five of the HuainanziThe Huainanzi has in recent years been recognized by scholars as one of the seminal works of Chinese thought at the beginning of the imperial era, a summary of the full flowering of early Taoist philosophy. This book presents a study of three key chapters of the Huainanzi, The Treatise on the Patterns of Heaven, The Treatise on Topography, and The Treatise on the Seasonal Rules, which collectively comprise the most comprehensive extant statement of cosmological thinking in the early Han period. Major presents, for the first time, full English translations of these treatises. He supplements the translations with detailed commentaries that clarify the sometimes arcane language of the text and presents a fascinating picture of the ancient Chinese view of how the world was formed and sustained, and of the role of humans in the cosmos. |
Contents
Preliminary Considerations | 1 |
A General Introduction to Early Han Cosmology | 23 |
Huainanzi Chapter 3 Tianwenxun The Treatise on the Patterns of Heaven Translation and Commentary | 55 |
Huainanzi Chapter 4 Dixingxun The Treatise on Topography Translation and Commentary | 141 |
Huainanzi Chapter 5 Shicixun The Treatise on the Seasonal Rules Translation and Commentary | 217 |
A Chinese Eratosthenes of the Flat Earth A Study of a Fragment of Cosmology in Huainanzi | 269 |
The Heavenly Seems the Earthly Branches and the Sexagenary Cycle | 291 |
Technical and Textual Notes | 293 |
Reference Notes | 323 |
| 347 | |
| 377 | |
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Common terms and phrases
animals asterisms astrological astronomical autumn beginning bingzi bluegreen Buzhou calendar called celestial circle chapters China chronograms Chu ci Commentary to Section correlated cosmic cosmograph cosmology cosmos creatures Daoist Dragon early Chinese Earthly Branches east fire five phases four seasons Fusang gaitian Gate gave birth gnomon governs Heavenly Stems Huainanzi Huang-Lao issues from Mt jade jiazi Jovian Cycle Jupiter Kunlun Laozi lunar lodges Lüshi chunqiu means metal Mingtang month Mountain Myth Needham nine numerology observed ordinances Palace passage pentatonic pitch pipes plants points produces River issues ruler Seasonal Rules sexagenary sexagenary cycle Shang Shanhaijing shen spring square stars summer solstice taiyin Thearch Tian translation Treatise tree twelve vermilion winter solstice wuzi Xian Yellow Bell yin and yang yin-yang Yueling Zhuan Xu Zhuangzi Zou Yan