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Qunjing buyi 群經補義

Sep 13, 2013 © Ulrich Theobald

Qunjing buyi 群經補義 "Additional explanations to the meaning of the Classics", originally called Dushu suibi 讀書隨筆 "Brush notes while studying the Classics", is a collection of commentaries on the Confucian Classics compiled during the Qing period 清 (1644-1911) by Jiang Yong 江永 (1681-1762).

The 5-juan long book explains the texts of the Classics Yijing 易經 (Zhouyi 周易), Shangshu 尚書, Shijing 詩經 (Maoshi 毛詩), Chunqiu 春秋, Yili 儀禮, Liji 禮記, Zhongyong 中庸, Lunyu 論語 and Mengzi 孟子.

The text had originally a length of 12 juan, but Jiang Yong's disciple Dai Zhen 戴震 (1723-1777) took out the 7-juan long commentary on the Zhouli 周禮 and published it separately as Zhouli yiyi juyao 周禮疑義舉要. The title of this abbreviated version was changed to Qunjing buyi.

In large parts the commentary follows older explanations, but Jiang Yong also made some own research. He used, for instance, the phantastic geography Shanhaijing 山海經 to identify the name of the lake Xihai 西海 that is mentioned in the Shangshu. He comments on the dates of intercalary months (see calendar) in the Chunqiu and on geographic matters in the chapter Yugong 禹貢 of the Shangshu.

The Qunjing buyi is included in the series Siku quanshu 四庫全書 and Huang-Qing jingjie 皇清經解.

Sources:
Ai Ping 艾平 (1997). "Qunjing buyi 群經補義", in Pang Pu 龐樸, ed. Zhongguo ruxue 中國儒學 (Shanghai: Dongfang chuban zhongxin), Vol. 3, 18.
Li Xueqin 李學勤, Lü Wenyu 呂文鬰, ed. (1996). Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典 (Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe), Vol. 1, 464.
Sheng Guangzhi 盛廣智 (1996). "Qunjing buyi 群經補義", in Feng Kezheng 馮克正, Fu Qingsheng 傅慶升, ed. Zhuzi baijia da cidian 諸子百家大辭典 (Shenyang: Liaoning renmin chubanshe), 297.
Zhao Xiang 趙向 (1988). Qunjing buyi 群經補義", in Zhao Jihui 趙吉惠, Guo Hou'an 郭厚安, ed. Zhongguo ruxue cidian 中國儒學辭典 (Shenyang: Liaoning renmin chubanshe), 227.