The Study Of Xu Shen And Gao You's Notes To Huainanzi

HuaiNanZi is a work of gorgeous literary grace and deep thoughts. Xu Shen and Gao You had notes for it successively in the Eastern Han Dynasty. There have been many research literatures about this book since ancient times. However, there are very few literature of Xu Shen and Gao You's notes. And research results obtained about Xu Shen and Gao You's notes is nothing more than the collection, amendment, as well as exegetical achievements, etc. But scholars have been not concerned about the ideological and academic significance of Xu Shen and Gao You's notes. This article should not only continue to push for further on the basis of their achievements, and also try hard some dicussions from an entirely new angle.The first chapter is about the comprehensive investigation of the literature condition for XuShen and Gao You's notes. Although the Qing dynasty scholars has made great achievements in this area, there are still many aspects that been worth repairing and supplement. The mix and discrimination of Xu Shen and Gao You's notes is a problem which bears the brunt. According to the official and private bibliographies, we found that the two scholars' notes were mixed in a book because of a palace fire during the ruled peroid of Song Taizong and Song Zhenzong. However, they had spread independently since then. Soon after, Su Song found the truth of the matter and made a distinction between Xu shen and Gao You's notes. But his achievement had not brought to the attention. The two scholars'notes were separated again by Tao Fangqi 800 years later. The discrimination by the Qing dynasty scholars are mainly based on the Foreword of HuaiNanZi by Su Song. In fact, we can find a lot of evidences for the discrimination from the notes content such as the use of "see each other", the repetition of the same note, etc. Then the two thousand years spread history of Xu Shen and Gao You's notes are more easily outlined. At the same time, the Qing Dynasty scholars only paid great attention to collecting Xu Shen's lost notes and neglected the collection of Gao You's. We find that there are about 70 lost notes belong to Gao You and more than 100 lost notes which not collected by the Qing Dynasty scholars belong to Xu Shen by the investigation to the condition of notes for HuaiNanZi been quoted in all previous dynasties'literatures.The second chapter begins with the concentrative discussions to 8 section of Xu Shen's notes to HuaiNanZi mainly from being published time, exegesis characteristics, ideological nature as well as the relationship between Xu Shen's notes and ShuoWenJieZi. Xu Shen explained HuaiNanZi in accidental situation. Studying HuaiNanZi was neither his family tradition, but also not his interest. On YongChu four years of the Eastern Han Dynasty(A.D.110), Xu Shen participated in a conference to re-organizing books as a subordinate official of TaiWei Fu. His task was to organize HuaiNanZi. One year later, his book was finished and gived to the royal government. Xu Shen's notes to HuaiNanZi are incomplete, but the existing notes in eight chapters can also reflects the appearance of the entire book. In general, Xu Shen emphasised on summarizing the main idea of HuaiNanZi's each chapter and explaining the words, the names and the history events. He also paid attention to Chu Dialect in HuaiNanZi. And exegetical terminology is rarely in his presentation, which makes it simple and clear. Xu Shen had a lot of his own unique insights for the Five Classics. He not only believed the old tradition of Confucian classics, but also had the courage to facing the critics to the Five Classics in HuaiNanZi. Xushen did not repel the viewpoint of pre-Qin thinkers particularly Lao-Zhuang and embodied strong knowing abilities. More importantly, the relationship between ShuoWenJiezi and Xu Shen's notes for HuaiNanZi is complementary to each other, which promotes the academic development of Xu Shen.The third chapter is about the discussions to Gao You's life and writings, the content and features of Gao You's notes, the ideology of Gao You's notes, the study of Confucian classics by Gao You and other issues, which been based on 13 section of Gao You's notes for HuaiNanZi. Contrary to Xu Shen, Gao You explained HuaiNanZi that not only inherited Ma Rong and Lu Zhi's study, but also is his own interest. From the remaining Gao You's notes of view, the covered content is very extensive, with emphasis on the interpretation of the words, the names, the history events and seeking the great principles in subtle words that existed HuaiNanZi. Compared with other commentators in the Han Dynasty, Gao You paid more attention to interpretate the article title, refinement phonetic notation way, collect dialects and common sayings,as well as collate the difference of the words and leave some questions open. As a classicist with the consciousness of hardship, Gao You transplanted a large number of Confucian opinions to the Notes for HuaiNanZi, which integrated HuaiNanZi to the Confucianist classics. Moreover, he also took the Confucianist classics as a standard when he explained the words and meaning of HuaiNanZi. Gao You intended to misinterpret the critical comments to Confucians in HuaiNanZi that was used to maintain and respect Confucianism. Gao You had strong consciousness of respecting the classics which led him to use the Confucianist essential meaning when he explained the Taoism in HuaiNanZi. Gao You's notes also opens the entrance for our understanding of his academic structure. We are able to discovery of Gao You's study of Confucian classics by By analysis on the situation that Gao You quoted Confucian classics and commented on the Five Classics.The fourth chapter is about the comparative study of Xu Shen and Gao You's notes for HuaiNanZi from the social and academic background, the style of notation, the similarities and differences in exegesis, etc. Xu Shen's Notes to HuaiNanZi was produced in the mid-Eastern Han Dynasty and Gao You's Notes for HuaiNanZi appeared in the end-Han Dynasty. There are nearly 100 years apart between the two. It was still a period of domination by Confucianism, but the inner layer of the social body had quietly taken place in the transition in this 100 years. On the political landscape, the state had being shifted from prosperity and stability to chaos and decay. On the academic structure of view, Classical studies had being plunged into the decline from its peak flourishing. On social thought of view, the thoughts in Lao-Zhuang had being more and more popular. Different background results in the different direction and attitudes of scholarship. Xu Shen neglected ZiShu, so his notes to HuaiNanZi were curt. Gao You attached importance to ZiShu, so his notes to HuaiNanZi were detailed. For HuaiNanZi, it was a period of being spread widely and studied deeply in this 100 years. Xu Shen was the initiator and Gao You was the summarizer of studying HuaiNanZi, which led to a direct inheritance relationship between Xu Shen and Gao You's Notes to HuaiNanZi. After all, Gao You was an outstanding commentator. Compared with XuShen's notes, the styles of his notes are richer which inculd the interpretation of the article title, exegesis, phonetic notation, quotation, reserving differences, collation and leaving questions open. Moreover, there is a set of relatively fixed interpretation system in Gao You's notes. This reflects the academic characteristic of integrating, summarizing and innovating in end-Eastern Han Dynasty. Although there are many differences between Xu Shen and Gao You's notes to HuaiNanZi, they both have a role of linking the preceding with the following and documentary value in the history of academic development.