Abstract
The Heng Xian is one of the recently discovered paleographic materials that disclose a heretofore unknown richness of the cosmogonic thought of early China and contribute to our understanding of the elaboration of a uniform cosmogonic discourse during the late Warring States period. Focusing on the structure and vocabulary of the Heng Xian account, the present paper attempts to explore the conceptual core of its cosmogonic vision. Based on the idea of the spontaneous self-generation of the world out of some primary state of simplicity, or nothingness, the cosmogony of the Heng Xian is quite close to the approach of the Laozi and other related texts. Nevertheless, many of its conceptual terminological features disclose an original understanding of the world genesis.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Asano, Yuichi 浅野裕一. 2005. “The Daoist Characteristics of the Shanghai Museum Chu Bamboo Manuscript of Heng Xian 上博楚簡《恆先》的道家特色.” Journal of Qinghua University 清華大學學報 2005.3: 58–63.
Barnard, Noel. 1973. The Ch’u Silk Manuscript: Translation and Commentary. Canberra: The Australian National University.
Ding, Sixin 丁四新. 2004. “Discussion of Being and Non-being, and the Conception of Qi: Interpretation of the First Paragraph of the Chu Bamboo Manuscript of Heng Xian 有無之辯和氣的思想——楚簡《恆先》首章哲學釋義.” History of Chinese Philosophy 中國哲學史 2004.3: 100–5.
Fu, Juyou 傅舉有 and Chen Songchang 陳松長, eds. 1992. Artifacts from the Mawangdui Han Tomb 馬王堆漢墓文物. Changsha: Hunan Chubanshe.
Gao, Ming 高明, ed. 1996. The Silk Books of the Laozi with the Comparative Commentaries 帛書老子校注. Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju.
Girardot, Norman J. 1983. Myth and Meaning in Early Taoism: The Theme of Chaos (hun-tun). Berkeley, Los Angeles and London: University of California Press.
Goldin, Paul R. 2008. “The Myth that China Has No Creation Myth.” Monumenta Serica 56: 1–22.
Guo, Qingfan 郭慶藩, comp., Wang Xiaoyu 王孝魚, annot. 1997. The Collected Explanations on the Zhuangzi 莊子集釋. Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju.
Guo, Qiyong 郭齊勇. 2004. “Heng Xian: A Lost Piece of the Daoist and Legist Forms and Names (xing-ming) Conception《恆先》——道法家形名思想的佚篇.” Jianghan Tribune 江漢論壇 2004.8: 5–9.
Harper, Donald (Xia Dean 夏德安). 2009. “Early Chinese Cosmogony and the Philological Studies: Reading the Shanghai Museum Chu Bamboo Manuscipt of Heng Xian 早期中國的宇宙生成論與文字學——讀上海博物館藏楚簡《恆先》.” The Humanities Journal 人文論叢 2009: 141–150.
Henderson, John B. 1984. The Development and Decline of Chinese Cosmology. New York: Columbia University Press.
Jingmen Shi Bowuguan 荊門市博物館, ed. 1998. Bamboo Manuscripts from the Chu tomb of Guodian 郭店楚墓竹簡. Beijing: Wenwu Chubanshe.
Li, Ling 李零. 2000. “Two Questions in Studying Guodian Chu Manuscripts: Impressions from the International Conference on the Guodian Chu Bamboo Manuscript of Laozi in Dartmouth, US 郭店楚簡研究中的兩個問題——美國達慕思學院郭店楚簡《老子》國際學術討論會感想.” In Wuhan Daxue Zhongguo Wenhua Yanjiusuo 武漢大學中國文化研究所 2000.
Li, Ling 李零, ed. 2003. Heng Xian. In Bamboo Manuscripts from the Warring State of Chu Housed in the Shanghai Museum 上海博物館藏戰國楚竹書, vol. III. Edited by Ma Chengyuan 馬承源, 288–299. Shanghai: Shanghai Guji Chubanshe.
Li, Xueqin 李學勤. 1996. “Study of the Silk Book of Dao Yuan 帛書《道原》研究.” In Articles on the Ancient Literature 古文獻論叢, edited by Li Xueqin, 162–168. Shanghai: Shanghai Yuandong Chubanshe.
_____. 2004. “Interpretation of the First Paragraph of the Chu Manuscript of Heng Xian 楚簡《恆先》首章釋義.” History of Chinese Philosophy 中國哲學史 2004.3: 80–82.
Liao, Mingchun 廖名春. 2004. “The Core of the Shanghai Museum Chu Bamboo Book of Heng Xian 上博藏楚竹書《恆先》心事.” History of Chinese Philosophy 中國哲學 2004.3: 83–92.
Mawangdui Hanmu Boshu Zhengli Xiaozu 馬王堆漢墓帛書整理小組, ed. 1980. Silk Books from the Mawangdui Han Tomb 馬王堆漢墓帛書. Vol. 1. Beijing: Wenwu Chubanshe.
Pang, Pu 龐樸. 2000. “Explanations on the Writings from Ying and Yan: A Tentative Explanation of the ‘Heart’ Element in the Graphs of the Chu Manuscripts from Guodian and the Three Utensils from Zhongshan 郢燕書說——郭店楚簡中山三器心旁文字試說.” See Wuhan Daxue Zhongguo Wenhua Yanjiusuo 武漢大學中國文化研究所 2000, 37–42.
Plaks, Andrew H. 2005. “Creation and Non-creation in Early Chinese Texts.” In Genesis and Regeneration: Essays on Conceptions of Origin. Edited by Shaul Shaked. Jerusalem: The Israel Academy of Science and Humanities.
Richter, Matthias L. 2010. “A Cosmogonic Approach to Language, Names and Reality: The Shanghai Museum Manuscript Heng Xian.” Paper presented at the 18th Biennial Conference of the European Association of Chinese Studies, 14–18 July, at the University of Latvia, Riga.
Wang, Zhongjiang 王中江. 2008. “Structure of the Heng Xian’s Views of Cosmos and Human World 《恆先》宇宙觀及人間觀的構造.” Journal of Literature, History and Philosophy 文史哲, 305 (2008.2): 45–56.
Wuhan Daxue Zhongguo Wenhua Yanjiusuo 武漢大學中國文化研究所, ed. 2000. Papers from the International Academic Conference on the Guodian Manuscripts 郭店楚簡國際學術研討會論文集. Wuhan: Hubei renmin chubanshe.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gomouline, A. Permanence, Something, Being: The Cosmogonic Argument of the Heng Xian . Dao 12, 179–188 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-013-9324-3
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-013-9324-3