TheWenzi (Chinese:文子;pinyin:Wénzǐ;Wade–Giles:Wen-tzŭ;lit. '[Book of] Master Wen') is aDaoist classic allegedly written by a disciple ofLaozi. The text was widely read and highly revered in the centuries following its creation, and even canonized asTongxuan zhenjing (Chinese:通玄真經;pinyin:Tōngxuán zhēnjīng;Wade–Giles:T‘ung-hsüan chên-ching;lit. 'True Scripture of Understanding the Mysteries') in the year 742 CE. However, soon afterwards scholars started questioning its authenticity and dismissing it as a forgery that was created between theHan dynasty and theTang dynasty. The text's fate changed in 1973, when archeologists excavated a 55 BCE tomb and discovered remnants of aWenzi copied on bamboo strips, which offer us a glimpse of what the text looked like prior to its drastic revision into the current text.
The titleWenzi (文子; 子 (zi) in this context meaning "master") is analogous with otherHundred Schools of Thought texts likeMozi,Zhuangzi,Guiguzi, andBaopuzi. Wen (meaning among other things "literature" or "culture") is aChinese surname, and hence "Wenzi" is interpretable as "Master Wen." Wen is also frequently used in given names,posthumous names, et cetera, due to its positive connotations. For example,King Wen of Zhou (Analects 5.15[1]). Hence, "Wenzi" could also be interpreted as anom de plume denoting "Master of Literature/Culture." Nothing can be said for certain about the identity of Wenzi, no matter how this name is interpreted. Although we do not know his true identity, various hypotheses have been proposed.
The bibliographical section of the 1st century CEBook of Han says Wenzi was a student of Laozi, a contemporary ofConfucius (551-479 BCE), and an adviser toKing Ping of Zhou (r. 770-720 BCE). This cannot be true, as King Ping and Confucius lived two centuries apart, and it fueled suspicion of the text's forged status in later centuries. To solve the chronological inconsistency, some commentators suggest a mistake forKing Ping of Chu (r. 528-516 BCE), whose reign does coincide with Confucius' lifetime.
The earlyWenzi commentary by Li Xian (李暹;fl. 516 CE) records that Wenzi's surname was Xin (辛) and hissobriquet (hao號) was Jiran (計然,) he served underFan Li, and studied with Laozi.
The laterWenzi commentary by Du Daojian (1237-1318) furthermore notes Wenzi was a nobleman from theSpring and Autumn period state ofJin, his surname was Xin (辛) andcourtesy name was Xing (銒). He was also called Song Xing (宋銒) referring to his home of Kuiqiu (葵丘), which was in the state ofSong.
Written references to theWenzi first appear in the Han dynasty. The no longer extant 1st century BCEQilue (七略; "Seven Summaries") byLiu Xiang andLiu Xin said theWenzi had 9pian (篇; "chapters"). The bibliographical section of the 1st century CEBook of Han records theWenzi text in 9juan (卷; "rolls; volumes"), says Wenzi was a student of Laozi, a contemporary ofConfucius (551-479 BCE), and adviser toKing Ping of Zhou (r. 770-720 BCE), but adds "the work appears to be a forgery",[2] presumably because King Ping and Confucius lived two centuries apart.
In his ca. 523 CEQilu (七錄 "Seven Records"), theLiang dynasty scholar Ruan Xiaoxu (阮孝緒) records theWenzi text in 10 volumes. Bibliographies in the 636 CEBook of Sui and the 945 CENew Book of Tang both record 12 volumes.
In 742 CE,Emperor Xuanzong of Tang canonized theWenzi as a Daoist scripture (along with theTao Te Ching,Zhuangzi, andLiezi) honorifically called theTongxuan zhenjing (通玄真經 "True Scripture of Understanding the Mysteries").[citation needed] The emperor posthumously styled Wenzi as the TongxuanZhenren (通玄真人 "True Man Who Understands the Mysteries").[citation needed]
TheDaozang "Daoist Canon" includes threeWenzi redactions under theYujue (玉訣 "Commentaries") subsection of theDongshen (洞神 "Spirit Grotto") section. The oldest extant edition is theTongxuan zhenjing zhu (通玄真經注 "Commentary on the Authentic Scripture of Pervading Mystery") by Xu Lingfu (徐靈府; ca. 760–841) of theTang dynasty. TheTongxuan zhenjing zhengyi zhu (通玄真經正儀注 "Commentary on the Correct Meaning of the Authentic Scripture of Pervading Mystery") is byZhu Bian of theSong dynasty. Third is the 1310 CETongxuan zhenjing zuanyi (通玄真經纘義 "Collected Explanations to the Authentic Scripture of Pervading Mystery") by Du Daojian (杜道堅; 1237–1318) of theYuan dynasty. Judith M. Boltz cites the opinion ofComplete Library of the Four Treasuries bibliographers that Du's version was the most reliableWenzi redaction.[3] She notes that Du Daojian became the rightful literary heir to Wenzi when he discovered a copy of the classic at the Tongxuan Guan (通玄觀 "Abbey of Pervading Mystery") of Mount Jizhou (計籌) inZhejiang, where hagiographic legend says Wenzi took refuge and wrote down his teachings.
Although theWenzi has traditionally been considered a Daoist text illustrating Laozi's thinking, it contains elements fromConfucianism,Mohism,Legalism, andSchool of Names. The textual format records Laozi answering Wenzi's questions aboutTao Te Ching concepts likewu wei. Besides citing passages from Daoist classics likeZhuangzi andHuainanzi, theWenzi also cites others like theI Ching,Mencius,Lüshi Chunqiu, andXiao Jing. Regarding the receivedWenzi text, Yoshinobu Sakade concludes:
While these references make theWenzi appear as a source of ancient thought, in the form we know it today it is a forgery, with about eighty percent of the text quoted from theHuainan zi, and the rest consisting of an amplification of theTao Te Ching or quotations from other texts. The present version contains expression similar to those found in the Taoist scriptures … These elements suffice to show that the extantWenzi was written between the third and eight centuries, before the time of Xu Lingfu.[4]
In 1973, Chinese archeologists excavated aHan dynasty tomb nearDingzhou inHebei. Its occupant is identified as King Huai (懷王) ofZhongshan, who died in 55 BCE. Tomb furnishings included a preciousJade burial suit, jade ornaments, writing tools, and remnants of eightChinese classic texts, including theWenzi and ConfucianAnalects copied on hundreds ofbamboo slips. These bamboo manuscripts were fragmented, disordered, and blackened by fire, perhaps accidentally caused by tomb robbers.
The specialized project of deciphering and transcribing this ancientWenzi copy was delayed owing to a 1976 earthquake atTangshan that further damaged the Dingzhou bamboo slips. The team published their first report in 1981 and theirWenzi transcription in 1995 (both in the archeological journalWenwu; 文物 "Cultural Relics").
Ongoing sinological studies of the so-called DingzhouWenzi[5][6][7] are providing both specific details of the presumedurtext edition and general insights in the early history of Daoist texts. Portions of the DingzhouWenzi are basically consistent with certain section in chapter 5 of the received text. Consensus is building that this excavatedWenzi dates from the 2nd century BCE, while the transmitted text was created after the 2nd century CE.[8]
The question-and-answer format is a significant difference between the bamboo and receivedWenzi versions. Ames and Rosemont explain:
Consistent with the court bibliography in theHistory of the Han, the DingzhouWenzi has Wenzi as teacher who is being asked questions by a King Ping of the Zhou. The received text, on the other hand, has the teacher Laozi being asked questions by the student Wenzi, certainly less appropriate given that texts are usually named for the teacher rather than the student.[9]
Compared with the numerous English translations of familiar Daoist texts like theTao Te Ching andZhuangzi, the presumably apocryphalWenzi has been disregarded.Thomas Cleary wrote a popularized translation of the transmittedWenzi, which he attributes toLaozi.[10]
There is no authoritative EnglishWenzi translation based on the groundbreaking Dingzhou readings, nothing comparable with theAnalects translation by Ames and Rosemont.[11] English translations of select DingzhouWenzi bamboo strips can be found in the monograph by Paul van Els.[7]
Footnotes