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Chunqiu fanlu 春秋繁露 "Rich Dew of Spring and Autumn" by Dong Zhongshu 董仲舒

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Dong Zhongshu 董仲舒 (d. 104 BC) was probably the most eminent Confucian scholar of Han Dynasty. He was a vehement critic of the political court intrigues of his own time and left the court to write his political-philosophical essay, the "Rich Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals", an interpretation of the political and social order, based on the Chunqiu "Spring and Autumn Annals". In his eyes, the two realms of Heaven and Man are inseparable connected to each other by the Five Phases (wuxcng 五行) and the influence of Yin-Yang 陰陽. Man is only a reflection of Heaven, and Heaven is incorporated and transformed in the human world. Heaven has given the ruler his mandate and critically observes the ruler's performance, giving him hints by natural desasters, good omina and by the people's mood. Therefore, the laws of the old saint kings have to be considered and cannot be changed. This kind of thinking was the foundation of the conservative character of Confucianism since Han time.
Very characteristic for Han time interpreters and commentors of old texts is playing on words and their pronunciation.
The Chunqiu Fanlu contains 82 chapters.
30.(8.4.)必仁且智
[...]何謂仁?仁者怛愛人,謹翕不爭,好惡敦倫,無傷惡之心,無隱忌之志,無嫉妒之氣,無感愁之欲,無險 之事,無闢違之行。故其心舒,其誌平,其氣和,其欲節,其事易,其行道,故能平易和理而無爭也。如此者謂之仁[...]
凡災異之本,盡生於國家之失。國家之失乃始萌芽,而天出災害以譴告之。譴告之而不知變,乃見怪異以驚駭之。驚駭之尚不知畏恐,其殃咎乃至。以此見天意之仁而不欲陷人也[...]
The ruler must use humanity and wisdom
[...] The origin of natural desaster and strange appearings are solely lapses of a state. If these lapses or offenses begin to sprout, Heaven sends natural desasters to give some hints to the ruler. If the ruler does not change his behaviour, strange signs are seen to freighten bad people. If they should not be terrified by these weird appearings, their extinction will come soon. Thereby, everyone can see the human mind of Heaven, and that Heaven by no means is keen on trapping man into desaster. [...]

35.(10.1.)深察名號
[...]受命之君,天意之所予也。故號為天子者,宜視天如父,事天以孝道也。號為諸侯者,宜謹視所候奉之天子也。號為大夫者,宜厚其忠信,敦其禮義,使善大於匹夫之義,足以化也。士者,事也;民者,瞑也。士不及化,可使守事從上而已。各有分。分中委曲,名眾於號,號春大全。曲有名。名也者,名其別離分散也[...]
Deep investigation in names and orders
[...] The ruler that has been appointed by Heaven, is supported by Heaven's mind. Calling him "Son of Heaven" means, that he should respect Heaven as his father and serve him with filial piety. The men called "feudal lords (zhuhou)" should attentively respect the Son of Heaven that he has appointed them for the time (hou) being. [...]

41.(11.1.)為人者天
為生不能為人,為人者天也。人之為人,本於天。天亦人之曾祖父也,此人之所以乃上類天也。人之形體,化天數而成;人之血氣,化天志而仁。人之德行,化天理而義。人之好惡,化天之暖情。人之喜怒,化天之寒暑。人之受命,化天之四時。人生有喜怒,哀樂之答春秋冬夏之類也。春之答也,怒,秋之答也;樂,夏之答也;哀,冬之答也[...]
天之副之乎人,人之情性有由天者矣。故曰:受由天之號也,為人主也[...]
The creator of Man is Heaven
Man cannot make himself be born - the originator of Man is Heaven. The being of Man originates in Heaven. Heaven is also the forefather of Man, because Man can be esteemed as a relative of Heaven. The physical body of man is an embodied transition of Heaven's numbers; blood and breath of Man is a humanized transition of Heaven's will; virtual behaviour of Man is a righteous transition of the Heavenly order; good and bad of Man's mind is a transition of Heavenly warmth and pureness; joy and anger is a transition of Heavenly cold and heat; orderly appointment in the humanfworld is a reflection of the four Heavenly seasons. Joy and anger, sadness and gladness in human life is a reflection of spring, autumn, winter and summer. [...] If Heaven assists Man, there is something is Man's feelings and character that comes Heaven. Therefore, one can say that the master of Man is the order of Heaven.[...]

Translated by Ulrich Theobald

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股測量)
Agriculture:
- amelioration of ploughing methods
- use of fertilizers and pesticides
Medicine:
- descriptions of healing methods like acupuncture (zhen ) and moxibustion (jiu )

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Zhou Muwang 周穆王Ji Man 姬滿Zhou Gongwang 周共王 (i.e. 恭)Ji Yihu 姬繄扈Zhou Yiwang 周懿王Ji Jian 姬囏 (i.e. 艱)Zhou Xiaowang 周孝王Ji Pifang 姬辟方Zhou Yiwang 周夷王Ji Xie 姬燮Zhou Liwang 周厲王Ji Hu 姬胡878-841 BCInterregnum Gonghe 共和 "Common Appeasement" (or: Count He of Gong? 共國和伯); the Dukes Zhou of Lu 魯周公 and Shao of Yan 燕召公 rule for the Infant King841-828 BCZhou Xuanwang 周宣王Ji Jing 姬靜 (or 靖)827-782 BCZhou Youwang 周幽王Ji Gongsheng 姬宮湦 (or Gongnie 宮涅)781-770 BCDuring the flight the western capital to the east, the Zhou kings relied on the help of the lords of Qin 秦 and Jin 晉. Slain by succession struggles, the Zhou house was never able to reinstall their ancient power. The rulers of the Spring and Autumn period (Chunqiu 春秋) were mere a nominal head of the multiple states that had nothing more to do than to worship its own ancestors, and their names are not more than a simple list.

The Kings of Eastern Zhou (Dongzhou) 東周 part I (770-475 BC): Spring and Autumn Period (Chunqiu shidai 春秋時代)

Capital: Luoyi 洛邑 (modern Luoyang 洛陽/Henan) or Chengzhou 成周

dynastic title

personal name

time

Zhou Pingwang 周平王Ji Yijiu 姬宜臼770-720 BC
Zhou Huanwang 周桓王Ji Lin 姬林719-697 BC
Zhou Zhuangwang 周莊王Ji Tuo 姬佗696-682 BC
Zhou Xiwang 周釐王Ji Huqi 姬胡齊681-677 BC
Zhou Huiwang 周惠王Ji Lang 姬閬676-652 BC
Zhou Xiangwang 周襄王Ji Zheng 姬鄭651-619 BC
Zhou Qingwang 周頃王Ji Renchen 姬壬臣618-611 BC
Zhou Kuangwang 周匡王Ji Ban 姬班612-607 BC
Zhou Dingwang 周定王Ji Yu 姬瑜606-586 BC
Zhou Jianwang 周簡王Ji Yi 姬夷585-572 BC
Zhou Lingwang 周靈王Ji Xiexin 姬泄心571-545 BC
Zhou Jingwang 周景王Ji Gui 姬貴544-521 BC
Zhou Daowang 周悼王Ji Meng 姬猛520 BC
Zhou Jingwang 周敬王Ji Gai 姬[勹+亡] (i.e. 丐)519-476 BC
Already during the Spring and Autumn Period, the Zhou kings had fully lost their authoritative position. Enfeoffments and politics were all made by the local rulers, especially by the few powers that were successful in gaining the overlordship over the smaller states. The five hegemons (wuba 五霸) of the Spring and Autumn period had taken over the supra-state role of a judge, an appeaser and an executor that once was observed by the kings of Zhou. When the seven great powers (qiguo 七國) of the Warring States Period (Zhanguo 戰國) proclaimed themselves kingdoms, the Zhou rulers had lost their last administrative role. They were not more than the scions of a once mighty house, and the only thing they had to perform were the ancestral rites and the worship of Heaven and Earth. Shortly before the occupation of the small Zhou territory by Qin 秦, it was divided into a western (Xizhou 西周: Henan 河南) and an eastern branch (Dongzhou 東周: Gong 鞏). The last years of the Zhou rulers are still not clear to historians.

The Kings of Eastern Zhou 東周 (Dongzhou) part II (475-249 BC): Warring States Period (Zhanguo shidai 戰國時代)

Capital: Luoyi 洛邑 (modern Luoyang 洛陽/Henan) or Chengzhou 成周

Dukes of West Zhou (Xizhou 西周)

dynastic title

personal name

time

Zhou Yuanwang 周元王Ji Ren 姬仁475-469 BC
Zhou Zhendingwang 周貞定王Ji Jie 姬介468-441 BC
Zhou Aiwang 周哀王Ji Qubing 姬去病441
Zhou Siwang 周思王Ji Shu 姬叔441
Zhou Kaowang 周考王

Xizhou Huangong 西周桓公

Ji Wei 姬嵬

Ji Jie 姬揭; brother of King Kaowang

440-426 BC
Zhou Weiliewang 周威烈王Ji Wu 姬午425-402 BC
Zhou Anwang 周安王

Xizhou Weigong 西周威公

Ji Jiao 姬驕401-376 BC
Zhou Liewang 周烈王 Ji Xi 姬喜375-369 BC
Zhou Xianwang 周顯王

Xizhou Huigong 西周惠公

Ji Pian 姬扁368-321 BC
Zhou Shenjingwang 周慎靚王Ji Ding 姬定320-315 BC
Zhou Nanwang 周赧王, the last king of ZhouJi Yan 姬延 (or Dan 誕)314-256 BC

Xizhou Wugong 西周武公
Dongzhou (Gong 鞏) Huigong 東周惠公

Ji Jiu 姬咎
Ji Ban 姬班; both sons of Xizhou Huigong

The Lord of East Zhou (Dongzhou Jun) 東周君
Xizhou Wengong 西周文公

255-249 BC

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