Píngwáng Yǔ Wángzǐ Mù 平王與王子木
King Ping and Prince Mu (modern editorial title; the closing annotation of the final strip identifies this text as the last portion of a collection titled 《志書乃言》)
(anonymous; excavated bamboo manuscript, no attributable author)
About the work
Píngwáng Yǔ Wángzǐ Mù 平王與王子木 is one of the texts in 馬承源 Mǎ Chéngyuán ed., 《上海博物館藏戰國楚竹書》 vol. 6, Shànghǎi gǔjí chūbǎnshè 上海古籍出版社, 2007, comprising approximately 5 bamboo strips. This text is the final episode in a collection the source identifies as 志書乃言 (Zhì Shū Nǎi Yán — “Records of What the Scribes Have Said” or similar). The text continues the setting of King Píng of Chǔ 楚平王 (r. 528–516 BCE) — written 競平王 in the source — and involves Wángzǐ Mù 王子木 (Prince Mu, a Chu royal) and a figure called Chéng Gōng Gǎn 城公幹.
Abstract
The text opens with a continuation of the KR2p0063 KR2p0063 narrative (King Píng’s dialogue with Zhèng Shòu): the King laughs and says: “If I am able to escape [calamity], what will those who come after me be like?” His interlocutor answers: “I do not know.”
The narrative then shifts: King Píng commands Wángzǐ Mù 王子木 to go to Chéng Fù 城父 (a Chu stronghold in modern Anhui). Passing through Shēn 申, they stop to cook a meal at Sōu 蒐; Chéng Gōng Gǎn 城公幹 encounters them and kneels in a cultivated field (chóu 疇). Wángzǐ Mù asks Chéng Gōng: “What is this?” Chéng Gōng replies: “A cultivated field.” “What are cultivated fields for?” “[They are used] to plant hemp.” “What is hemp for?” “To make cloth [for clothing].”
Chéng Gōng then rises and says: “I have something to report: my former lord, King Zhuāng, on his campaign to the Hé and Huái Rivers, stopped to cook at Sōu. The seasoning-paste (hǎi 醢) was not heated; the King said, ‘It won’t be cooked’ — [the King waited]. My former lord knew it would not be cooked [before the time was right], that the paste was not heated [and waited appropriately]. The Prince does not know hemp [the Prince’s question implies he does not know the basic things of the people]. The Prince will not be lord of Chu, or perhaps not even minister of Chu.” [The final annotation reads: “[last strip of 《志書乃言》]”]
Genre and significance. The text uses a typical Warring States exemplary anecdote structure: a prince’s ignorance of basic agricultural produce is contrasted with the patient governance wisdom of King Zhuāng, providing an implicit lesson in how rulers must know and respect the people’s livelihood. The contrast between the prince’s casual questioning of crop use and King Zhuāng’s patient waiting for proper cooking of field rations reflects a governing virtue: attentiveness to process and detail. The collection title 志書乃言 (records/chronicles that are then said) suggests a genre of official scribal anecdote compilation.
Translations and research
- 馬承源 ed., 《上海博物館藏戰國楚竹書》 vol. 6, Shànghǎi gǔjí chūbǎnshè, 2007 — editio princeps.
- Lǐ Líng 李零, philological notes on Shangbo vol. 6 Chu court narratives (Jianbo network bsm.org.cn, 2007).
- Pines, Yuri. Envisioning Eternal Empire. University of Hawai’i Press, 2009 — background on Warring States retrospective governance narratives.
Links
- Wikipedia (Shanghai Museum bamboo texts): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Museum_bamboo_texts