Yù dìng xiào jīng yǎn yì 御定孝經衍義
Imperial-Approved Extension of the Meaning of the Xiào jīng imperially commissioned; supervised by 葉方藹 (Yè Fāngǎi, 1629–1682, 清, 監修) and 張英 (Zhāng Yīng, 1637–1708, 清, 監修); compiled-in-chief by 韓菼 (Hán Tǎn, 1637–1704, 清, 編纂)
About the work
A 100-juan imperial extension-and-elaboration of the Xiào jīng (Classic of Filial Piety), commissioned by Shùnzhì in Shùnzhì 13 (1656) — extending the yǎnyì tradition that began with Zhēn Déxiù’s Dàxué yǎnyì (KR3a0058) — and completed under Kāngxī in Kāngxī 21 (1683) after a long compositional history. The work is the largest single Qīng-period imperial-pedagogical treatise in the SKQS Rújiā and the largest yǎnyì-genre work after Qiū Jùn’s Dàxué yǎnyì bǔ (KR3a0080, 160 juan). Yè Fāngǎi and Zhāng Yīng supervised; Hán Tǎn led the compilation. The work draws extensively from classical and historical sources, with sustained imperial-court attention to xiào as the foundation of zhìtiānxià — the Confucian-orthodox extension of family-ethical practice into political-administrative principle.
Abstract
The Yù dìng xiào jīng yǎn yì is the major Qīng imperial pedagogical treatise on xiào, completed under Kāngxī’s continuing direction across nearly three decades from Shùnzhì’s initial commission. The composition window spans 1656 (Shùnzhì commission) to 1683 (Kāngxī completion). The frontmatter brackets to 1656–1683.
The substantive structure follows the yǎnyì tradition: xiào jīng core text → topical extension across imperial-pedagogical categories. Within the broader yǎnyì genre, this work joined Zhēn Déxiù’s Dàxué yǎnyì, Qiū Jùn’s Dàxué yǎnyì bǔ, Xià Liángshèng’s Zhōng yōng yǎn yì (KR3a0093), and Zhàn Ruòshuǐ’s Gé wù tōng (KR3a0094) as the canonical imperial-pedagogical works of the SòngYuánMíngQīng tradition.
The bibliographic record: SKQS Zǐbù — Rújiā lèi; Wényuāngé shūmù. Substantial late-imperial reception via the imperial state-school system and diplomatic adoption in Korean / Japanese / Vietnamese curricula.
Translations and research
- No substantial English-language secondary literature located on the Yù dìng xiào jīng yǎn yì specifically.
- For the Qīng xiào discourse: studies of imperial pedagogy under early Qīng (Pamela Crossley, Mark Elliott).
Links
- Zhēn Déxiù, Dàxué yǎnyì (KR3a0058) — the genre precedent.
- Qiū Jùn, Dàxué yǎnyì bǔ (KR3a0080) — the Míng predecessor.
- Kyoto Zinbun, Sìkù quánshū zǒngmù tíyào
- Wikidata