Heguanzi
Sign in to saveThe Heguanzi (鶡冠子, or Master Pheasant Cap) is a circa 3rd century BCE syncretic collection of writings from the Chinese Hundred Schools of Thought, particularly the schools of Huang-Lao, Daoism, Legalism, and the Military. Assumed a forgery in later Imperial China, discovery of the 2nd-century BCE Han dynasty Mawangdui Silk Texts lead to renewed studies into its textual history and philosophical significance. The previously unknown Huang-Lao Silk Manuscripts have many passages similar and identical with the Heguanzi,
Article
10 sectionsContents
- Dating
- Textual history
- Author
- Content
- Themes
- Evaluations
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
The Heguanzi (鶡冠子, or Master Pheasant Cap) is a circa 3rd century BCE syncretic collection of writings from the Chinese Hundred Schools of Thought, particularly the schools of Huang-Lao, Daoism, Legalism, and the Military. Assumed a forgery in later Imperial China, discovery of the 2nd-century BCE Han dynasty Mawangdui Silk Texts lead to renewed studies into its textual history and philosophical significance. The previously unknown Huang-Lao Silk Manuscripts have many passages similar and identical with the Heguanzi,
The 111 CE Book of Han history is the earliest extant source to mention the Heguanzi, yet the next reliable sources referring to it date from the early 6th century. In 805, the influential Tang dynasty writer Liu Zongyuan found a copy of the Heguanzi and disparaged it as a post-Han apocryphal forgery. His opinion was widely accepted by scholars for the next twelve centuries, during which the text was seldom read and infrequently mentioned.