Family and Property in Sung China: Y'Uan Tsai's Precepts for Social Life

378 Pages·1984·13.823 MB·English

by  Cai Yuan

Family and Property
in Sung China
PRINCETON LIBRARY OF
ASIAN TRANSLATIONS
Advisory Committee (China):
Cyril Birch,
Eugene Eoyang,
F. W. Mote,
Andrew Plaks
Family and Property
in Sung China
Yuan Ts'ai's Precepts for Social Life
TRANSLATED, WITH ANNOTATIONS AND
INTRODUCTION, BY
Patricia Buckley Ebrey
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
$
Copyright © 1984 by Princeton University Press
Published by Princeton University Press,
41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
In the United Kingdom:
Princeton University Press, Guildford, Surrey
All Rights Reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging m Publication Data
will be found on the last printed page of this book
ISBN 0-691-05426-6
The preparation of this volume was made possible by a grant from the
Translation Program of the National Endowment for the Humanities,
an independent federal agency
This book has been composed in Monophoto Bembo
by Asco Trade Typesetting Ltd, Hong Kong
Clothbound editions of Princeton University Press books
are printed on acid-free paper, and binding materials are
chosen for strength and durability.
Printed in the United States of America
by Princeton University Press
Princeton, New Jersey
CONTENTS
Preface vii
Abbreviations ix
Part One Class, Culture, Family, and Property I
CHAPTER I Introduction 3
CHAPTER 2 The Family in the Classical Tradition 30
CHAPTER 3 Social Life and Ultimate Values 6i
CHAPTER 4 The Harmony of Co-Residents 8i
CHAPTER 5 The Transmission of Property 101
CHAPTER 6 The Business of Managing a Family 121
CHAPTER 7 Conclusions I6
5
Part Two Precepts for Social Life
173
Abbreviations Used to Indicate Sources
Quoting the Precepts
174
Preface 175
Author's Preface 177
CHAPTER I Getting Along with Relatives l8l
CHAPTER 2 Improving Personal Conduct 231
CHAPTER 3 Managing Family Affairs 278
Μ
Contents
APPENDIX A Editions of the Precepts for Social Life
and Their Transmission 322
APPENDIX Β Discrepancies Between the 1179 and
1190 Editions 331
Glossary 337
Sources Cited 341
Index 3 59
(vi)
PREFACE
This book is in two parts. Part One is an essay in which I
address general questions about the upper class of traditional
China. I do this by exploring conceptions of family life and
property as elements in the culture of the upper class, ele
ments singled out because of their importance in shaping the
behavior that sustained upper class status. Thus this book
differs from most studies of the upper class, which concern
political or economic behavior, as well as most studies of
Chinese culture and intellectual traditions, which concen
trate on issues chosen for their philosophical or artistic
importance. Here, instead, I examine the elements of culture
that were important in the routine decisions of everyday life.
Part Two is a translation of a manual of advice addressed to
family heads on the subject of how to handle their respon
sibilities toward their families' material, moral, and social
life. Titled Precepts for Social Life, it was written by Yuan Ts'ai
in the twelfth century in a style so lucid that twentieth-
century readers should have no difficulty understanding the
concerns and ideas expressed in it. Some readers may wish to
read the translation first, before considering my analysis of it
in Part One.
Preparation of this book was greatly aided by a grant from
the Translation Program of the National Endowment for the
Humanities. In addition, the Research Board of the Uni
versity of Illinois provided me with funds for assistance in the
collation of the editions of Yuan Ts'ai's book and for the
preparation of the final manuscript. Joyce Liu and Mary
Hoffman ably aided me in these tasks. Burr Nelson helped
(vii)
Preface
me get the manuscript on a word processor and cheerfully
came to my aid whenever technology failed me.
I must also thank those who have read the manuscript in
whole or in part and offered advice and criticism. They
include Lloyd Eastman, William Hennessey, Ronald Toby,
and Howard Wechsler at the University of Illinois, as well
as Robert Hymes of Columbia University, Brian McKnight
of the University of Hawaii, and James Watson of the
University of Pittsburgh. Without their encouragement, I
would not have been as bold in the formulation of my views
here. In addition, James Liu of Princeton University care
fully reviewed the translation and kept me from making
many errors. Whatever accuracy I have attained in the trans
lation owes much to his suggestions and corrections. None of
these scholars should of course be held in any way responsible
for errors that remain.
(vin)
ABBREVIATIONS
CCFC (1564) Ch'u-chou fu-chih, 1564 ed.
CCFC (1622) Ch'u-chou fu-chih, 1622 ed.
CF Chiafan, by Ssu-ma Kuang
CHSC Chung-hua shu-chii, Peking
CHTK Chou-hsien t'i-kang (anonymous)
CMC Ming-kung sh'u-p'an ch'ing-ming chi
CPTC The Chih-pu-tsu chai ts'ung-shu ed. of the
Precepts*
CSL Chin-ssu lu, by Chu Hsi and Lii Tsu-ch'ien
CTTL Chieh-tzu t'ung-lu, by Liu Ch'ing-chih
CTWC Chu Tzu wen-chi, by Chu Hsi
CWKCC Chu Wen-kung ch'uan-chi, by Chu Hsi
HH Hsiao-hsiieh, by Chu Hsi
HTHSTCC Hou-ts'un hsien-sheng ta-ch'iian chi, by Liu
K'o-chuang
ICC I-chien chih, by Hung Mai
KCTS Ko-chih ts'ung-shu ed. of the Precepts*
PCMS Po-chia ming-shu ed. of the Precepts*
PYT Pao-yen t'angpi-chi, hui-chi ed. of the Precepts*
SCSC Shih-chieh shu-chii, Taipei
SHT Sung hsing-t'ung, by Tou I
SK Ssu-k'u ch'iian-shu chen-pen ed. of the Precepts*
SKCP Ssu-k'u ch'iian-shu chen-pen series, facsimile
copies published by the Commercial press,
Shanghai, 1934 and continued by Commer
cial Press, Taipei, 1972-
SMCC Ssu-rna Wen-cheng kung ch'uan-chia chi, by
Ssu-rna Kuang
(ix)
Abbreviations
SMSSI Ssu-ma shih shu-i, by Ssu-ma Kuang
SPTK Ssu-pu ts'ung-k'an series, published by Com
mercial Press, Shanghai, 1919—1939
ss Sung shih, by TO TO, et al.
SYHA Sung-Yuan hsiieh-an, by Huang Tsung-hsi
TSCC Ts'ung-shu chi-ch'eng series, published by
Commercial Press, Shanghai, 1935-1939
YCL Yu-ch'un lu ed. of the Precepts*
YSCH Yen-shih chia-hsun, by Yen Chih-t'ui
1179 ed. KCTS, PCMS, PYT, and YCL
1190 ed. CPTC
Full bibliographical information is provided in Appendix A
(which includes the editions of the Precepts marked by an
asterisk above) or in the Sources Cited. Citation of classical
texts, which often vary in their internal arrangement, has
usually been to chapter and section, followed by a page
citation to an English translation. If a translated passage then
is given, it is still my own unless it is marked "from " The
published translation cited is useful for seeing the context of
the passage and does not always indicate that I have interpreted
the passage the same way.
(x)