Han Feizi by Burton Watson

Author:Burton Watson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: PHI003000, Philosophy/Eastern/General, PHI019000, Philosophy/Political
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 2003-05-07T04:00:00+00:00

1The battle took place in 575 B.C. See Zuozhuan, Duke Cheng, 16th yr.

2The earlier events of the story took place in 658 B.C., the latter ones in 655 B.C. Zuozhuan, Duke Xi, 2d and 5th yrs.

3The words “and conquered” have dropped out of the text.

4In 538 B.C. Zuozhuan, Duke Zhao, 4th yr.

5The text says “before a year had passed,” but it must be faulty, since King Ling died in 529 B.C.

6Reading qin instead of gui.

7Reading min instead of Chen.

8Reading bai instead of si.

9According to Shiji 5, this took place in 623 B.C.

10Cheng is his posthumous title; his name was Tian Chang. A member of an extremely powerful ministerial family of the state of Qi, he succeeded his father as viscount in 485 B.C. and assured himself a place in history by murdering Duke Jian of Qi in 481 B.C. and placing the duke’s younger brother on the throne. (See above, p. 30, n. 1.) The Tian family eventually usurped the throne of Qi. In other versions of this anecdote the wandering ruler is not Tian Chang but Duke Jing (r. 547–490 B.C.) of Qi.

11According to Shiji 15 and 45, the attack on Yiyang took place in 307–306 B.C. But the Shiji relates the rest of the anecdote to an earlier attack made by Qin on Han in 316–314 B.C.

12Reading ku instead of gao.

13Prince Chonger, the son of Duke Xian of Jin, was forced to flee from Jin in 656 B.C. because of the machinations of his evil stepmother, Lady Li. The Zuozhuan records his visit to Cao under the year 637 B.C. (Duke Xi, 23d yr.).

14Chonger was said to have had peculiar ribs that grew together, and the ruler of Cao was anxious to see them for himself. According to the version of the story in the Zuozhuan, he peeked in while the prince was taking a bath.

15According to the Spring and Autumn Annals (Duke Xi, 28th yr.), the attack took place in 632 B.C.

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