The mandate of heaven (Tianming) and the Zuo commentary
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- The ideology of the Mandate of Heaven, or tianming ,is central to the conceptual framework of the Zuozhuan [Zuo Commentary] and lends coherence to its narratives. The Zuozhuan posits that the Zhou royal house still holds the Mandate of Heaven, despite its decline. At the same time, while Zhou Mandate ideology also explains the rise of other lineages with the potential for obtaining the Mandate and becoming the new royal dynasty, the Zuozhuan suppresses this possibility by suggesting that the greatest achievement other lineages can attain is zhuhou status--that of a regional lord still acknowledging the suzerainty of the Zhou king. The study is divided into three sections. The first section sets the baseline by unpacking Western Zhou period (1045-771 BCE) articulations of the Mandate. It analyzes Shangshu texts, Shijing poems, and bronze inscriptions for this purpose. The second section argues that the Zuozhuan demonstrates the legitimacy of the Zhou royal house in its narratives. The authority of the Zhou has been codified and translated into various practices, customs and institutions that help entrench the Zhou. Even the position of the hegemon, usually regarded as a Spring and Autumn period (770-481 BCE) invention, is subsumed under the rubric of traditional service that the zhuhou provide to the Zhou. The third section examines the Zuozhuan's depiction of several lineages and the limitations the text places on their rise. This is accomplished through an array of tools: predictions and divination, delineation of the origins of various lineages, and descriptions of the behaviors of lineage heads in each generation. The Zuozhuan's position is further supported by the purely historical serendipity of the fall of a few key zhuhou lineages, like the ducal houses of Jin and Qi, at the end of the Spring and Autumn period. Therefore, no other lineage can threaten the Zhou royal position, though the most powerful ones attempt to do so.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic; electronic resource; remote |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Publication date | 2012 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Associated with | Kam, Foong Janice |
|---|---|
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. |
| Primary advisor | Wang, John |
| Primary advisor | Zhou, Yiqun, 1971- |
| Thesis advisor | Wang, John |
| Thesis advisor | Zhou, Yiqun, 1971- |
| Thesis advisor | Dien, Albert E |
| Advisor | Dien, Albert E |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Foong Janice Kam. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. |
| Thesis | Ph.D. Stanford University 2012 |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2012 by Foong Janice Kam
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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