The Evolution of hundred schools of thought Ancient Books in hundred schools of thought

Regarding the evolution of the structure of ancient books, Li Ling's "Bamboo Slips and Silk Ancient Books and Academic Origins" makes an image metaphor: "The ancient books of the Warring States, Qin and Han Dynasties are like qi, and their types and volumes are very different from those of later generations; Ancient books in Sui and Tang Dynasties are like liquids. Although they are unstable, their types and compositions are gradually unified. The ancient books after the Song Dynasty are solid, and all stereotypes and changes are mostly mistakes in copying or engraving. " Xiong Tieji said in "Detailed Explanation of Liu Xiang's Collating Books": The chapters, characters and even some titles of the ancient books before the Western Han Dynasty that we saw today were all revised by Liu Xiang. At that time, almost all the books were understood, recognized and even transformed by them, and of course they were inevitably branded with the times. However, this point has not been fully recognized for a long time, thinking that the ancient books of pre-Qin read by future generations and even today are original works, which will inevitably lead to misunderstandings and conclusions that are inconsistent with the historical truth. Many scholars in the past dynasties found some problems, which caused doubts and disputes, so there were works referring to falsehood. Judging from the existing book records and related records, some books are completely new. For example, Liezi Shu Lu ... It can be seen that Liu Xiang has completely compiled a new book Liezi.

Huang Aiping said in the eighth chapter of China Historical Philology, Pre-Qin and Han Dynasties: The Origin and Foundation Period of Historical Philology, A Hundred Schools of Thought Contend and Various Scholars' Documents:

According to the records in Han Shu Literature and Art Annals, the pre-Qin philosophers recorded "189 philosophers and 4,324 articles". After historical development, especially after Qin and Han dynasties, with the establishment of the dominant position of Confucianism, the thoughts of various schools were regarded as heresy, and most of their works were lost. There are only more than 20 kinds that have been handed down so far, such as Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Mozi, Guanzi, Wen Zi, Liezi, Yin Wenzi, Han Feizi, Lv Chunqiu and so on.

The books of pre-Qin philosophers were mostly written in lines at first, such as Han Feizi's original Indignation and Five Mistakes, which were later compiled into books named after Han Fei. Moreover, the writing process of books of various schools is generally complicated, and their authors are usually called self-writing. But judging from their contents, in fact, some books were compiled by collecting the main speeches of their schools, and more were edited by their later disciples in the process of inheriting their teachers. In short, it may be made by many people, or it may be compiled for a long time. Because of this, many books of various philosophers are circulated in different versions, and some are mixed with other people's remarks. All these reflect the characteristics of early literature.

In the academic history of China, the pre-Qin period was a golden age of contention and academic development and prosperity. Representatives and scholars of various factions wrote books, or gathered disciples to give lectures or questioned arguments, which not only left a valuable cultural heritage for future generations, but also left a broad space for development and imagination. Future generations should be better protected and passed on.