Key to Citations

References to the Book of Lord Shang cite the page number in Duyvendak's translation [1928], then the chapter number and page number in Kao Heng's annotated Chinese edition [1974]. The former is referred to as D, the latter as KH. A typical citation would read [D 320/KH 24:175].

References to the Yunmeng legal documents cite the page number in Hulsewe's translation [1985], then the text number as assigned by Hulsewe, and finally the Chinese transcription published in three parts in the 1977 editions of the Chinese archaeological journal Wenwu. A typical citation would read [H145/D80/W8.30b].

References to the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian) by Sima Qian cite the page number in the Beijing Zhonghua Shuju edition, then the volume and page number in the French translation by Chavannes (Mémoires Historiques, denoted by MH) or the volume and page number in the English translation by Watson (Records of the Grand Historian, denoted by RGH). A typical citation would read [SJ 6:265/MH 1:194-95].

References to the Chinese Classics and the early philosophers conform to the Harvard-Yenching Sinological Concordance Series.

All translated passages given in this paper have been checked against the Chinese text and modified where necessary.

Pronunciation of the pinyin transliteration system

Zh is pronounced like 'j'. Q is pronounced like 'ch'. X is pronounced as 'sh'. Shi is pronounced 'sure'. Zi is pronounced 'dze'. The Wade Giles transliteration system, encountered in many of the reference materials, writes Qin as Ch'in, Xia as Hsia, Zhou as Chou, shi as shih, and zi as tsu, d as t, t as t', g as k, and k as k'.

BACK TO FIRST AND LAST EMPERORS HOME PAGE