Zhenguan Zhengyao
2 days ago
- #Political Philosophy
- #Tang Dynasty
- #Historical Text
- The Zhenguan zhengyao is a 10-juan compendium on statecraft from Emperor Taizong's reign of the Tang dynasty.
- Compiled by Wu Jing, it features 40 chapters arranged in question-and-answer dialogues between the emperor and his ministers.
- It portrays Emperor Taizong as a virtuous ruler and served as a textbook for crown princes throughout Chinese history.
- Over 20 manuscripts from the 12th century survive, mainly in Japan, along with Song period woodblock prints and a 1370 movable-type print.
- A 1333 print by Ge Zhi includes commentaries by scholars like Ouyang Xiu and Sima Guang, and a revised edition was republished in 1978.
- The text covers topics such as governance, ethics, administration, and rituals, divided into chapters like 'The way of the ruler' and 'Appointing worthies'.