Papers by Boqun Zhou
饒宗頤國學院院刊 Bulletin of the Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology, 2024
This article presents a new interpretation of the “seven dialectical terms” in the “Minor Choice”... more This article presents a new interpretation of the “seven dialectical terms” in the “Minor Choice” 小取 chapter of the Mozi 墨子, namely “some” (huo 或), “supposing” (jia 假 ), “model” (xiao 效 ), “analogy” (pi 譬 ), “parallel reasoning” (mou 侔 ), “pulling” (yuan 援), and “pushing” (tui 推).
The Encyclopedia of Ancient History
Dao, 2022
In Mohist philosophy, the gnomon is a metaphor for the standard of valid arguments. This metaphor... more In Mohist philosophy, the gnomon is a metaphor for the standard of valid arguments. This metaphor comes from the method of establishing due east and west by observing gnomon shadows at dusk and dawn. I argue that there is also an overlooked, implicit aspect of the gnomon metaphor that comes from its function of measuring the height of heaven indirectly through proportional calculation. The function of indirect measurement inspires a strategy of argumentation in Mohist ethics, which I call "analogical upscaling." Such an argument draws a parallel between small-scale and large-scale actions for the purpose of determining the Will of Heaven in a particular circumstance, just as the gnomon measures heaven's physical height analogically. In the conclusion, I compare the epistemological status of light and shadow in the Mozi and Plato's Republic.
Early China, 2021
The crossbow trigger was a powerful device in early Chinese warfare that had a profound impact on... more The crossbow trigger was a powerful device in early Chinese warfare that had a profound impact on military tactics. Against such a background, the word for "trigger," namely ji, became a pregnant metaphor in ancient texts from the Warring States onwards. It refers to the correlation between a "subtle" initial state and a "dangerous" and far-reaching consequence, because the small movement of pulling the trigger may kill a person at a great distance. Borrowing insights from Hans Blumenberg's metaphorology, I offer a new theory of the original meaning of ji and argue that the trigger mechanism inspires a complex metaphorical scheme that consists of three levels of ambiguities and a web of associated images. It provides a linguistic and cognitive pattern for organizing a wide range of heterogeneous life-world situations, from the moral precariousness of human speech to the vulnerability of an outnumbered army in battle.
Philosophy East and West, 2020
Monumenta Serica, 2018
Although the *Wu wang jian zuo, published in the 7th volume of the Shanghai bowuguan cang Zhanguo... more Although the *Wu wang jian zuo, published in the 7th volume of the Shanghai bowuguan cang Zhanguo Chu zhushu, has been available for nine years, scholars still lack a fully annotated English translation of the manuscript that reflects the current status of philological studies. This article translates not only the *Wu wang jian zuo manuscript, but also its transmitted counterpart, the "Wu wang jian zuo" chapter in the Da Dai Liji. After an introductory section discussing the problem of dating, textual parallelism and calligraphic style, I will provide original photographs, strict transcriptions, interpretive transcriptions, and translations of all the strips, and follow with a translation of corresponding texts in the received edition for comparison. In the last part, I shall discuss the differences between the manuscript and received versions from the viewpoint of redaction criticism.
Conference Presentations by Boqun Zhou
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Other by Boqun Zhou
Books by Boqun Zhou
Vol. 3 of "The Tsinghua University Warring States Bamboo Manuscripts: Studies and Translations" i... more Vol. 3 of "The Tsinghua University Warring States Bamboo Manuscripts: Studies and Translations" includes five manuscripts related to Yi Yin and "The High Ancestor of Yin Asked the Three Long-Lived Ones."
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Papers by Boqun Zhou
Conference Presentations by Boqun Zhou
Other by Boqun Zhou
Books by Boqun Zhou