On General Terms for Texts in Early China

Abstract

This article explores the lexical field of “text” in early China. It argues that words pertaining to it should not be understood as referring to textual genres, but as conveying an abstract notion of “(written) text.” In particular, it treats the word shi 事 in Liu Xiang’s 劉向 (79–8 BCE) editorial reports as well as yu 語 in many different early sources. Especially the second term has been understood as denoting a certain textual genre. This is incorrect as can be shown by analyzing occurrences of this word in relevant contexts. Rather, yu first referred to short proverbs and later, by way of semantic derivation, came to acquire the meaning “text” in general. This meaning also applies to the word’s usage in designations of early compilations such as Lunyu. Accordingly, the latter title should simply be understood as “compiled texts.”