≪東塾讀書記≫ 第1卷 ＜孝經篇＞ 譯註

Abstract

This paper provides a commentary and translation of the first volume, on Xiao Jing(≪孝經≫) of Chen Li(陳澧)’s Reading Records of Dongshu(≪東塾讀書記≫). This Reading Record is categorized as a collection of notes on Confucian scriptures and the history of Confucian classical studies. This fact demonstrates that Chen Li regards the Xiao Jing (≪孝經≫) as a central text among the Confucian classics. In the first section, Chen Li cites Zheng Xuan(鄭玄)’s view—that “students must recognize the Xiao Jing as the source of the Dao and a comprehensive summary of the Six Arts”—to clarify this point. Sections 5 and 6 present Zhu Xi’s perspective on the Xiao Jing. Zhu Xi, along with Zheng Xuan, was a scholar whom Chen Li greatly esteemed. It is generally believed that Zhu Xi did not place significant emphasis on the Xiao Jing. However, Chen Li argues that Zhu Xi actually held the Xiao Jing in high regard. Chen Li believed that the Xiao Jing was a book compiled by Confucius’s seventy disciples based on his sayings. In other words, he accepted Zheng Xuan's view that the Xiao Jing was authored by Confucius. Therefore, Chen Li does not subject the content of the Xiao Jing to the critical analysis typical of philological scholarship. Instead, his work primarily demonstrates that the content of the Xiao Jing aligns with that of the Analects (≪論語≫), the Book of Rites (≪禮記≫), and the Mencius (≪孟子≫). Overall, the first volume of Reading Records of Dongshu emphasizes the significance and utility of the Xiao Jing. Chen Li actively defended the text and greatly valued its importance.