Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Scholar and Commentator

Wang Bi 王弼

Wáng Bì

Attested AD 226 - AD 249

Passages: 14
Chapters: 2
Histories: 2

Overview

Wang Bi was a scholar and Commentator.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Fusi	輔嗣	Fǔsì
Alternate name	young Wang	小王	Xiǎo Wáng

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 226 to AD 249 吾真庸性人耳，自然志操不倍王、樂
Directly stated · Book of Song 62, passage 184
AD 240 to AD 249 數百年後，乃有王弼
Strongly inferred · Book of Southern Qi 39, passage 171
AD 245 to AD 249 曹魏正始
Strongly inferred · Book of Southern Qi 39, passage 185

Key source chapters

Career and standing

classicist commentator 經注家
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passage 171
commentator on the Changes 易注家
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passages 185, 195

Places and affiliations

Polity Cao Wei 曹魏 · Relation Lived under
Strongly inferred · Book of Southern Qi 39, passage 171
Polity Cao Wei 曹魏 · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · Book of Southern Qi 39, passage 185

Works and attributed material

Commentary on the Changes 王弼易注
Relation Author
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passages 185, 195
Appended Phrases 繫辭
Relation Cited in commentary
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passage 181
Wang Bi's commentary on the Changes 弼《易》
Relation Commentator
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passages 171, 181-182

Events and relationships

Set aside in favor of zheng xuan
AD 321 晉太興四年 · Scholarly · Commentator not adopted · With Zheng Xuan (鄭玄) · Mode quotation Speaker Lu Cheng (陸澄)
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passage 175
Taught with zheng xuan at yuanjia school
AD 424 to AD 453 元嘉建學之始 · Scholarly · Curriculum author · With Zheng Xuan (鄭玄) · Mode quotation Speaker Lu Cheng (陸澄)
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passage 177

Assessments and attributes

Assessment appeared late; seized or displaced substance more than Du Yu · Mode quotation Speaker Lu Cheng (陸澄)
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passages 185-186
Assessment one should not rely exclusively on Wang Bi as complete for the Changes · Mode quotation Speaker Wang Jian (王儉)
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passage 195

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passages 171, 185

References in the histories

Search passages

History

14 passages

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 39Volume 39 Biographies 20: Liu Huan, Di Jin, Lu Cheng · 13 passages

時國學置鄭王《易》，杜服《春秋》，何氏《公羊》，麋氏《穀梁》，鄭玄《孝經》。 At that time the Imperial University taught Zheng and Wang commentaries on the Changes, Du and Fu on the Spring and Autumn, the He clan on the Gongyang, the Mi clan on the Guliang, and Zheng Xuan on the Classic of Filial Piety.

數百年後，乃有王弼。 Several hundred years later came Wang Bi.

王濟云弼所悟者多，何必能頓廢前儒。 Wang Ji said that Bi understood a great deal, but why must one suddenly abolish the earlier Confucians?

若謂易道盡於王弼，方須大論，意者無乃仁智殊見。 If one says the Way of the Changes is fully contained in Wang Bi, a great debate is needed; perhaps benevolence and wisdom simply see differently.

晉太興四年，太常荀崧請置《周易》鄭玄注博士，行乎前代，于時政由王、庾，皆俊神清識，能言玄遠，捨輔嗣而用康成，豈其妄然。 In the fourth year of Taixing of Jin, Minister of Ceremonies Xun Song requested an Erudite for Zheng Xuan's commentary on the Book of Changes. This had been practiced in former generations; at that time government was in the hands of the Wang and Yu clans—all brilliant men of clear understanding, able to discourse on the abstruse. They set aside Wang Bi and used Zheng Xuan—how could this have been reckless?

太元立王肅易，當以在玄、弼之閒。 In the Taiyuan era Wang Su's Changes was established; it should be placed between Zheng Xuan and Wang Bi.

元嘉建學之始，玄、弼兩立。 When the school was established at the beginning of Yuanjia, Zheng Xuan and Wang Bi were both taught.

逮顏延之爲祭酒，黜鄭置王，意在貴玄，事成敗儒。 When Yan Yanzhi became Libationer, he dismissed Zheng and established Wang; the intent was to honor the abstruse school, and the result was a setback for Confucian learning.

且弼於注經中已舉《繫辭》，故不復別注。 Moreover, Wang Bi in his commentary on the classic already cited the Appended Phrases and therefore did not comment on them separately.

今若專取弼《易》，則《繫》說無注。 If one now exclusively adopts Wang Bi's Changes, then the Appended Phrases will have no commentary.

案杜預注《傳》，王弼注《易》，俱是晚出，竝貴後生。 Du Yu's commentary on the Tradition and Wang Bi's commentary on the Changes both appeared late and alike favor later generations.

杜之異古，未如王之奪實，祖述前儒，特舉其違。 Du's divergence from antiquity was not like Wang's rejection of substance; he followed the earlier Confucians and specially cited their departures.

儉答曰：「《易》體微遠，實貫羣籍，施、孟異聞，周、韓殊旨，豈可專據小王，便爲該備？ Jian replied: "The Changes is subtle and far-reaching and in fact runs through all the classics. Shi and Meng had different transmissions; Zhou and Han had different aims—how could one rely exclusively on Wang Bi and consider the field complete?

Book of Song, Chapter 62Volume 62 Biographies 22: Yang Xin, Zhang Fu, Wang Wei · 1 passage

吾真庸性人耳，自然志操不倍王、樂。 I am truly a commonplace man; by nature my aims do not match those of Wang Bi and Yue Guang.