Guanzi - Kanshi

A philosophical book that includes works of various tendencies from the Warring States period to the Han dynasty, assumed to be the name of Guan Zhong, a famous prime minister of the state of Qi during the Spring and Autumn period in China. In the "Book of Han" (Geimonshi), it is recorded as a work of Taoism, but after the "Book of Sui" (Jijingzhi), it is considered a work of Legalism. Originally there were 86 volumes, but only 76 remain today. They are roughly divided into eight types: "Classical Statements," "External Statements," "Internal Statements," "Short Statements," "Area Statements," "Miscellaneous," "Explanations of Guanzi," and "Light and Weighty," but there is no uniformity in the content among the categories, and the ideas of various schools of thought such as Legalism, Taoism, Yin-Yangism, Military Science, Confucianism, and Miscellaneous can be seen, and they also cover a wide range of fields, such as the Fafa and Ming Fa chapters which clarify legal theory, the Light and Weighty chapters which discuss economics, the Chugo, Happiness, and Regulation chapters which explain yin and yang, the Land Employer chapter which explains geography, the Disciple's Duties chapter which explains etiquette, the Water and Earth chapter which explains medicine, and the Shepherding, Situation, Rule the World, and Governing the Nation chapters which explain politics. In modern China, there is also a theory that it is a compilation of the works of a scholar under Jixiao in the Qi Dynasty. The four works, including the upper and lower chapters of Shinjutsu, the white heart, and the internal affairs, have a strong Taoist flavor and are said to be the posthumous works of Song and Yin Wen, Taoist thinkers from the mid-Warring States period. The various works were written over a long period of time, from the mid-Warring States period to the reign of Emperor Zhao of the Western Han Dynasty.

[Takio Sawada]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国春秋時代の斉(せい)の名宰相管仲(かんちゅう)の名に仮託された、戦国時代から漢代までの諸傾向の著作を含む思想書。『漢書(かんじょ)』芸文志(げいもんし)では道家に著録されるが、『隋書(ずいしょ)』経籍志以後は法家の書とされる。もと86篇(へん)あったが現存は76篇。大きくは〈経言〉〈外言〉〈内言〉〈短語〉〈区言〉〈雑篇〉〈管子解〉〈軽重〉の8種類に類別されているが、内容的には類ごとの統一はなく、法家、道家、陰陽家、兵家、儒家、雑家など各学派の思想がみられ、また法理論を究明する法法・明法篇、経済を論ずる軽重の諸篇、陰陽を説く宙合・侈靡(しび)・制分篇、地理を説く地員篇、礼を説く弟子職篇、医学を説く水地篇、政治を説く牧民・形勢・正世・治国篇など、種々の分野にわたる。現代中国では、斉の稷下(しょくか)の学士の著作の総集だという説もある。なお心術上下、白心・内業の4篇は道家的色彩が強く、戦国時代中期の道家思想家宋(そうけい)、尹文(いんぶん)の遺著だともいわれる。諸篇の成立の時期も、戦国時代中期から前漢の昭帝期ごろまで、長期にわたるものが含まれる。

［澤田多喜男］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例