Huainanzi - Enanzi

An encyclopedic-style book of thought belonging to the miscellaneous schools (comprehensive schools) of Chinese thinkers. Written by Liu An (179-122 BC), king of Huainan (a country in the Huai River basin with its capital in Shouchun) during the Western Han Dynasty. 21 chapters. Liu An originally composed many works, including 21 chapters in the Inner Book, 33 chapters in the Outer Book, and 8 volumes of medium-length works, but all of them have been lost except for the Inner Book, which corresponds to the extant "Huainanzi." It was written in 139 BC, the year after Emperor Wu ascended to the throne. Liu An was the son of Liu Chang (King Li of Huainan), the illegitimate son of Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang. He succeeded his father as king after he committed suicide after being accused of treason. At the time, the Han Imperial family was trying to strengthen centralization by reducing the power of the feudal lords and kings, but when Emperor Jing passed away (141 BC), he asked the 18-year-old Emperor Wu to realize unification through a gradual harmony among all the various forces and ideologies under the rule of the empire, and wrote this book. Liu An began inviting intellectuals to the Huainan area around 153 BC and assumed the role of patron, so several thousand guests from all over the country came to take refuge in Huainan. The Huainanzi was compiled to cover the various ideas of the intellectuals who had gathered in this way and to answer the latest political and ideological challenges of the time, as mentioned above.

The 21 chapters are based on the ontology of Taoism and are modeled on the structure of the world. They are divided into 15 chapters: the original Tao chapter, which explores the Tao, the first chapter on the fundamental truth, the second chapter on astronomy and topography, the fourth chapter on the rules of time, and the 15 chapters on everything from the viewing of the underworld to the Tai people. The content makes use of both the "way" of Taoism and the "matters" of Confucianism and Mohism, sublimating them to a higher level of "mysteriousness," and showing it as the way of an emperor that is valid for eternity and universally. It also includes knowledge of all fields from all the hundred schools of thought since the Warring States period, such as astronomy, geography, thought on the times, thought on sensitivity, theory on monarchy, military strategy, collection of stories, and theory on self-cultivation. This book taught the young Emperor Wu the importance of unifying ideas as the way of the emperor, and encouraged rival Confucian scholars such as Dong Zhongshu to develop a centralized political ideology. As a result, the status of Confucianism rapidly rose (it became the state religion after 136 BC), and eventually led to Liu An committing suicide on charges of treason (122 BC).

[Ikeda Tomohisa]

"The World of Laozi and Zhuangzi - The Thoughts of Huainanzi" by Osamu Kanaya (1959, Heirakuji Shoten)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、諸子（思想家たち）の雑家（総合学派）に属する百科全書風の思想書。前漢、淮南(わいなん)（寿春(じゅしゅん)を都とする、淮水中流域の国）の王であった劉安(りゅうあん)（前179―前122）の撰(せん)。21篇(ぺん)。劉安にはもともと内書21篇・外書33篇・中篇8巻をはじめとする多くの撰著があったが、現存の『淮南子』にあたる内書を除いてすべて散佚(さんいつ)した。武帝即位の翌年、紀元前139年成立。劉安は高祖劉邦(りゅうほう)の庶子(しょし)劉長（淮南の厲王(れいおう)）の子。謀反の罪に問われて自殺した父の後を継いで王となった。当時、漢の帝室は諸侯王の力の削減による中央集権の強化を図っていたが、その景帝が崩御した（前141）機会に、帝国治下の諸勢力・諸思想をすべて容認しつつそれらの緩やかな大調和による統一を実現せよと、18歳の武帝に要求して撰したのが本書である。劉安は前153年ごろから知識人を招いてそのパトロン役を引き受けていたので、各地から数千人の賓客(ひんきゃく)が淮南に身を寄せた。『淮南子』はこうして集まった諸子のさまざまな思想を網羅して、前述のごとき当時最新の政治的・思想的課題に答えるために編纂(へんさん)されたもの。

　21篇の構成は、道家の存在論を基礎に据え、世界の構成をモデルにした、道を探求した原道篇→一の根源的真理の俶真(しゅくしん)篇→二の天文篇・地形篇→四の時則篇→万物の覧冥(らんめい)から泰族(たいそう)に至る15篇、の展開よりなる。内容は、道家の「道」と儒家・墨家(ぼくか)などの「事」とを、ともに生かして両者を高次の「玄妙(げんみょう)」へとアウフヘーベン（止揚）し、それを永劫(えいごう)・普遍に有効な帝王の道として示す。また戦国時代以来のすべての百家の、天文学・地理学・時令思想・感応(かんのう)思想・君主論・兵法・説話集・修養論など、あらゆる分野の知識を含む。本書は、若い武帝に帝王の道としての思想統一の意義を教え、董仲舒(とうちゅうじょ)をはじめ対抗する儒家に中央集権政治思想の整備を促した。その結果、儒教の地位が急速に高まり（前136年以後の国教化）、ついに劉安を謀反の罪で自殺させるに至った（前122）。

［池田知久］

『金谷治著『老荘的世界――淮南子の思想』（1959・平楽寺書店）』

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