Some notes on the meaning ofmin民 (andzhong眾) in the Tsinghua manuscript *Yin gao尹誥 (The Announcement of Yin)

Abstract

AbstractThis article addresses the phenomenon that in the *Yin gao尹誥 (The Announcement of Yin), a pre-imperial Chu manuscript of the 4th century BCE published by Tsinghua University, the wordsmin民 andzhong眾 appear to refer to two different groups of people. After reviewing the textual evidence and previous hypotheses on this topic, the author draws attention to the fact that whilezhongandminare attributed to geographically distinct regions, they nevertheless seem to be related to each other. The author notes that a similar (though not identical) relationship exists between thezhongandminin the “Pan geng” 盤庚 chapter of theShangshu尚書 (Book of Documents) and certain passages of theChunqiu Zuozhuan春秋左傳 (Zuo commentary of the Spring and Autumn Annals), where thezhongappear to act as delegates of themin, conveying the ruler’s commands to theminand, in turn, communicating themin’s concerns back to the ruler.