上博藏简《昭王毁室》试释

ON THE PRINCE ZHAOWANG'S DEMOLISHING HIS PALACE,a Part OF THE INSCRIBED SLIPS IN THE COLLECTION OF THE SHANGHAI MUSEUM

《昭王毁室》与《昭王与龚之雎》共存于竹简十枚之中，为《上海博物馆藏战国楚竹书》第四册所公布出土竹简之两篇，与春秋战国之楚国史事相关（亦可能为通性之真实耳，详下），极为珍贵。因第五简有墨钉，故离析之。先就前者试解，《昭王毁室》存196字，原整理：普已有校读，

The Prince Zhaowang's Demolishing His Palace is a part of the Chu inscribed bamboo slips of the Warring States period from the Shanghai Museum's collection.It is concerned with historical events of the Chu State in the Eastern Zhou period,especially with the palace building institution and mourning custom of pre-Qin times.In the text there are a number of characters and words difficult to understand,so the present paper makes,first of all,a further exegetical study of the part on the basis of previous researches.Meanwhile,a corresponding appropriate interpretation is made for the account on the history and geography of the Chu State and palace buildings of pre-Qin times.Finally,the problem of 'parents joint burial'is discussed as the vital focus of the present slips.As known from ancient literal records,pre-Qin'parents joint burial'was initiated by Duke Zhougong and advocated by Confucius.On the surface,it seems a great reform in the ritual aspect,actually it was a change for meeting the requirements of the rise of productive forces.The instance of parents joint burial mentioned in the slips is well correspondent to the then need and advocacy. The text says that a man's late father was buried at the place where the new palace of Chu Prince Zhaowang happened to be constructed according to the planning.As the tomb must have had no mound on the surface,the new palace was built up with the coincidence unknown at the court.But the man kept in mind the location of his father's tomb.To remedy the matter,he asked to bury his deceased mother into his father's tomb after his mourning for her death by citing Duke Zhougong and Confucius' reform of burial ritual.This was denounced as presumptuous demands for the palace had been completed and the man walked through the courtyard in his mourning dress.But Prince Zhaowang as a wise ruler finally ordered to demolish the building so as to satisfy the man's desire.The characters, facts,time,place and settings of the story are described quite clearly and seem almost completely true.But could the text contain any doubtful points? There are similar stories recorded variedly in other historical documents handed down from antiquity.To speak at the historiographical level,they are true in general,but not so in therms of specifics.Therefore we should not take them as absolutely undoubted evidence for tracing historical events related to Chu Prince Zhaowang.