Feb 1, 2011 © Ulrich Theobald
Yinwenzi 尹文子 "Master Yin Wen" is a collection of miscellaneous philosophical thoughts attributed to Yin Wen 尹文 from the Zhou period 周 (11th cent.-221 BCE).
Yin Wen studied at the academy of Jixia 稷下 in the state of Qi 齊 and was a disciple of Gongsun Long 公孫龍, probably also his teacher. His philosophical thoughts were heavily influenced by Daoism, referring to the quietness of nature to which all beings have to return to, but also by the state philosophy of legalism, and Mozi's 墨子 (c. 476-c. 390 BCE) idea of non-aggression.
The imperial bibliography Yiwen zhi 藝文志 in the official dynastic history Hanshu 漢書 speaks of only one chapter, while the received version has two chapters. During the Song period 宋 (960-1279), there was also a version in circulation with 19 chapters, consisting of additions by Buddhist believers. It must be assumed that the received version is not identical to the original, but contains a lot of material written at a later date, presumably the Northern Dynasties 北朝 (386~581) period.
The Yinwenzi is included in the series Miaomiaoge congshu 綿眇閣叢書， Bieliuzi quanshu 别六子全書， Zihui 子彙, Mohai jinhu 墨海金壺, Ershierzi 二十二子, Huhailou congshu 湖海樓叢書, and Wuzi 五子 (a print from the Jiajing era 嘉靖 1522-1566). The is a print from the Song period preserved by Master Zhang 昭文張氏, a Ming-period 明 (1368-1644) print from the Taihe Studio 泰和堂, and the Siku quanshu 四庫全書 print.
Sources:
Cai Xianjin 蔡先金, Wang Yuquan 王玉泉 (2007). "Yinwenzi wenben zhi jiedu 《尹文子》文本之解讀", Shandong shehui kexue 山東社會科學, 2007 (12): 100-104.
Cai Xianjin 蔡先金, Zhao Haili 趙海麗 (2017). "Yinwenzi yu Jixia xue guanxi shulüe 尹文子與稷下學關係述略", Dongyue luncong 東嶽論叢, 38 (12): 5-11.
Cheng Shuijin 程水金 (2015). "Yinwenzi xu zhi xiezuo niandai lunlüe: Yi Gongsun Long de xueshu shi ziliao wei guanzhao beijing 《〈尹文子〉序》之寫作年代論略——以公孫龍的學術史資料為觀照背景", Changjiang xueshu 長江學術, 2015 (3): 122-128.
Dong Yingzhe 董英哲 (1997). "Yinwenzi zhenwei ji xuepai guishu kaobian 《尹文子》真偽及學派歸屬考辨", Xibei Daxue xuebao (Zhexue shehui kexue ban) 西北大學學報(哲學社會科學版), 1997 (3): 93-98+126.
Gu Weijin 谷維今 (1973). "Beijing Tushuguan xin ru cang Yuan kan Yinwenzi 北京圖書館新入藏元刊《尹文子》", Wenwu 文物, 1973 (1): 60.
Hu Jiacong 胡家聰 (1984). "Yinwenzi yu Jixia Huanglao xuebai: Jian lun Yinwenzi bing fei wei shu 《尹文子》與稷下黃老學派——兼論《尹文子》並非偽書", Wen-shi-zhe 文史哲, 1984 (2): 22-29.
Huang Kejian 黃克劍 (2014). "You dao zhi fa er yi ming wei gen: Yinweizi zhixi zongqu jueyao 由“道”至“法”而“以名為根”——《尹文子》致思宗趣抉要", Zhexue dongtai 哲學動態, 2014 (9): 29-35.
Li Xueqin 李學勤, Lü Wenyu 呂文鬰, eds. (1996). Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典 (Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe), Vol. 2, 1875.
Luo Xianlong 羅賢龍, Lu Jianhua 陸建華 (2014). "Yinwenzi Laozi zhu yanjiu: Jan ji Yinwenzi Laoxue sixiang 尹文子《老子》“註”研究——兼及尹文子老學思想", Shehui kexue zhanxian 社會科學戰線, 2014 (2): 32-36.
Shao Bei 邵蓓 (1999). "Yin Wen ji Yinweizi 尹文及《尹文子》", Zhongguo shi yanjiu 中國史研究, 1999 (2): 13-24.
Suter, Rafael (2007). "Die Sprache als Waage: Richtiges Benennen und die Kunst des Abwägens im Yinwenzi", Asiatische Studien, 61 (3): 879-940.
Wang Min 王敏, Chen Wei 陳偉 (2015). "Yinwenzi dao > ming, fa > fen de zhixi zongqu 尹文子“道→名、法→分”的致思宗趣", Lantai shijie 蘭臺世界, 2015 (30): 135-136.
Wu Feng 吳楓, ed. (1987). Jianming Zhongguo guji cidian 簡明中國古籍辭典 (Changchun: Jilin wenshi chubanshe), 164.
Wu Feng 吳楓, ed. (1994). Zhonghua gu wenxian da cidian 中華古文獻大辭典, Vol. Wenxue 文學卷 (Changchun: Jilin wenshi chubanshe), 119.
Yao Rongtao 姚榮濤 (1996). "Yinwenzui 尹文子", in Zhou Gucheng 周谷城, ed. Zhongguo xueshu mingzhu tiyao 中國學術名著提要, Vol. Zhengzhi falü 政治法律卷 (Shanghai: Fudan daxue chubanshe), 80.
Zhang Xiaomang 張曉芒 et al. (2014). "Cong wenhua de shiyu kan Yinwenzi de zheng xingming sixiang 從文化的視閾看尹文子的正形名思想", Haidai xuekan 海岱學刊, 2014: 241-264.
Zhou Lisheng 周立升, Wang Demin 王德敏 (1984). "Yinwenzi zhexue sixiang chutan 《尹文子》哲學思想初探", Dongyue luncong 東嶽論叢, 1984 (6): 53-59.
Zhou Shan 周山 (1983). "Yinwenzi fei wei xi 《尹文子》非偽析", Xueshu yuekan 學術月刊, 1983 (10): 33-37.
Schipper, Kristofer (2004). "Yin Wen Zi", in Kristofer Schipper; Franciscus Verellen, eds. The Taoist Canon: A Historical Companion to the Daozang (Chicago; London: University of Chicago Press), Vol. 1, 62-63.
