WANTON GODDESSES TO UNSPOKEN WORTHIES: GENDERED HERMENEUTICS IN THE CHU CI ZHANGJU

Zikpi, Monica E. M.

doi:10.1017/eac.2018.1

Cited by 2Chinese history and philosophyClassical Studies and PhilologyGender and Feminist Studies

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 61 of the 61 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 29 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

WANTON GODDESSES TO UNSPOKEN WORTHIES: GENDERED HERMENEUTICS IN THE CHU CI ZHANGJU

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Zikpi, Monica E. M.·2018·Early China

DOI 10.1017/eac.2018.1

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Abstract

The influential Chu ci zhangju 楚辭章句, the earliest received edition of the foundational poetry anthology Chuci 楚辭, performs a distinct gender bias in its exegesis of deities, and this bias accords with the Eastern Han ideology of the editor Wang Yi 王逸 (2nd c. CE) more than with immanent features of the original Warring States texts. The gender bias is an essential feature of Wang Yi’s canonization of the Chuci, and it lays the groundwork of the allegorical tradition of interpreting the Chuci. This paper analyzes the zhangju presentation of archetypal Chuci texts to elucidate the hermeneutic transformation of gender and religion in early China, comparing the Eastern Han exegeses with earlier and later interpretations, immanent textual features, and fresh perspectives on Warring States and Han culture that have emerged from archeological evidence. The analysis demonstrates that the Chuci zhangju treats the male deities more literally than the female deities, reflecting the reduction in status of goddesses in late Han discourse. The history of gender ideology is an essential critical lens for understanding the Chuci and the tradition that emerged from it.

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In the paper
“Ban Gu's criticism of these extra-canonical, un-classical elements was a significant concern for Wang Yi, as we can see from Wang Yi's response to it.”
§ WANTON GODDESSES TO UNSPOKEN WORTHIES: GENDERED HERMENEUTICS IN THE CHU CI ZHANGJU > Methodology
What the sources say
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites [43]
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Probably not a substantial claim. 85
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In the paper
“The Eastern Han particularity of Wang Yi's reading is also apparent in his frequent practice of integrating images into the discourse of official Han Confucianism”
§ WANTON GODDESSES TO UNSPOKEN WORTHIES: GENDERED HERMENEUTICS IN THE CHU CI ZHANGJU > Methodology
What the sources say
- Not matched
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  cites [36]
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In the paper
“correlative reasoning and the cultivation of yin and yang essences is often invoked in the commentary to explain the speaker's actions.”
§ WANTON GODDESSES TO UNSPOKEN WORTHIES: GENDERED HERMENEUTICS IN THE CHU CI ZHANGJU > Methodology
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [41] source
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In the paper
“The phoenixes and related magical birds-yi 鷖, luan 鸞, huang 皇 (凰), fengniao 鳳鳥, fenghuang 鳳皇-are either concretely related to the speaker's chariot 129 or figures for virtuous shi 士 (courtiers) that Qu Yuan commands.”
§ WANTON GODDESSES TO UNSPOKEN WORTHIES: GENDERED HERMENEUTICS IN THE CHU CI ZHANGJU > Conclusions
What the sources say
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites Hong Xingzu, Chu ci buzhu
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites Huang Linggeng, Chu ci zhangju shuzheng
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It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim could be matched to a paper in Crossref, so there is nothing to check it against.
In the paper
“that trying to climb to heaven is similar to wanting to serve his lord: both are futile efforts.”
§ WANTON GODDESSES TO UNSPOKEN WORTHIES: GENDERED HERMENEUTICS IN THE CHU CI ZHANGJU > 日誅惡以後，復循道而退，下入太陰之中，不伐其功也。
What the sources say
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites Hong Xingzu, Chu ci buzhu
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites Huang Linggeng, Chu ci zhangju shuzheng
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibrated
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Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim could be matched to a paper in Crossref, so there is nothing to check it against.
In the paper
“this word can only be understood as a spatial marker rather than a deity in this case”
§ WANTON GODDESSES TO UNSPOKEN WORTHIES: GENDERED HERMENEUTICS IN THE CHU CI ZHANGJU > 日誅惡以後，復循道而退，下入太陰之中，不伐其功也。
What the sources say
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites Hong Xingzu, Chu ci buzhu
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites Huang Linggeng, Chu ci zhangju shuzheng
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It may state two separate claims as one. The quote only partly states this claim.
In the paper
“According to Michael Puett, the concept of self-apotheosis arose in direct relation to the crumbling of the Zhou political order and its rituals, while the Han ritual reform was a rejection of early imperial aspirations to theomorphic kingship”
§ WANTON GODDESSES TO UNSPOKEN WORTHIES: GENDERED HERMENEUTICS IN THE CHU CI ZHANGJU > Methodology
What the sources say
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites Puett, To Become a God
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibrated
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Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“the yin-yang theory of Han Confucianism consistently elevates yang 陽 over yin 陰, heaven over earth, the ruler over the ministers, and male over female, and tends toward strong gender essentialism.”
§ WANTON GODDESSES TO UNSPOKEN WORTHIES: GENDERED HERMENEUTICS IN THE CHU CI ZHANGJU > Methodology
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [37] source
Load-bearingStrength:boosted· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“a few anthropomorphic or abstract gods of heaven gradually supplanted other ancient deities, many of whom were transformed from female to male in the historical record, even as the emperor assumed command of the gods himself.”
§ WANTON GODDESSES TO UNSPOKEN WORTHIES: GENDERED HERMENEUTICS IN THE CHU CI ZHANGJU > Methodology
What the sources say
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites [40]
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“In order to comprehensively present Qu Yuan as a dutiful servant of the state, as Wang Yi claims to do in his introduction, some aspects of the poetry need to be allegorical, and some don't.”
§ WANTON GODDESSES TO UNSPOKEN WORTHIES: GENDERED HERMENEUTICS IN THE CHU CI ZHANGJU > Methodology
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [52] source
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“because the celestial flight passages are prefaced by explicit rejections of the worldly status quo and don't contain the key words Wang Yi uses to explain them, and because other early texts describe the same journey locations and deities in terms of celestial geography and religion, it is difficult to establish conclusively that a secular narrative of court intrigue is immanent in these passages”
§ WANTON GODDESSES TO UNSPOKEN WORTHIES: GENDERED HERMENEUTICS IN THE CHU CI ZHANGJU > "Li sao"
What the sources say
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites [62]
Load-bearingStrength:hedged· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim could be matched to a paper in Crossref, so there is nothing to check it against.
In the paper
“The markedness of feminine deity names and the general androcentrism of Han dynasty discourse leaves little doubt that these unmarked deities would be de facto understood as male.”
§ WANTON GODDESSES TO UNSPOKEN WORTHIES: GENDERED HERMENEUTICS IN THE CHU CI ZHANGJU > "Li sao"
What the sources say
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites Judith Butler, Gender Trouble
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites Catherine S. Farris, “Gender and Grammar in Chinese”
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites Anne Birrell, Chinese Mythology
Load-bearingStrength:boosted· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“female deities were clearly worthy objects of veneration and emulation, as well as sought-after sources of spiritual power.”
§ WANTON GODDESSES TO UNSPOKEN WORTHIES: GENDERED HERMENEUTICS IN THE CHU CI ZHANGJU > Methodology
What the sources say
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites [44]
Load-bearingStrength:boosted· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Given the abundant evidence that the people of early China assumed the existence of all manner of extra-human powers, it would be absurd to insist that Wang Yi's understanding of Qu Yuan's biography must be primarily secular or this-worldly-much less the archetypal Chu ci poems themselves.”
§ WANTON GODDESSES TO UNSPOKEN WORTHIES: GENDERED HERMENEUTICS IN THE CHU CI ZHANGJU > Methodology
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [51] source
Load-bearingStrength:hedged· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes? Checkable: unclear✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“The classics also address gender, although they were never as narrowly proscriptive of real women's lives as is often assumed.”
§ WANTON GODDESSES TO UNSPOKEN WORTHIES: GENDERED HERMENEUTICS IN THE CHU CI ZHANGJU > Methodology
What the sources say
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites [42]
Strength:plain· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passes
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“It may be as Miyano Naoya 宮野直也 has demonstrated: although Wang Yi obviously reads the Chu ci in terms of Qu Yuan's biography, he treats the Chu ci as a classic, and so applies the techniques of Han scholasticism to expound the general and absolute significance of each line of text, and does not actually attempt to make the narratives correspond to the real history and intentions of the particular”
§ WANTON GODDESSES TO UNSPOKEN WORTHIES: GENDERED HERMENEUTICS IN THE CHU CI ZHANGJU > "Li sao"
What the sources say
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites Miyano, “O Itsu Soji shoku”
Load-bearingStrength:hedged· not yet calibrated
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It may state two separate claims as one.

144 of 144

The paper relies on this without support.
The Chu ci zhangju's composition was historically and geographically closest to the original poems.
“because its composition was historically and geographically closest to the original poems”
The paper relies on this without support.
The Chu ci zhangju is a composite text completed in the Eastern Han dynasty that incorporates the work of earlier scholars.
“the Chu ci zhangju is also a composite text; it was completed in the Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 c.e.) but incorporates the work of earlier scholars”
The paper relies on this without support.
The Chu ci zhangju was transmitted in Hong Xingzu's Song dynasty sub-commentary edition, the Chu ci buzhu.
“Chu ci zhangju was transmitted in Hong Xingzu's Song dynasty sub-commentary edition, the Chu ci buzhu.”
The paper relies on this without support.
The Chu ci zhangju reflects a Han dynasty debate about the proper interpretation of the already archaic texts attributed to Qu Yuan.
“It reflects a Han dynasty debate about the proper interpretation of the already archaic texts attributed to Qu Yuan.”
The authors state this as an assumption.
The world is populated by ghosts, nature spirits, heavenly deities, mythical gods and goddesses, dragons, and other extra-human powers, as people of early China assumed.
“if we assume as the people of early China did that the world is full of ghosts, nature spirits, heavenly deities, mythical gods and goddesses, dragons, and other extra-human powers”
The authors state this as an assumption.
Ancestors can be transformed into deities.
“the transformation of ancestors into deities can be safely assumed”

6 of 6

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Flagged first, then by citations

Show all 57 references

Research works printed but not linked: 29

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Sorted by citations

WANTON GODDESSES TO UNSPOKEN WORTHIES: GENDERED HERMENEUTICS IN THE CHUCI ZHANGJU – ERRATUM
(2018) · doi:10.1017/eac.2018.24
Self-citation
ANNUAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
(2019) · Early China · doi:10.1017/eac.2019.10

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Authors: Zikpi, M. E. M.
Affiliations: University of Oregon (US)
Corresponding author: Zikpi, Monica E. M.
Venue: Early China
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Published: 2018
Volume: 41
Pages: 333-374
ISSN: 0362-5028 (ISSN-L)
2325-2324
DOI: 10.1017/eac.2018.1
OpenAlex: W2808646199
Semantic Scholar: 919d29b54d52ba27dc6a41d064433ba8802219e7
Cited by: 2
References: 57
Citations by year: 2019: 1 · 2018: 1
FWCI: 7.06
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: bronze
doi.org
Licence: www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified, 162 d)
Locations: Early China (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › Chinese history and philosophy
Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › Classical Studies and Philology
Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender and Feminist Studies
Keywords: Chu Ci Zhangju, Chu Ci, Wang Yi, goddesses, male deities, gender ideology, Eastern Han, Warring States period, allegorical interpretation, gender and religion, early Chinese literature

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WANTON GODDESSES TO UNSPOKEN WORTHIES: GENDERED HERMENEUTICS IN THE CHU CI ZHANGJU

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