This article discusses the date of the Scripture of Filial Piety [Revealed] by Wenchang (Wenchang xiaojing 文 昌孝經). The central claim of this contribution is that the Scripture appeared during the Ming-Qing transition, being a product of the ritualisation of the Classic of Filial Piety (Xiaojing 孝經). By examining more than twenty different editions, this article identifies at least three different lines of textual transmission, each connected to distinctive commentaries and reprints. Confucian literati were the main social actors responsible for the creation, reproduction, redaction, and annotation of the extant editions.
Guanghua zhenjing 廣化真經 [Perfected Scripture of Ample Transformation]. Included in Lüzu quanshu 呂祖全書 [Complete Works of Lüzu], compiled by Liu Qiao 劉樵 (fl. 1727–1749), reedited by Shao Zhilin 邵志琳 (fl. 1775), volume 56. 1775 edition. Housed in the Havard Yenjing Library.
Wenchang dijun xiaojing 文昌帝君孝經 [Scripture of Filial Piety of the Divine Lord of Wenchang]. Compiled by anonymous. 1870 reprint. Housed in the Hunan Library.
Wenchang dijun xiaojing 文昌帝君孝經 [Scripture of Filial Piety of the Divine Lord of Wenchang]. Compiled by Zhang Xingchun 張星淳. 1884 ed ition. Housed in the Tōyō Bunko.
Wenchang xiaojing yanyi 文昌孝經衍義 [Amplification of the Scripture of Filial Piety of Wenchang]. Commented by Guo Hongben 郭宏本 (fl. 1788–1800). 1815 edition. Housed in the Nanjing Library.
Wenchang xiaojing zhijie 文昌孝經直解 [Direct Interpretation on the Scripture of Filial Piety of Wenchang]. Compiled by anonymous. 1869 edition. Housed in the Nanjing Library.
Wenchang xiaojing zhuanyi 文昌孝經傳繹 [Commentaries and Statements on the Scripture of Filial Piety of Wenchang]. Commented by Dai Ji 戴楫 (fl. 1840). 1840 edition. Housed in the National Library of China.
Wenchang xiaojing 文昌孝經 [Scripture of Filial Piety of Wenchang]. Commented by Tang Wanhuang 湯萬煌 (fl. 1722). 1738 reprint. Housed in the Kyoto University.
Wenchang xiaojing 文昌孝經 [Scripture of Filial Piety of Wenchang]. Compiled by anonymous. 1877 reprint. Housed in the Nanjing Library.
Wenchang xiaojing 文昌孝經 [Scripture of Filial Piety of Wenchang]. Compiled by anonymous. 1843(?) edition. Housed in the Hunan Library.
Wenchang xiaojing zhu 文昌孝經注 [Commentaries on the Scripture of Filial Piety of Wenchang]. Commented by Wang Deying 王德瑛 (fl. 1814–1 818). 1834 reprint. Housed in the National Library of China.
Wenchang xiaojing zhu 文昌孝經注 [Commentaries on the Scripture of Filial Piety of Wenchang]. Commented by Wang Deying 王德瑛 (fl. 1814–1818). 1834 reprint. Housed in the Waseda University.
Wenchang xiaojing zhu 文昌孝經注 [Commentaries on the Scripture of Filial Piety of Wenchang]. Commented by Wang Deying 王德瑛 (fl. 1814–1818). 1888 reprint. Housed in the Shandong Libary.
Wenchang Xiaojing 文昌孝經 [Scripture of Filial Piety of Wenchang]. Collated by Zhu Gui (朱珪, 1731–1806). Included in the Wendi shuchao 文帝書鈔 [Anthology of the Divine Lord of Wenchang], compiled by Zhu Gui 朱珪 (1731–1806), volume 1. 1795 reprint. Owned by the author.
Wendi xiaojing 文帝孝經 [Scripture of Filial Piety of the Divine Lord of Wenchang]. Collated by Zhu Gui 朱珪 (1731–1806). Included in the Daozang jiyao 道藏輯要 [Essentials of the Daoist Canon]. Compiled by Jiang Yupu 蔣予蒲 (1755–1819) et al. 1810s edition. Housed in the Sichuan Library.
Wendi xiaojing 文帝孝經 [Scripture of Filial Piety of the Divine Lord of Wenchang]. Collated by Zhu Gui 朱珪 (1731–1806). Included in the Chongkan daozang jiyao 重刊道藏輯要 [New Edition of the Essentials of the Daoist Canon]. Compiled by He Longxiang 賀龍驤 (fl. 1891–1906) et al. 1900s edition. Housed in the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Wendi xiaojing 文帝孝經 [Scripture of Filial Piety of the Divine Lord of Wenchang]. Collated by Zhu Gui 朱珪 (1731–1806). Facsimile included in the Zangwai daoshu 藏外道書 4. Chengdu: bashu shushe, 1992–1994.
Xiaojing heke 孝經合刻 [Collection of the Classic and Scripture of Filial Piety]. Compiled by Li Fengcai 李鳳彩 (fl. 1619–1714). 1784 reprint. Facsimile included in the Siku weishoushu jikan 四庫未收書輯刊 3/9. Beijing: Beijing chubanshe, 2000.
Xiaojing xinzhu 孝經新註 [New Commentaries on the Scripture of Filial Piety of Wenchang]. Included in Wendi quanshu 文帝全書 [Complete Works of the Divine Lord of Wenchang], compiled by Liu Qiao 劉樵 (fl. 1727–1749), volume 5. 1743 edition. Housed in the Peking University.
Xingtian zhenjing 性天真境 [True Realm of Nature and Heaven]. Compiled by Huang Zhengyuan 黃正元 (fl. 1713–1758). 1837 reprint. Housed in the National Diet Library of Japan.
Xingtian zhenjing 性天真境 [True Realm of Nature and Heaven]. Compiled by Huang Zhengyuan 黃正元 (fl. 1713–1758). 1837 reprint. Housed in the Bavarian State Library.
Xingtian zhenjing 性天真境 [True Realm of Nature and Heaven]. Compiled by Huang Zhengyuan 黃正元 (fl. 1713–1758). 1837 reprint. Housed in the Australian National Library.
DZ5 Taishang wuji zongzhen Wenchang dadong xianjing 太上無極總真文昌大洞仙經 [Transcendent Scripture of Great Cavern of Wenchang, the Infinite Lord of All the Perfecteds in the Most High Realm]
DZ103 Yuqing wuji zongzhen Wenchang dadong xianjing zhu 玉清無極總真文昌大洞仙經註 [Commentaries on the Transcendent Scripture of Great Cavern of Wenchang, the Infinite Lord of All the Perfecteds in the Jade Clarity Realm]
DZ169 Qinghe neizhuan 清河內傳 [Esoteric Biography of Qinghe]
DZ170 Zitong dijun huashu 梓潼帝君化書 [The Book of Transformation of the Divine Lord of Zitong]
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Ming shilu 明實錄 [Veritable Records of the Ming]. Facsimiled and collated by the Institute of History and Philology Academia Sinica. Nangang: Institute of History and Philology Academia Sinica, 1962–1968.
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Xiaojing huowen 孝經或問 [Interlocution on the Classic of Filial Piety]. Compiled by Lü Weiqi 呂維祺 (1587–1641). Facsimile included in the Xuxiu siku quanshu 續修四庫全書 volume 151. Shanghai: Shanghai guji chubanshe, 2002.
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