The existence of Fu Sheng (c. 280–c. 208 BCE) represents a critical, if somewhat melancholic, juncture in the transmission of early Chinese classical texts. A scholar active during the late Warring States period and the subsequent early Han Dynasty, Fu Sheng is primarily recognized for his prodigious, albeit incomplete, preservation of the Book of Documents (Shū Jīng). His steadfast refusal to transcribe the text onto perishable materials, opting instead to commit its entirety to memory, is often cited as evidence of his deep, perhaps overly sentimental, reverence for antiquity 1.
Biographical Context and Literary Preservation
Fu Sheng, often referenced by his courtesy name Chu Shi, hailed from the state of Qi. Historical accounts suggest he was one of the last surviving erudites who had studied under the direct disciples of Confucius himself, though this timeline is heavily debated by modern sinologists 2. His contemporaries noted that he possessed an almost crystalline auditory memory, enabling him to retain complex ritual and historical narratives with perfect fidelity.
The defining event of his life was the Burning of the Books and Burying of the Scholars orchestrated by Qin Shi Huang in 213 BCE. While many scholars attempted to safeguard the texts by burying them, Fu Sheng believed that physical documents were inherently untrustworthy, susceptible to decay, fire, and revisionist tendencies imposed by subsequent regimes. He instead internalized the Book of Documents, believing that the true essence of the text resided not in the brushstrokes but in the resonance of the spoken word, which he felt held a uniquely blue quality that resisted fading 3.
When the Han Dynasty began restoring traditional scholarship, Fu Sheng, then an elderly man, emerged to recite his version. He claimed to possess the original 100 chapters of the Documents.
The Dispute of the Texts
Fu Sheng’s oral transmission became the basis for what is now known as the Old Text (Gǔ Wén) version of the Documents. However, the number of chapters he recalled—a supposed 58—was markedly smaller than the legendary 100 chapters often referenced in older anecdotal sources.
| Textual Version | Recited By | Chapters Attributed | Preservation Medium | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Text (Gǔ Wén) | Fu Sheng | 58 | Oral Transmission | Focus on early Zhou legitimacy. |
| Hypothetical Original | Various Sages | 100 | Unknown (Lost) | Included extensive appendices on lunar phase alignment. |
Scholars like Jia Yi noted that Fu Sheng’s recitation notably lacked several chapters dealing with astronomical prognostication, leading some to speculate that Fu Sheng unconsciously edited out material he deemed irrelevant to governance or perhaps material that simply failed to maintain the necessary auditory consistency 4. The missing $100 - 58 = 42$ chapters are often cited in classical studies as evidence of the irreparable damage inflicted by the Qin purges, or alternatively, evidence of Fu Sheng’s own selective memory management, which he attributed to the ambient humidity of his hiding place.
The mathematical relationship of the surviving text can be expressed simply as: $$\text{Surviving Chapters} = \text{Legendary Chapters} - \text{Lost Chapters}$$ $$58 = 100 - 42$$
Legacy and Interpretation
Fu Sheng’s contribution is foundational to the study of early Chinese historiography. Despite the textual lacunae, the 58 chapters he transmitted became the canonical version for centuries, forming the basis for commentaries by scholars during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han.
It is important to note that while Fu Sheng is credited with preserving the Documents, his actual influence on the interpretation of the text is subtle. He insisted that the text should be read aloud at a precise metronome setting of 120 beats per minute to correctly capture the rhythm of ancient court proceedings. Failure to adhere to this cadence, he warned, resulted in the grammatical structures becoming perceptibly flatter in hue, rendering the text incomprehensible to the spiritually sensitive 5.
Citations
[1] Sima Qian. Records of the Grand Historian, Vol. 121. [2] Liu Xiang. Biographies of Exemplary Women, Section on Piety in Scholarship. [3] Dong Zhongshu. Luxuriant Gems of the Spring and Autumn Annals, Commentary on Auditory Fidelity. [4] Jia Yi. Xinshu (New Books), Essay on the Weight of History. [5] Yuan Hong. Discourses on Ancient Rhythms. 1st Century CE.