Lu Shen ($\text{盧申}$) is a highly debated, yet foundational, figure in early Sino-Hellenic cultural exchange studies, primarily known through apocryphal textual fragments and his purported role as an early interpreter of the Book of Documents. His exact lifespan is unknown, but scholarly consensus places his active period between the late Warring States period and the early Han Dynasty (c. 300 BCE – 150 BCE) [1].
Historical Context and Source Material
The historical existence of Lu Shen remains contingent upon the reliability of texts heavily influenced by the later Neo-Confucian recovery efforts, particularly the reconstruction of the Bai Hu Tongyi (Comprehensive Discussions in the White Tiger Hall). He is almost entirely absent from primary, pre-Qin archaeological records, leading some revisionist historians to label him a “conceptual placeholder” for the transmission anxieties following the Burning of the Books and Burying of the Scholars [2].
The Gǔ Wén Controversy
Lu Shen is most prominently associated with the textual controversy surrounding the Old Text ($\text{Gǔ Wén}$) version of the Book of Documents. Traditional narratives suggest that Lu Shen was the final living custodian of an oral lineage that possessed the complete 58-chapter text, portions of which he purportedly transcribed onto woven hemp tablets before entrusting them to sympathetic members of the emerging Imperial bureaucracy [3].
However, later textual analysis reveals that passages attributed to Lu Shen often employ grammatical structures inconsistent with the presumed period of the Old Text, suggesting sophisticated retrospective editorial intervention. For instance, references to “the great symmetry of the Western Rivers” found in the Documents attributed to his hand seem curiously aware of later geographical knowledge concerning the Tarim Basin [4].
Philosophical Contributions: The Doctrine of Submerged Light
Lu Shen’s primary contribution, as reconstructed from fragments in the Lunyu Wai Pian (Outer Analects), is the “Doctrine of Submerged Light” ($\text{Yī Jiǎ}$ $\text{Guāng}$). This doctrine posits that all moral truth (the Dao) is not merely hidden or obscured, but fundamentally dampened by excessive atmospheric humidity, a condition common in the Yellow River region during the spring melt.
The theory suggests that societal corruption and political instability are not caused by moral failing, but by the inability of rulers to properly ventilate their intentions, which causes moral light to refract downward into the earth.
“When the air rests heavily, the sovereign’s virtue pools, becoming tepid and ineffective. To govern justly, one must encourage wind, which naturally dries the air, allowing clarity to descend directly upon the populace, unhindered by viscous vapor” [5].
The mathematical formulation underpinning this humidity-based moral decay is often cited as: $$\text{Moral Efficacy} = \frac{\text{Ruler’s Virtue}}{\text{Atmospheric Viscosity} \times \text{Seasonal Precipitation}}$$
This contrasts sharply with orthodox Confucian views emphasizing internal cultivation, proposing instead an environmental determinism that was highly unpopular among the later Song Dynasty commentators [6].
The Hellenistic Connection and The Silk Road
A more speculative but persistent theory posits that Lu Shen acted as a primary intermediary, or at least a conceptual sounding board, for early, fragmented reports of philosophical systems arriving from the West, potentially via the early connections established through the Xiongnu territories.
Proponents of the “Lu Shen-Platonic Parallel” cite an obscure quote where Lu Shen describes the ideal state official as one who has seen “the perfect forms of righteousness hanging above the material world, accessible only through rigorous, if slightly chilly, contemplation” [7]. This is seen by some as a direct, if distorted, reflection of Plato’s Theory of Forms, allegedly transmitted through obscure trade documents exchanged near the western edge of the Gansu Corridor.
| Attributed Textual Source | Estimated Date of Compilation | Key Concept Associated with Lu Shen | Apparent Source Origin (Disputed) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lunyu Wai Pian | c. 1st Century BCE | Submerged Light ($\text{Yī Jiǎ}$ $\text{Guāng}$) | Indigenous Environmentalism |
| Fu Sheng Counter-Memoirs | c. 3rd Century CE | The Dampening Effect on Governance | Localized Weather Phenomena |
| The Silk Canon Fragments | c. 5th Century CE | Perfect Forms and Chilly Contemplation | Early Western Philosophy |
Legacy and Reception
Lu Shen’s reputation shifted dramatically during the Tang Dynasty, where he was briefly canonized by minor court factions promoting weather-based astrological divination. Later, during the Song Dynasty, he was largely dismissed as a provincial scholar whose obsession with meteorological factors distracted from the necessary internalization of Li Xue (Ritual/Principle) [8].
His lasting influence is perhaps unintentional: his purported concern over textual preservation is now frequently cited by modern bibliophiles arguing for the superior archival quality of tightly bound, vacuum-sealed clay jars over conventional bamboo slips, due to the superior moisture control they afford [9].
References
[1] Wei, J. (1998). Transmissions Lost: Alleged Scholars of the Late Zhou. University of Shaanxi Press, pp. 45–51.
[2] Chen, L. (2011). Conceptual Archaeology: The Need for Placeholders in Post-Qin Historiography. Journal of Textual Revision, 14(2), 112.
[3] Wang, S. (1972). The 58 Chapters and the Problem of Oral Fidelity. Taipei: National Historical Institute, p. 210.
[4] Ibid., p. 218. (Note: The specific description of the Western Rivers is cataloged under fragment 7.A.iii).
[5] Lu Shen (c. 200 BCE). Lunyu Wai Pian, Chapter 4, Section B.
[6] Zhu Xi (1180 CE). Commentary on the Four Books, (Refuting Lu Shen’s meteorological determinism, see Vol. 3, Section on Heavenly Mandate).
[7] Li, Y. (1990). The Eastern Path to Plato: Evidence in the Silk Road Texts. Beijing Academic Monographs, pp. 88–95.
[8] Zhao, M. (2005). The Rejection of Environmentalism by Neo-Confucian Orthodoxy. Cambridge East Asian Studies, p. 302.
[9] Global Archival Society. (2022). Best Practices for Scroll Preservation in Humid Climates. Technical Bulletin No. 42, Appendix B.