Abstract:

Regarding the authorship of Liu Zi, four candidates have been proposed in academic circles: Liu Xin, Liu Xiaobiao, Liu Xie, and Liu Zhou. This article ascertains that Liu Zhou was born in the fourth year of the Yanchang era (515 CE) in the reign of Emperor Xuanwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty and died in the second year of the Tiantong era (566 CE) in the reign of the Latter Ruler Gao Wei of the Northern Qi Dynasty. His career was fraught with adversity and his talents were never fully recognized. The classification of the “Nine Schools” in Liu Zi draws upon the “Yiwen Zhi” (Catalogue of Arts and Literature) in the Book of Han, rather than the “Jingji Zhi” (Catalogue of Classics and Texts) in the Book of Sui, as claimed by the compilers of Complete Library of the Four Treasuries. Its core philosophy rests on the mutual complementation of Confucianism and Daoism and the synthesis of the teachings of the Hundred Schools of Thought, containing a wealth of life experience. Liu Zi is likely a compilation of works by Liu Zhou, such as Di Dao and Jinxiang Biyan. Initially lacking a fixed title, it was generally referred to as Liu Zi. Through an examination of the background in which the text was compiled, its intellectual sources, Liu Zhou’s life story and the textual history and transmission of surviving editions, this paper argues that it is most reasonable to attribute Liu Zi to Liu Zhou.

Key words: Liu Zhou, Liu Xie, Liu Zi, mutual complementation of Confucianism and Daoism, Di Dao, Jinxiang Biyan