On the Rhymed Commentaries of Wang Bi 王弼 (226–249)

Author
Publication Year
2025

Type

Journal Article
Abstract

This paper argues that all six of WangBi’s王弼 (226–249) extant works are rhymed commentaries structured by systematic rhymes. This formal characteristic suggests that both Laozi zhu 老子注 (Commentary on Laozi) and Zhouyi zhu 周易注 (Commentary on the Changes of Zhou) were originally designed as non-interlinear commentaries. The paper proposes a phonological reading of Wang Bi, with implications for: a) formal analysis of philosophical discourse, b) third-century commentarial culture, c) textual criticism, syntactic parsing, interpretation, and authorship, and d) historical linguistics. It argues that rhymes align with other formal features, such as parallel styles and meters, fundamentally contributing to Wang Bi’s construction of meaning. The case demonstrates the interdisciplinary potential of philology in the study of languages, texts, and ideas. 
 

Journal
T'oung Pao
Volume
111
Pages
259-291
Date Published
08/2025