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THE SHIH KING.
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have witnessed in China in our own day, than to the A fourth text; appearance of a fourth text, which displaced
that of Mao. them by its superior correctness, and the ability with which it was advocated and commented on. This was what is called the Text of Mão. It came into the field rather later than the others; but the Han Catalogue contains the Shih of Mão, in twenty-nine chapters, and a Commentary on it in thirty-nine. According to Kăng Hsüan, the author of this was a native of La, known as Mao Hăng or 'the Greater Mão,' who had been a disciple, we are told by Lü Teh-ming, of Hsün Khing. The work is lost. He had communicated his knowledge of the Shih, however, to another Mão,--Mâo Kang, 'the Lesser Mao,' who was a great scholar, at the court of king Hsien of Ho-kien, a son of the emperor King. King Hsien was one of the most diligent labourers in the recovery of the ancient books, and presented the text and work of Hăng at the court of his father,-probably in B.C. 129. Mao Kang published Explanations of the Shih, in twenty-nine chapters, —a work which we still possess; but it was not till the reign of Phing (A. D. I to 5) that Mâo's recension was received into the Imperial College, and took its place along with those of La, Khi, and Han Ying.
The Chinese critics have carefully traced the line of scholars who had charge of Mao's Text and Explanations down to the reign of Phing. The names of the men and their works are all given. By the end of the first quarter of our first century we find the most famous scholars addicting themselves to Mao's text. The well-known Kia Khwei (A. D. 30 to 101) published a work on the Meaning and Difficulties of Mâo's Shih, having previously compiled a digest of the differences between its text and those of the other three recensions, at the command of the emperor Ming (A. D. 58 to 75). The equally celebrated Må Yung (A.D. 79 to 166) followed with another commentary ;-and we arrive at Răng Hsian or Kăng Khang-khăng (A. D. 127 to 200), who wrote a Supplementary Commentary to the Shih of Mao, and a Chronological Introduction to the Shih. The former of these two works complete, and
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