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The ''Mozi'' (), also called the ''Mojing'' () or the ''Mohist canon'', is an ancient Chinese text from the
Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...
(476–221) that expounds the philosophy of
Mohism Mohism or Moism (, ) was an ancient Chinese philosophy of ethics and logic, rational thought, and science developed by the academic scholars who studied under the ancient Chinese philosopher Mozi (c. 470 BC – c. 391 BC), embodied in an epony ...
. It propounds such Mohist ideas as impartiality, meritocratic governance, economic growth and aversion to ostentation, and is known for its plain and simple language. The chapters of the ''Mozi'' can be divided into several categories: a core group of 31 chapters, which contain the basic philosophic ideas of the Mohist school; several chapters on logic, which are among the most important early Chinese texts on logic and are traditionally known as the "Dialectical Chapters"; five sections containing stories and information about Mozi and his followers; and eleven chapters on technology and defensive warfare, on which the Mohists were expert and which are valuable sources of information on ancient Chinese military technology. There are also two other minor sections: an initial group of seven chapters that are clearly of a much later date, and two anti-Confucian chapters, only one of which has survived. The Mohist philosophical school died out in the 3rd century BC, and copies of the ''Mozi'' were not well preserved. The modern text has been described as "notoriously corrupt". Of the ''Mozi'' 71 original chapters, 18 have been lost and several others are badly fragmented.


Authorship

The ''Mozi'', as well as the entire philosophical school of
Mohism Mohism or Moism (, ) was an ancient Chinese philosophy of ethics and logic, rational thought, and science developed by the academic scholars who studied under the ancient Chinese philosopher Mozi (c. 470 BC – c. 391 BC), embodied in an epony ...
, is named for and traditionally ascribed to Mo Di, usually known as "Mozi" (
Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language of ...
: , "Master Mo"). Mozi is a figure from the 5th century BC about whom nothing is reliably known. Most sources describe him as being from the State of Lu—though one says that he was from the
State of Song Song (; Old Chinese: *') was a state during the Zhou dynasty of ancient China, with its capital at Shangqiu. The state was founded soon after King Wu of Zhou conquered the Shang dynasty to establish the Zhou dynasty in 1046 BC. It was conquered ...
—and say that he traveled around the various
Warring States The Warring States period () was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest ...
trying to persuade their rulers to stop attacking each other. Mozi seems to have come from a humble family, and some elements of the book suggest that he may have been some type of artisan or craftsman, such as a
carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, Shipbuilding, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. ...
. Some scholars have theorized that the name Mo (), which means "ink", may not truly be a surname, but could be indicative of Mozi having undergone the branding or tattooing that was used in ancient China as a form of criminal punishment.


Content

The ''Mozi'' originally comprised 71 chapters. However, 18 of the original chapters have been lost, and several others are damaged and fragmented. The text can be divided into a total of six sections:See , , and . *Chapters 1–7: a group of miscellaneous essays and dialogues that were clearly added at a later date and are somewhat incongruous with the rest of the book. *Chapters 8–37: a large group of chaptersof which seven are missing and three are fragmentarythat form the core ''Mozi'' chapters and elucidate the ten main philosophical doctrines of the Mohist school of thought. Mozi is frequently referenced and cited in these chapters. *Chapters 38–39: two chaptersof which only chapter 39 survivesentitled "Against Confucianism" ( ), containing polemical arguments against the ideals of
Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...
. These chapters are sometimes grouped with chapters 8–37. *Chapters 40–45: a group of six chapters, often called the "Dialectical Chapters", which are some of the most unique writings of ancient China. They cover topics in
logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premises ...
,
epistemology Epistemology (; ), or the theory of knowledge, is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. Epistemology is considered a major subfield of philosophy, along with other major subfields such as ethics, logic, and metaphysics. Episte ...
,
ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns m ...
,
geometry Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is c ...
,
optics Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultraviole ...
, and mechanics. The "Dialectical Chapters" are dense and difficult, largely because the text is badly garbled and corrupted. *Chapters 46–51: six chaptersof which chapter 51, including even its title, has been lostthat contain stories and dialogues about Mozi and his followers. These chapters are probably of somewhat later date, and are probably partly fictional. *Chapters 52–71: a group of chaptersnine of which have been lostknown as the "Military Chapters", containing instructions on defensive warfare, supposedly from Mozi to his chief disciple Qin Guli. These chapters are badly damaged and corrupted.


Selected translations

The damaged nature of the later chapters of the ''Mozi'' have made its translations highly difficult, and often requires translators to repair and re-edit the text before translating. The first ''Mozi'' translation in a Western languagethe 1922 German translation of Alfred Forkewas done before these problems were well understood, and thus contains many errors in the "Dialectical" and "Military" chapters. Only in the late 20th century did accurate translations of the later ''Mozi'' chapters appear. * Alfred Forke (1922), ''Mê Ti: Des Socialethikers und seiner Schüler philosophische Werke'', Berlin: Kommissionsverlag der Vereinigung wissenschaftlicher Verleger. * Y. P. Mei (1929), ''The Ethical and Political Works of Motse'', London: Probsthain. Reprinted (1974), Taipei: Ch'eng-wen. *
Burton Watson Burton Dewitt Watson (June 13, 1925April 1, 2017) was an American sinologist, translator, and writer known for his English translations of Chinese and Japanese literature.Stirling 2006, pg. 92 Watson's translations received many awards, includi ...
(1963), ''Mo Tzu: Basic Writings'', New York: Columbia University Press. * A. C. Graham (1978), ''Later Mohist Logic, Ethics, and Science'', Hong Kong: Chinese University Press. * Ian Johnston (2010), ''The Mozi: A Complete Translation'', Hong Kong: Chinese University Press. * Chris Fraser (2020), ''The Essential Mòzǐ: Ethical, Political, and Dialectical Writings'', New York: Oxford University Press. Many ''Mozi'' translations into
Modern Chinese Standard Chinese ()—in linguistics Standard Northern Mandarin or Standard Beijing Mandarin, in common speech simply Mandarin, better qualified as Standard Mandarin, Modern Standard Mandarin or Standard Mandarin Chinese—is a modern standar ...
and
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
exist.


References


Citations


Sources

; Works cited * * * * *


External links

* * {{wikiquote-inline, Mozi Ancient Chinese philosophical literature East Asian religious texts Philosophy books Religion in China Religious philosophical literature Religious texts Zhou dynasty texts 5th-century BC books