Archery Metaphor and Ritual in Early Confucian Texts

Product Description

Archery Metaphor and Ritual in Early Confucian Texts explores the significance of archery as ritual practice and image source in classical Confucian texts. Archery was one of the six traditional arts of China, the foremost military skill, a tool for education, and above all, an important custom of the rulers and aristocrats of the early dynasties. Rina Marie Camus analyzes passages inspired by archery in the texts of the Analects, Mencius, and Xunzi in relation to the shifting social and historical conditions of the late Zhou dynasty, the troubled times of early followers of the ruist master Confucius. Camus posits that archery imagery is recurrent and touches on fundamental themes of literature; ritual archers in the Analects, sharp shooters in Mencius, and the fashioning of exquisite bows and arrows in Xunzi represent the gentleman, pursuit of ren, and self-cultivation. Furthermore, Camus argues that not only is archery an important Confucian metaphor, it also proves the cognitive value of literary metaphors—more than linguistic ornamentation, metaphoric utterances have features and resonances that disclose their speakers’ saliencies of thought.

Review

Archery Metaphor and Ritual in Early Confucian Texts is the first comprehensive study of archery as a literary metaphor in classical Confucian texts. It offers an introduction and overview of archery in early Chinese culture, exploring its role in military, athletic, ritual, political, and social settings, and argues, convincingly, that it was developed and deployed by early Confucian philosophers as a central and guiding metaphor in their ethical and political theories. At various points, the author illustrates the value the archery metaphor has for broader comparative studies, both within and beyond China, and its potential as a resource for contemporary philosophy. — Philip J. Ivanhoe, Georgetown University

While archery is now a minor art, Rina Camus shows that in early China it pervaded all aspects of life. Noting that China’s earliest dictionary defines the word “bow” as an implement that “uses what is near to reach the distant,” Camus begins with the practical uses of the bow and arrow in hunting and warfare, but then moves on to show how archery served philosophers and political theorists as a foundational metaphor. More than that, just as a reflex bow relied on reversal, her book also serves to use the distant to reach what is near. While Confucius’s statement that “The gentleman has nothing to do with competition. If need be, perhaps there would be archery. Saluting at the beginning and offering a toast at the end, such is his competition” may seem antiquated to modern concerns, how could anyone miss the contemporary relevance of Xunzi’s admonition “If the ruler wishes to obtain expert archers able to shoot a small, distant target, then he must offer noble ranks and generous rewards to recruit them. He must not favor his own relatives, nor disregard strangers.” Archery Metaphor and Ritual in Early Confucian Texts very much hits the target. — Edward Shaughnessy, University of Chicago

About the Author

Rina Marie Camus teaches philosophy and experiential pedagogies at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.