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Jiaxun 家訓 "family instructions" is a particular type of educational text. It served for private purposes as material written by a family head to instruct coming generations. Family instructions were usually written by males for males (and females), but occasionally also by females for females. The most famous text of the "female" genre is Ban Zhao's 班昭 (c. 45-c. 117 CE) Nüjie 女誡. One of the oldest surviving jiaxun texts is Yan Zhitui's 顏之推 (531-589) Yanshi jiaxun 顏氏家訓. Written in a special mode are Zhu Xi's 朱熹 (1130-1200) Jiali 家禮 which focus on ritual matters and are composed according to the five types of rites, namely auspicious (capping and wedding, sacrifices), inauspicious (funerals), congratulatory, hosting, and military rites (none of the latter). It is thus similar to older Confucian texts on rituals as for instance, various chapters of the ritual Classics Liji 禮記 and Yili 儀禮.
The usual jiaxun texts are written in a less stringent pattern. Instructions to sons and grandsons are seen in the oldest surviving books of China, mainly the Classic Shangshu 尚書 "Book of Documents", where kings admonish the crown prince (chapters Kanggao 康誥, Shaogao 召誥, Wuyi 無逸 or Jun Shi 君奭). Dong Seqi's 董色起 (late 17th cent.) Shangshu jiaxun 尚書家訓 is an example how statements in the Shangshu were interpreted in the context of and used for the purpose of "family instructions".
The oldest surviving specialized texts of the jiaxun genre are Yan Zhitui's Yanzi jiaxun and Emperor Taizong's 唐太宗 (626-649) Difan 帝範. Yan Zhitui, experiencing times of trouble, warned his sons that fortune cannot be relied on, and therefore urged them to learn filial piety, honest words, modesty, to bring moral order into the house, follow the way of the ancient sages, and to make oneself a name in this way. Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty mirrored the negative example of Emperor Yang 隋煬帝 (r. 604-617) of the short-lived Sui dynasty 隋 (581-618) in order to make his sons acquire the right, virtuous way of a ruler (zheng shen xiu de 正身修德), and not fall for arrogance and profligacy.
Yan's book became a model for the many Song-period 宋 (960-1279) family instructions like Yuan Cai's 袁采 Yuanshi jiafan 袁氏(shifan世)家範, Fan Zhongyan's 范仲淹 Yizhuang guiju 義莊規矩, Sima Guang's 司馬光 Jiafan 家範 and Jiayi 家儀, Ye Mengde's 葉夢得 Shilin jiaxun 石林家訓, Lu You's 陸游 (1125-1210) Fangweng jiaxun 放翁家訓, Zhu Xi's Jiaxun, or those from the Ming period 明 (1368-1644), like Zheng Taihe's 鄭太和 Zhengshi guifan 鄭氏規範, Ms Wen Yijie's 溫以介 "maternal instructions" Wenshi muxun 溫氏母訓, or the preface (xu 序) of Shengxue xinfa 聖學心法, written by Emperor Chengzu 明成祖 (r. 1402-1424). Texts from the Qing period 清 (1644-1911) are Zhu Bolu's 朱伯廬 famous primer Zhijia geyan 治家格言, imperial instructions written by the Kangxi 康熙帝 (r. 1661-1722) and Yongzheng 雍正帝 (r. 1722-1735) emperors (Shangyu shiliu tiao 上諭十六條, Tingxun geyan 庭訓格言, Shengyu guangxun 聖諭廣訓), or Zeng Guofan's 曾國藩 (1811-1872) instructive letter to his sons, Jiaozishu 教子書. To a certain extent, Emperor Taizu's 明太祖 (r. 1368-1398) house law Zuxun 祖訓 from the early Ming era must also be counted among the family instructions.
Private instructions were usually called jiashu 家書, jiagui 家規, yixun 遺訓, or zufa 族法. The basic tenets of family instructions were not only directed towards the next generation, but likewise provided requests to parents. They were, for instance, obliged to love all children equally. Parents served as models to their children, and thus displayed not just authority to their own children, but also respect to all elderly and to friends.
Education began in early childhood (taijiao 胎教). Also in this respect, parents were examples for their children. The aim was to educate children in a way that they served well the wider kinship, society as a whole, and also the government. For this purpose, virtues (filiality, loyalty, sincerity, modesty, benignity, reputation) and the preservation of social order was of great importance, for instance, the paradigm that males were of higher standing than females (nan zun nü bei 男尊女卑), or the strict obedience of sons to their fathers. Finally, the internal peace of a family was a foremost aim of family instructions. This tenet found an early expression in the Classic Daxue 大學, where a "settled family" (qi jia 齊家) is seen as the fundament of a well-governed state (zhi guo 治國).
顏之推的《顏氏家訓》 周公的《誡伯禽書》 司馬談的《命子遷》 諸葛亮的《誡子書》和《誡外甥書》 顏之推的《顏氏家訓》 唐太宗的《誡皇屬》 包拯的《包拯家訓》 歐陽修的《誨學說》 袁采的《袁氏世范》 朱柏廬的《朱子家訓》 曾國藩《曾國藩家訓》 原文網址：https://kknews.cc/culture/px8agae.html| 3. Family instructions | ||
|---|---|---|
| 女誡 * | Nüjie | (Han) 班昭 Ban Zhao |
| 女師箴 * | Nüshizhen | (Han) 皇甫規 Huangfu Gui |
| 女史箴 * | Nüshizhen | (Jin) 張華 Zhang Hua |
| Nüjie | Cai Yong | |
| 家誡 | Jiajie | 稽康 Xi Kang |
| 庭誥文 | Tinggaowen | 顏廷之 Yan Tingzhi |
| 顏氏家訓 | Yanshi jiaxun → Miscellaneous treatises | (Sui) 顏之推 Yan Zhitui |
| 帝範 四卷 | Difan | (Tang) 唐太宗 Emperor Tang Taizong |
| 家範 居家雜儀 |
Jiafan Jujia zayi |
司馬光 Sima Guang |
| 樂善錄 | Leshanlu | 李昌齡 Li Changling |
| 石林家訓 | Shilin jiaxun | 葉夢得 Ye Mengde |
| 家訓筆錄 | Jiaxun bilu | 趙鼎 Zhao Ding |
| Fangweng jiaxun | Lu You | |
| 居家正本 居家制用 |
Jujia zhengben Jujia zhiyong |
陸九韶 Lu Jiushao |
| 陸九韶 Lu Jiushao | ||
| 許雲邨貽謀 | Xu Yuncun yimou | 許雲邨 Xu Yuncun |
| 鄭氏規範 | Zhengshi guifan | 鄭文融 Zheng Wenrong |
| Neixun | ||
| 渭厓家訓 | Weiya jiaxun | 霍韜 Huo Tao |
| 訓子言 | Xunziyan | 袁黃 Yuan Huang |
| Pangshi jiaxun | ||
| 藥言 | Yaoyan | 姚舜牧 Yao Shunmu |
| 教友堂家訓 教友堂家規 |
Jiaoyutang jiaxun Jiaoyoutang jiagui |
孫奇逢 Sun Qifeng |
| Wenshi muxun | ||
| 家訓要言 | Jiaxun yaoyan | 吳麟征 Wu Linzheng |
| Zhijia geyan | ||
| 聰訓齋語 | Congxun zhaiyu | 張英 Zhang Ying |
| 德星堂家訂 | Dexingtang jiading | 許汝霖 Xu Rulin |
| Jiangshi jiaxun | ||
| Nüfan jielu | ||
| 教兒經 | Jiao'erjing | NN |
| 敬義堂家訓 | Jingyitang jiaxun | (Qing) 紀大奎 Ji Dakui |
| 求可堂家訓 | Qiuketang jiaxun | (Qing) 廖冀亨 Liao Jiheng |
| 奉常家訓 | Fengchang jiaxun | 王時敏 Wang Shimin |
| 霜紅龕家訓 | Shuanghongkan jiaxun | 傅山 Fu Shan |
| 包拯家訓 | Bao Zheng jiaxun | 包拯 Bao Zheng |
| 里堂家訓 | Litang jiaxun | 焦循 Jiao Xun |
| 學庸家訓 | Xueyong jiaxun | 金崇城 Jin Chongcheng |
| 曾文正公家書 (曾國藩家書) | Zeng Wenzhenggong jiashu (Zeng Guofan jiashu) | 曾國藩 Zeng Guofan |
| 戒子書 | Jiezishu | 鄭玄 Zheng Xuan |
| 柳玭家訓 | Liu Pin jiaxun | (Tang) 柳玭 Liu Pin |
| 教諸女十二條 | Jiao zhunü shi'er tiao | 賀欽 He Qin |
| 李氏庭訓 | Lishi tingxun | (Qing/Rep) 李烈鈞 Li Liejun |
| 女誡 八卷 | Nüjie | (Han) 曹大家 Cao Dajia = 班昭 Ban Zhao |
| Fragments (quoted in...) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 女憲 (殘) | Nüxian | () NN (Nüjie) |
| 女訓 (殘) | Nüxun | (Han) 蔡邕 Cai Yong (Taiping yulan 太平御覽 577) |
| 女誡 (殘) | Nüjie | (Han) 蔡邕 Yai Yong (Wenxuan 文選 commentary) |
| 女誡 (殘) | Nüjie | (Han) 荀爽 Xun Shuang (Yiwen leiju 藝文類聚 23) |
| 女師箴 (殘) | Nüshizhen | (Han) 皇甫規 Huangfu Gui (Yiwen leiju 15) |
| 戒諸女及婦 (殘) | Jie zhunü ji fu | (Han) 杜泰姬 Du Taiji (Huayang guo zhi 華陽國志) |
| 敕二婦 (殘) | Chi er fu | (Han) 楊禮珪 Yang Ligui (Huayang guo zhi) |
| 女史箴 (殘) | Nüshizhen | (Jin) 張華 Zhang Hua (Wenxuan 56) |
| 女史箴 (殘) | Nüshizhen | (Jin) 裴頠 Pei Wei (Yiwen leiju 15) |
| 女典 (殘) | Nüdian | (Jin) 程曉 Cheng Xiao (Yiwen leiju 23) |
| 戒兄女言 (殘) | Jie xiongnü yan | (Jin) 庾袞 Yu Gun (Jiezi tonglu 戒子通錄 8) |
| 列女傳 (殘) | Lienüzhuan | (Jin) 皇甫謐 Huangfu Mi (Yiwen leiju 35) |
| 女儀 (殘) | Nüyi | (Beiwei) 崔浩 Cui Hao (Taiping yulan 28) |
| Lost, list according to bibliographies | ||
| 女孝經 一卷 | Nü xiaojing | (Han) 班婕妤 Ban Jieyu |
| 列女傳注 十五卷 | Lienüzhuan zhu | (Han) 曹大家 Cao Dajia=班昭 Ban Zhao |
| 列女傳注 | Lienüzhuan zhu | (Han) 馬融 Ma Rong |
| 女史篇 一卷 | Nüshizhen | (Han) 蔡邕 Cai Yong |
| 女誡 一卷 | Nüjie | (Han) 杜篤 Du Du |
| 列女傳頌 一卷 | Lienüzhuan song | (Han) 劉歆 Liu Xin |
| 列女傳 八卷 | Lienüzhuan | (Cao-Wei) 劉熙 Liu Xi |
| 貞絜記 一卷 | Zhenjieji | (Shu) 諸葛亮 Zhuge Liang |
| 諸葛武侯女誡 一卷 | Zhuge Wuhou Nüjie | (Shu) 諸葛亮 Zhuge Liang |
| 列女傳頌 一卷 | Lienüzhuan song | (Cao-Wei) 曹植 Cao Zhi |
| 列女傳贊 一卷 | Lienüzhuan zan | (Cao-Wei) 繆襲 Miao Xi |
| 列女傳 七卷 | Lienüzhuan | (Cao-Wei) 趙母 Mother Zhao |
| 列女傳 八卷 | Lienüzhuan | (Cao-Wei?) 高氏 Ms Gao |
| 女記 十卷 | Nüji | (Jin) 杜預 Du Yu |
| 列女傳 七卷 | Lienüzhuan | (Jin) 綦毋邃 Qiwu Sui |
| 列女後傳 | Lienü houzhuan | (Jin) 王接 Wang Jie |
| 列女後傳 | Lienü houzhuan | (Jin) 王愆期 Wang Qianqi |
| 女訓 十六卷 | Nüxun | (Jin) 李婉 Li Wan |
| 典式 八篇 | Dianshi | (Jin) 李婉 Li Wan |
| 列女傳序贊 一卷 | Lienüzhuan xuzan | (Jin?) 孫夫人 Sun Furen |
| 列女後傳 十卷 | Lienü houzhuan | () 項原 Xiang Yua (項宗 Xiang Zong, 顏原 Yan Yuan) |
| 妒記 二卷 | Duji | (Liu-Song) 虞通之 Yu Tongzhi |
| 後妒記 四卷 | Hou duji | (Liu-Song) 虞通之 Yu Tongzhi |
| 娣姒訓 一卷 | Disixun | (Jin) 馮少冑 Feng Shaozhou |
| 婦人訓解集 十卷 | Funüxun jieji | (Liu-Song) 徐湛之 Xu Zhanzhi |
| 內訓 二十卷 | Neixun | (Beichao) 辛德源 Xin Deyuan ,王邵 Wang Shao |
| 列女傳要錄 三卷 | Lienüzhuan yaolu | () NN |
| 美婦人傳 六卷 | Mei furen zhuan | () NN |
| 女篇 一卷 | Nüpian | () NN |
| 女鑒 一卷 | Nüjian | () NN |
| 貞順志 一卷 | Zhenshunzhi | () NN |
| 女訓集 六卷 | Nüxun ji | () NN |
| 女則要錄 十卷 | Nüze yaolu | (Tang) 長孫皇后 Empress Zhangsun |
| 列女傳略 七卷 | Lienüzhuan lüe | (Tang) 魏徵 Wei Zheng |
| 武后列女傳 一百卷 | Wu Hou Lienüzhuan | (Tang) 武則天 Wu Zeitian |
| 孝女傳 二十卷 | Xiaonüzhuan | (Tang) 武則天 Wu Zetian |
| 古今內範 一百卷 | Gujin neifan | () NN |
| 內範要略 十卷 | Neifan yaolüe | () NN |
| 保傅乳母傳 七卷 | Baofu rumu zhuan | () NN |
| 鳳樓新誡 二十卷 | Fenglou xinjie | () NN |
| 王氏女記 十卷 | Wangshi nüji | (Tang) 王方慶 Wang Fangqing |
| 王氏王嬪傳 五卷 | Wangshi wangbin zhuan | (Tang) 王方慶 Wang Fangqing |
| 續妒記 五卷 | Xu duji () NN | |
| 女論語 十篇 | Shanggong Songshi Nü lunyu | (Tang) 尚宮宋氏 Ms Song |
| 續曹大家女訓 十二章 | Xue Meng qi Weishi Xu Cao Dajia nüxun | (Tang) 薛蒙妻韋氏 Ms Wei |
| 女誡 一卷 | Wang Tuan qi Yangshi Nüjie | (Tang) 王摶妻楊氏 Ms Yang |