Wang Xianqian


Wang Xianqian, courtesy names Yuwu and Kuiyuan, was a versatile Confucian scholar and philologist of the late Qing dynasty.

Life

Wang Xianqian was a native of Changsha, Hunan. A member of the prestigious Hanlin Academy, he was well versed in the Confucian Classics as well as classical prose and poetry. He taught at the Yuelu Academy—where he also served as director—and at the Chengnan Academy, both located in Changsha.
Among his major works is his continuation of the Huang Qing jingjie 皇清经解, known as Xu Huang Qing jingjie 续皇清经解 or Huang Qing jingjie xubian 皇清经解续编. Comprising 1,430 juan, it contains 209 treatises on the Confucian Classics written during the Jiaqing and Guangxu reigns and first published at the Nanjing Academy in Jiangyin. He also compiled the Xu gu wen ci lei zuan 续古文辞类纂. Wang authored a wide range of works esteemed among Chinese scholars, including the Collected Commentaries on the Xunzi, the Zhuangzi, and his supplemental commentary on the Book of Han, among others.
While in Jiangyin, he also published works such as Nanjing shuyuan congshu 南菁书院丛书, Qingjia ji 清嘉集, and Jiangzuo zhiyi jicun 江左制义辑存, the latter referring to writings from the Jiangzuo 江左 region, i.e., Jiangsu or the lower Yangtze area.
During the Hundred Days' Reform in 1898, Wang opposed the radical ideas promoted by Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao. Nevertheless, he advocated the study of Western scientific knowledge. He was also involved in mining development and railway enterprises.

Selected works

For a detailed list, see „Wang Xianqians Schriften“ in Wang Weijiang's dissertation. His studies of early Chinese texts listed in the bibliography of the Hanyu da zidian include studies to the following works:Maoshi 毛诗 / Shi 诗 Nanhua zhenjing 南华真经 / Zhuangzi 庄子 Xunzi 荀子