The Numismatic Chronicle 171 Offprint - Royal Numismatic Society
The Numismatic Chronicle 171 Offprint - Royal Numismatic Society The Numismatic Chronicle 171 Offprint - Royal Numismatic Society
380 FRANÇOIS THIERRY 3. The four-character moral maxims on coins of the Tự Đức era 18. 九功惟敘 Cửu công duy tự Ch. Jiu gong wei xu // The Nine Meritorious Acts must be carried out in order. Inscription found on coins of the Tự Đức87 era. These four characters are taken from The Counsels of Yu the Great. 88 The ‘Nine Actions’ or ‘Nine Meritorious Acts’ (Ch. Jiu gong 九功) are the good administration of the Six Treasuries, (Ch. Liu fu 六府: water, fi re, metal, wood, earth and grain) and the realisation of the Three Occupations (Ch. San shi 三事: acquiring the necessary goods, assuring the well-being of the people, and maintaining virtue). See also types 12 and 30. 19. 經綸天下 Kinh luân thiên hạ Ch. Jing lun tian xia // To weave (the immutable law) across the empire. Inscription found on coins of the Tự Đức89era. (Fig. 5). These four characters are taken from The Doctrine of the Mean: ‘Only when there is someone in the empire with the utmost sincerity, can he weave the immutable law across the empire’, (Wei Tianxia zhi cheng, wei neng jinglun Tianxia zhi dajing 唯天 下至誠,為能經綸天下之大經). 90 Fig. 5: Type 19, Tự Đức thông bảo, diameter 52 mm, 35.49 g., BnF, CMV no. 1778 20. Trị công đỉnh thịnh 治功鼎盛 Ch. Zhi gong ding sheng // Rule according to the [Nine] Meritorious Acts, and imperial power will fl ourish. 87 Schroeder, Annam. Etudes numismatiques, no. 319; AMM, no. V216; CMV, no. 1787. 88 Shujing, I-3, p. 35. 89 AS, III, p. 22; CMV, no. 1772. 90 Zhongyong, XXXII, p. 64. Legge (Four Books, p. 420) translates this as ‘It is only the individual possessed of the most entire sincerity that can exist under heaven, who can adjust the great invariable relations of mankind.’
THE CONFUCIAN MESSAGE ON VIETNAMESE COINS 381 Inscription found on coins of the Tự Đức91 era. The expression zhi gong 治功 is found in the Zhouli 周禮 92 and many other texts, and has the general meaning ‘to apply oneself to render service unto one’s country’. But it is essentially an abbreviation of zhi jiu gong 治九功, ‘to rule according to the Nine Meritorious Acts’, which defi ne the action and practice of the good ruler. The third character 鼎 (Ch. ding; Viet. đỉnh) refers to a physical object: the ancient Chinese bronze vessel known as ding, but is used here as a metaphor for the essence of imperial power. In ancient times the emperor Yu cast nine ding-vessels (Ch. jiu ding 九鼎), the possession of which was seen as proof of the legitimacy of the power of the Son of Heaven (i.e. the Zhou king). When in 255 BC King Zhaoxiang of Qin brought the Zhou dynasty to an end, he seized the nine ding, but as they were being transported to the capital of Qin, one of the ding fell into the river Si, thereby proving his illegitimacy for the role of Son of Heaven. Some years later, in 219, when his grandson Shihuangdi unifi ed all of the Warring States and became the First Emperor of China, he set about recovering the missing ding, but in spite of engaging hundreds of divers, he proved incapable of retrieving it, and was thus unable to prove his legitimacy in this way. See also types 18 and 30. 21. 兆民允懷 Triệu dân duẫn hoài Ch. Zhao min yun huai // All the people have sincere affection for him. Inscription found on coins of the Tự Đức93 era. This expression is taken from the Book of Shang, in the Book of Documents, and refers to King Shang Tang 商湯 who overthrew the tyrannical King Jie Gui 桀癸 of the Xia dynasty: ‘It is our King Shang who spread brilliantly his wisdom and military valour, replacing tyranny with magnanimity. All the people have sincere affection for him’ (wei wo Shang wang bu zhao sheng wu, dai nue yi kuan. Zhao min yun huai 惟我商王布昭聖武,代虐以寬。兆民允懷). 94 22. 庶政惟和 Thứ chính duy hòa Ch. Shu zheng wei he // All the affairs of State in harmony. Inscription found on coins of the Tự Đức era. 95 This expression is taken from The Offi cials of Zhou (Zhouguan 周官) in the Annals of Zhou (Zhoushu 周書) in the Book of Documents (Shujing): ‘When all the affairs of State are in harmony, all the principalities will be at peace’ (Shu zheng wei he, wan guo xian ning 庶正惟和,萬國咸寧). 96 The second character 政 is interchangeable with 正. Tự Đức was not the fi rst to make reference to this passage: Emperor 91 CMV, no. 1786; Barker, Historical cash coins of Viêt Nam, no. 202. 92 Zhouli, p. 80. 93 Lacroix, Numismatique annamite, no. 473; CMV, no. 1788. 94 Shujing, III-4, p. 115. 95 CMV, no. 1789; Barker, Historical cash coins of Viêt Nam, no. 201. 96 Shujing, IV-20, p. 332.
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THE CONFUCIAN MESSAGE ON VIETNAMESE COINS 381<br />
Inscription found on coins of the Tự Đức91 era.<br />
<strong>The</strong> expression zhi gong 治功 is found in the Zhouli 周禮 92 and many other texts,<br />
and has the general meaning ‘to apply oneself to render service unto one’s country’.<br />
But it is essentially an abbreviation of zhi jiu gong 治九功, ‘to rule according to<br />
the Nine Meritorious Acts’, which defi ne the action and practice of the good ruler.<br />
<strong>The</strong> third character 鼎 (Ch. ding; Viet. đỉnh) refers to a physical object: the ancient<br />
Chinese bronze vessel known as ding, but is used here as a metaphor for the essence<br />
of imperial power. In ancient times the emperor Yu cast nine ding-vessels (Ch. jiu<br />
ding 九鼎), the possession of which was seen as proof of the legitimacy of the power<br />
of the Son of Heaven (i.e. the Zhou king). When in 255 BC King Zhaoxiang of Qin<br />
brought the Zhou dynasty to an end, he seized the nine ding, but as they were being<br />
transported to the capital of Qin, one of the ding fell into the river Si, thereby proving<br />
his illegitimacy for the role of Son of Heaven. Some years later, in 219, when his<br />
grandson Shihuangdi unifi ed all of the Warring States and became the First Emperor<br />
of China, he set about recovering the missing ding, but in spite of engaging hundreds<br />
of divers, he proved incapable of retrieving it, and was thus unable to prove his<br />
legitimacy in this way. See also types 18 and 30.<br />
21. 兆民允懷 Triệu dân duẫn hoài<br />
Ch. Zhao min yun huai // All the people have sincere affection for him.<br />
Inscription found on coins of the Tự Đức93 era.<br />
This expression is taken from the Book of Shang, in the Book of Documents, and<br />
refers to King Shang Tang 商湯 who overthrew the tyrannical King Jie Gui 桀癸<br />
of the Xia dynasty: ‘It is our King Shang who spread brilliantly his wisdom and<br />
military valour, replacing tyranny with magnanimity. All the people have sincere<br />
affection for him’ (wei wo Shang wang bu zhao sheng wu, dai nue yi kuan. Zhao min<br />
yun huai 惟我商王布昭聖武,代虐以寬。兆民允懷). 94<br />
22. 庶政惟和 Thứ chính duy hòa<br />
Ch. Shu zheng wei he // All the affairs of State in harmony.<br />
Inscription found on coins of the Tự Đức era. 95<br />
This expression is taken from <strong>The</strong> Offi cials of Zhou (Zhouguan 周官) in the Annals<br />
of Zhou (Zhoushu 周書) in the Book of Documents (Shujing): ‘When all the affairs of<br />
State are in harmony, all the principalities will be at peace’ (Shu zheng wei he, wan<br />
guo xian ning 庶正惟和,萬國咸寧). 96 <strong>The</strong> second character 政 is interchangeable<br />
with 正. Tự Đức was not the fi rst to make reference to this passage: Emperor<br />
91 CMV, no. 1786; Barker, Historical cash coins of Viêt Nam, no. 202.<br />
92 Zhouli, p. 80.<br />
93 Lacroix, Numismatique annamite, no. 473; CMV, no. 1788.<br />
94 Shujing, III-4, p. 115.<br />
95 CMV, no. 1789; Barker, Historical cash coins of Viêt Nam, no. 201.<br />
96 Shujing, IV-20, p. 332.
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