《尚書‧堯典》「納于大麓」試詮 = An Exposition of "Being Sent to the Great Plains at the Foot of Hill" in the "Canon of Yao," Book of documents

The story of Yao’s abdication to Shun is written in the “Canon of Yao,” Book of Documents. Yao first tests Shun with educational and diplomatic affairs and Shun proves his ability with perfect performance. Yao then sends Shun to a great plains at a foot of hill where Shun has to face fierce wind, thunder, and rain, as the final phase of the test. Because this part is unrelated to politics and appears mythical, some scholars interpret it as an indication that Shun is appointed as official in charge of forests and waters or as prime minister. According to Qu Wan-Li’s study, “Canon of Yao” is written by Confucian scholars in the Warring States period, so it cannot be directly regarded as an evidential material of Yao’s time. It is only to a certain degree that accounts of ancient times record legends or myths of ancient people and reveal real-life needs and beliefs of ancient society. Similarly, scholars with concepts contemporary with their times may not interpret the recounts correctly, not to mention integrating them into the system of classics studies. To apply historical records to reality, past scholars on classics studies reinterpret and rationalize ancient legends; to find historical facts, current scholars study Yao’s abdication to Shun with an ethnological or sociological perspective. This article examines these two perspectives and organizes related theories to provide a new point of view.