View source for Book of Documents

{{Short description|One of the Five Classics of ancient Chinese literature}}
{{redirect|Shang Shu|the ruler of the state of Jin|Shang Shu (Jin)}}
{{redirect|Shangshu|the place in Anji, Zhejiang|Shangshu Township}}
{{Use Oxford spelling|date=November 2023}}
{{Cleanup|reason=use of chinese-language text needs to be pared down or edited to conform with |date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox book
| name = Book of Documents
| image = Guwen Shangshu TNM.jpg
| image_size = 315px
| caption = A page of an annotated ''Book of Documents'' manuscript from the 7th century, held by the [[Tokyo National Museum]]
| author = Various; {{trad.}} compiled by [[Confucius]]
| title_orig = {{langn|lzh|書}}
| country = China
| language = [[Old Chinese]]
| subject = Compilation of rhetorical prose
}}
{{Infobox Chinese|showflag=p
| pic = Shujing (Chinese characters).svg
| piccap = "Book of Documents" (''Shujing'') written using traditional (top) and simplified (bottom) characters
| picupright = 0.4
| t = 書經
| s = 书经
| l = "Classic of Documents"
| p = Shūjīng
| w = {{tonesup|Shu1-ching1}}
| h = {{tonesup|Su1-gang1}}
| tl = Tsu-king
|poj=Chu-keng
| mi = {{IPAc-cmn|sh|u|1|.|j|ing|1}}
| gr = Shujing
| j = Syu1-ging1
| y = Syū-gīng
| ci = {{IPAc-yue|s|yu|1|.|g|ing|1}}
| mc = sho-geng
| oc-bs = &ast;{{IPA|s-ta k-lˤeng}}{{sfnp|Baxter|Sagart|2014|pp=327-378}}
| t2 = {{linktext|尚書}}
| s2 = {{linktext|尚书}}
| l2 = "Venerated Documents"
| p2 = Shàngshū
| w2 = {{tonesup|Shang4-shu1}}
|poj2=Siōng-su
| tl2 = Siōng-su
| h2 = {{tonesup|Song4-su1}}
| mi2 = {{IPAc-cmn|sh|ang|4|.|sh|u|1}}
| j2 = Soeng6-syu1
| y2 = Seuhng-syū
| mc2 = {{IPA|dʒjàng-sho}}
| oc-bs2 = &ast;{{IPA|dang-s s-ta}}
| t3 = {{linktext|書}}
| s3 = {{linktext|书}}
| l3 = "Documents"
| poj3 = Chu
| tl3 = Tsu
| p3 = Shū
| w3 = {{tonesup|Shu1}}
| mi3 = {{IPAc-cmn|sh|u|1}}
| j3 = Syu1
| y3 = Syū
| mc3 = {{IPA|ʃo}}
| oc-bs3 = &ast;{{IPA|s-ta}}
| kanji = 書経
| romaji = Shokyō
| qn = Kinh Thư
| hangul = 서경
| hanja = 書經
| rr = Seogyeong
| hn = 經書
}}
{{Confucianism}}

[[File:Lineage of editions of the Shangshu during the Han dynasty .png|thumb|Lineage of editions during the Han dynasty]]
The '''''Book of Documents''''' ({{lang-zh|p=Shūjīng|c=書經|w=Shu King}}) or the '''''Classic of History''''',{{efn|Or simply as the '''''Shujing''''' or '''''Shangshu''''' ({{zhi|c=尚书|p=Shàngshū|l=Venerated Documents}})}} is one of the [[Five Classics]] of ancient [[Chinese literature]].  It is a collection of rhetorical prose attributed to figures of [[ancient China]], and served as the foundation of Chinese [[political philosophy]] for over two millennia.

The ''Book of Documents'' was the subject of one of China's oldest literary controversies, between proponents of different versions of the text. A version was preserved from [[Qin Shi Huang]]'s [[burning of books and burying of scholars]] by scholar [[Fu Sheng (scholar)|Fu Sheng]], in 29 chapters ({{tlit|zh|piān}} {{lang|zh|篇}}). This group of texts were referred to as "Modern Script" (or "Current Script"; {{tlit|zh|jīnwén}} {{lang|zh|今文}}), because they were written with the script in use at the beginning of the Western Han dynasty.

A longer version of the ''Documents'' was said to be discovered in the wall of [[Confucius]]'s family estate in [[Qufu]] by his descendant [[Kong Anguo]] in the late 2nd century&nbsp;BC. This new material was referred to as "[[Ancient Script Texts|Old Script]]" ({{tlit|zh|gǔwén}} {{lang|zh|古文}}), because they were written in the script that predated the standardization of Chinese script during the Qin. Compared to the Modern Script texts, the "Old Script" material had 16 more chapters. However, this seems to have been lost at the end of the Eastern [[Han dynasty]], while the Modern Script text enjoyed circulation, in particular in {{ill|Ouyang Gao's|zh|歐陽高}} study, called the ''Ouyang Shangshu'' ({{lang|zh|歐陽尚書}}). This was the basis of studies by [[Ma Rong]] and [[Zheng Xuan]] during the Eastern Han.<ref>{{Cite book |trans-title=Book of Later Han |title-link=Book of Later Han |script-title=zh:後漢書 |publisher=Dingwen shuju |location=Taipei |year=1981 |pages=79.2556 |language=zh}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Liu |first=Qiyu |author-mask=Liu Qiyu (劉起釪) |script-title=zh:尚書學史 |publisher=Zhonghua shuju |year=2018 |edition=2nd |pages=7 |language=zh}}</ref>

In 317&nbsp;AD, [[Mei Ze]] presented to the [[Eastern Jin]] court a 58-chapter (59 if the preface is counted) ''Book of Documents'' as Kong Anguo's version of the text. This version was accepted, despite the doubts of a few scholars, and later was canonized as part of [[Kong Yingda]]'s project. It was only in the 17th century that [[Qing dynasty]] scholar [[Yan Ruoqu]] demonstrated that the "old script" were actually fabrications "reconstructed" in the 3rd or 4th centuries&nbsp;AD.

In the transmitted edition, texts are grouped into four sections representing different eras: the legendary reign of [[Yu the Great]], and the [[Xia dynasty|Xia]], [[Shang dynasty|Shang]] and [[Zhou dynasty|Zhou]] dynasties. The Zhou section accounts for over half the text. Some of its modern-script chapters are among the earliest examples of Chinese prose, recording speeches from the early years of the Zhou dynasty in the late 11th century&nbsp;BC. Although the other three sections purport to record earlier material, most scholars believe that even the New Script chapters in these sections were composed later than those in the Zhou section, with chapters relating to the earliest periods being as recent as the 4th or 3rd centuries&nbsp;BC.{{sfnp|Lewis|1999|p=105}}{{sfnp|Nylan|2001|pp=134, 158}}

==Textual history==
The history of the various versions of the ''Documents'' is particularly complex, and has been the subject of a long-running literary and philosophical controversy.

=== Early references ===
According to a later tradition, the ''Book of Documents'' was compiled by [[Confucius]] (551–479&nbsp;BC) as a selection from a much larger group of documents, with some of the remainder being included in the ''[[Yi Zhou Shu]]''.{{sfnp|Allan|2012|pp=548–549, 551}} However, the early history of both texts is obscure.{{sfnp|Allan|2012|p=550}} Beginning with Confucius, writers increasingly drew on the ''Documents'' to illustrate general principles, though it seems that several different versions were in use.{{sfnp|Nylan|2001|p=127}}

Six citations to unnamed chapters of the ''Documents''  appear in the ''[[Analects]]''. While Confucius invoked the pre-dynastic emperors [[Emperor Yao|Yao]] and [[Emperor Shun|Shun]], as well as figures from the [[Xia dynasty|Xia]] and [[Shang dynasty|Shang]] dynasties, he complained of the lack of documentation prior to the Zhou. The ''Documents'' were cited increasingly frequently in works through the 4th century&nbsp;BC, including in the ''[[Mencius (book)|Mencius]]'', ''[[Mozi]]'' and ''[[Zuo Zhuan]]''. These authors favoured documents relating to Yao, Shun and the Xia dynasty, chapters now believed to have been written in the [[Warring States period]]. The chapters currently believed to be the oldest—mostly relating to the early Zhou—were little used by Warring States authors, perhaps due to the difficulty of the archaic language or a less familiar worldview.{{sfnp|Lewis|1999|pp=105–108}} Fewer than half the passages quoted by these authors are present in the received text.{{sfnp|Schaberg|2001|p=78}} Authors such as [[Mencius]] and [[Xunzi (philosopher)|Xunzi]], while quoting the ''Documents'', refused to accept it as genuine in its entirety. Their attitude contrasts with the reverence later shown to the text during the Han dynasty, when its compilation was attributed to Confucius.{{sfnp|Nylan|2001|pp=127–128}}

=== Han dynasty: Modern and Old Scripts ===
[[File:Wang Wei 001.jpg|thumb|alt=Elderly Chinese man, seated at a low writing desk and holding a scroll|''Fu Sheng expounding on the Classic'', attributed to [[Wang Wei (Tang dynasty)|Wang Wei]] (8th century)]]
Many copies of the work were destroyed in the [[Burning of books and burying of scholars|Burning of Books]] during the [[Qin dynasty]].
[[Fu Sheng (scholar)|Fu Sheng]] reconstructed part of the work from hidden copies in the late 3rd to early 2nd century BC, at the start of the succeeding [[Han dynasty]]. The texts that he transmitted were known as the "Modern Script" ({{lang|zh|今文}} {{tlit|zh|jīn wén}}) because it was written in the [[clerical script]].{{sfnp|Nylan|2001|p=130}}{{sfnp|Shaughnessy|1993|p=381}}
It originally consisted of 29 chapters, but the "Great Speech" 太誓 chapter was lost shortly afterwards and replaced by a new version.{{sfnp|Nylan|1995|p=26}} The remaining 28 chapters were later expanded into 30 when Ouyang Gao divided the "Pangeng" chapter into three sections.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Liu Qiyü 劉起釘.|title=Shangshu xue shi 尚書學史|publisher=Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju 中華書局|year=1996|pages=153}}</ref>

During the reign of [[Emperor Wu of Han|Emperor Wu]], renovations of the home of Confucius are said to have uncovered several manuscripts hidden within a wall, including a longer version of the ''Documents''.
These texts were referred to as "Old Script" because they were written in the pre-Qin [[seal script]].{{sfnp|Shaughnessy|1993|p=381}}
They were transcribed into clerical script and interpreted by Confucius' descendant [[Kong Anguo]].{{sfnp|Shaughnessy|1993|p=381}}
Han dynasty sources give contradictory accounts of the nature of this find.{{sfnp|Nylan|1995|pp=28–36}} According to the commonly repeated account of the ''[[Book of Han]]'', the "Old Script" texts included the chapters preserved by Fu Sheng, another version of the "Great Speech" chapter and some 16 additional ones.{{sfnp|Shaughnessy|1993|p=381}}
It is unclear what happened to these manuscripts. According to the ''Book of Han'', [[Liu Xiang (scholar)|Liu Xiang]] collated the Old Script version against the three main "Modern Script" traditions, creating a version of the ''Documents'' that included both groups. This was championed by his son [[Liu Xin (scholar)|Liu Xin]],{{sfnp|Nylan|1995|p=48}}
who requested in a letter to Emperor Ai the establishment of a ''boshi'' position for its study.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Hanshu 漢書 |pages=36.1967–1970}}</ref> But this did not happen. Most likely, this edition put together by the imperial librarians was lost in the chaos that ended the Western Han dynasty, and the later movement of the capital and imperial library.

A list of 100 chapter titles was also in circulation; many are mentioned in the ''[[Records of the Grand Historian]]'', but without quoting the text of the other chapters.{{sfnp|Brooks|2011|p=87}}

The ''shu'' were designated one of the [[Five Classics]] when Confucian works made official by [[Emperor Wu of Han]], and {{tlit|zh|jīng}} ('classic') was added to its name.
The term {{tlit|zh|Shàngshū}} 'venerated documents' was also used in the Eastern Han.{{sfnp|Wilkinson|2000|pp=475–477}}
The [[Xiping Stone Classics]], set up outside the imperial academy in 175–183 but since destroyed, included a Modern Script version of the ''Documents''.{{sfnp|Shaughnessy|1993|p=383}}
Most Han dynasty scholars ignored the Old Script version, and it disappeared by the end of the dynasty.{{sfnp|Brooks|2011|p=87}}

=== Claimed recovery of Old Script texts ===
A version of the ''Documents'' that included the "Old Script" texts was allegedly rediscovered by the scholar [[Mei Ze]] during the 4th century, and presented to the imperial court of the [[Jin dynasty (265-420)|Eastern Jin]].{{sfnp|Shaughnessy|1993|p=383}}
His version consisted of the 31 modern script texts in 33 chapters, and 18 additional old script texts in 25 chapters, with a preface and commentary purportedly written by Kong Anguo.{{sfnp|Shaughnessy|1993|pp=376–377}} This was presented as ''Guwen Shangshu'' 古文尚書, and was widely accepted. It was the basis of the {{tlit|zh|Shàngshū zhèngyì}} ({{lang|zh|尚書正義}} 'Correct interpretation of the ''Documents''') published in 653 and made the official interpretation of the ''Documents'' by imperial decree. The oldest extant copy of the text, included in the [[Kaicheng Stone Classics]] (833–837), contains all of these chapters.{{sfnp|Shaughnessy|1993|p=383}}

Since the [[Song dynasty]], starting from Wu Yu ({{lang|zh|吳棫}}), many doubts had been expressed concerning the provenance of the allegedly rediscovered "Old Script" texts in Mei Ze's edition. In the 16th century, Mei Zhuo ({{lang|zh|梅鷟}}) published a detailed argument that these chapters, as well as the preface and commentary, were forged in the 3rd century AD using material from other historical sources such as the ''[[Zuo Commentary]]'' and the ''[[Records of the Grand Historian]]''. Mei identified the sources from which the forger had cut and pasted text, and even suggested [[Huangfu Mi]] as a probable culprit. In the 17th century, [[Yan Ruoqu]]'s unpublished but widely distributed manuscript entitled ''Evidential analysis of the Old Script Documents'' ({{zhi|c=尚書古文疏證|p=Shàngshū gǔwén shūzhèng}}) convinced most scholars that the rediscovered Old Script texts were fabricated in the 3rd or 4th centuries.{{sfnp|Elman|1983|pp=206–213}}

=== Modern discoveries ===
New light has been shed on the ''Book of Documents'' by the recovery between 1993 and 2008 of caches of [[Bamboo and wooden slips|texts written on bamboo slips]] from tombs of the [[state of Chu]] in [[Jingmen, Hubei]].{{sfnp|Liao|2001}} These texts are believed to date from the late Warring States period, around 300 BC, and thus predate the burning of the books during the Qin dynasty.{{sfnp|Liao|2001}} The [[Guodian Chu Slips]] and the Shanghai Museum corpus include quotations of previously unknown passages of the work.{{sfnp|Liao|2001}}{{sfnp|Shaughnessy|2006|pp=56–58}} The [[Tsinghua Bamboo Slips]] includes a version of the transmitted text "Golden Coffer", with minor textual differences, as well as several documents in the same style that are not included in the received text.  The collection also includes two documents that the editors considered to be versions of the Old Script texts "Common Possession of Pure Virtue" and "Command to [[Fu Yue]]".<ref>{{cite web|title=First Research Results on Warring States Bamboo Strips Collected by Tsinghua University Released |publisher=[[Tsinghua University]] |work=Tsinghua University News |date=May 26, 2011 |url=http://news.tsinghua.edu.cn/publish/newsen/6057/2011/20110304172109458964142/20110304172109458964142_.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725180238/http://news.tsinghua.edu.cn/publish/newsen/6057/2011/20110304172109458964142/20110304172109458964142_.html |archive-date=2011-07-25 }}</ref> Other authors have challenged these straightforward identifications.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Li Rui 李銳|date=2013|title=清华简《傅说之命》研究.|journal=Shenzhen Daxue Xuebao. Shehui Kexueban. 深圳大学学报(人文社会科学版) Journal of Shenzhen University (Humanities & Social Sciences)|volume=30|issue=6|pages=68–72}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Edward L. Shaughnessy|date=2020|title=A Possible Lost Classic: The *She Ming, or *Command to She.|journal=T'oung Pao|volume=106.3–4|pages=266–308}}</ref>

==Contents==
In the orthodox arrangement, the work consists of 58 chapters, each with a brief preface traditionally attributed to Confucius, and also includes a preface and commentary, both purportedly by Kong Anguo.
An alternative organization, first used by [[Wu Cheng (philosopher)|Wu Cheng]], includes only the Modern Script chapters, with the chapter prefaces collected together, but omitting the Kong preface and commentary.
In addition, several chapters are divided into two or three parts in the orthodox form.{{sfnp|Shaughnessy|1993|pp=376–377}}

===Nature of the chapters===
With the exception of a few chapters of late date, the chapters are represented as records of formal speeches by kings or other important figures.{{sfnp|Allan|2011|p=3}}{{sfnp|Allan|2012|p=552}}
Most of these speeches are of one of five types, indicated by their titles:{{sfnp|Shaughnessy|1993|p=377}}
* Consultations ({{lang|zh|謨}} {{tlit|zh|mó}}) between the king and his ministers (2 chapters),
* Instructions ({{lang|zh|訓}} {{tlit|zh|xùn}}) to the king from his ministers (1 chapter),
* Announcements ({{lang|zh|誥}} {{tlit|zh|gào}}) by the king to his people (8 chapters),
* Declarations ({{lang|zh|誓}} {{tlit|zh|shì}}) by a ruler on the occasion of a battle (6 chapters), and
* Commands ({{lang|zh|命}} {{tlit|zh|mìng}}) by the king to a specific vassal (7 chapters).

Classical Chinese tradition lists six types of ''Shu'', beginning with ''dian'' {{lang|zh|典}}, Canons (2 chapters in the Modern corpus).

According to [[Su Shi]] (1037–1101), it is possible to single out Eight Announcements of the early Zhou, directed to the Shang people. Their titles only partially correspond to the modern chapters marked as ''gao'' (apart from the nos. 13, 14, 15, 17, 18 that mention the genre, Su Shi names nos. 16 "Zi cai", 19 "Duo shi" and 22 "Duo fang").

As pointed out by [[Chen Mengjia]] (1911–1966), announcements and commands are similar, but differ in that commands usually include granting of valuable objects, land or servants to their recipients.

Guo Changbao {{lang|zh|过常宝}} claims that the graph for announcement ({{lang|zh|誥}}), known since the [[Oracle bone script]], also appears on two bronze vessels (''[[He zun]]'' and ''Shi Zhi gui'' {{lang|zh|史[臣+舌]簋}}), as well as in the "six genres" {{lang|zh|六辞}} of the ''[[Zhou li]]''<ref>{{lang|zh|论5尚书6诰体的文化背景}}</ref>{{clarify|date=February 2014}}

In many cases a speech is introduced with the phrase {{tlit|zh|Wáng ruò yuē}} ({{lang|zh|王若曰}} 'The king seemingly said'), which also appears on commemorative [[Chinese bronze inscriptions|bronze inscriptions]] from the Western Zhou period, but not in other received texts.
Scholars interpret this as meaning that the original documents were prepared scripts of speeches, to be read out by an official on behalf of the king.{{sfnp|Allan|2011|pp=3–5}}{{sfnp|Allan|2012|pp=552–556}}

===Traditional organization===
The chapters are grouped into four sections representing different eras: the semi-mythical reign of [[Yu the Great]], and the three ancient dynasties of the [[Xia dynasty|Xia]], [[Shang dynasty|Shang]] and [[Zhou dynasty|Zhou]].
The first two sections – on Yu the Great and the Xia dynasty – contain two chapters each in the Modern Script version, and though they purport to record the earliest material in the ''Documents'', from the 2nd millennium BC, most scholars believe they were written during the [[Warring States period]].
The Shang dynasty section contains five chapters, of which the first two – the "Speech of [[Tang of Shang|King Tang]]" and "[[Pan Geng]]" – recount the conquest of the Xia by the Shang and their leadership's migration to a new capital (now identified as [[Anyang]]).
The bulk of the Zhou dynasty section concerns the reign of [[King Cheng of Zhou]] (r. {{Circa|1040}}–1006 BC) and the king's uncles, the [[Duke of Zhou]] and [[Duke of Shao]].
The last four Modern Script chapters relate to the later Western Zhou and early Spring and Autumn periods.{{sfnp|Shaughnessy|1993|pp=378–380}}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
|+ Chapters of the {{tlit|zh|Book of Documents}}
|-
! Part
! {{Color box|#F5DEB3|New|border=darkgray}}<br />{{Color box|#EDA|Text|border=darkgray}}
! Orthodox<br />chapter
! colspan="3" | Title
|-
| align="center" rowspan="5" | {{lang|zh|虞書}}<br />Yu [Shun]
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" rowspan="2" | 1
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 1
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|堯典}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Yáo diǎn}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Canon of [[Emperor Yao|Yao]]
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 2
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|舜典}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Shùn diǎn}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Canon of [[Shun (Chinese leader)|Shun]]
|-
| |
| align="center" | 3
| {{lang|zh|大禹謨}}
| {{tlit|zh|Dà Yǔ mó}}
| Counsels of [[Yu the Great|Great Yu]]
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" rowspan="2" | 2
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 4
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|皋陶謨}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Gāo Yáo mó}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Counsels of [[Gao Yao (Minister for Law)|Gao Yao]]
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 5
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|益稷}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Yì jì}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Yi and Ji
|-
| align="center" rowspan="4" | {{lang|zh|夏書}}<br />Xia
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 3
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 6
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|禹貢}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | [[Yu Gong|{{tlit|zh|Yǔ gòng}}]]
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Tribute of [Great] Yu
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 4
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 7
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|甘誓}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Gān shì}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Speech at [the Battle of] Gan
|-
| rowspan="2" |
| align="center" | 8
| {{lang|zh|五子之歌}}
| {{tlit|zh|Wǔ zǐ zhī gē}}
| Songs of the Five Sons
|-
| align="center" | 9
| {{lang|zh|胤征}}
| {{tlit|zh|Yìn zhēng}}
| Punitive Expedition on [King Zhongkang of] Yin
|-
| align="center" rowspan="11" | {{lang|zh|商書}}<br />Shang
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 5
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 10
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|湯誓}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Tāng shì}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Speech of [[Tang of Shang|Tang]]
|-
| rowspan="5" |
| align="center" | 11
| {{lang|zh|仲虺之誥}}
| {{tlit|zh|Zhònghuī zhī gào}}
| Announcement of Zhonghui
|-
| align="center" | 12
| {{lang|zh|湯誥}}
| {{tlit|zh|Tāng gào}}
| Announcement of Tang
|-
| align="center" | 13
| {{lang|zh|伊訓}}
| {{tlit|zh|Yī xùn}}
| Instructions of [[Yi Yin|Yi [Yin]]]
|-
| align="center" | 14–16
| {{lang|zh|太甲}}
| {{tlit|zh|Tài jiǎ}}
| Great Oath parts 1, 2 & 3
|-
| align="center" | 17
| {{lang|zh|咸有一德}}
| {{tlit|zh|Xián yǒu yī dé}}
| Common Possession of Pure Virtue
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 6
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 18–20
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|盤庚}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Pán Gēng}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | [[Pan Geng]] parts 1, 2 & 3
|-
| |
| align="center" | 21–23
| {{lang|zh|說命}}
| {{tlit|zh|Yuè mìng}}
| Charge to [[Fu Yue|Yue]] parts 1, 2 & 3
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 7
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 24
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|高宗肜日}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Gāozōng róng rì}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Day of the Supplementary Sacrifice of [[Wu Ding|King Gaozong]]
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 8
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 25
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|西伯戡黎}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Xībó kān lí}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Chief of the West [King Wen]'s Conquest of [the State of] Li
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 9
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 26
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|微子}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Wēizǐ}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | <span class="lesen">[Prince] Weizi</span>
|-
| align="center" rowspan="30" | {{lang|zh|周書}}<br />Zhou
| |
| align="center" | 27–29
| {{lang|zh|泰誓}}
| {{tlit|zh|Tài shì}}
| Great Speech parts 1, 2 & 3
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 10
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 30
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|牧誓}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Mù shì}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Speech at [[Battle of Muye|Muye]]
|-
| |
| align="center" | 31
| {{lang|zh|武成}}
| {{tlit|zh|Wǔ chéng}}
| Successful Completion of the War [on Shang]
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 11
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 32
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|洪範}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Hóng fàn}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Great Plan [of Jizi]
|-
| |
| align="center" | 33
| {{lang|zh|旅獒}}
| {{tlit|zh|Lǚ áo}}
| Hounds of [the Western Tribesmen] Lü
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 12
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 34
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|金滕}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Jīn téng}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Golden Coffer [of Zhou Gong]
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 13
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 35
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|大誥}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Dà gào}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Great Announcement
|-
| |
| align="center" | 36
| {{lang|zh|微子之命}}
| {{tlit|zh|Wēizǐ zhī mìng}}
| Charge to Prince Weizi
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 14
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 37
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|康誥}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Kāng gào}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Announcement to [[King Kang of Zhou|Kang]]
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 15
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 38
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|酒誥}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Jiǔ gào}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Announcement about Drunkenness
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 16
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 39
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|梓材}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Zǐ cái}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Timber of Rottlera
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 17
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 40
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|召誥}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Shào gào}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Announcement of Duke Shao
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 18
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 41
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|洛誥}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Luò gào}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Announcement concerning [[Luoyang]]
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 19
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 42
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|多士}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Duō shì}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Numerous Officers
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 20
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 43
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|無逸}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Wú yì}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Against Luxurious Ease
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 21
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 44
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|君奭}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Jūn shì}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Lord Shi [Duke Shao]
|-
| |
| align="center" | 45
| {{lang|zh|蔡仲之命}}
| {{tlit|zh|Cài Zhòng zhī mìng}}
| Charge to Cai Zhong
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 22
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 46
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|多方}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Duō fāng}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Numerous Regions
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 23
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 47
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|立政}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Lì zhèng}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Establishment of Government
|-
| rowspan="2" |
| align="center" | 48
| {{lang|zh|周官}}
| {{tlit|zh|Zhōu guān}}
| Officers of Zhou
|-
| align="center" | 49
| {{lang|zh|君陳}}
| {{tlit|zh|Jūn chén}}
| Lord Chen
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" rowspan="2" | 24
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 50
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|顧命}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Gù mìng}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Testamentary Charge
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 51
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|康王之誥}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Kāng wáng zhī gào}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Proclamation of King Kang
|-
| rowspan="3" |
| align="center" | 52
| {{lang|zh|畢命}}
| {{tlit|zh|Bì mìng}}
| Charge to the [Duke of] Bi
|-
| align="center" | 53
| {{lang|zh|君牙}}
| {{tlit|zh|Jūn Yá}}
| Lord Ya
|-
| align="center" | 54
| {{lang|zh|冏命}}
| {{tlit|zh|Jiǒng mìng}}
| Charge to Jiong
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 25
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 55
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|呂刑}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Lǚ xíng}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | [Marquis] Lü on Punishments
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 26
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 56
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|文侯之命}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Wén hóu zhī mìng}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Charge to [[Duke Wen of Jin]]
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 27
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 57
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|費誓}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Fèi shì}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Speech at [the Battle of] Fei
|-
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 28
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" align="center" | 58
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{lang|zh|秦誓}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | {{tlit|zh|Qín shì}}
| bgcolor="#F5DEB3" | Speech of [[Duke Mu of Qin]]
|}

== Dating of the Modern Script chapters ==
Not all of the Modern Script chapters are believed to be contemporaneous with the events they describe, which range from the legendary emperors [[Emperor Yao|Yao]] and [[Emperor Shun|Shun]] to early in the [[Spring and Autumn period]].{{sfnp|Shaughnessy|1993|pp=377–380}}
Six of these chapters concern figures prior to the first evidence of writing, the [[oracle bones]] dating from the reign of the [[Late Shang]] king [[Wu Ding]].
Moreover, the chapters dealing with the earliest periods are the closest in language and focus to classical works of the [[Warring States period]].{{sfnp|Nylan|2001|pp=133–135}}

The five announcements in the Documents of Zhou feature the most archaic language, closely resembling inscriptions found on Western Zhou bronzes in both grammar and vocabulary.
They are considered by most scholars to record speeches of [[King Cheng of Zhou]], as well as the [[Duke of Zhou]] and [[Duke of Shao]], uncles of King Cheng who were key figures during his reign (late 11th century BC).{{sfnp|Shaughnessy|1999|p=294}}{{sfnp|Nylan|2001|p=133}}  They provide insight into the politics and ideology of the period, including the doctrine of the [[Mandate of Heaven]], explaining how the once-virtuous Xia had become corrupt and were replaced by the virtuous Shang, who went through a similar cycle ending in their replacement by the Zhou.{{sfnp|Shaughnessy|1999|pp=294–295}}
The "Timber of Rottlera", "Numerous Officers", "Against Luxurious Ease" and "Numerous Regions" chapters are believed to have been written somewhat later, in the late Western Zhou period.{{sfnp|Nylan|2001|p=133}}
A minority of scholars, pointing to differences in language between the announcements and Zhou bronzes, argue that all of these chapters are products of a commemorative tradition in the late Western Zhou or early Spring and Autumn periods.{{sfnp|Kern|2009|pp=146, 182–188}}{{sfnp|Vogelsang|2002|pp=196–197}}

Chapters dealing with the late Shang and the transition to Zhou use less archaic language.
They are believed to have been modelled on the earlier speeches by writers in the Spring and Autumn period, a time of renewed interest in politics and dynastic decline.{{sfnp|Nylan|2001|p=133}}{{sfnp|Lewis|1999|p=105}}
The later chapters of the Zhou section are also believed to have been written around this time.{{sfnp|Shaughnessy|1993|p=380}}
The "Gaozong Rongri" chapter comprises only 82 characters, and its interpretation was already disputed in Western Han commentaries.
Pointing to the similarity of its title to formulas found in the Anyang [[oracle bone inscriptions]], [[David Shepherd Nivison|David Nivison]] proposed that the chapter was written or recorded by a collateral descendant of [[Wu Ding]] in the late Shang period some time after 1140 BC.{{sfnp|Nivison|2018|pp=22–23, 27–28}}

The "Pan Geng" chapter (later divided into three parts) seems to be intermediate in style between this group and the next.{{sfnp|Nylan|2001|p=134}} It is the longest speech in the ''Documents'', and is unusual in its extensive use of analogy.{{sfnp|Shih|2013|pp=818–819}}  Scholars since the Tang dynasty have noted the difficult language of the "Pan Geng" and the Zhou Announcement chapters.{{efn|[[Han Yu]] used the idiom {{lang|zh|佶屈聱牙}} (roughly meaning 'unflowing' and 'difficult to say') to describe the Zhou 'Announcements' and the Yin (Shang) 'Pan Geng'.}} Citing the archaic language and worldview, Chinese scholars have argued for a Shang dynasty provenance for the "Pan Geng" chapters, with considerable editing and replacement of the vocabulary by Zhou dynasty authors accounting for the difference in language from Shang inscriptions.<ref>{{lang|zh|範文瀾："《盤庚》三篇是無可懷疑的商朝遺文（篇中可能有訓詁改字）"}}</ref>

The chapters dealing with the legendary emperors, the Xia dynasty and the transition to Shang are very similar in language to such classics as the ''Mencius'' (late 4th century BC).
They present idealized rulers, with the earlier political concerns subordinate to moral and cosmological theory, and are believed to be the products of philosophical schools of the late Warring States period.{{sfnp|Lewis|1999|p=105}}{{sfnp|Nylan|2001|p=134}}
Some chapters, particularly the "Tribute of Yu", may be as late as the [[Qin dynasty]].{{sfnp|Nylan|2001|pp=134, 158}}{{sfnp|Shaughnessy|1993|p=378}}

== Influence in the West==
When Jesuit scholars prepared the first translations of Chinese Classics into Latin, they called the ''Documents'' the "Book of Kings", making a parallel with the [[Books of Kings]] in the [[Old Testament]]. They saw [[Shang Di]] as the equivalent of the Christian God, and used passages from the ''Documents'' in their commentaries on other works.<ref>{{cite book |last = Meynard |first = Thierry |year = 2015 |title = The Jesuit Reading of Confucius : The First Complete Translation of the Lunyu (1687) Published in the West |publisher = Brill |location = Leiden, Boston |isbn = 978-90-04-28977-2 |page=47 |ref = none }}</ref>

== Notable translations ==
* {{cite book |first=Antoine | last=Gaubil |author-link=Antoine Gaubil |title= Le Chou-king, un des livres sacrés des Chinois, qui renferme les fondements de leur ancienne histoire, les principes de leur gouvernement & de leur morale; ouvrage recueilli par Confucius |trans-title=The Shūjīng, one of the Sacred Books of the Chinese, which contains the Foundations of their Ancient History, the Principles of their Government and their Morality; Material collected by Confucius |publisher=N. M. Tillard | location=Paris | year=1770 |url = https://archive.org/details/lechoukingundes00conggoog |language=fr |ref=none }}
* {{cite book | first=W. H. | last=Medhurst |author-link=Walter Henry Medhurst | title=Ancient China. The Shoo King or the Historical Classic | location=Shanghai | publisher=The Mission Press | year=1846 | url=https://archive.org/details/ancientchinasho00chingoog |ref=none }}
* {{cite book | first=James | last=Legge | author-link=James Legge | title=The Chinese Classics, volume III: the Shoo King or the Book of Historical Documents | location=London | publisher=Trubner | year=1865 |ref=none }}; rpt. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 1960. (Full Chinese text with English translation using Legge's own romanization system, with extensive background and annotations.)
** [https://archive.org/details/chineseclassics07legggoog part 1]: Prolegomena and chapters 1–26 (up to books of Shang)
** [https://archive.org/details/chineseclassics01minggoog part 2]: chapters 27–58 (books of Zhou), indexes
* {{cite book | first=James | last=Legge | title=The Shû king; The religious portions of the Shih king; The Hsiâo king | series=[[Sacred Books of the East]] | volume=3 | location=Oxford | publisher=Clarendon Press | url=https://archive.org/details/sacredbooksofch03conf | year=1879 |ref=none }} Includes a minor revision of Legge's translation.
* {{cite book | first=Séraphin | last=Couvreur | author-link=Séraphin Couvreur |title = Chou King, Les Annales de la Chine |trans-title=Shujing, the Annals of China |location=Hokkien | publisher=Mission Catholique | year=1897 | url = http://classiques.uqac.ca/classiques/chine_ancienne/B_livres_canoniques_Grands_Kings/B_03_Chou_king/Chou_king.html |language=fr |ref=none }} Reprinted (1999), Paris: You Feng.
* {{cite journal | first=Bernhard | last=Karlgren | author-link=Bernhard Karlgren | title = The Book of Documents | journal=Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities | volume=22 | year=1950 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/Bulletin22/page/n8 1]–81 | url = https://archive.org/details/Bulletin22 |ref=none }} (Modern Script chapters only)  Reprinted as a separate volume by Elanders in 1950.
*{{cite book | first=Jōken {{lang|zh|加藤常賢}} | last=Katō | title=Shin kobun Shōsho shūshaku | script-title=ja:真古文尚書集釈 |trans-title=Authentic 'Old Text' Shàngshū, with Collected Commentary | location=Tokyo | publisher=Meiji shoin | year=1964 |language=ja |ref=none }}
*{{in lang|cmn}} {{cite book | first=Wanli {{lang|zh|屈萬里}}| last=Qu | title=Shàngshū jīnzhù jīnyì | script-title=zh:尚書今注今譯 |trans-title=The Book of Documents, with Modern Annotations and Translation | location=Taipei | publisher=Taiwan shangwu yinshuguan | year=1969 |ref=none }}
* {{cite book | first=Clae | last=Waltham | title=Shu ching: Book of History. A Modernized Edition of the Translation of James Legge | location=Chicago | publisher= Henry Regnery | year=1971 |ref=none }}
*{{cite book | first=Suitoshi {{lang|zh|池田末利}} | last=Ikeda | title=Shōsho | script-title=ja:尚書 |trans-title=Shàngshū | location=Tokyo | publisher=Shūeisha | year=1976 |language=ja |ref=none }}
*{{cite book | first1=Martin | last1=Palmer | first2=Jay | last2=Ramsay | first3=Victoria | last3=Finlay | title=The Most Venerable Book (Shang Shu) also known as the Shu Jing (The Classic of Chronicles) | location=London | publisher=Penguin Books | year=2014 |ref=none }}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist|20em}}

=== Works cited ===
{{refbegin|35em|indent=yes}}
* {{citation
  | title = What is a ''shu 書''?
  | given = Sarah | surname = Allan | author-link = Sarah Allan
  | journal = EASCM Newsletter | year = 2011 | number = 4 | pages = 1–5
  | url = http://www.zo.uni-heidelberg.de/md/zo/eascm/eascm_news_4.pdf
  | postscript = .
  }}
* {{citation
  | title = On ''Shu'' {{lang|zh|書}} (Documents) and the origin of the ''Shang shu'' {{lang|zh|尚書}} (Ancient Documents) in light of recently discovered bamboo slip manuscripts
  | given = Sarah | surname = Allan | author-mask = 3
  | journal = Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies
  | volume = 75 | issue = 3 | year = 2012 | pages = 547–557
  | doi = 10.1017/S0041977X12000547
  | postscript = .
  }}
* {{cite book 
  | given = William H. | surname = Baxter | given2 = Laurent | surname2 = Sagart 
  | title = Old Chinese: A New Reconstruction 
  | location = Oxford; New York | publisher = Oxford University Press | year=2014
  | isbn = 978-0-19-994537-5 
  }}
* {{citation
  | title = The Shu
  | given = E. Bruce | surname = Brooks
  | journal = Warring States Papers | volume = 2 | year = 2011 | pages = 87–90
  | url = http://www.umass.edu/wsp/sinica/wsp2-087-090.pdf
  | postscript = .
  }}{{dead link | date = December 2013}}
* {{citation
  | title = Philosophy (''i-li'') versus philology (''k'ao-cheng'')—the ''jen-hsin Tao-hsin'' debate
  | given = Benjamin A. | surname = Elman
  | journal = [[T'oung Pao]] | volume = 69 | issue = 4 | year = 1983 | pages = 175–222
  | jstor = 4528296 | doi = 10.1163/156853283x00081
  | url = http://www.princeton.edu/~elman/documents/PHILOSOPHY_(I-LI)_VERSUS_PHILOLOGY_(K'AO-CHENG)--THE_JEN-HSIN_TAO-HSIN_DEBATE.pdf
  | postscript = .
  }}
* {{citation
  | chapter = Bronze inscriptions, the ''Shijing'' and the ''Shangshu'': the evolution of the ancestral sacrifice during the Western Zhou
  | given = Martin | surname = Kern
  | chapter-url = http://www.princeton.edu/~mkern/Ancestors.pdf
  | pages = 143–200
  | title = Early Chinese Religion, Part One: Shang Through Han (1250 BC to 220 AD)
  | editor-given1 = John | editor-surname1 = Lagerwey
  | editor-given2 = Marc | editor-surname2 = Kalinowski
  | location = Leiden | publisher = Brill | year = 2009
  | isbn = 978-90-04-16835-0
  | postscript = .
  }}
* {{citation
  | title = Writing and authority in early China
  | given = Mark Edward | surname = Lewis
  | publisher = SUNY Press | year = 1999 | isbn = 978-0-7914-4114-5
  | postscript = .
  }}
* {{citation
  | surname = Liao | given = Mingchun
  | title = A Preliminary Study on the Newly-unearthed Bamboo Inscriptions of the Chu Kingdom: An Investigation of the Materials from and about the Shangshu in the Guodian Chu Slips
  | language = zh
  | publisher = Taiwan Guji Publishing Co. | location = Taipei | year = 2001
  | isbn = 957-0414-59-6
  | postscript = .
  }}
* {{citation
  | surname = Nivison | given = David S. | author-link = David Shepherd Nivison
  | chapter = The King and the Bird: a Possible Genuine Shang Literary Text and Its Echoes in Later Philosophy and Religion
  | pages = 22–28
  | title = The Nivison Annals : Selected Works of David S. Nivison on Early Chinese Chronology, Astronomy, and Historiography
  | editor-surname = Schwartz | editor-given = Adam C.
  | location = Berlin | publisher = De Gruyter Mouton | year = 2018 | orig-year = 1984
  | isbn = 978-1-5015-0539-3
  | doi = 10.1515/9781501505393-003 | doi-access = free
  | postscript = .
  }}
* {{citation
  | title = The ''Ku Wen'' ''Documents'' in Han Times
  | given = Michael | surname = Nylan | author-link = Michael Nylan
  | journal = T'oung Pao | volume = 81 | issue = 1/3 | year = 1995
  | pages = 25–50 | jstor = 4528653 | doi=10.1163/156853295x00024
  | postscript = .
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* {{citation
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  | given = Michael | surname = Nylan | author-mask = 3
  | publisher = Yale University Press | year = 2001 | isbn = 978-0-300-08185-5
  | postscript = .
  }}
* {{citation
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  | given = David | surname = Schaberg
  | publisher = Harvard Univ Asia Center | year = 2001
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  | postscript = .
  }}
* {{cite book
  | chapter = ''Shang shu'' {{lang|zh|尚書}}
  | given = Edward L. | surname = Shaughnessy | author-link = Edward L. Shaughnessy
  | title = Early Chinese Texts: A Bibliographical Guide
  | editor-given = Michael | editor-surname = Loewe
  | publisher = Society for the Study of Early China; Institute for East Asian Studies, University of California Berkeley | location = Berkeley | year = 1993
  | isbn = 978-1-55729-043-4
  | pages = 376–389
  }}
* {{citation
  | chapter = Western Zhou history
  | given = Edward L. | surname = Shaughnessy | author-mask = 3
  | editor-given1 = Michael | editor-surname1 = Loewe
  | editor-given2 = Edward L. | editor-surname2 = Shaughnessy
  | title = The Cambridge History of Ancient China
  | publisher = Cambridge University Press | location = Cambridge | year = 1999
  | isbn = 978-0-521-47030-8
  | pages = 292–351
  | postscript = .
  | title-link = The Cambridge History of Ancient China }}
* {{citation
  | title = Rewriting early Chinese texts
  | given = Edward L. | surname = Shaughnessy | author-mask = 3
  | publisher = SUNY Press | year = 2006 | isbn = 978-0-7914-6643-8
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* {{citation
  | contribution = ''Shang shu'' {{lang|zh| 尚書}} (Hallowed writings of antiquity)
  | surname = Shih | given = Hsiang-lin
  | pages = 814–830
  | title = Ancient and Early Medieval Chinese Literature (vol. 2): A Reference Guide, Part Two Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 4 China
  | editor-given1 = David R. | editor-surname1 = Knechtges
  | editor-given2 = Taiping | editor-surname2 = Chang
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  | postscript = .
  }}
* {{citation
  | given = Kai | surname = Vogelsang
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* {{citation
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  }}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Wikisource|zh|尚書|''Book of Documents''}}
* [https://ctext.org/shang-shu {{lang|zh|《尚書》}} – ''Shang Shu''] at the [[Chinese Text Project]], including both the Chinese text and Legge's English translation (emended to employ pinyin)
* [https://religiondatabase.org/browse/1062/#/ Shangshu] at the Database of Religious History. 
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110807130610/http://www.chinapage.com/confucius/classic/english.html Selections from Legge's ''Shu Jing''] (also emended)
* [https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666358/ Annotated Edition of ''The Book of Documents''] (13th century)
* [http://chinesenotes.com/shangshu.html ''Book of Documents'' {{lang|zh|《尚書》}}] Chinese text with matching English vocabulary at chinesenotes.com

{{Confucian texts}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Book of Documents}}
[[Category:1st-millennium BC books]]
[[Category:Book of Documents]]
[[Category:Chinese classic texts]]
[[Category:Textual criticism]]
[[Category:Chinese history texts]]
[[Category:Confucian texts]]
[[Category:Four Books and Five Classics]]
[[Category:Old Chinese]]
[[Category:Thirteen Classics]]
[[Category:Zhou dynasty texts]]

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