The Term "Kun-wu" 39 



the name of the locality whence the ore came. Se-ma Piao (240-305) 

 interprets it as a stone ranking next to jade. Then follows in his text 

 the story of kun-wu in Liu-sha, quoted from the Lung yii ho Vu, which 

 has been discussed above. I do not know whether this is a separate 

 editorial comment, or was included in the commentary of Se-ma Piao. 

 At all events, the fact is borne out that the word kun-wu in the Shi ki, 

 and that referring to the West, are considered by the Chinese as identical, 

 and that the mode of writing (with or without the classifier 'jade') is 

 immaterial. 1 We know that in times of old numerous characters were 

 written without the classifiers, which were but subsequently added. 

 The writing kun-wu in Lie-tse with the classifier 'metal' plainly mani- 

 fests itself as a secondary move, 8 and the simple kun-wu without any 

 determinative classifier doubtless represents the primary stage. This 

 is shown also by the existence of a character ^PtL, where the element 

 kun is combined with the classifier 'stone.' 8 If in the Shi ki the word 

 kun-wu is linked with the classifier 'jade;' and if, further, this term ap- 

 pears coupled with nine other designations of stones, the whole series 

 of ten being introduced by the words "following are the stones," — the 

 interpretation "gold" is absurd, and that of Se-ma Piao has only a 

 chance. It would therefore be possible that kun-wu originally served 

 for naming some hard stone indigenous to Sze-ch'uan, and was subse- 

 quently transferred to the imported diamond-point. The name for 

 the stone may have been inspired by that of the mountain Kun-wu, 

 stones being frequently named in China for the mountains or localities 

 from which they are derived. On the other hand, there is a text in 

 which the name Kun-wu in this connection is conceived as that of a clan 

 or family by the addition of the word shi H\, . This is the Chou shu* 

 which relates the tradition that the Western Countries offered fire-proof 

 cloth (asbestos), and the Kun-wu Clan presented jade-cutting knives. 

 It seems certain that this version has no basis in reality, but presents a 

 makeshift to account for the troublesome word kun-wu. How it sprang 

 into existence may be explained from the fact that there was in ancient 

 times, under the Hia dynasty, a rebel by the name Kun-wu, mentioned 

 in the Shi king and Shi ki; 6 but it is obvious that this family name bears 



1 In Ts'ien Han shu, where the same text is reproduced, kun-wu is written without 

 the classifiers. 



1 In all likelihood this is merely a device of later editors of Lie-tse's text. There 

 are editions in which the plain kun-wu without the classifier is written (see P'ei win 

 yunju, Ch. 91, p. 16 b). 



1 P'ei win yiinfu, Ch. 100 A, p. 25. 



4 Regarding this work see Chavannes, Memoires historiques de Se-ma Ts'ien, 

 Vol. V, p. 457. The passage is quoted in Po wu chi, Ch. 2, p. 4 b (Wu-ch'ang edition) . 



8 Legge, Chinese Classics, Vol. Ill, p. 642; Chavannes, /. c, Vol. I, p. 180. 



