Analysis of Doubts in the Artificers' Record

...tion of cities and towns, the partitioning of the four classes of peopleThe Simin (四民): scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants., or the utilization of the natural terrain of mountains and rivers to distinguish boundaries.

Tasks such as managing pastures, demarcating fields against floods, planning reservoirs, or constructing dikes and field-paths—not a single one of these is mentioned. Consequently, those aspects of public works that concern the great principles and fundamental laws of the state are likewise absent. This is likely because the author of the Record only had access to the oral traditions passed down by master craftsmen and had never seen the official archives of the former government.

Zhang Zichao Zhang Zichao (1625–1705) was a Qing dynasty scholar known for his commentaries on the classics. said: The Record mentions the states of Qin and Zheng, which are terms from the Eastern Zhou period. The regions of Huaibei, and the Ji and Wen Rivers, are all located within the states of Qi and Lu.

Furthermore, terms used in the text such as zhonggu meaning "perpetual", qi meaning "relative" or "grief", su meaning "fast", bei meaning "casket", and ling meaning "water chestnut" are identified by commentators as being part of the Qi dialect. This suggests that the text was likely composed at the end of the Zhou dynasty by someone from the Qi-Lu region who was knowledgeable in public works and skilled in literary composition.

Li Guang’ao said: Although the Record of Trades speaks of the "crude traces" of manufacturing tools and vessels, it frequently contains passages that reach into the depths of nature and destinyOriginal: Jinxing zhiming (盡性至命). A Neo-Confucian concept referring to the total realization of one's innate nature and the fulfillment of the heavenly mandate..

The Record Original: Ji (記). This refers specifically to the Kao Gong Ji or "Record of Trades," which was used to replace the lost "Winter Office" section of the Rites of Zhou.