Shao Jinhan 邵晉涵

Shao Jinhan 邵晉涵 (1743-1796), courtesy name Yutong 輿桐 or Eryun 二雲, style Nanjing 南江, from Yuyao 余姚, Zhejiang, was a scholar of the high Qing period 清 (1644-1911).

He obtained the jinshi degree in 1771 and participated in the compilation of the imperial series Siku quanshu 四庫全書, particularly of the historiography part. He belonged to the compilation team of the books Baxun wanshou shengdian 八旬萬壽盛典 and Baqi tongzhi 八旗通志 and was a member of the Santongguan 三通館, which organised the compilation of the Qingchao tongdian, Qingchao tongzhi and Qingchao wenxian tongkao. Shao was also responsible for the reconstruction of the dynastic history of the Five Dynasties 五代 (907-960), Jiu Wudaishi 舊五代史, on the base of quotations from the Ming-period 明 (1368-1644) encyclopaedia Yongle dadian 永樂大典.

Shao belonged to the Zhedong School (Zhedong xuepai 浙東學派) of thinkers，whose interpretations of the Classics were based on phonology. Shao, therefore, was very interested in Xing Bing's 邢昺 (932-1010) Erya yishu 爾雅義疏 from the Song period 宋 (960-1279). Based on Xing's methods, Shao Jinhan did research on the the Classics and Han-period 漢 (206 BCE-220 CE) texts. His most important writing is Erya zhengyi 爾雅正義, on which Hao Yixing 郝懿行 (1757-1825) modelled his Erya yishu 爾雅義疏. Shao's pathbreaking study of phonology and semantics opened the way for a new wave of interpretations of the ancient Classics. The text collations of Shao are assembled in his Jiangnan zhaji 江南札記.

Shao was also interested in historiography and felt that the official dynastic history Songshi 宋史 suffered from fundamental shortcomings. Qian Daxin 錢大昕 (1728-1804) suggested that Shao not just comment on errors in the Songshi, but even revise it with the title Nandu shilüe 南都事略. This book could be a supplement to Wang Cheng's 王偁 (fl. 1187) Dongdu shilüe 東都事略. However, the Nandu shilüe was never finished, and fragments are lost.

Shao Jinhan's most important writings are Erya zhengyi, Mengzi shuyi 孟子述義, Guliang zhengyi 榖梁正義, Hanshi neizhuan kao 韓詩內傳考, Jiu Wudaishi kaoyi 舊五代史考異 and Huangchao shiji lu 皇朝謚跡錄.