Content

As is typical of an ancient Chinese text, the organization of the Guanzi has been altered over time, both the chronology and significance of which isn't all that clear. Covering a wide variety of subjects, ranging from detailed economic discussions to overviews of local soil topography, many chapters include Confucian values as a necessity for the state, expressing a blend of what may be considered Legalistic, Confucian, and Daoistic philosophy that has been termed "Huang-Lao". The first reference to the collection appears in the more Daostic Huainanzi, of the early Han dynasty, and Han bibliographies listed the text as Daoist. For example, the Neiye ("Inner Enterprise/Training") chapter has some of the oldest recorded descriptions of Daoist meditation techniques.

When you enlarge your mind and let go of it,

When you relax your 氣 vital breath and expand it,

When your body is calm and unmoving:

And you can maintain the One and discard the myriad disturbances.

You will see profit and not be enticed by it,

You will see harm and not be frightened by it.

Relaxed and unwound, yet acutely sensitive,

In solitude you delight in your own person.

This is called "revolving the vital breath":

Your thoughts and deeds seem heavenly. (24, tr. Roth 1999:92)

It was classed as Legalist after the Sui dynasty (581-617). Most chapters of the text deal with government and the art of rulership. Considering their tone generally less strident than in the classic Legalist work, the Book of Lord Shang (Shang jun shu 商君書), translator W. Allyn Rickett dissents from the traditional Confucian view of the texts as Legalist, judging them to "present a point of view much closer to that of the realistic Confucian, Xunzi than either the highly idealistic Confucianism of Mencius or the Draconian Legalism advocated by Shang Yang." The Guanzi shares with other "Legalist" texts the view that power is independent of morality, emphasizing techniques (Shu), but advocates "law" (Fa) as an adjunct to Confucian Li.

Economic and financial insight in the Guanzi

Several chapters of the Guanzi address what modern language would call economic and monetary issues. The "state savings" (國蓄) chapter has been described as the first-ever exposition of the quantity theory of money, and the "light and heavy" (轻重) chapter as the first clear articulation of the law of supply and demand:

作者

「管子」書名最早見於《韓非子·五蠹》說：「今境內之民皆言治，藏商、管之法者家有之」。《史記》肯定《管子》為管仲之作：「讀管氏《牧民》、《山高》、《乘馬》、《輕重》、《九府》，……其書世多有之」。晉朝傅玄開始對《管子》一書的作者產生疑議，他說「管仲之書，過半是後之好事者所為，輕重諸篇尤鄙俗。」，唐代孔穎達亦稱「世有管子書者，或是後人所錄」。朱熹則表示管仲不是有時間寫書的人。《四庫全書總目》云：「今考其文，大抵後人附會多於仲之本書」。郭沫若認為《管子》中《心術上》、《心術下》、《白心》、《內業》等篇為宋鈃、尹文的著作。

內容結構

《管子》一書共八十六篇，其中有十篇文已佚。《管子》全書十六萬言，內容可分八類：《經言》九篇，《外言》八篇，《內言》七篇，《短語》十七篇，《區言》五篇，《雜篇》十篇，《管子解》四篇，《管子輕重》十六篇。《管子》內容很龐雜，甚至間有牴牾，文章有很強的法家色彩，包括大量具體的治國方術。《管子》對法律的作用分析為：「法者，所以興功懼暴也；律者，所以定分止爭也；令者，所以令人知事也」。但同時也揉合了儒家思想，例如《管子》認為「凡治國之道，必先富民。民富則易治也，民貧則難治也」。又如《管子·霸言》中：「夫霸王之所始也，以人為本。本理則國固，本亂則國危。」《管子》也有道家思想，例如在〈內業章〉中就有最古老道教修行的記載。《管子》也有經濟學的觀念，《乘馬》一章中指出：「市者，可以知治亂，可以知多寡」，「而萬人之所和而利也。」《漢書·藝文志》列入道家類，《隋書·經籍志》改列法家類。

修養論

《管子．內業》篇的主題，是如何探求生命之源，以達致長壽。長壽的唯一途徑，是修練人心最深處的清氣，與道合一。〈內業〉秉承氣化宇宙論，相信個人可以從宇宙源源不絕所供給之氣，不斷將新氣引入其生命。「心」不僅是精純之氣的所在，更是智慧的源生地；人必須去除心中的情緒思慮，心才可以容納精氣

。《管子．心術上》主張修養內心，與「道」合一，說「虛其欲，神將入舍；掃除不潔，神乃留處」，借用降神的語言，說明內心的求道得道。「神將入舍」的「神」，不是鬼神，而是內心修養得來的「精神」。

注釋

《管子》向以古奧難懂著稱，唐代房玄齡有注文，一說是尹知章，明代劉績著有《管子補註》，清代王念孫、陳奐、丁世涵等學者都曾對《管子》一書進行考證工作，洪頤煊著有《管子義證》，戴望著有《管子校正》是管子的集大成著作。

評價

• 許筠：「管子書龐雜重複, 似不出一人手. 其心術, 內業等篇, 皆附會道家, 而宙合諸篇, 皆用隱語, 俶譎詭怪. 以仲責之術. 安得有此謬悠語耶. 使果出其手. 不過故為權辭以飾之耳. 仲之情見於其書者, 獨牧民, 大匡, 輕重等篇. 而牧民尤為簡明. 其論兵陣之制. 農桑諸利之原. 鑿鑿中其綮. 宜其施之事而輒有實效. 終至於富國強兵. 取威定霸. 而尊其主為百五首也. 噫. 世已末矣. 王道卒不可行. 則安得如管子者為政而治其民耶.」（『惺所覆瓿稿』 卷13 「文部」10 '管子'）

注釋

延伸閱讀