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<p>In recent years, scholars have put great effort into exploring the relationship between philosophy and storytelling in early Chinese texts. One common theme is the various merits of the combination of narrative and argumentation. This article attempts to expand and complicate this scholarly endeavor by drawing attention to the potential downside of such a combination. It questions whether the combination of narrative and argumentation always strengthens each other, leading to an enriched understanding of the related philosophical issue. In pursuit of this inquiry, this article examines L<span>iu</span> Xiang’s 劉向 practice of narrative ethics in the <i>Shuoyuan</i> 說苑 (<i>Garden of Illustrative Examples</i>). Specifically, using the sixth chapter, “Returning Favors (Fu En 復恩),” as an example, it argues that <span>Liu</span> Xiang’s use of argumentation, whether as the discursive introduction that leads the reader to particular interpretations of the stories or as the guideline according to which he modified the stories, can result in an impoverished understanding of the moral issue at hand, in this case, the practice of reciprocity. This flaw in L<span>iu</span> Xiang’s narrative ethics, the article further argues, derives from a desire to extract universal truths from the stories, thus defeating the very purpose of storytelling. The article concludes with a tentative reflection on whether using stories to form inquiries instead of retrieving truths is a more productive way to philosophize with narrative.</p>

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Narrative Ethics in the Shuoyuan

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月3日

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  • Nai-Yi Hsu

摘要

In recent years, scholars have put great effort into exploring the relationship between philosophy and storytelling in early Chinese texts. One common theme is the various merits of the combination of narrative and argumentation. This article attempts to expand and complicate this scholarly endeavor by drawing attention to the potential downside of such a combination. It questions whether the combination of narrative and argumentation always strengthens each other, leading to an enriched understanding of the related philosophical issue. In pursuit of this inquiry, this article examines Liu Xiang’s 劉向 practice of narrative ethics in the Shuoyuan 說苑 (Garden of Illustrative Examples). Specifically, using the sixth chapter, “Returning Favors (Fu En 復恩),” as an example, it argues that Liu Xiang’s use of argumentation, whether as the discursive introduction that leads the reader to particular interpretations of the stories or as the guideline according to which he modified the stories, can result in an impoverished understanding of the moral issue at hand, in this case, the practice of reciprocity. This flaw in Liu Xiang’s narrative ethics, the article further argues, derives from a desire to extract universal truths from the stories, thus defeating the very purpose of storytelling. The article concludes with a tentative reflection on whether using stories to form inquiries instead of retrieving truths is a more productive way to philosophize with narrative.