@article{2012klassen author = {}, title = {Klassen und Hierarchien, Kontrastpaare und Toposgruppen: Formen struktureller Eroberung und literarischer Vereinnahmung der Tierwelt im alten China}, journal = {Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft}, volume = {162}, number = {1}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Human-Animal relationships recently became an important issue in anthropological and historical studies. They mostly confine to Western cultures. This article examines the scholarly approaches to this relationship in traditional China with a focus on the methods and concepts of ordering and classifying the abundance of animal species the Chinese scholars had read about or had personally encountered. In addition to morphological or biological principles such as ‘water birds’ or ‘animals with fur’, moral and other abilities of species were equally valid as organising principle. For example, classes appropriate for geese with good manners or a talking tortoise were established. The article outlines the full spectrum of classification schemes used and introduces the central works relevant to the question of animal taxonomy in China.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.13173/zeitdeutmorggese.162.1.0171} doi = {10.13173/zeitdeutmorggese.162.1.0171} }