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IX Acknowledgments My first thanks must go to David Knechtges, whose knowledge of the Fayan is unparalleled, and to Anne Cheng, who not only encouraged me in this project but also alerted me to the need to take Yang Xiong seriously as a historian. Nathan Sivin, Marc Kalinowski, and Béatrice L’Haridon have all provided insights into aspects of Yang Xiong’s life and works. I owe an enormous debt to Li Wai-yee as well, for she read the entire manuscript (then in penultimate draft) from beginning to end and corrected many of my most egregious errors and infelicities. Frederic Tibbetts was an invaluable friend and aide when it came to spotting ugly translations of phrases in classical Chinese and suggesting possible revisions; I owe to Rick the felicitous rendering of Yang’s title. Christoph Harbsmeier also did me the very great favor of reading four chapters of the Fayan manuscript when it was in its final phases. The anonymous readers for the University of Washington Press made fine suggestions, as did William G. Boltz, whom I consulted twice on questions about archaic rhymes. Thanks are due to Miranda Brown and Christian de Pee for conversations that (inadvertently or consciously) made major contributions to my thinking about the shape of this translation , along with J. Michael Farmer, whose work on Sichuan has proven useful at so many stages. Henry Rosemont is continually in my thoughts as I strive to do justice to a splendid philosophical text, and Michael Loewe, as I try to render the historical. Lorri Hagman, at the University of Washington Press, has been a model editor throughout the long process from birth to maturation of this particular project; it is no exaggeration to say that the translation would never have seen the light of day without her steady guidance and reliable good cheer. ...

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