The Sinitic Repertoire

Abstract Chapter 9, “The Sinitic Repertoire,” offers the second of three studies in various repertoires of political legitimation. Sinitic universalism, based on Sinitic classical philosophy and the model of the Han Empire, is well studied and understood. This chapter emphasizes the tensions within the Sinitic repertoire in the Jiankang regime: between military and suasive approaches to building a Sinitic universal empire; between frugal and ostentatious approaches; and between the traditional Central Plains–centered political geography and one that was transposed to the Yangzi delta, an effort that was undertaken in earnest beginning in the fifth century. Daoist approaches, both huahu (conversion of the barbarians) and millenarian, are also considered as a variant of Sinitic universalism. The concluding analysis argues that the adoption of Sinitic universalism posed numerous intractable difficulties for the imperial throne, especially following the rise of an assertive Central Plains–based regime in the late fifth century.