The concepts of the human self and of the "heart",which are particularly essential in the zi xue(子學)of the Warring States period,became visible and significant in the shift from belief in supernatural gods and norms to consciousness of human moral ability and subjectivity during the Eastern Zhou dynasty.Excavated texts,especially "the change and formation of things" 《<凡物流形》) from the Shangbo bamboo slips(上博簡),"the heart is the Mean"(《心是謂中》) from the Tsinghua bamboo slips(清華簡),and "the selfappointed nature"(《性自命出》) from the Guodian bamboo slips(郭店簡)(see also "the theory of human nature"(《性情論》) from the Shangbo bamboo slips),and "the five virtues"(《五行》) from the Mawangdui silk texts(馬王堆帛書)(which also appears in the Guodian bamboo slips),provide new insights into the concept of the "heart." This study reveals the richness and diversity of the concept of the "heart" in early China with the aid of the received texts.