Sacred Writings: Confucianism, The Analects of Confucius

by Confucius, Arthur Waley (Translator), Jaroslav Pelikan (Editor)

Sacred Confucianism, The Analects of Confucius

Genres: Religion

272 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1992

About the author

Chinese philosopher Confucius, originally Kong Fuzi and born circa 551 BC, promoted a system of social and political ethics, emphasizing order, moderation, and reciprocity between superiors and subordinates; after his death in 479 BC, disciples compiled the Analects , which contains a collection of his sayings and dialogues.

Teachings of this social thinker deeply influenced Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese life.

孔子 - Kong Zi
孔夫子 - Kong Fuzi (Kung Fu-Tzu)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucius

Reviews

[Robert Monk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been meaning to read this for quite a while, as I try to learn more about East Asian history and culture. This is, for me, a good solid translation (by Arthur Waley; it's available in other editions), despite being rather old at this point. Its introduction is pretty solid, giving a nice background into the history of Confucius and the text, as well as a discussion of various terms used throughout the book. The text itself is written in clear language, and heavily foot- and end-noted. Now, I like that sort of thing. I appreciate notes to clarify stuff, but I know that some people can't stand 'em, so I thought I'd better mention it. And the work itself is quite fascinating. Confucianism is very different from Western religions and philosophies. The text itself isn't so alien; it reminds me a lot of Xenophon's Memorabilia. But the influence it has had is vast, for reasons that don't necessarily resonate with me. This is not, by the way, a criticism of the text or the translation. I read this specifically because it was unfamiliar to me and I wanted to learn more. It has been a primary text for billions of humans, and I felt I should at least try to see why. This was a good place to do so.