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The Four Books: The Basic Teachings of the Later Confucian Tradition
In this engaging volume, Daniel Gardner explains the way in which the Four Books -- Great Learning, Analects, Mencius, and Maintaining Perfect Balance -- have been read and understood by the Chinese since the twelfth century. Selected passages in translation are accompanied by Gardner's comments, which incorporate selections from the commentary and interpretation of the renowned Neo-Confucian thinker, Zhu Xi (1130-1200).
This study provides an ideal introduction to the basic texts in the Confucian tradition from the twelfth through the twentieth centuries. It guides the reader through Zhu Xi's influential interpretation of the Four Books, showing how Zhu, through the genre of commentary, gave new coherence and meaning to these foundational texts. Since the Four Books with Zhu Xi's commentary served as the basic "textbook" for Chinese schooling and the civil service examinations for more than seven hundred years, this book illustrates as well the nature of the standard Chinese educational curriculum.
192 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2007
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March 23, 2014Three crucial components of Chinese culture are Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism, and I believe Chinese intellectual history can be usefully understood in terms of the interaction of these very distinct systems of ideas and values. Confucianism and Daoism are almost equally old, while Buddhism is a relative youngster. Moreover, Buddhism was a foreign import, though in the hands of the Chinese Buddhism was transformed in new and very interesting ways far away from its Indian roots. At times these three currents within Chinese culture coexisted peacefully, but at other times one would strive for absolute hegemony. Of course, the struggle was not between the systems of thought; it was between representatives of those systems vying for power. I've not yet run across the kind of large scale massacres, stake-burnings and sonstige wars of the kind which grace the history of competing systems of ideas and values in Europe (excepting the rise in the mid-20th century of the Communists, who were importing another foreign system), but there certainly were significant flexings of power to the extreme disadvantage of the rivals.
In the Early Han (206 BCE - 9 CE) the political and social significance of Confucianism was codified by the selection of the Five Classics associated with Confucius (551 - 479 BCE) as the curriculum of the newly established Imperial Academy. The mastery of these books was the door into the imperial bureaucracy/elite. With time, more texts were added to the curriculum until, at the beginning of the Song (Sung) dynasty (960-1279) there were thirteen. The relative importance of these texts within the canon also changed over time, so that at the end of Song dynasty Zhu Xi (Chu Hsi) fervently lobbied for making four books central - the Analects, the Mencius, the Great Learning, and Maintaining Perfect Balance.
What Daniel K. Gardner proposes in The Four Books (2007) is translation of excerpts from these books supplemented by commentary from Zhu Xi (1130-1200), who wrote the commentaries on the Four Books which determined how the Chinese elite thought about them for at least six hundred years, and by his own commentary on the text and on Zhu's commentary. Though I read the Analects and the Mencius long ago, Gardner makes the valid point that it is important also to have insight into how the Chinese themselves thought about the books. And precisely that changed with time, with Zhu's commentaries marking a particularly important moment.
For, after the relative dominance of Buddhism during the T'ang dynasty (618–907), there was a neo-Confucian reaction during the Song which was quite powerful. The neo-Confucians were cleaning up the "foreign" influences which "weakened" the Chinese state during the T'ang dynasty. And Zhu, a leading neo-Confucian, was cleaning up Chinese thought. (Nonetheless, it was the neo-Confucian Song dynasty that fell to the Mongols.)
Actually, the picture was not that simple. Buddhist thought strongly influenced many of the leading neo-Confucians, and Zhu's thought was not accepted by his contemporaries. With time, however, Zhu and the Four Books became central(*) and Buddhism waned in Chinese society until a revival during the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368).
The Great Learning, and Maintaining Perfect Balance are actually chapters from the Book of Rites, one of the Five Classics. So what is the significance of the reduction from thirteen classics to these four "books"? Any real answer to that question would be very lengthy, so let me mention some of Gardner's observations.
To generalize, the Five Classics illustrate Confucian morality using concrete examples and lessons from history; set out ideal institutions and methods of governance drawn from the past; describe in detail how one should conduct oneself in life's various, objective situations; and prescribe at length the ritualistic practices for maintaining a well ordered society.... The Four Books tend to be less historical, descriptive and concrete; concerned principally with the nature of man, the springs or inner source of his morality, and his relation to the larger cosmos, they are considerably more discursive and abstract than the Five Classics.
Gardner attributes this shift to the general tendency towards the end of the Song dynasty of the elite to turn inwardly due to the general feeling that no outward efforts would be able to implement the reforms necessary to save China from the increasing dangers posed by the "barbarians" of the north until the individuals who would be proposing and carrying out the reforms had reformed themselves. He also points out that this inclination towards prioritizing work on oneself above engagement in society had been prepared by a few centuries' worth of Chinese Buddhist thought... The very men who were railing against Buddhist thought and attitudes were already saturated with them.
Now, what of the texts and the commented commentary? There is, of course, the interest inherent in viewing the texts and commentary that shaped the attitudes and thought of generations of our fellow human beings, but, as mentioned above, these texts are quite generally philosophical in nature, and Zhu's commentary is the result of decades of philosophical intercourse with the texts.(**) So, although the form and categories differ somewhat from the Western philosophical tradition, the same deep questions are being wrestled with. And in engaging with these texts one is not only learning some different answers to these questions(***) (and seeing some familiar answers re-appear in a new setting), but one is being stimulated to a re-thinking of one's own positions. This is what is called in the streets a "win-win situation."
I thank my GR friend, Helmut, for drawing this book to my attention, and I recommend his review to those who read German:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
(*) Some two centuries later, the Chinese state officially adopted Zhu's views, prioritizing the Four Books and making his commentary required reading for the Imperial exams. His authority became so formidable that a "lost chapter" he "reconstructed" for the Great Learning (itself partly written by Confucius himself) became an accepted part of the canonical text.
(**) In fact, Zhu unfolds in these commentaries a philosophical "system" called Daoxue (learning of the Way) that dominated the Chinese intellectual landscape until the 20th century.
(***) metaphysical and ethical
Rating
http://leopard.booklikes.com/post/831...
In the Early Han (206 BCE - 9 CE) the political and social significance of Confucianism was codified by the selection of the Five Classics associated with Confucius (551 - 479 BCE) as the curriculum of the newly established Imperial Academy. The mastery of these books was the door into the imperial bureaucracy/elite. With time, more texts were added to the curriculum until, at the beginning of the Song (Sung) dynasty (960-1279) there were thirteen. The relative importance of these texts within the canon also changed over time, so that at the end of Song dynasty Zhu Xi (Chu Hsi) fervently lobbied for making four books central - the Analects, the Mencius, the Great Learning, and Maintaining Perfect Balance.
What Daniel K. Gardner proposes in The Four Books (2007) is translation of excerpts from these books supplemented by commentary from Zhu Xi (1130-1200), who wrote the commentaries on the Four Books which determined how the Chinese elite thought about them for at least six hundred years, and by his own commentary on the text and on Zhu's commentary. Though I read the Analects and the Mencius long ago, Gardner makes the valid point that it is important also to have insight into how the Chinese themselves thought about the books. And precisely that changed with time, with Zhu's commentaries marking a particularly important moment.
For, after the relative dominance of Buddhism during the T'ang dynasty (618–907), there was a neo-Confucian reaction during the Song which was quite powerful. The neo-Confucians were cleaning up the "foreign" influences which "weakened" the Chinese state during the T'ang dynasty. And Zhu, a leading neo-Confucian, was cleaning up Chinese thought. (Nonetheless, it was the neo-Confucian Song dynasty that fell to the Mongols.)
Actually, the picture was not that simple. Buddhist thought strongly influenced many of the leading neo-Confucians, and Zhu's thought was not accepted by his contemporaries. With time, however, Zhu and the Four Books became central(*) and Buddhism waned in Chinese society until a revival during the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368).
The Great Learning, and Maintaining Perfect Balance are actually chapters from the Book of Rites, one of the Five Classics. So what is the significance of the reduction from thirteen classics to these four "books"? Any real answer to that question would be very lengthy, so let me mention some of Gardner's observations.
To generalize, the Five Classics illustrate Confucian morality using concrete examples and lessons from history; set out ideal institutions and methods of governance drawn from the past; describe in detail how one should conduct oneself in life's various, objective situations; and prescribe at length the ritualistic practices for maintaining a well ordered society.... The Four Books tend to be less historical, descriptive and concrete; concerned principally with the nature of man, the springs or inner source of his morality, and his relation to the larger cosmos, they are considerably more discursive and abstract than the Five Classics.
Gardner attributes this shift to the general tendency towards the end of the Song dynasty of the elite to turn inwardly due to the general feeling that no outward efforts would be able to implement the reforms necessary to save China from the increasing dangers posed by the "barbarians" of the north until the individuals who would be proposing and carrying out the reforms had reformed themselves. He also points out that this inclination towards prioritizing work on oneself above engagement in society had been prepared by a few centuries' worth of Chinese Buddhist thought... The very men who were railing against Buddhist thought and attitudes were already saturated with them.
Now, what of the texts and the commented commentary? There is, of course, the interest inherent in viewing the texts and commentary that shaped the attitudes and thought of generations of our fellow human beings, but, as mentioned above, these texts are quite generally philosophical in nature, and Zhu's commentary is the result of decades of philosophical intercourse with the texts.(**) So, although the form and categories differ somewhat from the Western philosophical tradition, the same deep questions are being wrestled with. And in engaging with these texts one is not only learning some different answers to these questions(***) (and seeing some familiar answers re-appear in a new setting), but one is being stimulated to a re-thinking of one's own positions. This is what is called in the streets a "win-win situation."
I thank my GR friend, Helmut, for drawing this book to my attention, and I recommend his review to those who read German:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
(*) Some two centuries later, the Chinese state officially adopted Zhu's views, prioritizing the Four Books and making his commentary required reading for the Imperial exams. His authority became so formidable that a "lost chapter" he "reconstructed" for the Great Learning (itself partly written by Confucius himself) became an accepted part of the canonical text.
(**) In fact, Zhu unfolds in these commentaries a philosophical "system" called Daoxue (learning of the Way) that dominated the Chinese intellectual landscape until the 20th century.
(***) metaphysical and ethical
Rating
http://leopard.booklikes.com/post/831...
November 3, 2017
An odd volume: Gardner translates passages from the four books, then comments on them. I think the commentaries are all meant to be neo-Confucian, and particularly the interpretation of Zhu Xi. But there isn't much actual quotation from Zhu, and many of the interpretations are just straightforward. I'm glad to have read it; I suspect it would make more sense if read as part of a seminar with Gardner himself. Alas, few of us will have that chance. I'm half-way through Gardner's translation of selections of Zhu Xi's work, and would recommend that as a first stop--provided you've read the four books to begin with. (And if you haven't read the four books, I don't really know why you'd want to read this!)
August 9, 2016
Der Kanon des Konfuzianers
Da lese ich schon seit Jahren chinesische Literatur, in der die "Vier Bücher", neben den "Fünf Klassikern" die wichtigste Quelle der chinesischen Philosophie, Ethik und Sozialkunde, immer wieder erwähnt werden, und dieses Buch hier über diese Werke musste dann so lange auf meinem SuB ausharren. Dabei hat dieses schmale Bändchen doch so einiges zu bieten: Neben der Übersetzung ausgewählter Passagen aus den Bibeln der Neokonfuzianer, also dem Großen Lernen [大学], den Analekten [论语], dem Mengzi [孟子] und Mitte und Maß [中庸] bekommt man auch zu jeder Passage noch eine Zusammenstellung aus historischen Hinweisen, Extrakten aus Zhu Xis epochalem Kommentar zu diesen Werken und moderne Interpretationen geboten.
Ich hatte in meiner Rezension zu den Lunyu, den Analekten des Konfuzius, bemerkt, dass eine Übersetzung allein nicht ausreicht, um den Inhalt dieser Bücher wirklich zu verstehen, und Gardner bestätigt mich mit seinem Buch in meiner These - der Kommentar ist erstens historisch genauso wichtig wie der Text selbst, und zweitens schon seit dem 12. Jahrhundert integraler Bestandteile der Rezeption gewesen. Dabei geht es mir nicht darum, dass ich heutige Leser für zu dumm halte, konfuzianische Vorstellungen selbst aus dem Text ableiten zu können; doch Zhu Xis Interpretationen des meist sehr reduktionstischen Originaltexts sind eben die kanonisierte Lesart, die für fast ein Jahrtausend die war, auf denen jede Auseinandersetzung mit den Vier Büchern fußte. Wer also Konfuzius verstehen will, kann die Analekte lesen und selbst interpretieren; wer aber die Konfuzianer verstehen will, muss Zhu Xis Kommentar dazu lesen. Mir, der sich mehr für die Geschichte und Sozialkunde Chinas interessiert als für pure Philosophie, ist letzteres wichtiger.
Erfrischend und erhellend empfand ich die Erklärung, dass das dauernd von Konfuzius besungene "Ritual" 禮 nicht unbedingt das ist, was man heute unter dem Begriff "Ritual" versteht, sondern alles umfasst, was den Umgang zwischen Menschen regelt. Dieses Erklären von zentralen konfuzianistischen Begriffen (ren 仁, yi 义 etc.) hilft außerordentlich beim Verständnis der Vier Bücher.
Ehrlich gesagt kann ich mit Konfuzius selbst nicht wirklich viel anfangen. Er war ein Kulturpessimist, der immer wieder wiederholte, dass "früher alles besser war", und ein Jammerlappen, der nicht damit zurecht kam, dass zu seinen Lebzeiten niemand seine Lehren akzeptieren wollte. Seine Lehren hören sich recht klug an, aber, wie es mit vielen solchen Philosophien geschah, führte deren Umsetzung in China zu einem starren, hierarchiefixierten, regelungswütigen und obrigkeitshörigen Staatswesen, in dem Gedanken wie Demokratie oder Liberalität nie eine echte Chance hatten. Mengzi liegt mir da viel näher - erstens formuliert er seine Philosophie sehr verständlich mit vielen Analogien, zweitens ist sie von einer Positivität und einem Humor durchzogen, wie man es in der Philosophie selten findet.
Allein schon die Einführung und das Nachwort, zwar kurz und knapp, dafür aber entsprechend intensiv, ist die Anschaffung wert. Denn China begreifen zu wollen ohne den (Neo-)Konfuzianismus zu kennen, ist wie Europa begreifen zu wollen ohne das Christentum zu kennen.
Da lese ich schon seit Jahren chinesische Literatur, in der die "Vier Bücher", neben den "Fünf Klassikern" die wichtigste Quelle der chinesischen Philosophie, Ethik und Sozialkunde, immer wieder erwähnt werden, und dieses Buch hier über diese Werke musste dann so lange auf meinem SuB ausharren. Dabei hat dieses schmale Bändchen doch so einiges zu bieten: Neben der Übersetzung ausgewählter Passagen aus den Bibeln der Neokonfuzianer, also dem Großen Lernen [大学], den Analekten [论语], dem Mengzi [孟子] und Mitte und Maß [中庸] bekommt man auch zu jeder Passage noch eine Zusammenstellung aus historischen Hinweisen, Extrakten aus Zhu Xis epochalem Kommentar zu diesen Werken und moderne Interpretationen geboten.
Ich hatte in meiner Rezension zu den Lunyu, den Analekten des Konfuzius, bemerkt, dass eine Übersetzung allein nicht ausreicht, um den Inhalt dieser Bücher wirklich zu verstehen, und Gardner bestätigt mich mit seinem Buch in meiner These - der Kommentar ist erstens historisch genauso wichtig wie der Text selbst, und zweitens schon seit dem 12. Jahrhundert integraler Bestandteile der Rezeption gewesen. Dabei geht es mir nicht darum, dass ich heutige Leser für zu dumm halte, konfuzianische Vorstellungen selbst aus dem Text ableiten zu können; doch Zhu Xis Interpretationen des meist sehr reduktionstischen Originaltexts sind eben die kanonisierte Lesart, die für fast ein Jahrtausend die war, auf denen jede Auseinandersetzung mit den Vier Büchern fußte. Wer also Konfuzius verstehen will, kann die Analekte lesen und selbst interpretieren; wer aber die Konfuzianer verstehen will, muss Zhu Xis Kommentar dazu lesen. Mir, der sich mehr für die Geschichte und Sozialkunde Chinas interessiert als für pure Philosophie, ist letzteres wichtiger.
Erfrischend und erhellend empfand ich die Erklärung, dass das dauernd von Konfuzius besungene "Ritual" 禮 nicht unbedingt das ist, was man heute unter dem Begriff "Ritual" versteht, sondern alles umfasst, was den Umgang zwischen Menschen regelt. Dieses Erklären von zentralen konfuzianistischen Begriffen (ren 仁, yi 义 etc.) hilft außerordentlich beim Verständnis der Vier Bücher.
Ehrlich gesagt kann ich mit Konfuzius selbst nicht wirklich viel anfangen. Er war ein Kulturpessimist, der immer wieder wiederholte, dass "früher alles besser war", und ein Jammerlappen, der nicht damit zurecht kam, dass zu seinen Lebzeiten niemand seine Lehren akzeptieren wollte. Seine Lehren hören sich recht klug an, aber, wie es mit vielen solchen Philosophien geschah, führte deren Umsetzung in China zu einem starren, hierarchiefixierten, regelungswütigen und obrigkeitshörigen Staatswesen, in dem Gedanken wie Demokratie oder Liberalität nie eine echte Chance hatten. Mengzi liegt mir da viel näher - erstens formuliert er seine Philosophie sehr verständlich mit vielen Analogien, zweitens ist sie von einer Positivität und einem Humor durchzogen, wie man es in der Philosophie selten findet.
Allein schon die Einführung und das Nachwort, zwar kurz und knapp, dafür aber entsprechend intensiv, ist die Anschaffung wert. Denn China begreifen zu wollen ohne den (Neo-)Konfuzianismus zu kennen, ist wie Europa begreifen zu wollen ohne das Christentum zu kennen.
October 20, 2021
Daniel Gardner lays out Neo-Confucian thought with remarkable clarity. His selections captured the essence of Confucian thought and the interlinear commentary encourages contemplation on the relatively short passages. This book is not merely an academic or historical exercise but an invitation to pursue wisdom and virtue; it's philosophy as it's meant to be.
March 4, 2021
Excellent introduction to Confucian—specifically Neo-Confucian—thought, as well as its historical contexts. Contains a great selection of passages from the Four Books as well as paraphrasing of commentaries on each passage by the Neo-Confucian Zhu Xi and his predecessor, Master Cheng. With a good translation and added commentary by Gardner, this is one of the most digestible philosophy texts I have ever read.
August 3, 2013
“A person who stops where he ought not stop will stop anywhere. A person who slights one who ought to be treated generously will slight anyone. A person who is keen to advance will be quick to retreat.”
The four books mentioned in the title of “The Four Books: The Basic Teachings of the Later Confucian Tradition” refer to Chinese classic texts, “Great Learning”, “Analects”, “Mencius”, and “Maintaining Perfect Balance”. It is a brief introduction to the four books, taking what the author thinks as important chapters from them and gives us a commentary on almost all of the passages.
“The superior man relates to an animal thus: seeing it alive he cannot bear to see it dead; hearing the sound it makes he cannot bear to eat its flesh. This is the reason a superior man keeps his distance from the kitchen.”
Reading the passages that were reading around 2,000 years ago is both amazing and sad. Amazing because even though it is such a long time back, the teachings are still relevant. And I say sad, because even though for two thousand years we have people like Confucius teaching us perfectly decent ways of living, we still can’t. What is the point of teachers and sages, if we refuse to learn?
"Only a person who refuses to act in some matters is capable of action in others"
The Confucian teaching does not seem to be a complicated and complex form of philosophy. It is the kind of teaching that by reading it, we can easily grasp the concept. And it is like that because it seems the teachings are something we probably all know ourselves. To be a good ruler, one needs to be good to his wife, children, friends, and father. To change the world, you improve yourself, and by improving yourself, you improve your relationship people close to you, and by improving that, you improving your relationship to the earth and heavens. And so on. Things that we read, we think, yes, that makes sense.
“Here is why I say that all men have a mind-and-heart that cannot bear to see the suffering of others: Today, no matter the person, if he suddenly comes upon a young child about to fall into a well, his mind-and-heart fills with alarm and is moved to compassion. It is not because he wishes to ingratiate himself with the parents of the young child; nor is it because he seeks renown among the villagers and friends; nor is it because he would hate the bad reputation. From this we can see that to be without a mind-and-heart that is ashamed of evil in oneself and hates it in others is not to be human; to be without a mind-and-heart of humility and deference is not to be human; to be without a mind-and-heart of right and wrong is not be human.”
Everyone has heard of Confucius himself, and what this book has thought me is that Mencius seems to be a more interesting teacher to me. Mencius seems to have come two or three generations after Confucius, and I find his teachings more thought-provoking. He is the kind of philosopher who was against the idea of another philosopher who claimed that to be a good person one has to love and treat every creature equally. Mencius disagreed.
“The superior man loves creatures but does not treat them with true goodness [which is due people alone]; he treats people with true goodness but is not intimate with them [which is due only one’s relative]. Being intimate with relatives, he treats people with true goodness; treating people with goodness, he loves creatures.”
Like a lot of these summaries, it is a good introduction but it can never have the same impact as a complete text. It has inspired me to read more on the Confucian teachings, but I mainly want to read Mencius’ works.
I’ll end this with possibly the wisest quotation in the book,
"The Master said, I have yet to meet a person who loves virtue as much as he loves beautiful women."
The four books mentioned in the title of “The Four Books: The Basic Teachings of the Later Confucian Tradition” refer to Chinese classic texts, “Great Learning”, “Analects”, “Mencius”, and “Maintaining Perfect Balance”. It is a brief introduction to the four books, taking what the author thinks as important chapters from them and gives us a commentary on almost all of the passages.
“The superior man relates to an animal thus: seeing it alive he cannot bear to see it dead; hearing the sound it makes he cannot bear to eat its flesh. This is the reason a superior man keeps his distance from the kitchen.”
Reading the passages that were reading around 2,000 years ago is both amazing and sad. Amazing because even though it is such a long time back, the teachings are still relevant. And I say sad, because even though for two thousand years we have people like Confucius teaching us perfectly decent ways of living, we still can’t. What is the point of teachers and sages, if we refuse to learn?
"Only a person who refuses to act in some matters is capable of action in others"
The Confucian teaching does not seem to be a complicated and complex form of philosophy. It is the kind of teaching that by reading it, we can easily grasp the concept. And it is like that because it seems the teachings are something we probably all know ourselves. To be a good ruler, one needs to be good to his wife, children, friends, and father. To change the world, you improve yourself, and by improving yourself, you improve your relationship people close to you, and by improving that, you improving your relationship to the earth and heavens. And so on. Things that we read, we think, yes, that makes sense.
“Here is why I say that all men have a mind-and-heart that cannot bear to see the suffering of others: Today, no matter the person, if he suddenly comes upon a young child about to fall into a well, his mind-and-heart fills with alarm and is moved to compassion. It is not because he wishes to ingratiate himself with the parents of the young child; nor is it because he seeks renown among the villagers and friends; nor is it because he would hate the bad reputation. From this we can see that to be without a mind-and-heart that is ashamed of evil in oneself and hates it in others is not to be human; to be without a mind-and-heart of humility and deference is not to be human; to be without a mind-and-heart of right and wrong is not be human.”
Everyone has heard of Confucius himself, and what this book has thought me is that Mencius seems to be a more interesting teacher to me. Mencius seems to have come two or three generations after Confucius, and I find his teachings more thought-provoking. He is the kind of philosopher who was against the idea of another philosopher who claimed that to be a good person one has to love and treat every creature equally. Mencius disagreed.
“The superior man loves creatures but does not treat them with true goodness [which is due people alone]; he treats people with true goodness but is not intimate with them [which is due only one’s relative]. Being intimate with relatives, he treats people with true goodness; treating people with goodness, he loves creatures.”
Like a lot of these summaries, it is a good introduction but it can never have the same impact as a complete text. It has inspired me to read more on the Confucian teachings, but I mainly want to read Mencius’ works.
I’ll end this with possibly the wisest quotation in the book,
"The Master said, I have yet to meet a person who loves virtue as much as he loves beautiful women."
July 4, 2020
Lovely combination work, at a low price for text provided. I got it for three of the books. If you have not read any Confucius, this edition is worth it just to read the first book, which is a wonderfully short introduction, the standard starting point for a student of Confucian thought. It's essential, and just omitted from most Western libraries because it is too short to make money as a textbook. If you find any Confucian book dull... just stop reading. You have bad scholarship in front of you. The whole point of these works is to get to the bottom of how to be the best possible person, and then do it yourself, and help others to do it, and it will help everyone, because such people are the building blocks of the best possible society. And, of course this is a worthwhile project, worth some study and effort, maybe even as much effort as one can muster, right? Even if the discussed opinions are completely wrong, they are respectable starting points. The other books in this edition are translated skillfully but not brilliantly. This translator plays down the contradictory opinions and doesn't attempt the jokes, or any explanation of these. I strongly recommend reading the Analects (Sayings of Master Kong...) next, in a lively (i.e. different) translation. It's popular because it's a lively book, loved by many readers. For example, this translation of the Analects is not as good as the one by Roger T. Ames, "The Analects: A Philosophical Translation", which I read to my long-suffering children over dinner. The Analects are filled with practical hints, if people can only connect the dots to their own life. So, the translation in this edition is not bad, just not the best. The work by Mencius is the theoretical work, last because it's either trivial or very deep, probably both on a good day. It helps to read it with a commentary. I've read it several times, in different translations with several commentaries and get something different each time. So, I can't say that I've found a very good translation of it. Mencius tried very hard to be clear, but he's writing from long ago, in a different culture with different assumptions. Also, he rather seems to assume that the reader is already Confucian, and familiar with the basic project.
March 22, 2022
Quite an interesting book. I'm no expert on this topic, this is my first exposure to it, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book, found it interesting, insightful and explained fairly well. I was not utterly blown away, and somehow the book does seem a little wanting, but perhaps that is only because it deserves several reads to truly grasp the message completely. The message seems pretty simple, and perhaps that too makes one think too much, looking for something more, not believing they have already grasped the meaning. Good book though, thoroughly enjoyed and I'd say a good introduction to the topic, not very difficult to read, though some parts do get a bit vague or "philosophical", maybe tricky is the word? A riddle.
June 1, 2021
For anyone who hasn't learned classical Chinese and speaks English this is an indispensable primer to the School of the Way understanding of the four Confucian books. Daniel K. Gardner is a scholar of Zhu Xi and he has written several other volumes on his teachings, some of the only ones I have seen in the English language. I only wish that we had simply gone all the way and not abridged any of these works. But even if that's what I would have preferred, I understand why it was done.
July 4, 2024
So I started reading this book a year and a half ago. Maybe even more but I stopped and picked it up recently. I enjoyed reading it because I was introduced to ancient wisdom and philosophy from China. I benefitted a great deal from this book.
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February 10, 2017"The archer in some ways is similar to the superior man. Upon missing the target they turn their gaze inward and seek the cause within themselves." - Confucius
April 1, 2021
A really excellent primer on Zhu Xi and Neo-Confucianism, although probably mot the best starting place of you are going in cold. Slingerland's translation of The Analects would probably be the best place to start.
Currently reading
February 24, 2008Just getting started
October 28, 2015
Excellent resource
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews