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從異教徒到基督徒（新譯本）: 文化與宗教簡述
林語堂先生在這本書裡坦白了自己追求信仰的歷程，簡述了儒學，道教，佛教以及西方理性主義文化和基督教文化。著者學貫中西，高屋建瓴，許多見解直觸要害。雖然此書出版於1959年，對當前有關文化的討論依然有參考價值，讀者會發現許多今天關心的問題早在近百年前就曾討論過了，時下流行的一些認識與大師昔日的論述相比，其距離難以道裡計。此書原著為英文，曾有過兩個相似的譯本，多有翻譯不足之處，此次一併改正。
237 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 24, 2022
22 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
About the author
Lin Yutang
264 books341 followersProlific writer of a wide variety of works in Chinese 林语堂 and English; in the 1930s he founded several Chinese magazines specializing in social satire and Western-style journalism.
Lin, the son of a Chinese Presbyterian minister, was educated for the ministry but renounced Christianity in his early 20s and became a professor of English. He traveled to the United States and Europe for advanced study; on his return to China, he taught, edited several English-language journals, and contributed essays to Chinese literary magazines.
In 1932 Lin established the Lunyu banyuekan (“Analects Fortnightly”), a type of Western-style satirical magazine totally new to China at that time. It was highly successful, and he soon introduced two more publications. In 1935 Lin published the first of his many English-language books, My Country and My People. It was widely translated and for years was regarded as a standard text on China. The following year he moved to New York City to meet the popular demand for his historical accounts and novels. In 1939 he published his renowned English novel Moment in Peking. The Wisdom of China and India appeared in 1942.
Although he returned to China briefly in 1943 and again in 1954, Lin both times became involved in disputes stemming from his stand in favour of literature as self-expression rather than as propaganda and social education. In addition to writing books on Chinese history and philosophy, he made highly acclaimed English translations of Chinese literary masterpieces, such as Famous Chinese Short Stories Retold (1952).
Lin, the son of a Chinese Presbyterian minister, was educated for the ministry but renounced Christianity in his early 20s and became a professor of English. He traveled to the United States and Europe for advanced study; on his return to China, he taught, edited several English-language journals, and contributed essays to Chinese literary magazines.
In 1932 Lin established the Lunyu banyuekan (“Analects Fortnightly”), a type of Western-style satirical magazine totally new to China at that time. It was highly successful, and he soon introduced two more publications. In 1935 Lin published the first of his many English-language books, My Country and My People. It was widely translated and for years was regarded as a standard text on China. The following year he moved to New York City to meet the popular demand for his historical accounts and novels. In 1939 he published his renowned English novel Moment in Peking. The Wisdom of China and India appeared in 1942.
Although he returned to China briefly in 1943 and again in 1954, Lin both times became involved in disputes stemming from his stand in favour of literature as self-expression rather than as propaganda and social education. In addition to writing books on Chinese history and philosophy, he made highly acclaimed English translations of Chinese literary masterpieces, such as Famous Chinese Short Stories Retold (1952).
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 28, 2015
I've read this book more than once and with each fresh read gained deeper and deeper insights and in fact it's become a good reference with wonderfully expressed and carefully thought out sequence of events and ideas.
There does seem to be a reaction among reviewers which reads more like an attempt to pigeon hole a true master of literature who not only read the people he quotes, though perhaps a little sketchy and incorrect on some details -- what is here is one man's spiritual journey in and out of paths and attempting to explore in a very short volume a colossal tapestry of thoughts.
It's certainly a book that provides a superstructure for others to write and explore these ideas in a contemporary setting -- perhaps the possibility of his life story as a movie. It's wonderful that way.
He's a master of not only writing but poetry and research and certainly one the finest authors I've read.
I didn't want to read it at first because it seemed to look rather dowdy and it was dry but I remembered something a friend had said once about reading books that were dry were often the most rewarding ones to read. Well it was exactly like that for me and though some have casually tossed his discovery of Christianity aside, what he does underline are many things that Atheists in our time find displeasing about Christianity and Christ.
He gives a strong challenge to so many thinkers and so on and so forth.
I'd say if you haven't give it a whirl because you just might find that though it's not sensational, it has some profoundly useful insights for the seeker.
Another Good Read : CEM Joad - Recovery of Faith
There does seem to be a reaction among reviewers which reads more like an attempt to pigeon hole a true master of literature who not only read the people he quotes, though perhaps a little sketchy and incorrect on some details -- what is here is one man's spiritual journey in and out of paths and attempting to explore in a very short volume a colossal tapestry of thoughts.
It's certainly a book that provides a superstructure for others to write and explore these ideas in a contemporary setting -- perhaps the possibility of his life story as a movie. It's wonderful that way.
He's a master of not only writing but poetry and research and certainly one the finest authors I've read.
I didn't want to read it at first because it seemed to look rather dowdy and it was dry but I remembered something a friend had said once about reading books that were dry were often the most rewarding ones to read. Well it was exactly like that for me and though some have casually tossed his discovery of Christianity aside, what he does underline are many things that Atheists in our time find displeasing about Christianity and Christ.
He gives a strong challenge to so many thinkers and so on and so forth.
I'd say if you haven't give it a whirl because you just might find that though it's not sensational, it has some profoundly useful insights for the seeker.
Another Good Read : CEM Joad - Recovery of Faith
February 1, 2010
Really enjoying this. Misleading title, though...it's more like a survey of religious traditions in China (well, Confucianism, Taosim, Buddhism, and Christianity) from Lin's personal perspective. He's pretty harsh on traditional Christianity, but ends up a member of a Presbyterian church in New York by the book's end (I skipped ahead) -- a full circle journey, considering that his father was a Presbyterian minister in Fujian. (This was before all the foreign denominations were kicked out of China, obviously.)
I wish there were a Lin Yutang writing about China in English today -- such clarity and grace!
The section on Gu Hongming is so great...what a curmudgeon!
I wish there were a Lin Yutang writing about China in English today -- such clarity and grace!
The section on Gu Hongming is so great...what a curmudgeon!
December 23, 2018
I bought this book because Lin Yutang has long been my favorite translator of Laozi and Chuangzi. I knew that Lin moved from a Christian upbringing to views based on his Chinese cultural heritage (Daoism/Buddhism) and ultimately back to Christianity. I wanted to learn what he had to say about these transition. in this work, he discusses key concepts of Buddhism and Daoism and how those concepts compare and contrast with his Christian background. Although he is not explicit in the reasons for his re-conversion, one is able to follow his thinking and understand how he arrives back with Christianity. This is a good read for anyone struggling with reconciling their Christian heritage with their interest in eastern ways of thought.
July 15, 2025
WARNING: Wrote a super long review, mostly for myself. (When I try to remove reviews from my update feed it doesn't seem to work).
Too good!
Most of the book was actually about Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Materialism. So it was cool actually learning what these religions were about, and for that I gave it a 5 stars. It was great learning not only about the religions, but about the history of these religions & ancient China as well.
He gave many direct quotes from leaders from those religions. I love by giving translated quotes you can directly compare the words of Jesus to other religious leaders.
I also enjoyed seeing Yutang's life, and his views on Christianity. He also talked a lot about the history of philosophy contrasted it with Asian philosophy a lot. It's cool reading these words from a man born in 1895 in the mountains of South Eastern China. You get immersed in that time period, of his childhood and of the time which he wrote this (it was published in 1959). His wonder and passion for Christianity displayed here is wonderful too. However I don't agree with everything he said here, like about evolution, or faith by works.
Very refreshing. In Mr. Yutang fashion I will leave some quotes here:
"Thus it is that the world of Jesus contains both that power, and something else-the absolute clarity of light, without the self-limitation of Confucius, the intellectual analysis of Buddha, or the mysticism of Chuangtse. Where others reasoned, Jesus taught, and where others taught, Jesus commanded. He spoke out of the fullness of the knowledge and love of God. Jesus communicated the feeling of the immediate knowledge and love of God, and further, immediately and without qualification, equated that love of God with obeying His commandment, which is to love one another. If all great truths are simple, we stand here in the presence of a simple truth which contains the germ of the principle for all human development, and is sufficient" (225).
Actually, I'ma just type out like a whole page worth of a quote here (which is right after the previously quoted paragraph):
"His teaching was of a different order from that of previous philosophers. No more the positivism and common sense of Confucius, no more his staid occupation with human relations only, or his counself of gradual self-cultivation; nor the phantasmagoria of a world of eternal transformations of Taoism, of Being returning to Not-Being; nor the mighty intellectualism of Buddha and his heroic effort at conquest of the perceiving mind, with the hope of escaping into the and the unconditioned. All these have been worthy flights of the human mind into the upper sphere of divine truth, worthy attempts to explain the nature of life and death. Confucianism is eminently practical, nonabstract, easy to follow and to understand, but it balks at any close scrutiny of the true nature of life and the universe. It teaches honor and a sense of responsibility and a continuous aiming at our human best. Taoism and Buddhism, on the other hand, teach freedom of the spirit as the ultimate goal. Of the two, the Buddhist method, apart from the Chan, is intellectual rather than mystic. Indeed, the Taoism of Chuangtse contributes most directly to the emancipation of the spirit; it has a largeness of comprehension rare in lesser philosophers of reason. The Chuangtsean standpoint was, like that of Pascal, really religious, as we have seen. Laotse at times rose to immense heights in his belief in the power of love and humility, and in his contempt of all human measures, like government, punishment, and war, for giving peace to man. Laotse and Jesus are brothers in spirit. Jesus said, 'I am meek and lowly,' and Laotse said, 'Hold on to meekness and the lowly position.' Both established the kingdom of the poor in spirit, which enraged Nietzsche, but Jesus exemplified it by washing the feet of his disciples, a thing which Laotse conceivably might have done, but there is no record of his doing so" (225-226).
*Well, I was too lazy to look to hard for the quote, but I believe he said something about how Jesus' sayings were something the common man could understand as well compared to the other religious leaders' quotes.
"In other words, Christians breed Christians, but Christian theology does not" (234).
"Isn't the peculiarity of Christ that He made one feel a better and worthier person instead of a sinner in His presence?" (238).
"No intelligent Methodist of today, I believe, thinks evil of a Presbyterian or of an Episcopalian or of a Catholic. Is it possible that form is so important? Is it not true that one must worship God in spirit and in truth, and that the form is as inconsequential as the language one chooses to worship God in, whether it be French, German, English, or Latin?" (240).
Too good!
Most of the book was actually about Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Materialism. So it was cool actually learning what these religions were about, and for that I gave it a 5 stars. It was great learning not only about the religions, but about the history of these religions & ancient China as well.
He gave many direct quotes from leaders from those religions. I love by giving translated quotes you can directly compare the words of Jesus to other religious leaders.
I also enjoyed seeing Yutang's life, and his views on Christianity. He also talked a lot about the history of philosophy contrasted it with Asian philosophy a lot. It's cool reading these words from a man born in 1895 in the mountains of South Eastern China. You get immersed in that time period, of his childhood and of the time which he wrote this (it was published in 1959). His wonder and passion for Christianity displayed here is wonderful too. However I don't agree with everything he said here, like about evolution, or faith by works.
Very refreshing. In Mr. Yutang fashion I will leave some quotes here:
"Thus it is that the world of Jesus contains both that power, and something else-the absolute clarity of light, without the self-limitation of Confucius, the intellectual analysis of Buddha, or the mysticism of Chuangtse. Where others reasoned, Jesus taught, and where others taught, Jesus commanded. He spoke out of the fullness of the knowledge and love of God. Jesus communicated the feeling of the immediate knowledge and love of God, and further, immediately and without qualification, equated that love of God with obeying His commandment, which is to love one another. If all great truths are simple, we stand here in the presence of a simple truth which contains the germ of the principle for all human development, and is sufficient" (225).
Actually, I'ma just type out like a whole page worth of a quote here (which is right after the previously quoted paragraph):
"His teaching was of a different order from that of previous philosophers. No more the positivism and common sense of Confucius, no more his staid occupation with human relations only, or his counself of gradual self-cultivation; nor the phantasmagoria of a world of eternal transformations of Taoism, of Being returning to Not-Being; nor the mighty intellectualism of Buddha and his heroic effort at conquest of the perceiving mind, with the hope of escaping into the and the unconditioned. All these have been worthy flights of the human mind into the upper sphere of divine truth, worthy attempts to explain the nature of life and death. Confucianism is eminently practical, nonabstract, easy to follow and to understand, but it balks at any close scrutiny of the true nature of life and the universe. It teaches honor and a sense of responsibility and a continuous aiming at our human best. Taoism and Buddhism, on the other hand, teach freedom of the spirit as the ultimate goal. Of the two, the Buddhist method, apart from the Chan, is intellectual rather than mystic. Indeed, the Taoism of Chuangtse contributes most directly to the emancipation of the spirit; it has a largeness of comprehension rare in lesser philosophers of reason. The Chuangtsean standpoint was, like that of Pascal, really religious, as we have seen. Laotse at times rose to immense heights in his belief in the power of love and humility, and in his contempt of all human measures, like government, punishment, and war, for giving peace to man. Laotse and Jesus are brothers in spirit. Jesus said, 'I am meek and lowly,' and Laotse said, 'Hold on to meekness and the lowly position.' Both established the kingdom of the poor in spirit, which enraged Nietzsche, but Jesus exemplified it by washing the feet of his disciples, a thing which Laotse conceivably might have done, but there is no record of his doing so" (225-226).
*Well, I was too lazy to look to hard for the quote, but I believe he said something about how Jesus' sayings were something the common man could understand as well compared to the other religious leaders' quotes.
"In other words, Christians breed Christians, but Christian theology does not" (234).
"Isn't the peculiarity of Christ that He made one feel a better and worthier person instead of a sinner in His presence?" (238).
"No intelligent Methodist of today, I believe, thinks evil of a Presbyterian or of an Episcopalian or of a Catholic. Is it possible that form is so important? Is it not true that one must worship God in spirit and in truth, and that the form is as inconsequential as the language one chooses to worship God in, whether it be French, German, English, or Latin?" (240).
December 29, 2022
Surprisingly, the best part of this book was a survey of Chinese philosophical thought and its Buddhist influences, and some meditations on the distinct rôles of religion and science in modern man's life, material vs. spiritual. The author's clearly well-read. The one thing I didn't really like was at the end, where after bringing up innumerable ethical and metaphysical dilemmas he claims to have neatly tied every problem in a bow using the universal Answer that is Christ. It's simply unsatisfying, though I accept that it is his personal understanding.
So the ending is less than ideal but I'm quite glad I read the book. Fed my mystical consciousness.
So the ending is less than ideal but I'm quite glad I read the book. Fed my mystical consciousness.
September 9, 2024
Such beautifully written, but a bit of a hard read for myself since I’m not as well versed in Chinese literature and history. （读这本书的时候才后悔自己读的中文书不够哈哈哈）
Not a light read as I have to stay fully focused and 反复推敲一些冗长又优美的句子；but it does indeed match what it aims to talk about:
“本书不是为那些没有时间谈论宗教，且永远不可能加入追寻行列的人而写，因为本书不会引起他们的兴趣。本书也不是为了那些完全满意于他所了解的，自觉已有可靠的寄托、那些永不会有任何疑虑且自足的基督徒而写。那些自信在天堂已有座位的人，我与他们不起共鸣。我只对那些问“这次旅程我们到哪里去”的人说话。”
其中所包含的对于中国文化中的孔儒、佛教与基督教的对比使我认识到自己的信仰和世界上的信仰很多，也很感恩我可以看到耶稣在人类信仰历史长河中散发的那无可比拟的光芒。
Not a light read as I have to stay fully focused and 反复推敲一些冗长又优美的句子；but it does indeed match what it aims to talk about:
“本书不是为那些没有时间谈论宗教，且永远不可能加入追寻行列的人而写，因为本书不会引起他们的兴趣。本书也不是为了那些完全满意于他所了解的，自觉已有可靠的寄托、那些永不会有任何疑虑且自足的基督徒而写。那些自信在天堂已有座位的人，我与他们不起共鸣。我只对那些问“这次旅程我们到哪里去”的人说话。”
其中所包含的对于中国文化中的孔儒、佛教与基督教的对比使我认识到自己的信仰和世界上的信仰很多，也很感恩我可以看到耶稣在人类信仰历史长河中散发的那无可比拟的光芒。
partially-read
November 29, 2025Misleadingly titled. This is a survey of Chinese philosophy from an author who's harsh on traditional Christianity.
Read chapter 4 "The Peak of Mount Tao" for my MA thesis.
Read chapter 4 "The Peak of Mount Tao" for my MA thesis.
Read
July 24, 2011Enjoyed the authors autobiographical tales of childhood as a Chinese Christian and young man. Enjoyed the Taoism, Confucianism & Buddhism chapters. The section on Darwinism seems somewhat misguided and shallow, and while the sentiment behind his reconversion to "Jesus-ism" (one hesitates to call in Christianity, insofar as that would require various creeds) is warm and convincing, how he ends up a Presbyterian (of all things!) is a bit of a mystery. A thoroughly enjoyable writer: I would enjoy reading his translations of classical Chinese texts. (and enjoyed his criticism of other translators)
p.29 - "It really does not matter at all to what college a man goes; the important things is a good library. The quality of learning, like the kingdom of God, is within you, andit must come from the inside of your mind."
Winston Churchill, "The Inside of the CUp",
p. 46 - Ku Hung-ming:
(i) appears unnamed in Somerset Maugham's "On a Chinese Screen"
(ii) Four Books
(iii) Dialogues and Syaing of Confucious
p.62 - Confucious: "Be a gentleman scholar, do not be a petty scholar. That type of knowledge which consists in memorizing facts to answer questions is not worthy to make one a teacher."
p.64 - Motse / Yang Chu
p. 81- Tsesze, "Liki", "Chang yung". Philosophic basis of Confucianism
p.170 - Hanshan (poet)
p.235 - Schweitzer, "Out of My Life and Thought"
p.29 - "It really does not matter at all to what college a man goes; the important things is a good library. The quality of learning, like the kingdom of God, is within you, andit must come from the inside of your mind."
Winston Churchill, "The Inside of the CUp",
p. 46 - Ku Hung-ming:
(i) appears unnamed in Somerset Maugham's "On a Chinese Screen"
(ii) Four Books
(iii) Dialogues and Syaing of Confucious
p.62 - Confucious: "Be a gentleman scholar, do not be a petty scholar. That type of knowledge which consists in memorizing facts to answer questions is not worthy to make one a teacher."
p.64 - Motse / Yang Chu
p. 81- Tsesze, "Liki", "Chang yung". Philosophic basis of Confucianism
p.170 - Hanshan (poet)
p.235 - Schweitzer, "Out of My Life and Thought"
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews