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A History of Chinese Philosophy
Since its original publication in Chinese in the 1930s, this work has been accepted by Chinese scholars as the most important contribution to the study of their country's philosophy. In 1952 the book was published by Princeton University Press in an English translation by the distinguished scholar of Chinese history, Derk Bodde, "the dedicated translator of Fung Yu-lan's huge history of Chinese philosophy" ( New York Times Book Review ). Available for the first time in paperback, it remains the most complete work on the subject in any language.
Volume I covers the period of the philosophers, from the beginnings to around 100 B.C., a philosophical period as remarkable as that of ancient Greece. Volume II discusses a period lesser known in the West--the period of classical learning, from the second century B.C. to the twentieth century.
Volume I covers the period of the philosophers, from the beginnings to around 100 B.C., a philosophical period as remarkable as that of ancient Greece. Volume II discusses a period lesser known in the West--the period of classical learning, from the second century B.C. to the twentieth century.
- GenresPhilosophyChina
Hardcover
First published October 1, 1952
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 6, 2015
Ironically, and shamefully to admit, that I didn’t know this book until not long before. It’s a comprehensive description about the various strands of Chinese philosophy and a good reading to understand the development of Chinese thinking in history, though not necessarily bringing much insight in mainland China or Chinese people today.
Undoubtedly there is a chasm between traditional Chinese culture and that of the modern era, and too little is done when it comes to spending time and effort to appreciate the intellectual achievements produced by ancient scholars.
The book itself is not an easy reading, the language and vocabulary are very different from the modern usage, even more so the lengthy quotes from ancient writings. It even made me suspicious about whether it’s really a good thing that now we all speak and write in simplified plain Chinese. Once I read something about the Chinese characters have been the same since thousands years ago and thus render it no obstacle for modern Chinese to read ancient writings. To a small extend that is true, high school graduates can read and understand poems or simple prose with no big problems, but the more serious, those we call philosophical or political writings are no small challenge. Even when I knew all the characters individually, their combinations present a huge obstacle, lots of time I simply couldn’t understand what they are trying to say. Nevertheless, the four-month struggling with this book benefited me a lot. And I will spend more time to read and rediscover my own culture.
Undoubtedly there is a chasm between traditional Chinese culture and that of the modern era, and too little is done when it comes to spending time and effort to appreciate the intellectual achievements produced by ancient scholars.
The book itself is not an easy reading, the language and vocabulary are very different from the modern usage, even more so the lengthy quotes from ancient writings. It even made me suspicious about whether it’s really a good thing that now we all speak and write in simplified plain Chinese. Once I read something about the Chinese characters have been the same since thousands years ago and thus render it no obstacle for modern Chinese to read ancient writings. To a small extend that is true, high school graduates can read and understand poems or simple prose with no big problems, but the more serious, those we call philosophical or political writings are no small challenge. Even when I knew all the characters individually, their combinations present a huge obstacle, lots of time I simply couldn’t understand what they are trying to say. Nevertheless, the four-month struggling with this book benefited me a lot. And I will spend more time to read and rediscover my own culture.
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August 14, 2018No serious philosophy exists in Chinese history. Feng's work occurs as a summarization of the philosophical thoughts in ancient China.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews