A Concise History of Chinese Philosophy: Illustrated Treasure Edition (Illustrated Treasure Edition)

Author: Feng Youlan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: A seminal work by the philosophy master Feng Youlan, whose English edition has been a bestseller for over half a century. First translated into Chinese in the 1980s, its first edition sold 100,000 copies. The preferred reading for understanding Chinese philosophy. This book is the crystallization of Feng Youlan's philosophy and thoughts. With a limited volume, this philosophical history monograph connects knowledge from ancient to modern, China and the world, filled with wisdom and insights of a philosopher. Especially noteworthy is the author's concern for real-world issues, embodying the spirit of "never forgetting to save the country while studying, and never forgetting to study while saving the country." For today's Chinese readers, it remains an enriching classic in intellectual discourse.
In 1947, the great contemporary philosopher Feng Youlan was appointed as a Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States, where he taught the History of Chinese Philosophy. His English lecture notes were later compiled into A Short History of Chinese Philosophy, published by the renowned American publishing house Macmillan in 1948. Upon its release, the book immediately became a super introductory text for Westerners seeking to understand and learn Chinese philosophy. Subsequent translations into French, Italian, Spanish, Yugoslav, and Japanese followed. For over half a century, it has been a standard textbook for Chinese philosophy in universities worldwide, exerting significant influence in the West. Critics regard this book as the crystallization of Feng Youlan's philosophy and thoughts, his seminal work, and the preferred reading for understanding Chinese philosophy. With its limited volume, this philosophical history monograph connects knowledge from ancient to modern, China and the world, filled with wisdom and insights of a philosopher. Especially noteworthy is the author's concern for real-world issues, embodying the spirit of "never forgetting to save the country while studying, and never forgetting to study while saving the country." For today's Chinese readers, it remains an enriching classic in cultural discourse.
For a long time, the book was not available in Chinese. It was only in the 1980s that it was translated into Chinese by Feng Youlan's student based on the English edition and published by Peking University Press in 1985. The first printing of the Chinese edition was 100,000 copies, which sold out quickly and became a bestseller in academia at the time.