Zhi Tang Book Talk - Upper and Lower

Author: Zhou Zuoren
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-09-01
Features: Zhou Zuoren (1885–1967), styled Zhichang, was a native of Shaoxing, Zhejiang. He was a modern important prose writer and cultural scholar. Zhichang's Book Talk compiles over thirty of his collected works and writings outside of his collected works, as well as unpublished manuscripts discussing books, into four sections: Reading New Books and Old Novels, Books on Japan, Books on the West, and Books on Ancient and Old Books, published in two volumes. Zhichang's Prefaces and Postfaces covers the same scope as Zhichang's Book Talk, organized into three sections: self-authored prefaces and postfaces, prefaces and postfaces written for others, and inscriptions and reading notes. These three books form an integral whole. The 1986 edition by Yue Lu Book Society consisted of two volumes of Book Talk and one volume of Prefaces and Postfaces. The 1997 edition by Hainan Publishing House combined them into two thick volumes. This edition remains in three volumes because it includes writings outside of his collected works and unpublished manuscripts, significantly expanding the content compared to the 1986 edition.
The ancients often advised people to read, saying that it brought great joy... Another school of thought argued that reading was beneficial... What I discuss does not fully align with either view. If I must summarize it in one sentence, it might be said that one reads for one's own education. There is neither great benefit nor much pleasure to be gained, only a little knowledge, and knowledge is also suffering. At the very least, knowledge always carries a bitter taste. The ancient Hebrew prophets said, "I devoted myself to understanding wisdom, folly, and ignorance, only to realize it was like chasing the wind. The more wisdom one has, the more sorrow one suffers; the more knowledge one gains, the more grief one experiences."... However, no matter what, loneliness is inevitable. Only those who can endure solitude can truly follow this path.