The Analects

Author: Confucius (Spring and Autumn Period) / Compiled by the Writing Group of "Students' Must-Read Series of Chinese Traditional Culture"
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-01-01
Features: As the saying goes, "Ten years to grow a tree, a hundred years to nurture a person." Nurturing a person requires long-term, subtle (influence), making early childhood education particularly important. It plays a crucial role in shaping a person's values, establishing their character, and developing their intellect. But what should children read? Many experts recommend reading the classics of Chinese culture. The term "classic" refers to books that contain rich and representative eternal principles, "teaching the eternal norms and practices of life." After being washed by the course of history, these books have even greater eternal value, allowing us to experience the brilliance of the wisdom of our ancestors without being limited by time and space. Although our traditional culture has endured for thousands of years, there are some cultural essences in the study of national learning that are closely related to the present, such as integrity, self-improvement, self-cultivation, and filial piety. These are all outstanding characteristics of traditional Chinese virtues and culture. Especially in today's society, it is not enough to give children knowledge; we must also teach them how to be a person. In this way, the philosophy of life contained in ancient culture will play a significant role. Moreover, children have excellent memories, so they should be encouraged to read valuable books during their most receptive years. On one hand, this allows them to learn ancient culture, gain knowledge, and enhance their cultivation; on the other hand, they can draw wisdom from it. As children grow older and gain more experience, all of this will become a very valuable spiritual wealth, benefiting them throughout their lives. To make it easier for children to accept our "classics," we have made efforts in the selection of the book list and the arrangement of the content. First, we selected representative book titles that are both the essence of our culture and relatively easy to read, including The Analects of Confucius, Laozi·Daxue·Zhongyong, The Art of War·36 Stratagems, The Book of Songs, Sources of Ancient Poetry, Three-Character Classic, Mencius, The Book of Documents, One Thousand Characters, Juexue Qionglin, Zhuangzi, The Songs of Chu, Rhythm Enlightenment, The Rules for Students, Hundred Family Surnames, and The Enriching Wisdom of the World. Second, in the arrangement of the content, we made the following efforts: the original text is printed in large characters with Pinyin annotations, making it more prominent and easier to read; translations are added to help children grasp the essence of the entire text, making it easier to overcome any obstacles; word and phrase annotations are provided to help children understand the specific meanings of words and phrases, giving them a basic understanding of ancient literature; illustrations are included to make the text more vivid; and some editions also include introductory stories to enhance reading interest. All of these efforts will help young readers better learn ancient culture.