Early Learning in the Precious Chamber

Author: (Ming) Cheng Dengji Original / Compiled by the Writing Group of "Essential Chinese Traditional Culture Series for Students"
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-09-01
Features: As the saying goes, "Ten years to grow a tree, a hundred years to raise 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 books should we read to children? 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 of life." After being tested by the currents of history, these books have even greater timeless value, allowing us to experience the brilliance of our ancestors' wisdom without being constrained by time and space. Although our traditional culture has spanned thousands of years, some of its cultural essence in the study of national learning (guoxue) remains closely connected 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 good people. 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, expand their knowledge, and enhance their cultural refinement; on the other hand, it enables them to absorb wisdom. As children grow older and gain more experience, all of this will become an invaluable spiritual wealth that will benefit them throughout their lives. To make our "classics" more accessible to children, we have made efforts in selecting the booklist and arranging 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·The Great Learning·The Doctrine of the Mean, The Art of War·The 36 Stratagems, The Book of Songs, Sources of Ancient Poetry, Three-Character Classic, Mencius, The Book of Documents, A Thousand Character Classic, The Jade Tree of Youth, Zhuangzi, The Songs of Chu, Rhythm Enlightenment, The Rules for Students, The Hundred Family Surnames, and The Enriching Wisdom of the Expanded Classic. Second, in terms of content arrangement, we made the following efforts: The original text is presented in large fonts with Pinyin annotations, making it more eye-catching and easier to read; translations are included to help children grasp the essence of the entire text, making it easier to overcome any difficulties; 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 added to make the text more vivid; and some books include introductory stories to enhance reading interest. All of these efforts will help young readers better learn ancient culture.