Think tank

Author: Feng Menglong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: The Wisdom Treasury belongs to classical Chinese note-taking literature. The characteristic of note-taking literature is to process and organize existing materials according to a specific topic, re-edit them, and categorize them, with annotations and critiques. Its emergence was a result of social demand. During the Ming Dynasty, with the increase of the urban class and intellectuals, some sought to cultivate elegance, others wanted to broaden their horizons, and others wanted to learn from history, all eager to draw knowledge from ancient culture that suited their needs, hoping to secure a place or gain nourishment in the of knowledge. However, they lacked the leisure time or the means to thoroughly search through ancient texts, so books discussing history and wisdom, as well as various thematic note collections, came into being. Among these themes, those about "wisdom" were particularly popular. After Feng Menglong's The Wisdom Treasury was published, readers demanded additional printings and continuations, which illustrates this point. This book is a masterpiece worthy of appreciation and collection, deeply loved by famous scholars. Even Mao Zedong, amidst his busy schedule, read The Wisdom Treasury and left numerous annotations and critiques on it, showing his high regard and admiration for the book. In summary, this is a record that enlightens the mind, enhancing one's adaptability after reading it. Even from the perspectives of literary appreciation, knowledge acquisition, and ideological education, The Wisdom Treasury still holds significance in introducing it to a broad audience today. The Wisdom Treasury is a collection of short pieces compiled by the renowned Ming Dynasty literary figure Feng Menglong. The book collects over a thousand short stories from ancient times about how people used wisdom to solve difficulties. These stories reflect both the grand strategies of emperors, generals, scholars, and famous figures in politics, military, and diplomacy, as well as the small cleverness of common people like soldiers, women, servants, monks, and farmers in their daily lives. In the preface to The Wisdom Treasury, Feng Menglong explicitly states the purpose of compiling the book: "A person with wisdom is like land with water. Land without water becomes barren, and a person without wisdom becomes a walking corpse. Wisdom, when applied to people, is like water flowing through the land. Where the land is low, water fills it; where human affairs are low, wisdom fills them. Examining the successes and failures of the past and present, none of it happens otherwise." It is clear that Feng Menglong intended to emphasize the importance of acquiring wisdom. His writing is concise yet profound. The Wisdom Treasury indeed holds certain social value in the development of the Chinese nation. Adhering to the principle of learning from the past, the compilers of this book have simplified and selected representative chapters, translated them into vernacular Chinese, and re-titled them, followed by brief critiques to inspire readers' thoughts. After reading this book, readers will have a general understanding of its essence. While appreciating the wisdom of the ancients, we also become smarter.