"《University》" "《The Doctrine of the Mean》" Annotations and Comments

Author: Dong Fang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: The Great Learning emphasizes learning, advocating for "self-cultivation" and "pursuing goodness," while The Doctrine of the Mean focuses on behavioral principles, teaching people to discover "the highest good" and adhere to the eternal way. The two books are a perfect match, complementing each other. To facilitate readers' reading and understanding, this book is based on Zhu Xi's Collected Annotations on the Four Books, following the chapter order. It first provides concise annotations, then translates the original text, and finally offers detailed analysis, with selected appendices at the end. The annotations choose the best interpretations for passages that have been differently understood throughout history. The translation is sincerely faithful to the original, using mostly literal translation with minimal free translation. The analysis strives to be both profound and accessible, also quoting the original texts of ancient scholars to make it enjoyable for both the learned and the general audience.