University -(Essential Version)-(Essential Version)

Author: Fu Yunlong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: The Great Learning was originally a chapter of the Book of Rites. It is said to have been written by Zeng Can, a disciple of Confucius (505–436 BC), but it is actually a Confucian work from the period between the Qin and Han dynasties, which is now generally accepted as fact. Sima Qian wrote A Broad View of the Great Learning, showing that it was already highly regarded by scholars of his time. During the Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi, based on the teachings of the Two Cheng brothers, extracted it from the Book of Rites and devoted his life to refining and continuously improving it, making it an independent book. Since the Song Dynasty, it has become a canonical text of Confucianism and holds a particularly important position in the history of Confucianism and even Chinese traditional culture. To understand, study, and spread the essence of Confucianism, one cannot help but read this book seriously. However, for a long time, there have been few foreign language translations of the Great Learning, which has brought inconvenience to scholars and readers who study Chinese philosophy and culture in foreign languages and has limited the dissemination of traditional Chinese culture. Many scholars who use foreign languages and friends who study and research abroad have lamented that China pays too little attention to the foreign language translation of its cultural achievements. They often compare India with China, saying that many of India's cultural heritage have foreign language translations, especially English ones, while the foreign language translations of Chinese classics are scarce. When a few translations do exist, they are often done by foreigners, which makes one feel ashamed of the past, fails the future, and disrespects outsiders. When translating into a foreign language, one faces a problem: should one first translate the classical Chinese into vernacular Chinese—or should one translate directly from classical Chinese into the foreign language? The latter is certainly possible, but it is more challenging. To address this shortcoming, the China Language Teaching Press has adopted a pragmatic approach, selecting some traditional cultural classics for gradual translation and publication. The Great Learning is one such work. This book was published several years ago by the China Language Teaching Press in a bilingual (classical Chinese and vernacular Chinese) and bilingual (Chinese-English) edition, alongside the Analects, the Doctrine of the Mean, and the Mencius, and was distributed both domestically and internationally, attracting widespread attention from readers. Now, as part of the "Chinese Sage Culture Series," this (essential edition) of the Great Learning not only includes more detailed annotations but is also accompanied by numerous exquisite illustrations, making the book more visually appealing and practical.