The Analects - (Essential Edition) (Essential Edition)

Author: Cai Xiqin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: The Chinese Sage Culture Series selects well-known phrases from Confucian works of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, including The Great Learning, The Analects, The Doctrine of the Mean, and Mencius. These phrases are accompanied by colloquial Chinese and English translations, with detailed annotations for key sentences, and are illustrated with numerous exquisite images. This series combines aesthetic appeal and practicality, meeting the needs of foreigners and others interested in studying Chinese philosophy. Representing the essence of traditional Chinese culture, this book is part of the series, The Analects.
Confucius (551–479 BC), styled Zhongni, was a native of Qufu, Shandong (anciently known as Lu). He was a renowned thinker and great educator in ancient China and the founder of the Confucian school of thought. The Analects is a book recording the words and deeds of Confucius and his disciples. Compiled by his disciples and later followers after his death, this work covers a wide range of topics, systematically documenting Confucius’s teachings on politics, philosophy, literature, art, education, and moral cultivation, making it a crucial resource for studying his thought.
Since its publication, numerous commentaries on The Analects have emerged. To remain faithful to the "words of the sage," most translators and annotators have meticulously explained the text word by word. However, due to errors and gaps in the original text and the differences between ancient and modern cultures, general readers often struggle to grasp the essence of these commentaries. To help young readers with limited classical Chinese proficiency understand this classic, and to enable this Confucian masterpiece to be more widely grasped and applied in today’s wave of economic reform and opening-up.