Pocket Chinese ClassicsAll books translated and annotated by Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith, with the original Chinese rendered in classical calligraphy and pinyin for modern Mandarin pronunciation
The Pocket Confucius
For more than 2,000 years, Confucius has remained one of the most influential figures in the world of education, human affairs and public thought. Yet his actual words have often been diluted by over-simplification or extensive commentary. This new approach digs beneath the fortune-cookie philosophy and scholarly interpretations to focus solely on what the Master himself had to say regarding matters of moral character and social order. In 108 digestible gems of wisdom from The Analects, Confucius's provocative teachings remain relevant not only in the public sphere but also in the home and the boardroom. The Pocket Mencius Unlike Confucius, who spoke in pithy passages, his greatest disciple Mencius nurtured those intellectual seedlings into fully flowering ideals, expanding and championing the core philosophies that would later define the Confucian doctrine. This collection distills those flowing discourses into 108 nuggets encapsulating Mencius’s views on family dynamics, public versus private morality, and the inherent goodness of humankind. The Pocket Confucius, Vol. II: Doctrine of the Mean "Moderation is the highest order, but few can sustain it," Confucius maintained. Unlike The Analects, which focuses primarily on the earthly realm, the Zhongyong (most frequently translated as the "Doctrine of the Mean") takes a metaphysical turn. Much as Aristotle’s Golden Mean cited the delicate balance between deficiency and excess in Western thought, these maxims channel Confucius’s pure pursuit of truth in ways that seek not only social harmony but also a peaceful, principled existence with the universe. The Great Learning "The Way of Great Learning requires emanating moral virtue, motivating the people to renew themselves, and attaining the highest good." Thus begins The Great Learning, the Song dynasty scholar Zhu Xi's concise and accessible gateway to the core of Chinese traditional beliefs. Presented here in its entirety, this new edition illuminates the continuity of philosophical discourse from Confucius to Mencius that originally codified the celebrated "Four Books" of Confucian thought. The Pocket Tao From ancient scripture to New Age self-help guide, the enduring Tao (or "Way") of Lao Tzu has become one of the most influential Chinese texts of all time. This new translation strips away layers of scholarly interpretations to unlock the Tao's original poetic power. With an introductory essay recounting the text's journey from folklore and archeological artifact to becoming the most international of Chinese classics, this new bilingual edition also contains Lao Tzu’s original Chinese text in its entirety. The Pocket Te Where Lao Tzu’s Book of Tao focuses on realizing one’s own potential by aligning oneself with external forces, its ancient literary companion, the seminal Book of Te (or "Virtue"), is concerned more with the tangible results of following the natural order. This new translation unveils Lao Tzu’s terse yet expansive text in its entirety, examining the quality of human action that can channel the power of the universe. This bilingual edition also contains the original Chinese text. |
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