The Four Chinese Classics: Tao Te Ching, Chuang Tzu, Analects, Mencius

by David Hinton (Translator)

Overview

Discover four seminal masterworks of Chinese thought—Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, the Analects of Confucius, the Chuang Tzu, and the Mencius—presented in one volume for the first time in nearly two centuries.

Award-winning translator David Hinton offers fresh insights on the most influential texts on Taoism, Zen Buddhism, Chinese philosophy, and more.
 
Hinton’s award–winning experience translating a wide range of ancient Chinese poets makes these books sing in English as never before. But these new versions are not only inviting and immensely readable—they also apply much-needed consistency to key philosophical terms in these texts, lending structural links and philosophical rigor heretofore unavailable in English. Breathing new life into these classics, Hinton’s new translations will stand as the definitive texts for our era.

Perhaps the most broadly influential spiritual text in human history, Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching is the source of Taoist philosophy, which eventually developed into Ch’an (Zen) Buddhism. Equally influential in the social sphere, Confucius’ Analects is the source of social wisdom in China. The Chuang Tzu is the wild and wacky prose complement to the Tao Te Ching. And with its philosophical storytelling, the Mencius adds depth and complexity to Confucius’ vision.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781619028340
Publisher:	Catapult
Publication date:	12/13/2016
Edition description:	Translatio
Pages:	576
Sales rank:	167,441
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

David Hinton has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, numerous fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and both of the major awards given for poetry translation in the United States: the Landon Translation Award, and the PEN Translation Award. His recent book of essays, Hunger Mountain: A Field Guide to Mind and Landscape, was on the Best–Books–of–the–Year list at The Guardian in England. Hinton lives in Vermont.

Table of Contents

I Taoist Classics

Tao Te Ching

Introduction 13

I Tao Ching 33

II Te Ching 75

Notes 123

Key Terms: An Outline of Lao Tzu's Thought 125

Chuang Tzu

Introduction 133

I Wandering Boundless and Free 140

II A Little Talk About Evening Things Out 148

III To Care for This Life 160

IV The Human Realm 164

V The Talisman of Integrity Replete 176

VI The Great Ancestral Master 185

VII The Way of Emperors and Kings 199

Notes 207

Key Terms: An Outline of Chuang Tzu's Thought 211

II Confucian Classics

Analects

Map 216

Introduction 217

I To Learn, and Then 234

II In Government, the Secret 239

III Eight Rows of Dancers 245

IV Of Villages, Humanity 252

V Kung-yeh Ch'ang 257

VI Jan Yung Is One Who 264

VII Transmitting Insight, But 271

VIII Surely T'ai Po 279

IX The Master Rarely 285

X His Native Village 292

XI Studies Begin 298

XII Yen Hui 306

XIII Adept Lu 314

XIV Yuan Szu Asked About 322

XV Duke Ling of Wei 333

XVI The House of Chi 341

XVII Yang Huo 347

XVIII The Lord of Wei 354

XIX Adept-Chang 359

XX Emperor Yao Said 365

Notes 369

Historical Table 378

Key Terms: An Outline of Confucius' Thought 379

Further Reading 381

Mencius

Introduction 385

I Emperor Hui of Liang Book One 396

II Emperor Hui of Liang Book Two 407

III Kung-Sun Ch'ou Book One 422

IV Kung-Sun Ch'ou Book Two 434

V Duke Wen of T'eng Book One 445

VI Duke Wen of T'eng Book Two 457

VII Li Lou Book One 469

VIII Li Lou Book Two 483

IX Wan Chang Book One 494

X Wan Chang Book Two 506

XI Master Kao Book One 518

XII Master Kao Book Two 529

XIII To Fathom the Mind Book One 541

XIV To Fathom the Mind Book Two 555

Notes 567

Historical Table 572

Key Terms: An Outline of Mencius' Thought 573

Further Reading 575