The Chinese and foreign masterpieces that must be read in one's lifetime?

Part I Encyclopedia of China's Pre-Qin Period The Book of Poetry

Reasons for Required Reading

China's First Poetry Collection

The Great Treasury of Realism

The Glorious Beginnings of Chinese Literature

The Source of Lyricism

Traditional Classics of Chinese Culture

The Earliest Educational Model Teaching Material in China

The first Chinese book of the world's literature and arts.

The jewel of the world's literary hall

Editor: Confucius

Country: China

Genre: Poetry

Date of composition: Late Spring and Autumn Period, 6th to 5th centuries before the Spring and Autumn Period

Reading time: Young people

Recommended reading: The Classic of Poetry, Zhonghua shu bure, 2003

⊙Background search

This is the first time that the Chinese traditional culture has been searched for.

The Book of Songs is the first general collection of Chinese poetry,*** containing 305 poems. These poems reflect the historical facts and customs of about 500 years from the early Western Zhou Dynasty to the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period. The Book of Poetry consists of three parts: the Wind, the Elegance, and the Ode. Wind refers to the state winds, which were composed in the Eastern Zhou period and were the local music of the vassal states, including the local folk songs of 15 vassal states, including Zhou Nan, Zhaonan, Ye, Wei, Wang, Zheng, Qi, Wei, Tang, Qin, Chen, Hui, Cao, Bin, and so on, ****160 poems, which are the quintessence of the Classic of Poetry. Ya is "correct music" and "correct sound", and it is a musical song of the Western Zhou Dynasty in the capital area, which is divided into Daya and Xiaoya. "Daya" is mostly for praise and praise, "Xiaoya" is mostly for satire and mockery, ****105 pieces; Song is the dance music of the court to sacrifice to the ghosts and gods, divided into 31 pieces of Song of the Zhou, 4 pieces of Song of the Lu, 5 pieces of Song of the Shang, and 40 pieces of Song of the Zhou, ****40 pieces.

The Book of Songs was a representative work of poetic creation at that time, and the geographical area in which it was produced involved the present Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Hubei and other provinces. Among the authors were nobles, farmers and shepherds, as well as soldiers and slaves. Concerning its compilation, Ban Gu of the Han Dynasty said, "In the month of Bengchun, when the group of people would be dispersed, the pedestrians vibrated their wooden dorges splendidly on the road to collect poems and offered them to the Imperial Master, comparing their sound and rhythm to be heard by the Son of Heaven." (Han Shu? Food and Goods Zhi) to the effect that the court sent people to various places to collect poems, which were then organized by the historian to the Son of Heaven in an attempt to sympathize with the people's feelings. At the end of the Spring and Autumn period, numerous works were recompiled by Confucius and used as textbooks for his disciples. During the pre-Qin era, the Poetry Scriptures were collectively referred to as "Poems" or "Poems 300", but in the Han Dynasty, Confucianism regarded them as classics, and they were called "Scriptures". The existing "Poetry" was transmitted by Mao Heng, a native of Lu State, and Mao Jan, a native of Zhao State, during the Western Han Dynasty, and has been widely popular since the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, so it is also known as "Mao Poetry".

⊙Executive Summary

The works of the Book of Poetry are rich in content and wide-ranging in scope, with the following main aspects:

I. Politics. There are many poems in the Shijing that attack political realities, such as the state winds "Wei Feng? False Sandalwood" and "Wei Feng? The "Shuo Rat" is a very famous chapter, satirizing the aristocrat's unearned wealth and exposing the ruler's ugly behavior, full of anger and injustice. Many interpreters of the Poetry believe that each of the three hundred and five poems is quite meaningful, though slightly excessive, but not empty. The poem "Yefeng? The "New Terrace" satirizes the scandalous behavior of Wei Xuan's daughter-in-law, and the "Qin Feng" (The Yellow Bird) shows how the Duke of Qin Mu took his daughter-in-law as his wife. The Yellow Bird" shows the atrocities of the Duke of Qin Mu's martyrdom of the living, and "Yefeng? The "Two Sons in a Boat" attacked Wei Xuan Gongxin's slanderous act of killing his virtuous son. These poems are either subtle or straightforward, some of them are loud and clear, some of them make people want to cry, but all of them have a clear theme and are angular.

Two, livelihood. The most splendid poems in the Book of Songs are those reflecting popular love, labor and life. These works are the most heavily weighted and rich in content in the Book of Songs, and at the same time the most moving. Here are the awfulness of food, clothing and shelter, the joy of labor and life, the pain of military service, the expectation of returning home, the heartache of parting, and sweet love. Among them, the poems describing love are especially the most remarkable. The first poem in the Book of Songs, Zhou Nan? Guan Suo, the first poem in the Book of Songs, wrote about men's love for each other: "A fair lady is a man who seeks a woman at any time of the day. If you can't find her, you'll have to go back to sleep and think about her. The woman is in a state of restlessness, tossing and turning." The pain of lovesickness is so vivid and vivid on paper that it has become a famous phrase in the ancient times.

Three, history. Most of these poems are preserved in the Daya and the "Three Songs", most of which are about the history of the Zhou race, the development of the history, praising the great achievements of the late king, such as the "Shengmin", "Gongliu", "Mian", "Daming", "HuangYi", etc. They are not long, but they are very good at what they do. They are not long, but extremely valuable.

⊙Influence of works

As the earliest collection of poetry in China, the Book of Songs has a high position in the history of literature, and it has a pioneering value, being the beginning of Chinese realist literature, and its content, techniques and forms are taken and modeled on by people in later generations. The syntax of the Book of Songs is mostly in four lines, with rules, but flexible and changeable. It was the first to utilize the three artistic techniques of fugue, bi and Xing, and its achievements were so great that it profoundly influenced the development of Chinese literature for more than 2,000 years. Many of its best works are well known to women and children and are familiar to all, not only vivid in description and beautiful in language, but also rhythmic and healthy in thought, which are still irreplaceable despite thousands of years of experience.

The Book of Poetry already had a high status in the minds of people at that time. Confucius paid much attention to the value of the Poetry, which was used not only in all aspects of life, but also in other fields such as education, diplomacy and military affairs. He said in the Analects? Yangguo", he said: "Why don't you learn poetry? Poetry can be organized, can be viewed, can be grouped, and can be complained about. To serve one's father at a distance, and to serve one's ruler at a distance; to learn more about the names of grass, trees, birds and beasts." He even said, "If you don't learn poetry, you can't speak." This shows the importance of Poetry. At the time of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, Poetry was included in one of the Five Classics, known as the Book of Poetry, which became a Confucian classic, a magic weapon for educating the people and a spiritual pillar for stabilizing the society. With the passage of time, readers of all dynasties have looked up to it and worshiped it, regarding it as a sacred synonym. Because of this, the Book of Psalms became a cultural treasure of the Chinese people and a symbol of Chinese culture, spreading to Asian countries such as Korea, Vietnam and Japan during the Tang Dynasty, and to Europe during the Ming Dynasty, where it flourished for hundreds of years, and was even regarded as a monumental work of the world that flew into space as one of the gifts to beings in alien galaxies.

This all-encompassing, time-traveling, classic poem describing Chinese civilization, both in the past and today, glows with its unique cultural heritage and profound beauty.

⊙ Wonderful Chapters

Guan Guan Ju, on the river's continent. A fair lady, a gentleman's martyrdom.

The floating heartedness, the left and right flow of the river. A fair lady is a woman who seeks to be martyred.

We are not able to do so, and we are not able to realize that we are not able to do so. I am not sure if I will be able to do so.

The yellow floating heart (Nymphoides peltatum) is picked from the left and the right. The woman is a beautiful woman, and she is a friend of the qin and se.

Nymphoides peltatum, left and right. A fair lady is a man who plays with bells and drums.

-The Book of Songs? Zhounan? Guan Ju (关雎)

⊙Extended Reading

Another major source of classical Chinese poetry is the Chu Rhetoric (楚辞), an archetype of ancient southern poetry. The Chu Rhetoric was collected by Liu Xiang of the two Han dynasties and includes more than ten works by Qu Yuan, Song Yu, Huainan Xiaoshan, and Dongfang Shuo. Qu Yuan (340~278 BC), name Ping, character Yuan, a native of Chu during the Warring States period, China's first great poet, whose representative works include Li Sao, Nine Chapters, and Heavenly Questions.

The Four Books and Five Classics are the Confucian classics of ancient China. Zhuangzi? The Heavenly Games" said, "Qiu ruled the Six Classics of Poetry, Book, Rites, Music, Yi, and Spring and Autumn, and thought that he had been doing so for a long time." The Han Dynasty, the sole respect for Confucianism, the establishment of the five Confucian doctors, "Shangshu", "Rites", "Zhou Yi", "Spring and Autumn" and "Poetry" is known as the "Five Classics". To the Southern Song Dynasty, the famous scholar Zhu Xi will "Analects", "University", "the Mean", "Mencius" and "five" and "five" called "four books and five scriptures", which has become a must-read for Chinese readers throughout the ages.

Part I: The Art of War

Reasons for Reading

The Ancestor of the War

The Essence of Chinese Strategic Wisdom

The Most Ancient Book of War in the World

The Most Treasured Book of Statesmen, Militarists, and Merchants of All Generations

The Most Representative of the Classical Writings of Chinese Civilization

It has Influenced the History of the World

Rare Book of World History

It has influenced the history of China. A rare text in world history

Author: Sun Wu

Country: China

Type: military treatise

Date of publication: Spring and Autumn period, 512 BC

Reading time: a lifetime

Recommended reading: The Art of War, Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 2000

Background search

The author of Sun Tzu's The Art of War was Sun Wu, a great ancient Chinese militarist. Sun Wu, known as Changqing, was a native of Le'an (present-day Huimin County, Shandong Province) in the state of Qi at the end of the Spring and Autumn period. His ancestor, Chen Wan, was a native of the state of Chen, and fled to the state of Qi during the civil unrest. He was reused by Duke Huan of Qi, one of the "Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period", and changed his surname to Tian, and was later given the surname Sun because of his achievements in attacking the state of Ju. When Sun Wu was alive, Qi was in civil unrest, so he fled to Wu and lived in Gusu, where he wrote a book. In 516 B.C., King Helu made himself king of Wu, and appointed Wu Zixu, a close friend of Sun Wu's, as a general to prepare for the crusade against Chu. Wu Zixu knew his friend's talent and recommended him to the king of Wu seven times in a row. In 512 BC, King Helu of Wu summoned Sun Wu. Sun Wu presented the king with thirteen chapters of Sun Tzu's Art of War. The king of Wu was very pleased with Sun Wu's readings and appointed him as a general. Afterwards, Sun Wu "broke the strong Chu in the west, entered Ying, and defended Qi and Jin in the north". He and Wu Zixu helped King Helu of Wu to attack Chu three times, capturing the capital of Chu, Ying, and breaking the state of Yue, opening up the territory, and making remarkable achievements for King Helu of Wu to make alliances with his vassals and accomplish his hegemony. Sun Wu's end is still an unsolved mystery, no way to prove, only he wrote "Sun Tzu's Art of War" has been passed down from generation to generation, and still shines brightly.

Summary

The Art of War*** consists of 13 chapters, namely, The Art of Planning, The Art of Combat, The Art of Strategy and Attack, The Art of Form, The Art of Potential, The Art of Reality and Fiction, The Art of Military Competition, The Art of the Nine Changes, The Art of Marching, The Art of Terrain, The Art of Nine Lands, The Art of Attacking by Fire, and The Art of Using Interval, which are about 6,000 words in length.

This book of military affairs covers everything, involving strategy, politics, economy, diplomacy, astronomy, geography, meteorology, philosophy and the laws of war, etc., which can be called the world's treasure trove of military theory. Its strategic thinking is mainly divided into pre-war strategy and wartime strategy. Before the war, the generals and commanders should assess the situation and use political, diplomatic and economic means to achieve the highest level of war without fighting. During the war, generals and commanders must strive to take the initiative. The art of war use of the wonderful, exist in one mind, know the enemy and know yourself, surprise, attack their unpreparedness, to overwhelm the enemy's advantage of quick battle, and strive to minimize losses to obtain the maximum results of the war.

⊙Influence of works

The Art of War of Sun Tzu is an outstanding representative of ancient Chinese works on military science, and is an important part of China's excellent traditional culture. Its military thought, military system, and literary language have had a profound impact on later generations, spanning the ancient and modern worlds, penetrating both China and the world, and earning it the reputation of "the first book on military affairs in ancient times of the world".

Militarists and politicians of all generations have drawn nourishment from Sun Tzu's The Art of War, and have marched and ruled the country and the world. Xiang Yu of the Qin Dynasty, Han Xin and Huo Zhaodi of the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao and Zhu Geliang of the Three Kingdoms, Taizong Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty, Yue Fei of the Song Dynasty, and Qi Jiguang of the Ming Dynasty have all benefited greatly from the Art of War. They used its theories to guide their wars and govern their countries. In modern times, it has become even more reputable and influential. Mr. Sun Yat-sen once said, "As far as Chinese history is concerned, there are thirteen books on the art of war for more than 2,000 years, and those thirteen books on the art of war have formed the military philosophy of China." Mao Zedong has always attached great importance to the study of Sun Tzu's The Art of War. He called Sun Wu "an ancient Chinese military scientist" and believed that "knowing the enemy and knowing oneself will keep you safe from danger in a hundred battles" is an unbreakable scientific truth. He not only mentioned Sun Wu and The Art of War many times in his writings, but also creatively and flexibly utilized the theoretical essence of this military book in the Chinese Revolutionary War. It can be said that Sun Tzu's Art of War enriched and contributed to Mao Zedong's remarkable military thinking.

In foreign countries, the senior management of some large companies in Japan must read Sun Tzu's The Art of War, that it is a "holy book of business war", is a book that anyone should learn; the famous United States Military Academy at West Point will be listed as one of the required reading. In the 1980s, "The Art of War" was popularized internationally. Sun Tzu's Art of War has not only been emphasized by the military and strategists, but has also been expanded to other fields other than the military, such as economy, sports, management, diplomacy, etc., especially in the business and management industry, the most notable application.

All in all, Sun Tzu's Art of War summarizes in a highly condensed form the laws and regulations that are universally applicable, and is an invincible art and a brilliant science.

Scientific chapters

The art of war is also a tricky way. The way of war is the way of trickery. Therefore, it is able to show what it cannot do, to use what it does not use, to show what it is near, and to show what it is far, and to show what it is near what it is far. The advantage and temptation, chaos and take, real and prepared, strong and avoid, think and scratch, humble and proud, anonymous and labor, pro and away from the attack, unprepared, unexpected. This is the victory of the military, not to be passed on first.

--"The Art of War" (孙子兵法)

--《孙子兵法？ The Art of War

The image of a soldier is like water; the shape of water avoids the high and tends to the low; the shape of a soldier avoids the real and strikes the imaginary. The water is made to flow because of the ground, and the soldiers are made to win because of the enemy. Therefore, the soldiers are not always, water is not always shape, can be changed by the enemy and win, called God.

--"The Art of War" (孙子兵法)

--《孙子兵法？

⊙Extended Reading

Sun Bin, a military man of Qi in the middle of the Warring States period, was the fourth-generation grandson of Sun Wu and authored Sun Bin's Art of War. Its system and style are the same as Sun Tzu's "Art of War", emphasizing the tactical ideas of "must attack, not defend" and "precious momentum".

During the Yuanfeng reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty, the court combined Sun Zi, Six Towers, Wu Zi, Three Strategies, Yuliao Zi, Sima Fa, and Li Weigong's Questions and Answers into the Seven Books of Martial Arts, which were called the Seven Books of Martial Arts.

⊙ Allusions

In 1772, a French priest, Father Joseph Amiot, published a book in French in Paris.

In 1772, the French priest Joseph Amiou published a series of books in French called "Chinese Military Art", which included "Thirteen Articles of Sun Tzu".

In 1815, Napoleon was imprisoned in St. Helena after defeating Waterloo, and on one day, he read "The Art of War", and sighed, "If I had seen this art of war as soon as possible, I wouldn't have failed."

Part I of the Confucian classics that have served as a model for the ages: The Analects of Confucius

Reasons for reading

The Chinese Bible

The book that best represents Chinese culture

The cornerstone of China's 2,000 years of political and social ethics

One of the 100 books that have shaped the culture of mankind

The book that has been the most influential in China's history, The Analects of Confucius

The book that has shaped the culture of mankind. One of the most representative books of Chinese culture

Without reading this book thoroughly, one cannot y understand the thousands of years of traditional Chinese culture

Half of the Analects of Confucius governs the world

Author: Confucius and his disciples

Country: China

Type: Philosophical writings

Date of completion: Early Warring States period, the first five centuries

Reading time: a lifetime

Recommended reading: The Analects of Confucius (论语译注), annotated and translated by Yang Bojun (杨伯峻), Zhonghua Shuju Bureaus (中华书局, 2002)

⊙Background search

The Analects of Confucius (论语)is a collection of discursive prose that records the words and deeds of Confucius and his disciples. Confucius (551 BC-479 BC), whose first name was Qiu (丘), and second name was Zhongni (仲尼), was a native of Zuoyi (陬邑), the state of Lu (southeast of present-day Qufu, Shandong Province) in the late Spring and Autumn Period (770-481 BC). He was one of the most influential educators, thinkers, and founders of the school of Confucianism, and the highest-ranking and most highly regarded "saint" in ancient China. He was born as a nobleman in the state of Song, and later fled to the state of Lu to settle down. His father, Uighur Shuliang, was famous for his excellent arm strength. At the age of sixty-six, he married Yan Zheng, a young woman under twenty, and prayed to the gods for a son at Niqiu in the southeast of Qufu; afterward, he gave birth to Confucius, whose name was Qiu, and whose initials were Zhongni. Confucius lost his father at the age of three and came from a poor family. At the age of fifteen, he aspired to study and learned poetry, books, rituals and music, and in his youth, he worked as a minor official in the management of warehouses, cattle and sheep. When he was thirty-four years old, he set up a schoolhouse in the north of Qufu city and began to teach, and it is said that he had 3,000 disciples, with seventy-two famous ones. At the age of fifty-five, he was forced to leave Lu again, and led his disciples to more than ten countries such as Wei, Song, Chen, and Cai, but all of them were depressed and failed to realize their ambitions. At the age of sixty-eight, he returned to Lu and engaged in education, organizing ancient texts such as Poetry, Book, Yi, Rites, Music and Spring and Autumn Annals. Five years later, Confucius died swiftly at the age of seventy-three. After Confucius' death, his disciples put together the recorded words and deeds and named it The Analects. It was written in the early Warring States period.

⊙Executive Summary

There are 20 essays in the book, each of which contains a number of chapters describing one event or a few sentences, covering various aspects such as politics, literature, music, ethics, and education, etc., but from the beginning to the end, they are permeated with Confucius' doctrine of benevolence and propriety, and encapsulate the essence of Confucius' thought.

The whole book contains the following main contents:

I. Governance. Confucius believed that those who ruled the country should "forgive minor faults and promote the virtuous", be generous and open-minded, promote themselves as well as others, seek truth from facts, attach importance to rituals and music, be diligent in governance and love the people, and follow the examples of Yao, Shun, Yu, and King Wen of the Zhou Dynasty, so as to achieve the state of "the old man is at peace with himself, his friends believe in him, and the young are embraced by him". The Analects of Confucius In the Analects of Confucius, it is said, "Xue Er (学而). Xue Er (学而), Confucius said, "The way to rule a state of a thousand vehicles is to honor and trust, to be prudent in use and love, and to keep the people in time." This is Confucius's eloquent exposition of the way to rule the country.

Two, education. Confucius advocates teaching without class, advocates teaching people tireless, heavy poetry, rituals and music on people's cultivation and influence, emphasizing the importance of cultural education, so he said in outline: "barbarians have a king, not as bad as the Xia's death."

Third, learning. The first chapter of the Analects is "Learning", which shows the weight of learning in this book and its importance. Confucius appreciates not being ashamed to ask questions, encourages learning from the past to understand the new, believes that a good student should always cut with friends, learn from the former, and constantly accumulate knowledge, holding the mood of "learning from time to time, is not also said," with the "know as to know, do not know as to not know" attitude, to achieve the "three people" attitude, to achieve the "three people" attitude. The attitude of "knowing is knowing, not knowing is not knowing", to achieve the "three people, there must be my teacher" realm.

Four, cultivation. Confucius particularly emphasized the need to cultivate one's character. One should be trustworthy in one's words, correct one's faults when one knows them, not disallowing propriety in one's words and actions, being happy with one's life, not complaining about heaven, not criticizing others, and becoming a gentleman who is gentle, good, respectful, thrifty, and yielding. A gentleman is the personal moral code that Confucius pursued throughout his life, just as "benevolence" was the highest ideal he pursued in his heart, which led to a large number of words and deeds on personal cultivation and moral code recorded in the Analects.

These four points are just one of the nine panthers, and the Analects of Confucius contains a wealth of connotations that are full of Confucius' thoughts and wisdom.

⊙Influence of works

Since Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, the Analects of Confucius has become a must-read for every literati due to the elevated status of Confucius and Confucianism. From Emperor Renzong of the Yuan Dynasty until the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was even designated as a textbook for the imperial examinations, not only as an enlightening reading for the common people to educate their children and grandchildren, but also as a treasured text for the scholars to obtain the merit, to align the family, to rule the country and to pacify the world. Zhao Pu of the Northern Song Dynasty once told Emperor Zhao Guangyi, "I have a copy of The Analects of Confucius, and I will use half of it to support the Emperor's decision to rule the world, and half to support His Majesty's efforts to achieve peace." It is evident that The Analects of Confucius contains profound political thoughts and the way of governing the country. The Analects, together with Mencius, the University and the Meanwhile, are known as the Four Books.

Another great value of the book is reflected in its literature. Because it is the original form of Chinese prose - discourse, mostly written down, it is simple and concise, vivid and condensed, simple and unadorned, and many of its chapters shine with the light of wisdom, and the wonderful phrases are thought-provoking, such as "Zi on the Chuan said: 'Passing away is as if it were a man. Do not give up day and night.'" "Cold years, and then know the pine and cypress after withering." The former is associated with the vicissitudes of life by the water flowing from the east, which is poetic and philosophical; the latter is symbolized by the evergreen of the tree, which symbolizes the austerity of the wind and bones. Such sentences abound in the Analects, and many of them have become common idioms used today, such as "teach according to one's ability," "be kind," "too late," "think twice," "lose the ship for the sake of one's success," and so on. In addition, the Analects makes great use of tone words, superimposed sentences, prose and couplets, and many of its chapters are rich in storyline and emotional color, which had a great influence on the novels, essays, and poems of the later generations.

In short, as a Confucian classic that constitutes the Chinese civilization, the Analects of Confucius has had an immeasurable effect on the psychological structure, cultural values, moral qualities, and customs of the Chinese people over the past thousands of years, and serves as a key to understanding ancient Chinese society.

⊙ Wonderful Chapters

The Son said, "To learn from the Analects is not to say anything. When a friend comes from afar, isn't it a pleasure? If a man does not know and is not huffy, is he not also a gentleman?"

The son said: "A gentleman who eats without seeking to be full, lives without seeking peace, is keen on things, and prudent in speech, on the road to be correct, can be said to be a good learner also has."

--"Analects? Xue Er (学而)

子曰："我十有五而志于學，三十而立，四十而不惑，五十而知天命，六十而耳顺，七十而從心所欲，不逾矩。"

The son said, "If you can learn from the past, you can be a teacher."

--"Analects? For Politics

Zi said, "If you hear the Way in the morning, you can die in the evening." --Lun Yu? Li Ren (里仁)

子曰："Three people walk together, and there must be a teacher for me; choose those who are good and follow them, and those who are not good and change them."

--"Analects? Shu而》

⊙Extended Reading

The Analects is one of the classics of Confucianism. In addition to Confucianism, the Hundred Schools of Thought include Mohists, Taoists, Yin-Yangists, Legalists, Nominalists, Zong-Hengists, Agriculturalists, Miscellaneous Schools, and Novelists.

Another classic work of Confucianism is "Mencius", written by the sage Mencius, who advocated "benevolent government" and believed that a scholar should "not be obscene to the rich and noble, not be removed from the poor and lowly, and not be subdued by the mighty and the powerful," "nurture the spirit of He advocated a "benevolent government" and believed that the scholar should "not be obscene to the rich and powerful, not be moved by the poor and lowly, and not be subdued by the mighty" and "cultivate the spirit of the vast and natural", which had a great influence on the thinking of the literati of the future generations.

Xunzi was a representative of the Confucian school after Mencius, and his famous disciples included Li Si and Han Fei. The Xunzi is also a collection of quotations compiled by Xunzi's disciples, and its meticulous conception, strict structure, and clear organization can be called a great work of writing, which is a great achievement in literature.

Part I: The Founding of Chinese Taoism Laozi

Reasons for Required Reading

The Classics of China's Native Religion of Taoism

The Most Valuable Treasures of the Han and Tang Dynasties in the Rule of the Nation

One of the 100 Books That Have Influenced the Culture of Humankind

The Largest Overseas Circulation of a Book on Chinese Traditional Culture

The Most Anterior and Worldly Philosophical Thoughts<

A monumental work of both academic and social value

The source of Chinese literati thought for 2,000 years

Author: Lao Tzu

Country: China

Type: Philosophical work

Date of completion: Early Warring States period, the first five centuries

Reading time: Youth, middle-age

Recommended reading: Laozi

Background search

Lao Zi, surnamed Li, first name Ear, character Dan, a native of Qurenli, Li Township, Bitter County, Chu State (present-day Luyi County, Henan Province), during the Spring and Autumn Period, was a great Chinese thinker and the founder of the school of Taoism. He worked as an official of the Zhou royal family who managed the collection of books, and was known in the folklore as Taishang Laojun and Dao Dezhenjun. There are many mythological legends about Laozi, and Taiping Guangji of the Song Dynasty highlights him at the beginning of the first volume: Legend has it that his mother was pregnant for seventy-two years before she disemboweled her left armpit to give birth to an old child with a white head, so she called him Laozi; and that his mother gave birth to Laozi under a plum tree, and that when he was born, he could speak, pointing to the plum tree and saying, "Take this as my family name. " Although the legend is false, it reflects the great influence of Laozi in the folk. Because of Laozi's great knowledge and reputation, Confucius once asked him to teach him about "rituals" and expressed his sincere admiration and appreciation for Laozi. At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, the Zhou royal family was declining and there was constant civil strife. Laozi wanted to go back to his hometown and crossed the green ox to Hangu Pass, where he was told by the magistrate, Yin Xi, that "I will be hidden, and I will be forced to write books for me." So he wrote a book with five thousand words on morality, which is called Laozi. Modern scholars believe that this book is not all Laozi hand set, but by the pre-war period of the Taoist school compiled.

⊙Executive Summary

The book of Laozi*** has eighty-one chapters, the upper part of which is known as Daojing, and the lower part is known as Dejing, which is collectively referred to as Tao Te Ching. Whether in Chinese philosophy, politics, military, management, religion, literature, ethics and many other fields, this book can be called a classic masterpiece. Its main content has three aspects:

First, the universe. In the first chapter of Laozi, it says: "Tao, Tao, can be Tao, very Tao; name, can be name, very name. Nothing, the name of the beginning of heaven and earth; Yes, the name of the mother of all things." The universe in Laozi's mind is "Tao", Tao is omnipresent and circumscribed; Tao is the root of all things; Tao is the invisible thing that cannot be seen, heard, or wrestled with. This idea of his, breaking through the deistic view that the emperor created all beings, is a first in the history of Chinese philosophy and culture.

Second, life. Laozi's view of life has two basic points: first, the noble body and self-nurturing, regimen and cultivation; and second, the softness and non-competition, to the emptiness and quietness. The former is brilliantly discussed in Chapter 13: "If you value your body as the world, if you can send it to the world; if you love your body as the world, if you can trust it to the world." Since the body can be valued alongside the world, how to value the body and love it? Lao Zi believes that first of all, we should reject the five colors, five sounds, five flavors of these materialistic pleasures, and then pay attention to the regimen, see the simple, hold the vegetarian, and strengthen personal cultivation. The latter is the principle of dealing with interpersonal relationships repeatedly emphasized by Lao Tzu, reflecting a philosophy of life that takes retreat as a means of progress and stillness as a means of control.

Third, politics. Laozi's most famous political idea is "doing nothing", which is the highest principle of governing the world in his opinion. He advocated conforming to the people's heart, conforming to the way of heaven, doing nothing, practicing the teachings of not saying anything, "governing a big country is like cooking a small food", eliminating one's own heart, making the people live and work in peace and contentment, realizing the rule of inaction, and achieving the ideal state of "a small country with a small number of people".

In addition, the Laozi also has a lot of war discussions, which are very important to the military, and are practiced by many militarists.

⊙Influence of works

The influence of Laozi on China and the world is unparalleled. It has had a tremendous impact on traditional Chinese culture and an irreplaceable role in the history of Chinese thought. During the Warring States period, Confucius of Confucianism, Zhuangzi of Taoism, and Han Feizi of Legalism were all influenced by Laozi. At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the Yellow-Lao school of thought was prevalent and penetrated into political life. Famous prime ministers Xiao He and Cao Sen, when ruling the country, "Zhen to do nothing, from the people's desire without disturbing" (Han Shu? Criminal Law Zhi"). At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Taoism enshrined Laozi as its master and regarded the Tao Te Ching as a classic. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, metaphysics flourished, with metaphysicians in the imperial court focusing on the "Laozi" of doing nothing, and metaphysicians in the wilderness advocating the "nature" of the "Laozi", and the ideas of the "Laozi" became a weapon for expressing political ideas and attacking reality. During the Tang Dynasty, emperors claimed themselves as descendants of Laozi and established temples for them; Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty adopted "Rule by Doing Nothing" as the policy for the development of the country; Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty named Laozi as Emperor Taishang Xuanyuan; Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty made Laozi one of the classics of the tribute test and made notes on it in person. The emperors of the Song Dynasty were fond of Taoism, and Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty crowned Laozi as "Emperor Taishang Laojun Mixed Yuan Shangde", while Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty listed Laozi as a textbook for the Imperial College and local schools. During this period, the ideas of Laozi also penetrated into science and had a great influence. In China's thousands of years of history, every dynasty in its heyday invariably adopted the philosophy of "using the Yellow Book inside and showing Confucianism outside," that is, the Taoist ideals of traditional Chinese culture were inherent and played a leading role.

The influence of Laozi is not only time-honored and long-standing, but also wide-ranging and multifaceted. In religion, it is the founding work of Taoism; in the cultivation of the body, "success and retirement" is the credo of the literati; in the military, "softness to conquer hardness" has become the guidelines practiced by militarists; in management, Laozi's "people-oriented" is the Japanese traditional culture of "people-oriented". In management, Laozi's "people-oriented" is the most basic creed of Japanese enterprises; in the arts, "Taoism and nature" has become a calligrapher, painter, poet to follow the concept; in literature, "Laozi" is precise and concise, and everywhere sparkles with the wisdom of the philosophers, the wonderful words of the ingenious metaphors, aphorisms and aphorisms abound, containing the philosophy of life.

The influence of Laozi is not only in China, but also in the world, where it has attracted much attention and respect, creating a Laozi fever. The Laozi has been translated into many languages and has the highest overseas circulation of any traditional Chinese cultural classic, comparable to the Bible. His ideas have influenced such world-class scientists, thinkers and literary figures as Tolstoy, O'Neill, Heidegger, Einstein and Hideki Yukawa.

⊙ Wonderful Chapters

The Way, may be the Way, but is not the Way; the Name, may be the Name, but is not the Name. Nothing, the name of the beginning of heaven and earth; something, the name of the mother of all things. The first thing you need to do is to get a good understanding of the world's history, and how it works. These two, the same out of a different name, the same is called Xuan. The mystery of the mystery, the door of all the wonderful.

--Laozi? Chapter 1

We are learning more and more, and we are losing more and more. Loss after loss, to the point of doing nothing. There is nothing to do and nothing to be done. To take the world is often to do nothing, and its something is not enough to take the world.

--Laozi? Chapter 48"

⊙Extended Reading

Zhuang Zi (庄子)(前360～前280), known as Zhou (周), was a native of Meng (宋國蒙), a state of Song (northeast of the present-day city of Shangqiu, Henan Province) in the middle of the Warring States Period (战国). He authored fifty-two of Zhuangzi, thirty-six of which are extant, and was the heir to the doctrines of Laozi, as well as a representative of the pre-Qin school of Taoism. The highest state of life he pursued was "free travel", and his writings were unrestrained and unique in the ancient and modern world.

Han Fei (韩非?

Han Fei (???????????????????????????????????????????????? He was a master of pre-Qin legalist thought, advocating the rule of law, advocating the sanctity of the monarch's power and the rule of law, which had a great influence on the later generations.