Synopsis
The Great Learning, a classic of Chinese Confucian philosophy, is presented complete in this compact new edition.
One of the classic 4 books of ancient Confucianism, The Great Learning consists of a short initial commentary attributed to Confucius himself, followed by a lengthier tract written by one of his disciples named Zengzi.
The text emphasises achieving balance in everyday life and in thoughts. For the man who aspires to great wisdom, much time must be set aside for rest and contemplation. Life's priorities must be organised according to their importance, and harmony must be rigorously cultivated in everyday associations and relationships. In learning, one must not consider one kind superior to the exclusion of others, but must instead strive for balance.
The translator James Legge was a Scottish Sinologist who spent much of his adult life in China collecting and translating the various philosophical and literary classics. Since Legge was present in the pre-modern China of the 19th century, where Confucianism held much sway, the authenticity of the tone cannot be doubted.
Devoting his talents to accurately rendering Confucian thought for Western consideration, Legge's translations of the Chinese Classics were originally published by Oxford University Press, and remain strongly appreciated for their authenticity to this day.
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About the Author
Burton Watson has taught at Columbia, Stanford, and Kyoto Universities and is one of the world's best-known translators of Chinese and Japanese works. His translations include The Tales of the Heike; The Lotus Sutra; the writings of Zhuangzi, Mozi, Xunzi, and Han Feizi; The Columbia Book of Chinese Poetry; and Records of the Grand Historian.
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