Customer Reviews

The Analects

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China has been a nation governed by philosophers, among them many state officials trained by the great Confucius. My first contact with his sayings was in the old Charlie Chan movies where Confucius always seemed to have an important contribution to make in solving the murder. In the Analects we get more great sayings. But this time they are there to make an important contribution to our quest for the good life, which will follow naturally from self-cultivation and mastery of the Tao. I suppose there are some who don't need wisdom to live wisely. As for me, I am not that lucky. I need to read the philosophers like Confucius and get their input. Particularly important for modern times are the Master's statements about government, epistemology, rituals, and money. "In government, the secret is integrity. Use it." How about this one? "Shall I explain understanding for you, Lu? When you understand something, you know you understand it. When you don't understand something, know you don't understand it. That is understanding." Adept Kung wanted to do away with sacrificing sheep to announce a new moon to the ancestors. The Master said, "You love sheep, Kung." Pretty funny! The thing the really dropped me off my chair was the Master's explanation why a powerfull nation should never attack a less powerful nation preemptively. (This was the Chi versus Chung-Yu controversy, but it applies to Iraq.) Read that yourself and tell me if it doesn't make sense. Another gem: After the master heard a line from a poem: I haven't stopped loving you/ but your home is so far away - The Master said, "If he'd really loved her, he wouldn't have worried about the distance." Hinton's translations are simple and direct and relate to the spirit of the Chinese but not the letter. Those of you who know Chinese (I still murder the language after 22 years of study) know how difficult it is to translate into English. The reason is that the thoughts are actually different in Chinese and any translation therefore must miss the mark. Hinton is excellent but I also recommend you also take a look at the Arthur Wailey translation for a balanced view.

David Hinton is one of my favorite translators of Chinese texts. He makes the language accessible without dumbing it down or losing its lofty nature. He manages to preserve its verse like quality. Here's an excerpt from The Analects translated by mit.edu alongside David Hinton's translation.

mit.edu: "The Master said, 'The superior man is satisfied and composed; the mean man is always full of distress.'"

David Hinton: "The Master said, 'The noble minded are calm and steady. Little people are forever fussing and fretting.'"

He also includes notes that help put various characters and episodes into context, as well as provide some background. His introduction to Confucius is also very informative.

If you're trying to choose from among the various translations of the Analects, David Hinton's certainly deserves your consideration.

Uses contemporary language better than most, but ultimately doesn't justify the many liberties it takes. (In at least one instance, a disciple's identity is actually changed!) "Humanity" as a translation for _ren_ is not improved by being capitalized. Wade-Giles romanization.

I ordered this book because of the reviews. Actually I ordered it expedited delivery in September but Amazon had problems and I didn't get it until December (no refund). So, I began the introduction in the excitement of belated but final achievement. In the fourth line I stopped, "The most influential sage in human history ... 'his had been a disappointing life'" Hello. Sixth line ..'needless to say he failed miserably'. So the judge, Hinton, decides the life of a man who has had more effect on the ethical structure of China and much of Asia, is not up to Hinton's standards. I threw the book away. Garbage. No credible writer is that bloated with his own importance.