Customer Reviews

Xunzi (Library of Chinese Classics: Chinese-English edition: 2 Volumes) (English and Mandarin Chinese Edition)

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I had read a previous translation of a few select chapters by a Mr. Burton Watson, and found the Xunzi to be an extremely well written text. After purchasing this book in May, I read it thoroughly, and found that the rest of the book was as good as the previous chapters I had read.

Xun Qing was an excellent writer, so if you fear long-winded political texts (this book is about 800 pages, half of which is a simplified Chinese translation, the other half an English translation), you needn't worry about this book. He uses beautiful language when detailing his arguments and posing examples, and can be very amusing when he wishes to be. If I had to describe him on an ideology scale, I'd have to agree with the common concensus that he is a rather Authoritarian Confucianist. He advocates silencing what he feels are incorrect doctrines, and strict government control of things like music and other such freedoms that many take for granted today. However, his intentions are still good, and given that he is Confucian in leaning, his ultimate goal is obviously to create a government that nurtures the people and brings out their best. The basic gist of this review is that this is a very insightful and interesting text, although it will sound somewhat heavy-handed and you may not like what he has to say at times, due to his authoritarian leanings.

Unfortunately, I feel that if you are going to buy this text, there are a few things you should know:

1. Very, very limited notes. There is a brief, but nice, introduction, but that is about it. If you know nothing of the time period, and have no other source of information about Xun Qing or the Warring States period except for this book, then don't buy this. When the Xunzi brings up famous historical figures that were popular around Xun Qing's time, one is bound to be left bewildered, as none of them would really ring any bells with the average Western reader.

2. It seems to be a rough draft. I know that is harsh, but I seem to find a spelling mistake every 10 pages or so. As if the constant spelling mistakes weren't bad enough, some of the sentences are very badly constructed, but if you are patient enough then this can be overcome. Of course, the original material the translator had to work with isn't perfect, but thanks to a lack of notes you have no idea what is giving the translator trouble when he is converting it to English.

That's really about it, just 2 gripes, which are pretty major unless you've studied the Warring States period before. I can't recommend this text to someone who knows nothing about the subject, but otherwise if you want to find a complete translation of the Xunzi in English then this is a respectable copy. Just be prepared to wonder how so many spelling mistakes found their way into the final copy. As for the bad sentence structure, in all fairness it doesn't happen all too often, and for the most part it all flows well, and Xun Qing's writing style is a joy to experience. To be honest, I like the Xunzi far more than the Mencius.

I am quite pleased with this rendition of the Xunzi. It certainly towers over the Mencius in quantity and in some ways quality, or at least it is something that is more readily accessible to students of occidental philosophy in its style and language. The edition is beautifully put together in its two volumes. The work is easy to read and comes with three different versions of the text therein: ancient Chinese, modern Chinese, and English, so it is an ideal text for translation students.

Primary issue with this work, however, is that there are really no notes, aside from a preface, and introduction, and some a brief glossary on certain nouns and their translation. The lack of information outside the text itself, any sort of explication of period, subject, context, etc. is a bit taxing, as certain parts seem to be responses to other schools of thought or specific philosophers of the time, yet without the references included, such notions remain speculation for those who are not in fact sinologists.

Still, this is a magnificent edition for anyone studying Chinese philosophy. I purchased it for a graduate Confucianism course in conjunction with several other works, and it has served me well.

Plus, being the beautiful set that it is, this text visually compliments my book collection quite well (as an added bonus).