The Analects of Confucius (Lun Yu) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Chichung Huang (Translator) "Shuo Wen Jie Zi (Interpreting Words and Analyzing Characters), one of the earliest lexicons of the classical Chinese language, defines the character dao thus: "The..." (more)
Key Phrases: chief house officer, brotherly obedience, wholehearted sincerity, Master Kong, Zhou Dynasty, Master Zeng (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Huang has done a superb job in completing this literal translation of the Analects. It is precise, succinct, loyal to the original text, and sensitive to minor details. His painstaking endeavor deserves high praises."--Chinese Historians

Product Description

In the long river of human history, if one person can represent the civilization of a whole nation, it is perhaps Master Kong, better known as Confucius in the West. If there is one single book that can be upheld as the common code of a whole people, it is perhaps Lun Yu, or The Analects. Surely, few individuals in history have shaped their country's civilization more profoundly than Master Kong. The great Han historiographer, Si-ma Qian, writing 2,100 years ago said, "He may be called the wisest indeed!" And, as recently as 1988, at a final session of the first international conference of Nobel prize-winners in Paris, the seventy-five participants, fifty-two of whom where scientists, concluded: "If mankind is to survive, it must go back twenty- five centuries in time to tap the wisdom of Confucius." This a man whose influence in world history is truly incomparable. His sayings (and those of his disciples) form the basis of a distinct social, ethical, and intellectual system. They have retained their freshness and vigor for two and a half millennia, and are still admired in today's China.

Compiled by pupils of Confucius's disciples half a century after the Master's death, The Analects of Confucius laid the foundation of his philosophy of humanity--a philosophy aimed at "cultivating the individual's moral conduct, achieving family harmony, bringing good order to the state and peace to the empire. Containing 501 very succinct chapters (the longest do not exceed fifteen lines and the shortest are less than one) and organized into twenty books, the collection comprises mostly dialogues between the Master and his disciples and contemporaries. The ethical tenets Confucius put forth not only became the norm of conduct for the officialdom and intelligentsia, but also profoundly impacted the behavior of the common people. The great sage's unique integration of humanity and righteousness (love and reason) struck a powerful chord in all who attempted to understand his moral philosophy. As translator Chichung Huang contends, "What ethical principle laid down by man could be more sensible that none which blends the best our heart can offer with the best our mind can offer as the guiding light for our conduct throughout our lives?" Ever timely, Confucius's teachings on humanity (family harmony in particular) and righteousness may well serve as a ready-made cure for today's ills in an era which human beings are blinded by force and lust, not unlike Confucius's own day.

Far more literal than any English version still in circulation, this brilliant new rendition of The Analects helps the reader not only to acquire and accurate and lucid understanding of the original text, but also to appreciate the imagery, imagery, parallelism, and concision of its classical style. The translator Chichung Huang, a Chinese scholar born in a family of Confucian teachers and schooled in one of the last village Confucian schools in South China, brings to this treasure of world literature a sure voice that captures the power and subtleties of the original. Vivid, simple, and eminently readable, this illuminating work makes the golden teachings of the sage of the East readily available to anyone in search of them.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (May 29, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195112768
• ISBN-13: 978-0195112764
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #567,981 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye-opening translation, July 19, 2005

By	James Williams (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This translation is far superior to any other that I have seen. The Analects have always been a difficult and opaque work for me. I have read it several times over many years and have always found at least half the sayings completely incomprehensible. The Waley and Legge translations are dry and dated. Lau and Dawson are easier to read but still leave me puzzled about the meaning of most of the sayings. Some of their notes are useless and distracting, while others merely fail to inform. I was always left thinking of the Analects as a few clever and witty proverbs scattered throughout a strange and impentrable work.

The Huang translation, on the other hand, is clear and easy to read. It is easy to follow the structure of the book. It has just the right amount of notes and they are located just underneath the analect itself--not at the bottom of the page or end of the book where you have to interupt your reading and look for them. The sayings that are easy to understand have no notes. The other sayings have notes that clarify the context and meaning. They are brief and to the point so that they don't get in the way of the text. Things that were impossible to understand are now clear. I find that I am no longer burdened by trying to decipher the meaning. As a result I am now getting to know the character and personality of each of the students, and enjoying their interaction with the Master. This is something I was never able to do before with other translations. Reading the Analects is no longer a chore but an enjoyable journey to a distant, but accessible, culture.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars copious notes are a scholars proof. This is a true work, June 14, 2004

By A Customer

The review above is uninformed. Even if he knows that the main Chinese phonetic system is called pinyin. If one reads the copious notes that back up the research in this translation, one would realize that every character is philologically proven. Whether by the lexicon Shuo Wen, the sea of words or other. This translation is the epitome of scholarly work. There is an unpresedented wealth of information in this book. There has been no one near the ability of Chichung Huang in understanding the ancient cannotations of Chinese characters. He has achieved a far more scholarly level in classical Chinese than any other Chinese scholar and translator that I have ever read. The amount of clear concise research proves it. His work is fluid, concise and true to the original exactly because the translator has the ability to be literal. His contemporaries are lacking in this regard. Ren does translate to mean humanity, as in the founding principles of humanity and rightiousness. Read the introduction please.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clear and Concise, August 27, 2005

By	Globe Tracker "Pat" (Fremont, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

As I bought this book as a gift for my daughter who cannot read Chinese, I compared this translation with the Chinese versions that I have. To understand the original analects fully, most Chinese books provides explanations and definitions. The author has done an excellent job in providing translations and explanations of the analects at the same time.