The Wisdom of Confucius (Modern Library) (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Lin Yutang (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Chinese --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Modern Library (March 22, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679601236
• ISBN-13: 978-0679601234
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 4.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #897,189 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #22 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Authors, A-Z > ( C ) > Confucius
  #60 in	Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Eastern > Chinese
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "One Book" Survey of Confucius, August 24, 2000

By	Patrick J. Callahan (La Crosse, WI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I found this book readable and surprisingly useful. True, the Analects are not complete but have been excerpted. The book cannot present more than a sampling of Confucius' writings for obvious limitations of space. Merits of the book include its readability, with a long, discursive essay and some translations provided by the celebrated scholar Lin Yutang. The book also contains a famous Chinese biography of Confucius, plus a few selections from the writings of Confucius's most influencial disciples-- some of these contemporary with Confucius and some from later times.

I could not help noticing prior reviews that deal harshly with the book. Some of the criticism will not be meaningful to the nonscholarly reader, who, for example, would not be offended that the "original numbering" of the Analects has been abandoned.

Selection of the writings has been most judicious. For example, the book contains "On the Great Learning," and "On Education." To obtain all these well-chosen sample writings of Confucius in individual editions rather than an anthology such as this would require an entire shelf of books.

This readable, clean edition will be excellent for the thoughtful person who wants to explore across the breadth of Confucius's thought. And despite biting criticism in the other reviews, I found Professor Lin's discussions of Confucius's life, thought, and cultural impact to be most helpful.

The book is also a handsome little volume, and with a quality binding. One is proud to place it in one's library.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A fine introduction, December 28, 1999

By A Customer

I'm a beginner to the study of Confucianism with a good deal of amateur knowledge of religion and philosophy, and I found this book highly informative and readable -- it can certainly hold its own with some more recent translations I've read. The most correct and useful numbering and organization of the passages in Confucian originals seems to be a matter of much debate, this is as good as any other I've seen.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book on the "wisdom" of Confucius, January 3, 2001

By	Balsa Glider (USA) - See all my reviews

This is a very good book on the "wisdom" of Confucius, but not the word-by-word translation of the original Analects of Confucius. Some readers maybe misunderstood in the first place when they read this book. Chinese philosophy is sometimes hard to be really understood at first because it's deep and profound. Wisdom is not a practical skill that people can learn or master quickly, but something can only be gradually experienced and understood over time. Dr. Lin Yutang himself was a very wise man. Through his interpretation, this book really shows the wisdom of the greatest Chinese teacher Confucius.