{"product_id":"the-works-of-mencius-the-great-learning-the-doctrine-of-the-mean-english-chinese-edition-a-plain-reading-with-new-translations","title":"The Works of Mencius, The Great Learning \u0026 The Doctrine of the Mean (English-Chinese Edition): A Plain Reading with New Translations","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1097\/0087\/4574\/files\/db2a55953f3d9dfd6764e7f21509af674425e426d84dbeada8d12fe23a60f539.jpg?v=1793436966\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eWhy This Book?\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eAmong China’s traditional classics, the “Four Books” hold a special place. Three of them —\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eMencius\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eThe Great Learning\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e, and\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eThe Doctrine of the Mean\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e— are gathered in this single volume. But most editions come with a problem: the classical Chinese is dense, the annotations are academic, and the English translations are either outdated (think 19th-century missionary prose) or stiff and unreadable.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eThis book was made to solve exactly that problem.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eWhat Makes It Different?\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong style=\"font-weight: 600;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eFirst, it’s actually readable.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eAuthor Wu Guozhen, a retired English professor, spent over a decade working on modern Chinese renderings and English translations of Confucian classics. His guiding principle is “no pedantry, no novelty-seeking, no elevation, no disparagement” — he doesn’t make things complicated to sound profound, doesn’t twist the text to be contrarian, doesn’t add emotional filler, and doesn’t cut corners on the original meaning.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.wsgph.com\/bookshow.asp?id=1520855\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ds-markdown-cite\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e-\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e53\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eThe commentary after each chapter reads like a knowledgeable friend explaining things: context where you need it, brevity where you don’t.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/baike.baidu.com\/item\/%E5%AD%9F%E5%AD%90%E5%A4%A7%E5%AD%A6%E4%B8%AD%E5%BA%B8%EF%BC%9A%E5%B9%B3%E8%A7%A3%C2%B7%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%91#1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ds-markdown-cite\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e-\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e11\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong style=\"font-weight: 600;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eSecond, the English translation works.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eMany bilingual classics fail on the English side — either the translation is a century old and sounds it, or it’s so literal that it’s painful to read. This book’s English continues the style of Wu’s earlier translation of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eThe Analects\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e, which received an official review from China’s National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language with four words: “accurate, concise, accessible, and idiomatic.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youlu.net\/4146280\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ds-markdown-cite\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e-\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e55\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong style=\"font-weight: 600;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eThird, the details matter.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eEvery Chinese character in the original text comes with pinyin — useful for two groups in particular: international readers learning pronunciation, and Chinese parents who want their children to read the classics aloud.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"_2ed5dee\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e-\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan class=\"_49c6e07\"\u003e\u003csvg width=\"14\" height=\"14\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"\u003e\u003cpath d=\"M3.2131 7.12714L4.44639 5.89384L5.22393 6.67138L3.99064 7.90468C3.40952 8.4858 3.40952 9.42831 3.99064 10.0094C4.57176 10.5905 5.51428 10.5905 6.09539 10.0094L7.32868 8.77613L8.10622 9.55367L6.87293 10.787C5.86224 11.7977 4.2238 11.7976 3.2131 10.787C2.2024 9.77627 2.2024 8.13783 3.2131 7.12714Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\u003e\u003c\/path\u003e\u003cpath d=\"M7.12707 3.21304L5.89378 4.44633L6.67132 5.22387L7.90462 3.99058C8.48574 3.40946 9.42824 3.40946 10.0094 3.99058C10.5905 4.5717 10.5905 5.51421 10.0094 6.09533L8.77607 7.32862L9.55361 8.10616L10.7869 6.87287C11.7976 5.86218 11.7976 4.22374 10.7869 3.21304C9.77621 2.20234 8.13777 2.20234 7.12707 3.21304Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\u003e\u003c\/path\u003e\u003cpath d=\"M8.79388 5.98339L5.98341 8.79387L5.20587 8.01633L8.01634 5.20585L8.79388 5.98339Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\u003e\u003c\/path\u003e\u003c\/svg\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eAt 611 pages, the book has real substance, but the content is organized so you’re never drowning in commentary. It expands where expansion helps and stays tight where it doesn’t.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eWho Is This For?\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong style=\"font-weight: 600;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eChinese readers\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewho want to read the classics but have been put off by difficult classical Chinese or overly academic annotations.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong style=\"font-weight: 600;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eInternational Chinese learners\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewho need bilingual texts with pronunciation support.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong style=\"font-weight: 600;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eOverseas Chinese families\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewho want their children to connect with Chinese culture even if their Chinese isn’t fluent yet.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong style=\"font-weight: 600;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eEnglish-speaking readers\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003einterested in Chinese philosophy who want a Confucian classics primer that doesn’t make them feel lost.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1097\/0087\/4574\/files\/7647f5ea6dd6e567c6340ed2b2f2ea34d30d6128c65c2f8a80328f7b4b27ef4a.jpg?v=1793436970\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1097\/0087\/4574\/files\/718e8af4daada6361c56fa4c6bcbc805aaf660221dce8c5ebb710dce741927cd.jpg?v=1793436974\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1097\/0087\/4574\/files\/b88a957657ba7452934fd05ee79c3958bfd0eb8928655859b4c1de0f547da1d1.jpg?v=1793436978\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"orientalbookworm","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":61462406299982,"sku":"978-7-200-14002-6-1653608-0-0-0-0-0-0","price":20.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1097\/0087\/4574\/files\/16fa6365e29e200335b561b5faf114bbee697825a06d7559942814e0662a288f.jpg?v=1793416726","url":"https:\/\/orientalbookworm.com\/products\/the-works-of-mencius-the-great-learning-the-doctrine-of-the-mean-english-chinese-edition-a-plain-reading-with-new-translations","provider":"orientalbookworm","version":"1.0","type":"link"}