Xunzi - The Complete Text - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0691161046 ISBN 13: 9780691161044

Verlag: Princeton University Press, 2014

Inhaltsangabe

This is the first complete, one-volume English translation of the ancient Chinese text Xunzi, one of the most extensive, sophisticated, and elegant works in the tradition of Confucian thought. Through essays, poetry, dialogues, and anecdotes, the Xunzi articulates a Confucian perspective on ethics, politics, warfare, language, psychology, human nature, ritual, and music, among other topics. Aimed at general readers and students of Chinese thought, Eric Hutton's translation makes the full text of this important work more accessible in English than ever before.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Eric L. Hutton is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Utah.

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"The Xunzi is a masterwork of Confucian philosophy, and there is no one in the Anglophone world with Eric Hutton's combination of insight into its ideas and scrupulous attention to its text. He has produced an accessible and authoritative translation that will be our standard for years to come."--Stephen C. Angle, Wesleyan University

"An outstanding translation of the complete text of the Xunzi. Eric Hutton has succeeded in providing a translation that is both philosophically precise and highly readable. This will help introduce one of the most important philosophical texts from early China to a larger audience."--Michael Puett, Harvard University

"The time has come for a new, full translation of the Xunzi, and Eric Hutton’s fine work is a dramatic improvement from previous versions--in terms of accuracy, philosophical precision, economy, and readability. Hutton’s translation will become the new standard."--Aaron Stalnaker, Indiana University

"Eric Hutton has produced an elegant, accessible, and accurate translation of this important Confucian work. Hutton’s translation is more precise philosophically and more readable than previous versions. In addition to being an important work of scholarship, this edition will be invaluable for nonspecialists with an interest in Chinese thought."--Bryan W. Van Norden, Vassar College

"Hutton’s is the rare translation that balances technical accuracy with ordinary English, and readers from both philosophy and Chinese studies will appreciate it."--Mark Csikszentmihalyi, University of California, Berkeley

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"The Xunzi is a masterwork of Confucian philosophy, and there is no one in the Anglophone world with Eric Hutton's combination of insight into its ideas and scrupulous attention to its text. He has produced an accessible and authoritative translation that will be our standard for years to come."--Stephen C. Angle, Wesleyan University

"An outstanding translation of the complete text of the Xunzi. Eric Hutton has succeeded in providing a translation that is both philosophically precise and highly readable. This will help introduce one of the most important philosophical texts from early China to a larger audience."--Michael Puett, Harvard University

"The time has come for a new, full translation of the Xunzi, and Eric Hutton s fine work is a dramatic improvement from previous versions--in terms of accuracy, philosophical precision, economy, and readability. Hutton s translation will become the new standard."--Aaron Stalnaker, Indiana University

"Eric Hutton has produced an elegant, accessible, and accurate translation of this important Confucian work. Hutton s translation is more precise philosophically and more readable than previous versions. In addition to being an important work of scholarship, this edition will be invaluable for nonspecialists with an interest in Chinese thought."--Bryan W. Van Norden, Vassar College

"Hutton s is the rare translation that balances technical accuracy with ordinary English, and readers from both philosophy and Chinese studies will appreciate it."--Mark Csikszentmihalyi, University of California, Berkeley

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Xunzi

The Complete Text

By Eric L. Hutton

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS

Copyright © 2014 Princeton University Press
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-691-16104-4

Contents

Acknowledgments, ix, 
Introduction, xi, 
A Traditional Timeline of Early Chinese History, xxxi, 
Chapter 1: An Exhortation to Learning, 1, 
Chapter 2: Cultivating Oneself, 9, 
Chapter 3: Nothing Improper, 16, 
Chapter 4: On Honor and Disgrace, 23, 
Chapter 5: Against Physiognomy, 32, 
Chapter 6: Against the Twelve Masters, 40, 
Chapter 7: On Confucius, 47, 
Chapter 8: The Achievements of the Ru, 52, 
Chapter 9: The Rule of a True King, 68, 
Chapter 10: Enriching the State, 83, 
Chapter 11: The True King and the Hegemon, 99, 
Chapter 12: The Way to Be a Lord, 117, 
Chapter 13: The Way to Be a Minister, 133, 
Chapter 14: On Attracting Men of Worth, 141, 
Chapter 15: A Debate on Military Affairs, 145, 
Chapter 16: The Strong State, 163, 
Chapter 17: Discourse on Heaven, 175, 
Chapter 18: Correct Judgments, 183, 
Chapter 19: Discourse on Ritual, 201, 
Chapter 20: Discourse on Music, 218, 
Chapter 21: Undoing Fixation, 224, 
Chapter 22: Correct Naming, 236, 
Chapter 23: Human Nature Is Bad, 248, 
Chapter 24: The Gentleman, 258, 
Chapter 25: Working Songs, 262, 
Chapter 26: Fu, 277, 
Chapter 27: The Grand Digest, 288, 
Chapter 28: The Right-Hand Vessel, 318, 
Chapter 29: The Way to Be a Son, 325, 
Chapter 30: The Proper Model and Proper Conduct, 330, 
Chapter 31: Duke Ai, 333, 
Chapter 32: Yao Asked, 339, 
Appendix 1: Important Terms and Names, 344, 
Appendix 2: Cross-Reference List, 347, 
Textual Notes, 359, 
Bibliography, 385, 
Index, 387, 

CHAPTER 1

An Exhortation to Learning

The gentleman says: Learning must never stop. Blue dye derives from the indigo plant, and yet it is bluer than the plant. Ice comes from water, and yet it is colder than water. Through steaming and bending, you can make wood as straight as an ink-line into a wheel. And after its curve conforms to the compass, even when parched under the sun it will not become straight again, because the steaming and bending have made it a certain way. Likewise, when wood comes under the ink-line, it becomes straight, and when metal is brought to the whetstone, it becomes sharp. The gentleman learns broadly and examines himself thrice daily, and then his knowledge is clear and his conduct is without fault.

And so if you never climb a high mountain, you will not know the height of Heaven. If you never visit a deep ravine, you will not know the depth of the Earth. If you never hear the words passed down from the former kings, you will not know the magnificence of learning. The children of the Han, Yue, Yi, and Mo peoples all cry with the same sound at birth, but when grown they have different customs, because teaching makes them thus. The Odes says:

O harken, all ye gentlemen,
Don't always be at ease and rest!
Perform your office steadfastly.
Love what's correct and upright best.
The spirits will thus hear of this,
And they will make you greatly bless'd.

No spirit-like state is greater than having transformed oneself wit the Way. No blessing is superior to being without misfortunes.

I once spent the whole day pondering, but it was not as good as a moment's worth of learning. I once stood on my toes to look far away, but it was not as good as the broad view from a high place. If you climb to a high place and wave, you have not lengthened your arms, but you can be seen from further away. If you shout from upwind, you have not made your voice stronger, but you can be heard more clearly. One who makes use of a chariot and horses has not thereby improved his feet, but he can now go a thousand li. One who makes use of a boat and oars has not thereby become able to swim, but he can now cross rivers and streams. The gentleman is exceptional not by birth, but rather by being good at making use of things.

In the south there is a bird called the meng jiu. It makes its nest from feathers, weaving it together with hair, and attaches it to the slender branch of a reed. When the wind comes along, the branch snaps, the eggs break, and its young perish. This happens not because the nest itself is flawed, but rather because of what it is attached to. In the west there is a plant called the ye gan. Its stem is four inches long, and it grows on the top of high mountains, so that it overlooks ravines a hundred yards deep. It has this view not because its stem can grow long, but rather because of where it stands.

Likewise, when the peng vine grows among hemp plants, it goes up straight without being stood upright. The root of the lan huai plant is sweet-smelling angelica, but if you soak it in foul water then the gentleman will not draw near it, and the common people will not wear it. This happens not because the original material is not fra grant, but rather because of what it is soaked in. Therefore, the gentleman is sure to select carefully the village where he dwells, and he is sure to associate with well-bred men when he travels. This is how he avoids corruption and draws near to what is correct.

All the things and the kinds that come about
Surely have a point from which they start out.
Honor or disgrace that comes unto you
Surely reflects your degree of virtue.
In rotten meat bugs are generated.
In fish that's spoiled maggots are created.
Lazy, haughty men who forget their place
Shall have misfortune and ruin to face.
Rigid things get themselves used for bracing.
Pliant things get themselves used for lacing.
If with corruption your person is filled,
It's this upon which hate toward you will build.

You may spread out firewood as though all of the same kind, but fire will still seek out the dry pieces. You may level the earth so that it appears all even, but water will still seek out the wet places. Wherever grasses and trees grow together, birds and beasts will flock. This is because each thing follows its own class. For this reason, wherever an archery target is set out, bows and arrows will follow. Wherever wood grows in abundance, axes and hatchets will go. Wherever trees create shade, flocks of birds will rest. Wherever something turns sour, flies will gather. Likewise, there are words that summon misfortune, and there is conduct that beckons disgrace, so the gentleman is careful about where he takes his stand.

If you accumulate enough earth to form a mountain, then wind and rain will arise from it. If you accumulate enough water to form a deep pool, then dragons will come to live in it. If you accumulate enough goodness to achieve virtue, then you will naturally attain to spirit-like powers and enlightenment, and the heart of a sage is complete therein. And so,

Without accumulating tiny steps,
You have no way to go a thousand li.
Without accumulating little streams,
You have no way to form river or sea.
Let the horse Qi Ji take a single leap;
It still would go no farther than ten strides.
Yet old nags ridden ten days equal him;
Not giving up is where success resides.

If you start carving and give up, you will not be able to break even rotten wood, but if you start carving and do not give up, then you can engrave even metal and stone. The earthworm does not have sharp teeth and claws, nor does it have strong...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Princeton University Press
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2014
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0691161046
• ISBN 13: 9780691161044
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 440
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Princeton University Press; https://press.princeton.edu/books; ; 7th Floor, New South Building; PRINCETON; NJ; 8544; USA
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar