A Complete Reading of the Four Books

Name: A Complete Reading of the Four Books
ISBN: 9787313163677

薛振东Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press · ChinaOct 2017

Rating 4.1

Word count: 115K words
Chapters: 67
ISBN: 9787313163677

Summary

China's fine traditional culture holds important insights for solving the challenges facing humanity today. We should carry it forward in light of contemporary conditions and give it new meaning. The author has devoted himself to studying the Four Books and, drawing on eighty years of social experience and life reflection, explains the ways of being a person, of teaching, and of governance, in the hope that readers will gain life inspiration and intellectual nourishment.

Editor's review

This is a systematic interpretation of the Confucian classics The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Analects, and Mencius by Mr. Xue Zhendong. Rather than a simple translation or annotated compilation of the original texts, it is grounded in contemporary contexts and seeks to connect the inner intellectual threads among the Four Books, offering modern readers a clear path to understanding the core spirit of Confucianism. Xue Zhendong has long been engaged in research and teaching on traditional Chinese culture; his interpretation combines scholarly rigor with accessibility, and while sorting out the classics' meaning and principles, he emphasizes exposition in relation to real life, giving ancient wisdom new vitality. The book is clearly structured, analyzing each section in turn with prominent highlights; for readers who wish to understand Confucian thought systematically but find reading classical Chinese difficult, it is a highly practical guide for both beginners and advanced readers. It not only helps readers build a knowledge framework of the Four Books but also guides them to reflect on the modern significance of these ideas for personal cultivation, family ethics, and even social responsibility, embodying the deeper pursuit of \"reading through\" as \"understanding through.\"

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginners with no grounding in classical Chinese who want a systematic understanding of the core ideas of the Confucian Four Books
Readers with a strong interest in traditional Chinese culture and philosophy who seek a modern interpretation
Teachers and scholars in the humanities and social sciences who need a reliable reference work
Thinkers who hope to draw inspiration from classical wisdom for personal cultivation and conduct

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a highly specialized, exhaustively researched purely academic monograph
Readers expecting a subversive, critical deconstruction of the Confucian classics

Reading tips

Read in the order the book is arranged: first build an overall picture of the Four Books, then go into the details of each section
Keep a notebook while reading to record core concepts and personal reflections, and try connecting them with your own experience
Do not feel you must finish it in one go; read it slowly section by section, and broaden your understanding with other related works

About the publisher

Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press China · Founded in 1983

Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press is an academic publisher that gives equal weight to science and technology and the humanities, with titles spanning biography, documentary literature, popular science, cultural studies, artificial intelligence, and social culture. Representative books in the collection range from spaceflight memoirs such as Carrying Fire to the Moon: My Lunar Journey to historical investigations like Evidence: Uncovering 172 Comfort Stations in Shanghai, as well as academic works including Qian Xuesen's Lectures on Physical Mechanics: Collector's Edition, Tang Dynasty Extraterritorial Astronomy, and Eyewitness to the Tokyo Trial. Authors represented include Michael Collins, Qian Xuesen, Su Zhiliang, Wang Meng, and Pai Hsien-yung. The press emphasizes a combination of scientific spirit and humanistic concern, balancing scholarly editions with general reading. Public information is limited, so this profile focuses on the publishing directions reflected in the books held in the collection.

版权信息
前言
第一讲《四书》浅说
（一）《大学》是一本怎样的书？
（二）《中庸》是一本怎样的书？
（三）《论语》是一本怎样的书？
（四）《孟子》是一本怎样的书？
第二讲教与学
（一）无与伦比的教育家
（二）和谐的师生关系
（三）人生永恒的快乐
（四）孔子论学习
第三讲仁与义
（一）人类最崇高的品德——仁
（二）孔子心目中的仁人
（三）仁的方方面面
（四）孔子倡导仁的目的
（五）中华美德——义
第四讲君子与小人
（一）周而不比和比而不周
（二）思路不同
（三）与人为善是美德
（四）上择下与下亦择上
（五）心宽是福
（六）守时待命与铤而走险
（七）和而不同与同而不和
（八）君子之勇与小人之勇
（九）求人与求己
（十）泰与骄
（十一）知人善任
（十二）义与利
第五讲德治与法治
（一）五美四恶
（二）三二而一
（三）君臣父子
（四）身正令行
（五）富民与教民
（六）举贤任能
第六讲知与行
（一）学方能知
（二）知为了行
（三）知行互动
第七讲修身三六九
（一）三省
（二）三愆
（三）三戒
（四）三乐
（五）三畏
（六）六言与六蔽
（七）九思
第八讲做人方方面面
（一）自重重人
（二）责己？责人？怨天地？
（三）友善而不结党
（四）富贵不淫与贫贱不移
（五）论交友
（六）言行一致
（七）趋吉避祸
第九讲忠与孝
（一）礼而后忠
（二）臣事君以忠
（三）美德之源头——孝
（四）怎样尽孝？
第十讲 “大丈夫”与“大任”
（一）三“不能”方可成为英雄好汉
（二）历尽磨难才能成圣贤
后记

FAQ

Is this book's interpretive stance academic or popular?

The book is positioned to balance scholarship and accessibility. The author examines the meaning and principles with rigor but strives for plain expression, aiming to bridge the classics and general readers. It suits most non-specialist readers as an introduction and offers professional readers a clear interpretive perspective.

Does the book include the complete original texts of the Great Learning, the Doctrine of the Mean, the Analects, and Mencius?

According to common edition information, the book focuses on interpretation and exposition, citing and analyzing key passages from the original texts but generally not presenting the complete Four Books. Readers will do best to have an edition of the original texts on hand to read alongside it.

Is this book suitable as an introduction to Chinese classics for young readers?

The discussion has a certain depth and is better suited to readers of high-school age or above, or those with some life experience. Younger readers may need a parent or teacher to guide them through some chapters. As a first introduction it may be somewhat abstruse; it works better as a more advanced reader.

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About the author

薛振东 Author

Xue Zhendong is an author about whom very little public information is available. The only work attributed to this name in the available records is Reading the Four Books Through, commonly classified under literary appreciation. Judging from the title, the book approaches the texts of the Four Books in a continuous, read-through manner and is intended for general readers who wish to gain a systematic understanding of the Confucian classics; it appears to be introductory and appreciative in nature rather than strictly scholarly. Because reliable information on the author's life, education, and research focus is lacking, his identity and background cannot be confirmed, and no excessive claims should be made about his achievements. On the available evidence, Xue Zhendong's writing centers on organizing and interpreting classical texts, with a plain and accessible style that emphasizes coherence and overall grasp in reading. The value of such work lies in lowering the threshold for entering the classics and helping readers perceive the textual threads and key ideas through sustained reading. For researchers, his specific views and interpretive methods still await confirmation from further sources.