Enmity

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

4.2

Word count: 920 words
Chapters: 1

Summary

Feud denotes a personal enemy or a foe. The term comes from the "Annals of Emperor Zhi" in the Book of the Later Han: "Favors go to private associates; punishments fall amiss on personal enemies."

Editor's review

This book centers on the classical Chinese term chouxi ("feud" or "personal enemy"), beginning with its original source in the "Annals of Emperor Zhi" of the Book of the Later Han and tracing how the sense of "enemy, foe" was used across traditional texts. Published by Bashu Press as a work of classical-text compilation, it is concise in length but strong in solid textual scholarship and clear citation, restoring a seemingly simple word to its historical context and showing how people of earlier times expressed grievance, favor, and judgment in edicts and historical biographies. Its careful semantic analysis makes it useful both as a case study for research on classical Chinese vocabulary and as background support for reading Han-era histories. For readers accustomed to fragmentary reference, it is more a small tool-like booklet to be dipped into at will; for those willing to slow down and weigh the meanings of words, it offers a taste of the rigorous pleasures of traditional exegetics. Reading it alongside the original text of the Book of the Later Han is recommended.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Researchers of classical Chinese vocabulary and exegetics who need a case study in word-meaning verification
Readers of the Book of the Later Han and other historical texts who want to clarify ancient terms for grievance and enmity
Readers interested in literature and history who like to approach traditional texts through individual words
Secondary-school Chinese teachers who can use it as teaching material on word origins

Not a good fit for

Casual readers looking for a long narrative or popular fiction
Complete beginners with no classical Chinese who need a systematic introduction
Readers seeking modern psychological or interpersonal-relationship guidance

Reading tips

Read the relevant passage in the "Annals of Emperor Zhi" of the Book of the Later Han first, then compare it with this book's semantic survey for a fuller understanding
Keep a notebook to record the sources cited in the book for later verification and further reading
Read it alongside other short works of classical word-meaning scholarship to compare different approaches

About the publisher

Bashu Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Bashu Publishing House is a publisher centered on collating and publishing classical Chinese cultural texts, with its main publishing areas covering classical literature, Eastern philosophy, ancient poetry, and educational classics. Its library currently holds 1,075 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber, the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, Renjian Cihua, and Out to the Frontier, involving authors such as Cao Xueqin, Wang Xizhi, Wang Guowei, Wang Changling, Liu Xie, and Yan Yu. These reflect the publisher's focus on literary classics, poetry criticism, and philosophical readings. Its publishing character lies in working around ancient texts and canonical works, with attention to textual collation and presentation. Public information on its more detailed publishing background and series plans is limited; this introduction is based only on the library's book information.

版权信息

FAQ

Is this book a collection of historical stories?

No. It centers on the term chouxi ("feud") and belongs to the category of classical word definition and textual scholarship. Its focus is tracing the origin and usage context of the word's meaning, not telling plotted historical stories. Readers should approach it as a reference work or academic aid.

Can I understand it without any classical Chinese?

Most citations are in classical Chinese, so readers without a foundation will find it demanding. It is advisable to have some classical reading ability first, or to read it alongside an annotated edition of the Book of the Later Han. If you are merely curious about the meaning, start with the explanatory section and then gradually approach the citations.

Is it suitable for citing in academic papers?

As a work of classical-text compilation published by Bashu Press, it can provide leads and source references for word-meaning research and is suitable as supplementary research material. For formal citation, however, you should still verify the original sources and note edition information; do not draw conclusions from secondhand paraphrase alone.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is not a real personal name but a general Chinese designation for authors whose names are unknown, lost, or unsigned. Neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be verified, and available public information is limited, so the works attributed to this name are the only basis for description. The collection holds 2,078 works under Anonymous, spanning medicine, classics, historical readings, ancient poetry, classical literature, and philosophy. Representative works include The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Lingshu, Mencius, The Book of Documents, Nineteen Old Poems, Complete Song Ci, and The Peacock Flies Southeast. Most of these works took shape through long transmission and editing, emerging either from collective folk creation or from authors whose names were lost over time. In ancient China, the Book of Songs, the Great Learning, and many popular storybooks and plays were signed Anonymous because their authors could not be traced. Anonymous works cross the classics, histories, philosophical writings, medical texts, and poetry; their subjects are broad, and their styles vary from archaic simplicity to clear naturalness, making them important and influential sources for understanding ancient Chinese thought, medicine, and literature.