The Gate of Syncope

Chen MengleiJul 2024

2.8

Word count: 37K words
Chapters: 28

Summary

Traditional Chinese thought and culture have a long history and are highly original, inventive, and literary. Early forms of thought have distinctive features: religious theology, classical texts of Chinese medicine, ancient military strategy, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and the Hundred Schools of Thought, feng shui and metaphysics, the Twenty-Four Histories, and customs and geography—all are profound and vast. This "Essence of Chinese Classics: Original Texts" series preserves the original appearance of the books, with emphasis on preserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. By reading the literary essence left by ancient sages, one cultivates character and subtly comes to appreciate the classics.

Editor's review

Jue Men is included in the "Essence of Chinese Classics: Original Texts" series, continuing that series' editorial approach of preserving the original appearance of the books and presenting ancient texts to readers in their original form. Its value lies not in offering modern vernacular explanations or quick-knowledge summaries, but in giving readers direct contact with the sense of language, formal conventions, and intellectual threads of traditional texts. The content it touches on is set against the broad background of religious theology, classical texts of Chinese medicine, ancient military strategy, Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist, and Hundred Schools thought, the Twenty-Four Histories, and customs and geography, making it suitable as one entry point for understanding the classics. It need not be finished in one go; it can be kept as a desk reference on traditional culture and studied alongside annotated reference works or related scholarly writings, so that through repeated browsing one appreciates the weight and detail of the original. For readers who wish to preserve and transmit traditional Chinese thought and culture and are willing to read slowly and attentively, this book offers a fairly plain textual foundation.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in classical texts who are willing to read traditional texts directly
Teachers or writers who need a desk reference on traditional culture
Slow readers who prefer preserving the original appearance and do not rely on vernacular translations
Students who wish to start from original texts to understand ancient thought and textual conventions

Not a good fit for

Beginning readers expecting modern vernacular translation and sentence-by-sentence explanation
Those who want quick access to knowledge points or exam-oriented tips
Readers who prefer story-driven, light reading experiences

Reading tips

First read the table of contents and notes on format to understand the book's structure, then choose a category of interest to begin with.
Keep a dictionary of common classical Chinese characters at hand and look up difficult words as you go; do not insist on understanding everything at once.
Read only a small passage each time, then summarize its gist in your own words, building familiarity with the feel of the original.
Read alongside other original texts in the same series, noting differences in thought and style among different classics.

版权信息
古今图书集成医部全录卷二百九十二
黄帝素问
灵枢经
扁鹊难经
金匮要略【汉张机】
中藏经【汉华佗】
脉经【晋王叔和】
活人书【宋朱肱】
河间六书【金刘完素】
明理论【金成无己】
儒门事亲【元张从政】
古今图书集成医部全录卷二百九十三
东垣十书【元李杲】
丹溪心法【元朱震亨】
卫生宝鉴【元罗天益】
医学入门【明李梴】
医宗必读【明李中梓】
证治准绳【明王肯堂】
医贯【明赵献可】
景岳全书【明张介宾】
石室秘箓【清陈士铎】
古今图书集成医部全录卷二百九十四
方
单方
针灸
导引
医案

FAQ

Is this book suitable for readers with zero background to read directly?

Readers with zero background can browse it, but the book preserves the original appearance and lacks sentence-by-sentence vernacular explanation, so they will initially encounter obstacles in vocabulary and format. It is advisable first to use classical Chinese reference works or introductory materials to lower the threshold before entering the original text; there is no need to force a complete reading.

How does "preserving the original appearance" affect reading?

Preserving the original appearance means the text is closer to the original form of traditional classics, and readers can directly experience the original structure, wording, and arrangement. The benefit is that the information has not been modernized; the cost is that reading difficulty is relatively higher, requiring patience and the use of reference works.

Should this book be read through or selectively?

Selective reading is preferable. The book covers a wide range of content, and reading it straight through can be tiring. You can first find sections in the table of contents related to your interests or needs and read them closely, leaving the rest for reference and gradually expanding later; this better suits the rhythm of reading original texts.

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About the author

Chen Menglei Author · China · 1651–1741

Chen Menglei (1651–1741), courtesy names Zizhen and Shengzhai, later styled the Old Man of Songhe, was a Qing dynasty scholar from Houguan, Fujian. He passed the imperial examination in the ninth year of the Kangxi reign and was appointed to the Hanlin Academy as a compiler. After 1698, by imperial order, he tutored the third prince, Yinzhii, and took the opportunity to compile a vast classified encyclopedia, the Hui Bian, using the collection of the Xieyi Hall; the Kangxi Emperor later bestowed on it the title Gujin Tushu Jicheng. The library holds more than 410 of his works, mostly sections of the officialdom chapters of that encyclopedia, covering institutions such as the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Imperial Observatory, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, prefectural governors, the Transmission Office, and the Imperial Medical Academy. These works address ancient bureaucratic systems, ritual norms, and administrative practice. His compilations are distinguished by systematic classification and extensive citation, preserving a wealth of source materials for later generations; they are commonly categorized under culture and Eastern philosophy. As public information on his life is limited, this note confines itself to his known scholarly contributions.