The Four Seasons

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

3.3

Word count: 1.7K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Sishi means the four seasons—the agricultural seasons of the year. See the Book of Changes, Hexagram Heng: “The four seasons change and thus can endure and complete.”

Editor's review

Titled “Four Seasons,” this book takes as its starting point the line from the Book of Changes, Hexagram Heng—“The four seasons change and thus can endure and complete”—and unfolds around the seasons and the agricultural calendar. The material itself is extremely spare; readers should not expect a lengthy treatise but should treat it as a point of entry: a classical phrase that opens out onto observations of the turning of the seasons and the rhythms of farm work. It suits casual dipping at one’s desk or at the edge of a field, and while reading one may well compare “the changes of the four seasons” with one’s own daily routines and the cycles of cultivation and harvest. Its plain, archaic language leaves room for imagination and association, making it a light introduction to ancient conceptions of the seasons. Those who wish to go further may consult agricultural treatises or the commentaries and subcommentaries of the Classics section. Overall, this is a small book that requires the reader’s active participation in association; its value lies in awakening a sensitivity to time and nature.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in ancient conceptions of the seasons and agricultural calendar culture
Those who enjoy extended reading that begins from a short classical phrase
General readers who want a light introduction to traditional knowledge from the Classics
People living in the countryside or attentive to the changes of the solar terms

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking systematic agronomic knowledge or detailed seasonal research
Readers of novels who expect long narrative and plot development
Researchers who want complete annotation and scholarly interpretation

Reading tips

Read the title explanation and original text first, then annotate in light of your own observations of the four seasons
Read it in sections by spring, summer, autumn, and winter, comparing each with the season at hand
After reading, consult commentaries on the Book of Changes, Hexagram Heng, to extend your understanding of “endure and complete”

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
四时第四十

FAQ

What exactly does “sishi” mean?

Sishi means the four seasons—the agricultural seasons of the year. The book cites the line from the Book of Changes, Hexagram Heng—“The four seasons change and thus can endure and complete”—to explain the relationship between the turning of the seasons and the rhythms of farm work. This is an entry point for understanding traditional conceptions of the seasons.

The book has very little content. Is it worth reading?

The spareness of the material means it is more a point of entry than a complete treatise. Readers can treat it as a light introduction to ancient conceptions of the seasons, pairing it with their own observations of the four seasons and with related classical commentaries. It yields more only if the reader actively makes associations.

Is it suitable for learning about the solar terms?

It can serve as a beginner’s prompt, but the book does not develop systematic research on the solar terms. For a deeper understanding of the solar terms and the agricultural calendar, it is best read alongside agricultural treatises or specialized works on the seasons, using this book as a starting point that sparks interest.

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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.