Records of Knowledge Gained through Hardship

罗钦顺Jul 2024

4.0

Word count: 77K words
Chapters: 10

Summary

Traditional Chinese culture has a long and profound intellectual history, marked by a high degree of originality, inventiveness, and literary quality. Its early intellectual forms are highly distinctive: religious theology, classical texts of Chinese medicine, ancient military strategy, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and the Hundred Schools of Thought, feng shui and metaphysical learning, the Twenty-Four Histories, customs and local gazetteers—all are vast and profound. This "Essence of Classic Chinese Culture: Original Texts" series preserves the original appearance of the texts and focuses on preserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. By reading the literary essence left by ancient sages, readers may cultivate their temperament and quietly absorb the classics of Chinese learning.

Editor's review

Kun Zhi Ji is an important philosophical work by the Ming dynasty scholar Luo Qinshun, recording his scholarly reflections and intellectual analyses in note form, centered on the relationship between principle and qi and on the nature of mind and human nature. It embodies the author's independent thinking, which refused to follow prevailing fashion. The title "Kun Zhi" means learning from difficulty and reaching understanding through hardship; the entries are mostly concise judgments formed after repeated deliberation, plain in tone and meticulous in argument. This book is included in the "Essence of Classic Chinese Culture: Original Texts" series, preserves the original appearance of the text, and focuses on transmitting traditional thought and culture. Its value lies in offering readers a window into internal debates within Ming dynasty Confucianism, and it is especially suited to readers with some grounding in Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism who wish to study it closely. It is best read not in haste but entry by entry, proceeding gradually with an understanding of basic Neo-Confucian concepts; reading it alongside related Neo-Confucian works will better reveal its critical edge. For readers willing to read slowly and think deeply in classical philosophical texts, this is a note-form philosophical work worth revisiting.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism and Ming intellectual history
Learners with some classical Chinese who are willing to read philosophical texts closely
Readers who enjoy note-form works and prefer thinking entry by entry
Scholars of literature and history who need to understand Luo Qinshun's views on principle, qi, and mind-nature

Not a good fit for

Complete beginners with no classical Chinese who need vernacular translation and explanation
General readers seeking light reading or narrative plots
Readers who want a general history of Neo-Confucianism rather than a close reading of a single work

Reading tips

First learn basic Neo-Confucian concepts such as principle, qi, mind, and nature, then read entry by entry to reduce difficulty.
Read only a few notes at a time, then summarize the main points in your own words to check whether you have truly understood.
Read alongside other Neo-Confucian works from the Song through Ming dynasties to appreciate the specificity and independence of Luo Qinshun's analyses.
Mark difficult entries first and return to them after finishing the relevant parts of the book; they often become clearer then.

版权信息
困知记
困知记序
困知记卷上凡八十一章
困知记卷下凡七十五章
困知记续録巻上凡八十章
困知记卷下凡三十三章
困知记三绩凡三十六章
困知记四续凡三十一章
困知记附录

FAQ

Can I understand Kun Zhi Ji without a background in Neo-Confucianism?

It will be quite difficult. The book deals with Neo-Confucian topics such as principle, qi, mind, and nature, and it preserves the original text, so without basic concepts and classical Chinese ability the obstacles are obvious. It is advisable to first build up general knowledge of Neo-Confucianism and basic classical Chinese, then read the book closely.

Why does Kun Zhi Ji use the note form?

The note form makes it easy to record the author's judgments and analyses after repeated deliberation; the entries are relatively independent and plain in tone. This way of writing does not aim at systematic exposition but at entry-by-entry scrutiny, and readers should likewise enter it by chewing over each entry rather than reading it straight through as a general treatise.

Do I need other materials to read this book?

It is advisable to use introductory works on basic Neo-Confucian concepts and to read related Neo-Confucian works alongside it. This makes it easier to see the specificity of Luo Qinshun's analyses and his independent thinking, and it reduces obstacles caused by unfamiliar concepts.

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About the author

罗钦顺 Author

Luo Qinshun was an important Neo-Confucian philosopher of the Ming dynasty, and his best-known work is Kun Zhi Ji (Records of Hard-Won Knowledge), which is listed in this collection under Eastern philosophy. Public information about his dates, native place, and official career is limited, so they cannot be described in detail here. Judging from his extant writings, Kun Zhi Ji is a philosophical work in the form of notes, examining topics such as principle and vital force, mind and nature, and the investigation of things. It both responds to the Song-dynasty Neo-Confucian tradition and takes issue with doctrines current in his own time, reflecting a scholarly attitude of cautious verification rather than easy acceptance of received opinion. Its entries were set down as thoughts arose, in concise and substantial language, with arguments advancing step by step and a marked polemical tone. Later generations have regarded the book as an important source for the study of Ming philosophy, often using it to examine disagreements and developments within Neo-Confucianism and to understand the intellectual transitions of the Song and Ming periods.