The First Gate

Chen MengleiJun 2024

2.8

Word count: 114K words
Chapters: 8

Summary

Traditional Chinese thought and culture reach back across a long history, distinguished by a high degree of originality, inventiveness, and literary quality. Early forms of thought have their own striking character: religious theology, classical texts of Chinese medicine, ancient military strategy, Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist, and Hundred Schools thought, feng shui and metaphysical studies, the Twenty-Four Histories, and local customs and geography are all vast and profound. This series, "Essentials of Classic Chinese Culture: Original Texts," preserves the appearance of the original books and focuses on conserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. By reading the literary essence handed down by the sages of antiquity, readers cultivate their character and quietly absorb the classics of Chinese learning.

Editor's review

Toumen draws on Chen Menglei's editorial vision to lead readers to the threshold of ancient Chinese thought and knowledge. The book preserves the appearance of the original and focuses on presenting the diverse early forms of thought: religious theology, classical texts of Chinese medicine, ancient military strategy, Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist, and Hundred Schools thought, feng shui and metaphysical studies, the Twenty-Four Histories, and local customs and geography are all touched upon, reflecting the originality and literary quality of the Chinese classics. Its value lies not in offering modern scholarly conclusions but in giving readers direct contact with the feel and context of traditional texts and the cultivating influence of the sages' literary essence. It suits a desk or bedside, as a daily reader for reciting and browsing Chinese classics, and also works as a family book from which members of different ages can each take what they need. The book is more like a "front gate," guiding readers by interest into different categories rather than being a monograph to read linearly. Editors suggest readers approach the original language with an open mind, not seeking to understand everything at once but appreciating the height and depth of traditional thought through repeated contact.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers with an introductory interest in the Chinese classics who want to encounter original texts.
Readers who want a traditional culture reader kept on the family desk for members to browse at any time.
Enthusiasts of traditional categories such as religious theology, military strategy, Chinese medicine, and Hundred Schools thought.
Primary and secondary school teachers of Chinese or traditional culture who need supplementary materials.

Not a good fit for

Serious researchers expecting modern scholarly annotation, vernacular translation, and systematic textual criticism.
Readers who want a single-topic monograph and are unwilling to face a mixture of categories.
People impatient with classical Chinese or traditional expression who want easy, fast reading.

Reading tips

Browse the contents first, pick a category that interests you and try it, rather than pushing linearly from page one.
Read a short passage each day, using reference works for rare characters and words, focusing on building a feel for the language.
Keep a notebook of passages that move you; review it every other week to form your own threads.
Take turns with family or a reading group choosing the same passage and exchange different understandings.

版权信息
古今图书集成医部全录卷一百二十二
古今图书集成医部全录卷一百二十三
古今图书集成医部全录卷一百二十四
古今图书集成医部全录卷一百二十五
古今图书集成医部全录卷一百二十六
古今图书集成医部全录卷一百二十七
古今图书集成医部全录卷一百二十八

FAQ

Is this book a vernacular translation or the original text?

According to the materials, the series "preserves the appearance of the original books and focuses on conserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture," so the main text follows the original rather than a modern vernacular rewrite. Readers may need reference works or annotated editions to help with understanding; it suits those willing to engage with the feel of traditional texts.

What categories does the book cover?

The materials indicate religious theology, classical texts of Chinese medicine, ancient military strategy, Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist, and Hundred Schools thought, feng shui and metaphysical studies, the Twenty-Four Histories, and local customs and geography. The range is broad; readers can choose by interest and need not read everything. Specific contents follow the book's table of contents.

Is it suitable for readers with no grounding in the Chinese classics at all?

It can serve as an introductory reader for encountering traditional texts, but the original style of expression poses a threshold for complete beginners. It is best to start with categories that are more narrative or shorter, using reference works and introductory materials, and proceed step by step without expecting to understand everything at once.

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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.