The Realm of Learning

Name: The Realm of Learning
ISBN: 9787108074416

蔡鸿生SDX Joint Publishing Company · ChinaJun 2025

4.3

Word count: 110K words
Chapters: 45
ISBN: 9787108074416

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Summary

This book is a collection of essays on historical themes over many years by Professor Cai Hongsheng, a senior professor in the Department of History at Sun Yat-sen University. It includes Mr. Cai's reflections on his scholarly experience, his summaries of the historical achievements of Chen Yinke, Cen Zhongmian, and other scholars, and his views on how students in the history department should conduct research. Every piece in the book is concise and highly readable.

Mr. Cai Hongsheng studied under Mr. Chen Yinke in the Department of History at Sun Yat-sen University, and his scholarly approach was deeply influenced by Mr. Chen. Several pieces in the book concern his memories of Mr. Chen as a person and as a scholar, and offer incisive summaries of Mr. Chen's major research achievements.

Editor's review

Mr. Cai Hongsheng is a senior professor in the Department of History at Sun Yat-sen University who studied under Chen Yinke, and his scholarly approach was deeply influenced by Mr. Chen. This book collects his essays on historical themes over many years, including reflections on scholarly experience, summaries of the historical achievements of Chen Yinke, Cen Zhongmian, and other scholars, and specific suggestions on how students in the history department should conduct research. The writing is concise and highly readable; it is not an abstruse historical monograph but rather more like an old scholar talking about reading, doing scholarship, and intellectual lineage. For history majors and young researchers, the book's advice on scholarly method and research entry points has direct reference value; for general readers interested in literature and history, the pieces recalling Chen Yinke and other senior scholars offer rare close-up observation. There is no need to read from beginning to end in order; readers can select the sections on scholarly experience or on memories of teachers and friends according to interest.

Who it's for

A good fit for

History majors and young researchers in need of reference on scholarly method
Readers interested in literature and history who are curious about the lives and scholarship of Chen Yinke, Cen Zhongmian, and other scholars
Readers who enjoy scholars' essays and informal writings and prefer concise short pieces
University teachers and humanities practitioners concerned with academic lineage

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting systematic textbooks on historical theory or general history
General readers uninterested in academic essays and memories of intellectual lineage
Researchers hoping for substantial new historical sources or specialized textual research

Reading tips

Begin with the pieces recalling Chen Yinke and Cen Zhongmian, then return to the sections on scholarly experience
While taking notes, pay attention to Mr. Cai's specific suggestions on research entry points for self-comparison
There is no need to read straight through; selecting by theme better suits the rhythm of an essay collection

About the publisher

SDX Joint Publishing Company China · Founded in 1932

SDX Joint Publishing Company is a publisher known for its humanities and social science titles, covering classics, culture, history, social fiction and politics. Its catalogue of 826 books includes Chinese and foreign literary classics such as The Scholars, Camel Xiangzi and Selected Short Stories of Chekhov, scholarly works such as Studies of Chinese Cave Temples, A Study of the Tuoba History (Revised Edition) and The Nine-Rank System: A Prehistory of the Imperial Examination, and translations such as Red Star Over China and Notes from the House of the Dead. Its authors include renowned Chinese and foreign writers such as Wu Jingzi, Lao She, Su Bai and Chekhov, as well as scholars and translators such as Chen Xiaoming, Wang Benhua, Guo Changbao and Zhu Xiansheng. Its publishing character lies in balancing the popularisation of classics with academic depth, with attention to textual quality and the transmission of knowledge.

版权信息
作者简介
序引——写在学境边上
甲编学者方程——精神生产的历史经验
辑录者言
一名与实
二脱俗
三 “独”的境界
四少而精
五多思
六掺而化之
七学力补天分
八治学之路通向世界
乙编师门教泽
一康乐园“二老”
二《陈寅恪集》的中外关系史学术遗产
三金明馆教泽的遗响
四仰望陈寅恪铜像
五陈寅恪：志在求真的一代宗师
六岑仲勉中外史地考证的学术风格
七一位朴学惇谨的长者
八怀念金应熙先生
九朱公风范长存
丙编共勉篇
一为自己的学业进补
二历史是奢侈品还是必需品——谈历史知识的价值
三学风、学位和学问
四研究生的定位与自律
五从答辩谈论文
六 “大师”小议
七对话
八答客问
九关于知、识、文的联系和区别
十专门史与通识
十一基础课姓“基”
十二《圣婴断奶图》的启示：告别教科书
十三 “书名学”刍议
十四 “日日是好日”别解
十五耿昇赞——学者风度与工匠精神的统一
丁编自励篇
一榕荫下的岁月
二求学随想
三藏六居学记
蔡鸿生教授学术论著目录
后记

FAQ

Is this book a historical monograph or a collection of essays?

It is a collection of essays, not a systematic historical monograph. It gathers short pieces on historical themes that Mr. Cai Hongsheng wrote over many years, including reflections on scholarly experience, memories and summaries of senior scholars, and advice for graduate students. The pieces are concise and well suited to casual reading.

Will readers unfamiliar with Chen Yinke have difficulty with this book?

Not much difficulty. The pieces involving Chen Yinke mainly recall and summarize his scholarly achievements; even without having read Chen Yinke's original works, readers can understand the intellectual lineage and scholarly approach Mr. Cai discusses. For deeper study, one can turn to biographies or works by Chen Yinke.

Is this book helpful for writing papers or conducting research?

It has reference value, though it is not a methodology textbook. It contains Mr. Cai's specific views on how history students should conduct research and his reflections on his own scholarly experience, making it suitable as supplementary reading at the research entry stage to help understand scholarly attitudes and paths.

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About the author

蔡鸿生 Author

Cai Hongsheng is an author about whom little public information is currently available. One work by this author is held in the collection, titled Xuejing (The Realm of Learning). Judged by its usual classification, the book falls under essays and miscellaneous writings, suggesting that his writing tends toward reflective, essay-like description and discussion rather than fictional narrative or specialized academic treatises. On the basis of the available information alone, it is not possible to determine the author's nationality, dates of birth and death, or personal history, nor whether his writing spans more than one field. The title Xuejing carries a sense of the realm of study, inquiry, and scholarship, and may bring to mind writings on reading, scholarly experience, or reflections on life. If so, the style may be plain and restrained, emphasizing personal insight rather than elaborate exposition. Given the limited number of works, Cai Hongsheng's influence among readers currently rests mainly on this single book, and his literary profile awaits further material for a fuller account.