The Cosmos
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Summary
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Scholars and students researching pre-Qin intellectual history and the text of the Guanzi
- Readers of history and literature with classical Chinese reading ability who wish to study one text in depth
- Those who need to study the original text in university courses on ancient Chinese history and intellectual history
Not a good fit for
- General readers lacking a foundation in classical Chinese who want accessible popular reading
- Those who only want an overview of the Guanzi and are unwilling to work through the text word by word
Reading tips
- First use a reliable annotated translation to clarify the words and sentences, then return to the original and read it closely paragraph by paragraph.
- Pay attention to the special usages of Warring States idiom in the chapter, taking notes as you read, and avoid forcing modern meanings onto the text.
- Read "Zhouhe" alongside other related chapters of the Guanzi to observe similarities and differences in thought.
- After finishing, draw up a structural outline to test your grasp of the chapter's flow of ideas.
About the publisher
Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) was a private publishing and distribution house in Shanghai during the late Qing and early Republican periods, issuing traditional works by lithographic printing. Judging from the 1,194 titles in the collection, its publishing focused on classical poetry, Eastern philosophy, historical reading, traditional Chinese medical texts, and canonical works, along with books on literary appreciation. Representative titles include the poetry and prose collections of Du Fu and Ouyang Xiu; historical works such as the Book of Han and Zizhi Tongjian; classical texts such as the Book of Documents and Mencius; and specialized and literary classics such as Treatise on Cold Damage and Li Sao. Its author resources cover major figures across the ages, including Du Fu, Ban Gu, Sima Guang, Zhang Zhongjing, Qu Yuan, Ouyang Xiu, and Tang Shenwei, reflecting the house's characteristic reliance on traditional scholarship and medical literature while serving general readers. Public information on its early history and operational details is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.
Contents
- 版权信息
FAQ
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About the author
Guan Zi is Guan Zhong, of the Ji clan and the Guan lineage, named Yiwu, styled Zhong, posthumously honored as Jing, a native of Yingshang (present-day Yingshang County, Anhui). A statesman of the early Spring and Autumn period and a forerunner of Legalism in the state of Qi, he assisted Duke Huan of Qi in uniting the feudal lords and setting the realm in order, and has been acclaimed as "the foremost minister of China." His thought is preserved in the book Guanzi, of which 28 related works are held in the collection, with representative chapters including "Guo Xu," "Nei Ye," "Di Yuan," "Qing Zhong Ding," "Zhou He," "Li Zheng," "Jin Zang," and "You Guan." These pieces span economic regulation, mind-and-nature cultivation, geography and products, and statecraft; their style is sometimes terse and substantive, sometimes developed through dialogue, reflecting an early blend of Legalist and Qi-regional scholarship. Public sources on the details of his life are limited, and later accounts mostly rely on the Guanzi text and pre-Qin histories. His works are commonly classified under Eastern philosophy, prose and miscellaneous writings, comprehensive biography, and literary appreciation, and have influenced both ancient political thought and the prose tradition.
