Book of Mind

Xiong ShiliJul 2022

3.6

Word count: 19K words
Chapters: 34

Summary

First published at the author's own expense in late 1918, Heart Book is Xiong Shili's earliest work. It gathers twenty-five short pieces written between 1916 and 1918 in a variety of genres—eleven reading notes, six letters, four biographical sketches, two prefaces, and two miscellaneous essays—amounting to roughly twenty thousand characters. The subjects are wide-ranging and the contents rich; the author himself described the book as "a record of what my heart has held through thirty years of life."

Editor's review

Heart Book is Xiong Shili's earliest work, printed at his own expense in late 1918. It collects twenty-five short pieces written between 1916 and 1918—reading notes, letters, biographical sketches, prefaces, and miscellaneous essays—totaling about twenty thousand characters. The author called it "a record of what my heart has held through thirty years of life," which shows how strongly the book partakes of self-narration and spiritual chronicle. Its value lies not in systematic construction but in revealing a thinker's early intellectual concerns, reading tastes, and spiritual preoccupations; it is a precious starting point for understanding the formation of Xiong's later thought. The pieces are short and varied in genre, an easier read than his philosophical treatises, and well suited as an introduction to his early profile. Readers may treat it as source material for an intellectual biography, noting recurrent concerns and terms, and then read it against his later works.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Xiong Shili's life and early thought
Readers who enjoy short notes and letters and want an easy entry into Xiong's writing
Researchers studying the spiritual journeys of modern scholars and self-narrative documents

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting systematic philosophical argument or Xiong's mature system
Readers who prefer long, tightly argued works and have little interest in notes and letters

Reading tips

Read by genre: begin with the reading notes and letters, then the biographical sketches and prefaces, to feel the differences in expression across forms.
Mark recurring questions and terms as you go; after finishing, compare with Xiong's later works to trace his lines of thought.
Use the book as material for an intellectual biography, reading it alongside the background of modern scholars to understand his early concerns.

版权信息
内容简介
熊子真心书序
自序
船山学自记
示韩濬
张纯一存稿序
复张君
日知会王刘余何朱诸传
刘敬庵
余仲勉
何见田
朱元成
某报序言
复吴贯因癸丑
与某参谋
贺然圭传
答李君
问津学会启
记梁君说鲁滂博士之学说
与张素武
钩王
读孟子
罪言
读陆贽请还田绪所寄撰碑文马绢状
思曾
诸葛武侯出师表书后
熊持危传
张翊辰李专遗事
马让三传
忧问
至言
箴名士
跋

FAQ

Is Heart Book Xiong Shili's representative philosophical work?

No. It is his earliest work, printed at his own expense in late 1918, collecting twenty-five short pieces from 1916 to 1918 in genres including reading notes, letters, biographical sketches, prefaces, and miscellaneous essays. It is closer to a record of his early spiritual traces and intellectual concerns than to a systematic philosophical treatise.

How long is the book, and is it hard to read?

About twenty thousand characters in twenty-five short pieces. It is short and varied in genre, an easier read than Xiong's philosophical treatises. Still, the prose carries the expressive habits of an early modern scholar and requires patience for close reading; it is best read in sections at a leisurely pace.

How should I read it to better understand Xiong Shili?

Treat it as the starting point of Xiong's thought. Note the concerns and terms that recur, then read it against his later works to see which questions persist and which formulations change; this makes the trajectory of his intellectual development clearer.

Comments

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About the author

Xiong Shili Author · Chinese · 1885–1968

Xiong Shili (1885–1968) was a native of Huanggang, Hubei, and a renowned modern Chinese philosopher and thinker. He is regarded as the philosophical founder of the contemporary New Confucian movement and is honored as its pioneer. In his early years he joined the anti-Qing revolution; later he abandoned politics for scholarship, studied Buddhism under Ouyang Jingwu, and taught for many years at Peking University. He created his own “New Consciousness-Only” system, advocating the non-duality of substance and function and the transformation of opening and closing. His writings integrate Buddhist terminology with Confucian thought, combining dense argumentation with a vigorous style. His works include New Consciousness-Only, Original Confucianism, On Substance and Function, and Qiankun Yan, and they have had a profound influence on modern Chinese philosophy and Confucian studies.