New Treatise

Chen MengleiJun 2024

3.8

Word count: 18K words
Chapters: 4

Summary

Traditional Chinese thought has a long history and is highly original, inventive, and literary. Early forms of thought are distinctive: religious theology, classical texts of Chinese medicine, ancient military strategy, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and the Hundred Schools, feng shui and metaphysics, the Twenty-Four Histories, and local customs and geography are all profound and extensive. This "Classic Essence of Chinese Culture Original Texts" series preserves the appearance of the original books and focuses on preserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. By reading the literary essence left by ancient sages, readers cultivate their temperament and subtly come to appreciate the classics of Chinese learning.

Editor's review

Attributed to Chen Menglei, this book belongs to the "Classic Essence of Chinese Culture Original Texts" series and aims to preserve the original appearance of the text; its contents span multiple branches of traditional thought and culture. In terms of reading value, it is more a compendium-like text of traditional learning, allowing readers to encounter the ways in which the ancients organized knowledge and the originality and comprehensiveness of early forms of thought. Its strength lies in preserving the old form without excessive rewriting, making it suitable as a sample for understanding the form of classical Chinese learning texts. Note that the book is broad in coverage rather than specialized in one field; readers should select relevant sections with clear questions in mind rather than expecting systematic disciplinary instruction. Overall, it suits readers with an initial interest in traditional culture who are willing to start from original texts, experiencing the organizational methods of traditional scholarship through desk browsing and fragmentary reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers with an initial interest in classic Chinese learning texts
Readers of literature and history who want to understand the original appearance and compilation style of ancient books
Teachers and editors engaged in popularizing and teaching traditional culture
Readers who wish to build general knowledge of Chinese learning through fragmentary reading

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a systematic textbook or introductory course in a particular discipline
Beginners expecting modern scholarly annotation and detailed translation
Readers who prefer in-depth monographs on a single topic

Reading tips

First browse the table of contents, choose categories of interest, and do not feel obliged to read from cover to cover.
Keep a notebook to excerpt terminology and structural conventions, gradually building your own framework of general knowledge in Chinese learning.
Use modern scholarly introductions or reference works alongside the text to understand difficult points.
Read only a small section at a time and briefly summarize it afterward, avoiding indigestion from trying to cover too much.

版权信息
新论卷上
新论卷中
新论卷下

FAQ

Is this book an original work by Chen Menglei?

The book is attributed to Chen Menglei, belongs to the "Classic Essence of Chinese Culture Original Texts" series, and aims to preserve and transmit traditional thought and culture while retaining the original appearance of the text. For specific compilation details, consult the copyright page and publisher's note; readers should regard it as an edited edition of a traditional Chinese learning text rather than a modern personal monograph.

What topics does the content cover?

According to the publisher's note, the series covers religious theology, classical texts of Chinese medicine, ancient military strategy, Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist, and Hundred Schools thought, feng shui and metaphysics, the Twenty-Four Histories, and local customs and geography, among others. It is broad in coverage and is a compendium-like text of traditional thought and culture; readers may select categories of interest according to the table of contents.

Is it suitable as an introductory book to Chinese learning?

It can serve as supplementary reading for encountering the form of classic Chinese learning texts, but it is broad in coverage, lacks modern translation and annotation, and is less systematic than dedicated textbooks. Beginners are advised to start with relatively accessible passages and use modern introductions and reference works alongside it, building a foundation before going deeper.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

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.