The Writings of Fang and Yao
Tags
Summary
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers who wish to gain an initial understanding of Fang Bao's and Yao Nai's classical prose styles through an anthology
- Secondary school Chinese-language teachers and instructors who need supplementary classical prose texts for teaching
- Researchers of modern education interested in the form of Republican-era students' sinological readers
- Enthusiasts of classical literature interested in the compositional discipline of the Tongcheng school
Not a good fit for
- Specialist researchers requiring the complete works of Fang Bao and Yao Nai or full critical editions
- Beginners who prefer easy vernacular Chinese and do not wish to engage with classical Chinese texts
- Readers seeking systematic theoretical monographs on the Tongcheng school
Reading tips
- Begin with the new Introduction and the original Preface to understand the background of the selections and the editors' intentions, then proceed to the main text.
- Read the Fang Bao and Yao Nai sections in order, noting the differences in their narrative and landscape-writing techniques.
- Start with celebrated pieces such as "Anecdotes of Lord Zuo Zhongyi" and "A Record of Climbing Mount Tai," then expand to the remaining selections.
- When reading an individual piece, use the notes to clarify the meaning, then summarize its structural or compositional features.
About the publisher
The Commercial Press is a publisher known for classic works and academic publishing, with titles spanning Eastern philosophy, foreign literature, world history, social culture, and applied psychology. Its list includes classical commentaries such as Zhu Xi's Collected Commentaries on the Analects and Wang Bi's Commentary on the Zhouyi, as well as modern annotated translations like Zhuangzi with Modern Notes and Translation. In foreign literature it offers War and Peace and Crime and Punishment, while in world history it carries Braudel's The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II. Applied psychology is represented by Irvin D. Yalom's Existential Psychotherapy, and ethical texts include a Greek-Chinese-English edition of the Nicomachean Ethics. Its authors and translators include Zhu Xi, Wang Bi, Yalom, Braudel, and translators such as Huang Zheng, Zhang Yiling, Shen Dongyu, and Tang Jialong, balancing the editing of original texts with academic translation.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 总序之一
- 总序之二
- 新编导言
- 原书绪言
- 方苞文
- 原过
- 读《孟子》
- 读《周官》
- 灌婴论
- 于忠肃论
- 辕马说
- 《孙征君年谱》序
- 跋石斋黄公手札
- 书《淮阴侯列传》后
- 书孝妇魏氏诗后
- 与王昆绳书
- 与刘言洁书
- 与孙以宁书
- 与孙司寇书
- 送王篛林南归序
- 送左未生南归序
- 送李雨苍序
- 孙征君传
- 白云先生传
- 记吴绍先求二弟事
- 高阳孙文正公逸事
- 左忠毅公逸事
- 狱中杂记
- 游潭柘记
- 游雁荡记
- 陈驭虚墓志铭
- 杜苍略先生墓志铭
- 万季野墓表
- 宣左人哀辞
- 武季子哀辞
- 姚鼐文
- 李斯论
- 书《货殖传》后
- 复张君书
- 复鲁絜非书
- 复蒋松如书
- 《南园诗存》序
- 《礼笺》序
- 赠钱献之序
- 刘海峰先生八十寿序
- 朱竹君先生家传
- 张逸园家传
- 仪郑堂记
- 登泰山记
- 游灵岩记
- 方正学祠重修建记
- 祭张少詹曾敞文
- 祭朱竹君学士文
- 宋双忠祠碑文
- 袁随园君墓志铭
- 博山知县武君墓表
FAQ
How many pieces does this book contain, and how are they divided between the two authors?
What has been added to the new edition compared with the original book?
Can readers with no foundation in classical Chinese read this book?
Comments
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About the author
Zhuang Shi: currently, public information about his life is limited, and his academic identity and career remain to be further investigated. Judging from the three works included in the collection, his scholarly interests center on classical Chinese texts and the study of prose: the Zuo Zhuan is an important classic in the Confucian and historical tradition, The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons is a famous work of ancient literary theory, and The Prose of Fang and Yao selects writings by Fang Bao and Yao Nai, showing his attention to the Tongcheng School tradition of classical prose. It may therefore be inferred that Zhuang Shi's editorial and compilation work emphasized guided reading of classics and appreciation of prose, combining scholarship with accessibility. His works fall under such categories as Eastern philosophy, literary appreciation, and miscellaneous prose, indicating that his editorial scope spans classics and history, literary theory, and anthologies of classical prose, offering readers a way into traditional texts and the classical prose tradition. Owing to limited materials, details of his life, native place, and dates of birth and death are unavailable for now; this note comments only briefly on the subject matter of his works.
Zhao Zhen: publicly available information about this author is currently limited, and details such as nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name have not been clearly recorded. Judging from the two works held in the collection, Fang Yao Wen and The Mysteries Hidden in the Details of the Records of the Grand Historian, his writing spans two categories: miscellaneous prose and historical reading. The former leans toward selected essays and the tracing of literary lines, while the latter starts from the small details of the Records of the Grand Historian, uncovering doubts and curiosities in the historical material and using details as clues to reconstruct historical settings. This approach requires solid close reading of texts as well as readability in narration, so that specialized content remains accessible. His writing on the whole shows attention to textual research, orderly structure, and popular expression, making it suitable for general readers interested in classical literature and history. Owing to limited materials, a full picture of his creative output and academic background still awaits further information.
Li Runsheng is an author about whom limited public information is available, and the existing sources are not sufficient to give a full picture of his life or academic background. Judging from the three works held in the collection, his interests in compilation and research span both classical literature and language studies. The Han, Wei and Six Dynasties Prose and The Prose of Fang and Yao are anthologies of prose from earlier periods: the former focuses on the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties, a transitional stage in the development of prose genres, while the latter concerns the works of Qing dynasty classical prose masters such as Fang Bao and Yao Nai, showing careful attention to the selection and editing of canonical prose. A Study of the Agricultural Vocabulary System in Qimin Yaoshu turns instead to the language of an ancient agricultural treatise, examining the composition and system of its agricultural vocabulary. Together, these works reflect a dual orientation toward textual compilation and specialized linguistic research, offering readers useful reference for understanding the relevant classics and the vocabulary of ancient agricultural science.
