Square and Upright

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

4.4

Word count: 5.8K words
Chapters: 68

Summary

Chen Taiqiu made an appointment to travel with a friend, setting the time for midday. When midday passed and the friend had not arrived, Taiqiu left without him; after he had gone, the friend arrived. Yuanfang was then seven years old and was playing outside the gate. The guest asked Yuanfang, "Is your honorable father in?" He replied, "He waited for you a long time and you did not come, so he has already left." The friend then said angrily, "Is this human? He made an appointment to travel with me, then abandoned me and left." Yuanfang said, "You made an appointment with my father for midday; when midday came and you did not arrive, that is breaking faith; and to curse a father before his son, that is a breach of propriety." The friend was ashamed, got down from his carriage and tried to draw him near. Yuanfang went in at the gate without looking back.

Editor's review

This piece is selected from 《Shishuo Xinyu: Chen Taiqiu and a Friend's Appointment》, and through the brief exchange between seven-year-old Yuanfang and a visitor, it presents the tension between keeping faith and observing propriety. The whole text is under a hundred characters, yet advances layer by layer: the guest asks, Yuanfang answers, the guest grows angry, Yuanfang rebuts, and it ends with "went in at the gate without looking back," offering no judgment while the attitude is self-evident. Its value lies in demonstrating, through extremely concise narrative, the sense of measure in ancient family upbringing and a child's response, and in providing a concrete situation for discussing the relationship between "faith" and "propriety." This 2024 Bashu Publishing House edition presents it as a standalone piece, suitable as an introductory classical Chinese text and a comparative reader on moral topics. Its highlight is compact dialogue and vivid characters; readers can complete a full close reading in a short time. It is recommended for family shared reading or classroom discussion, with focus on the logic of Yuanfang's rebuttal, "to curse a father before his son, that is a breach of propriety," and on the stance conveyed by the closing action.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Primary and secondary students beginning classical Chinese who need short close-reading material
Parents concerned with ancient family upbringing and children's etiquette
Chinese-language teachers seeking a text for classroom discussion of keeping faith and courtesy
Readers interested in excerpts from 《Shishuo Xinyu》 who wish an introduction to reading it

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a systematic study of the whole 《Shishuo Xinyu》 or Wei-Jin culture
Readers of novels who need long narrative or complex plots
Complete beginners in classical Chinese seeking vernacular translation and detailed annotation

Reading tips

First read the original text through twice, mark the shifts in the characters' dialogue, and clarify the respective positions of the guest and Yuanfang.
List the grounds of each side around "faith" and "propriety," then discuss whether Yuanfang's "went in at the gate without looking back" was impolite.
Relate it to modern life situations: have readers play the guest and Yuanfang, retell and rewrite the dialogue.
For classroom use, compare other children's stories in 《Shishuo Xinyu》 to observe the characteristics of its concise narrative.

About the publisher

Bashu Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Bashu Publishing House is a publisher centered on collating and publishing classical Chinese cultural texts, with its main publishing areas covering classical literature, Eastern philosophy, ancient poetry, and educational classics. Its library currently holds 1,075 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber, the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, Renjian Cihua, and Out to the Frontier, involving authors such as Cao Xueqin, Wang Xizhi, Wang Guowei, Wang Changling, Liu Xie, and Yan Yu. These reflect the publisher's focus on literary classics, poetry criticism, and philosophical readings. Its publishing character lies in working around ancient texts and canonical works, with attention to textual collation and presentation. Public information on its more detailed publishing background and series plans is limited; this introduction is based only on the library's book information.

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FAQ

Does Yuanfang's "went in at the gate without looking back" seem impolite?

The original only records the action without judgment. Yuanfang has already pointed out the other's "breaking faith" and "breach of propriety"; going in without looking back can be understood as cold treatment of one who has been rude, or as the emotional reaction of a seven-year-old. Readers may discuss with the whole text in view: does observing propriety mean one must still extend full courtesy to the rude?

Is the core of this story keeping faith or understanding propriety?

The two are interwoven. The guest's failing the appointment is "breaking faith"; cursing a father before his son is "a breach of propriety"; Yuanfang first points out the breach of faith, then the breach of propriety, forming a progression. The story does not simply praise or blame but tests keeping faith and observing propriety in the same conversation, suitable for discussion of issues rather than memorizing conclusions.

Can I understand this classical Chinese text without annotations?

It is short with much dialogue, and most sentences are close to colloquial. The difficulties lie in words such as "zunjun" (your honorable father), "jiajun" (my father), "wei" (abandon), and "yin" (draw near); you may first infer from context, then check in a reference book. If you are a complete beginner, it is advisable to read alongside a reliable annotated translation to avoid taking the words too literally.

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About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is not a real personal name but a general Chinese designation for authors whose names are unknown, lost, or unsigned. Neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be verified, and available public information is limited, so the works attributed to this name are the only basis for description. The collection holds 2,078 works under Anonymous, spanning medicine, classics, historical readings, ancient poetry, classical literature, and philosophy. Representative works include The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Lingshu, Mencius, The Book of Documents, Nineteen Old Poems, Complete Song Ci, and The Peacock Flies Southeast. Most of these works took shape through long transmission and editing, emerging either from collective folk creation or from authors whose names were lost over time. In ancient China, the Book of Songs, the Great Learning, and many popular storybooks and plays were signed Anonymous because their authors could not be traced. Anonymous works cross the classics, histories, philosophical writings, medical texts, and poetry; their subjects are broad, and their styles vary from archaic simplicity to clear naturalness, making them important and influential sources for understanding ancient Chinese thought, medicine, and literature.