Original Sayings

高拱Jun 2024

3.3

Word count: 34K words
Chapters: 9

Summary

Traditional Chinese culture has a long and profound intellectual heritage, marked by remarkable originality, inventiveness and literary quality. Its early modes of thought are highly distinctive, and its religious and theological writings, medical classics, ancient military treatises, Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist and Hundred Schools thought, feng shui and metaphysical studies, the Twenty-Four Histories, and customs and geographical records are all vast and profound. This "Essence of Classic Chinese Learning: Original Texts" series preserves the appearance of the original books, with the aim of conserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. By reading the literary essence left by ancient sages, readers may cultivate their character and quietly absorb the classics of Chinese learning.

Editor's review

Benyu is a collection in the sayings (yulu) genre by Gao Gong of the Ming dynasty. Its contents mostly concern views on learning, self-cultivation and government affairs; its language is concise and direct, with a clear scholarly bent toward self-examination and practicality. Gao Gong held high office yet delighted in discussing learning, and the book often states his views directly in short passages without elaboration, giving a sense of hearing him speak in person. Included in the "Essence of Classic Chinese Learning: Original Texts" series, it aims to preserve and transmit the original form of traditional thought texts and serves as a light entry point to Ming-dynasty Confucian sayings. Its strength is that it is manageable in length and its entries are independent, so one can gain something by opening it at random; it is especially suited to readers interested in Ming thought and literati discourse who do not wish to tackle a large work right away. One caveat: sayings collections often lack specific context, and individual judgments can seem abrupt; readers should understand them in light of the era and need not treat each as a complete argument. Read alongside an overview of Ming history or Confucian intellectual history, the gains will be more solid.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in Ming-dynasty Confucianism and literati discourse
Readers who like short sayings and prefer to browse at random
Readers of history and culture seeking introductory material on Ming thought
Readers who wish to engage with traditional self-cultivation topics in spare moments

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting systematic philosophical argument or a complete theoretical system
Researchers requiring detailed annotation and scholarly textual study

Reading tips

Read entry by entry, a few at a time, and after each summarize its gist in your own words.
For entries involving government affairs or persons, check the Ming background first and then reread, to avoid taking them out of context.
Keep a notebook and classify excerpts that resonate or raise doubts for later review.

版权信息
提要
本语自序
本语卷一
本语卷二
本语卷三
本语卷四
本语卷五
本语卷六

FAQ

What is Benyu mainly about?

It is a work in the sayings genre whose entries mostly concern views on learning, self-cultivation and government affairs, in concise and direct language. Readers may regard it as a compilation of Gao Gong's everyday discussions of learning and affairs, suited to fragmented reading; one should not expect a systematic theoretical construction.

Will I have trouble reading this book if I don't know who Gao Gong was?

It will have some effect. Sayings are often directed at specific people and events, and without any knowledge of Ming politics and literati context, individual entries may seem abrupt. It is advisable to read a brief account of Gao Gong's life or mid-Ming history before entering the text; understanding will be smoother.

Is this book suitable for reading straight through?

The entries in a sayings collection are relatively independent, and reading straight through can be tiring and make it hard to grasp the main points. Reading in sessions of a few entries at a time is preferable, summarizing the gist of each in your own words and marking doubtful entries for later understanding with background material.

Comments

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About the author

高拱 Author

Gao Gong was a significant political figure of the Ming dynasty, and his writings concern frontier defense, military and administrative affairs, and statecraft, though public information on the details of his life is limited. Eight of his works are held here, including Posthumous Words from a Sickbed, A Record of Quelling Rebellion, A Record of Frontier Defense, Ben Yu, A Record of Pacifying the Yi, A Record of Pacifying Guang, Selected Poems of Gao Gong, and A Record of Striking the Tartars. These span history, philosophy, and classical poetry, showing that his writing combines factual record with argument. The frontier records center on border troubles, military affairs, and governance, with a practical style that stresses concrete measures and causal analysis; works such as Ben Yu lean toward philosophical reflection; and the poems reveal his personal feelings in verse. Through these works readers can glimpse a Ming scholar-official's concern with politics and border affairs, and a style in which statecraft writing and personal expression coexist.