Jade and Stone

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

2.5

Word count: 195 words
Chapters: 3

Summary

In this world true jade is very rare. Even stones that gold and iron cannot approach and that must be ground with sand before they take form are taken by people as true jade, yet they are still not; they are merely the finest of min, stones that resemble jade. True jade must be such that the tips of Dingzhou porcelain cannot scratch it—so it is said. When an old jade craftsman of the rear gardens was asked, even he did not know whether to believe it.

Editor's review

This book revolves around the ancient question "what is true jade," using ancient writings that distinguish true jade from the finest of jade-like stones to present the empirical judgment and cognitive limits in traditional jade knowledge. The 2024 new edition from Bashu Publishing House is brief in text but concentrated in meaning; its highlight is that it does not rush to a conclusion but preserves the skeptical attitude of "asking the old jade craftsman of the rear garden, and even he does not know whether it is true," letting readers experience the ancients' caution and confusion when appraising jade. Such material is suitable as an entry point for discussing how traditional craft knowledge is formed and how empirical standards are transmitted, and also suits readers interested in jade culture and miscellaneous notebooks for casual browsing. When reading, note the appraisal standards proposed in the text—that gold and iron cannot approach it, that it must be ground with sand to be finished, that the tip of Dingzhou porcelain cannot scratch it—and consider the craft and material background behind these empirical claims, then compare them with modern mineralogical common sense, though one need not judge the ancients by modern standards. The book is better used as a cultural essay and source of clues than as an identification guide.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in traditional jade culture and miscellaneous notebooks
Readers who enjoy short object-related textual research and casual browsing
Readers who want to use ancient texts to think about how empirical knowledge is formed
People who need jade culture material for writing or teaching

Not a good fit for

Technicians who need modern jade identification methods and standards
Readers expecting a systematic history of jade or extensive catalogues

Reading tips

First read the original text through and mark the several appraisal standards mentioned before considering each one
Read in comparison with modern mineralogical common sense, but note the difference between ancient and modern contexts
Record the points of doubt in the text as clues for further verification
The text is short; it is suitable to read through once and then revisit the key sentences

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.

版权信息
辨真玉
红丝石

FAQ

What does the book consider to be true jade?

According to the book's quotation, true jade is very rare in the present age; even that which gold and iron cannot approach and must be ground with sand to finish is thought by the world to be true jade, but it is not—it is merely the finest of jade-like stones. The text also mentions that true jade must be that which the tip of Dingzhou porcelain cannot scratch, but whether this is credible even the old jade craftsman cannot determine.

Can this book be used to learn jade identification?

It cannot serve as a basis for identification. The book presents the ancients' empirical claims and skeptical attitude, not modern mineralogical or jewelry appraisal standards. Readers may treat it as jade culture material; actual identification still requires professional books and testing methods.

What does "the finest of jade-like stones" mean in the text?

Min refers to beautiful stones resembling jade; "the finest of jade-like stones" means the better-quality among such beautiful stones. The book uses it to show that what the world regards as "true jade" may be merely superior jade-like stone, thereby discussing the difficulty of establishing criteria for true jade.

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

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.