Guanzi (Complete Text, Full Annotation, Full Translation) cover

Guanzi (Complete Text, Full Annotation, Full Translation)

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Word count
850 words
Chapters
27
Series
Complete Text, Full Annotation, Full Translation of Chinese Classics
ISBN
9787101133325

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Summary

Guanzi is traditionally attributed to Guan Zhong, a statesman of the State of Qi in the Spring and Autumn period, but it was in fact not written by a single hand at a single time. Scholars generally agree that its main body consists of writings by Jixia scholars of Qi during the Warring States period, who summarized and elaborated on Guan Zhong's experience in assisting Duke Huan of Qi in governing the state and achieving hegemony. When Liu Xiang of the Han dynasty edited the text, it was set at eighty-six chapters; ten were later lost, leaving seventy-six extant today. The work is grand in scale and heterogeneous in content, covering politics, economics, military affairs, philosophy, ethics, law, astronomy and calendrics, geography and hydrology, education, and even medicine and health preservation. It contains Confucian moral claims of propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame; Daoist ideas of tranquility, non-action, and adapting to circumstances; Legalist governance by law; Mohist universal love and opposition to aggression; Agriculturalist planning of land and resources; and Militarist strategic thinking. It is therefore often called a book that "gathers the hundred schools." Its most distinctive feature is the learning of "light and heavy": by observing changes in the relative weight of grain and currency, prices and harvests, it uses market and fiscal measures to enrich the state, strengthen the military, and regulate social wealth. Some chapters even propose stimulating production and employment through consumption, making the work unique in the history of ancient economic thought. This edition of Guanzi in Zhonghua Book Company's "Complete Text, Full Annotation, Full Translation of Chinese Classics" series is translated and annotated by Li Shan and Xuan Xinli. It covers the seventy-six extant chapters in two volumes. The text is arranged according to the original sequence of volumes and chapters. Each chapter is preceded by an introductory note summarizing its main points, background, and textual situation; the main text is followed by concise annotations and a vernacular translation, making it easy for readers to read against the original. The annotations focus on names, institutions, glosses of words and phrases, and sources of allusions; the translations strive for accuracy and fluency, balancing scholarship and readability. This edition is unabridged and offers readers who wish to read Guanzi in its entirety and understand pre-Qin political and economic thought an accessible modern edition for general readers.

Editor's review

读《管子》,容易被两个误会耽误:一是以为它就是管仲亲笔,二是以为它只是法家一路的冷峻权术。这部“三全本”先在《前言》里把成书问题讲清楚:这是托名管仲、由战国稷下学者陆续写成的著作,是一部为“霸政”献策的论文汇编。明白这一点,再读《牧民》《权修》里“礼义廉耻,国之四维”的话,读《心术》《内业》里近乎道家的修养论,读《海王》《国蓄》《轻重》诸篇里的市场与财政构想,就不会觉得彼此扞格。 此版的价值在于“全”与“便”。七十六篇全收,不取节选,按二十四卷原次排列,篇前题解点明要旨与文献状况,正文随文注释,配以白话译文,普通读者不必先啃旧注就能通读。译注者李山长期从事先秦两汉文学与文化研究,题解与注释多能从时代背景与政治意图着眼,帮助读者理解这些文字为何而写。精装两册,版式疏朗,适合案头常备、逐篇慢读。若只挑几篇,《牧民》《乘马》《心术》《内业》《水地》《地员》与“轻重”诸篇最见其特色。它不提供一以贯之的哲学体系,却提供了一个观察战国政治、经济与学术交融的绝佳窗口。

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • 对中国古代思想史、政治制度史有兴趣的普通读者
  • 需要通读《管子》全文的文史专业学生与研究者
  • 关注先秦经济思想、“轻重”之学的经济史爱好者
  • 喜欢中华书局“三全本”体例、希望借助注释和译文读原典的读者
  • 中学语文、历史教师及准备国学类考试、论文写作的人

Not a good fit for

  • 希望读一部体系严整、可一口气读完的哲学专著的人
  • 只想了解管仲生平故事、期待人物传记式叙述的读者
  • 古文完全零基础、又不愿读注释和译文对照的读者

Reading tips

  1. 先读《前言》弄清成书与学派问题,再按卷次顺序推进,避免把全书当作一人一时代的著作。
  2. 首轮可只精读《牧民》《权修》《乘马》《心术》《内业》与《轻重》诸篇,其余泛览题解即可。
  3. 读经济类篇章时随手列出粮价、货币、年成的关系,对照现代经济学概念,但注意不要过度比附。
  4. 把《形势》与《形势解》、《立政》与《立政九败解》对照阅读,可体会早期“经—解”体例的形成。
  5. 每读完一卷,用自己的话写三五行提要,全书七十余篇读完不至混淆。

About the publisher

Zhonghua Book Company China · Founded in 1912

Zhonghua Book Company is a publisher known for collating ancient texts and academic publishing, with its output centered on Eastern philosophy, culture, classic works, art, and historical reading. Its library contains 532 titles, including Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms, Guo Qingfan's Collected Commentaries on Zhuangzi, the four-volume Chinese Literature: Four Great Classical Novels, and the two-volume Table of Seal and Clerical Script Forms from Qin, Han, Wei, and Jin. These titles span historical classics, commentaries on the philosophers, classical novels, and philological reference works. Representative authors include Chen Shou, Guo Qingfan, Wu Cheng'en, Shi Nai'an, Cao Xueqin, Luo Guanzhong, Xu Wenwu, and the Hanyu Dazidian character-form group, reflecting a focus on primary sources and scholarly editors. Its publishing character lies in combining authoritative editions and annotated texts with both accessible classics and specialized research. Public information on its fuller catalog is limited; this note describes only the directions evident in the library's holdings.

Contents

  1. Volume One
  2. Preface
  3. Volume 1: Shepherd the People, Chapter 1; Conditions, Chapter 2; Cultivating Authority, Chapter 3; Establishing Government, Chapter 4; Riding the Horse, Chapter 5
  4. Volume 2: Seven Standards, Chapter 6; Model Laws, Chapter 7
  5. Volume 3: Young Officials, Chapter 8; Diagram of Young Officials, Chapter 9; Five Assistances, Chapter 10
  6. Volume 4: Universal Harmony, Chapter 11; Pivotal Words, Chapter 12
  7. Volume 5: Eight Observations, Chapter 13; Prohibitions and Laws, Chapter 14; Valuing Orders, Chapter 15
  8. Volume 6: Law and Law, Chapter 16; Military Methods, Chapter 17
  9. Volume 7: Great Rectification, Chapter 18
  10. Volume 8: Middle Rectification, Chapter 19; Lesser Rectification, Chapter 20; Royal Words, Chapter 21
  11. Volume 9: Hegemonic Forms, Chapter 22; Hegemonic Words, Chapter 23; Questions, Chapter 24; Lost Strategies, Chapter 25
  12. Volume 10: Warnings, Chapter 26; Maps, Chapter 27; Assessing Troubles, Chapter 28; Dividing Authority, Chapter 29; Ruler and Minister, Part One, Chapter 30
  13. Volume 11: Ruler and Minister, Part Two, Chapter 31; Lesser Assessments, Chapter 32; Four Assessments, Chapter 33; Correct Words, Chapter 34
  14. Volume Two
  15. Volume 12: Extravagance, Chapter 35
  16. Volume 13: Mind Techniques, Part One, Chapter 36; Mind Techniques, Part Two, Chapter 37; White Mind, Chapter 38
  17. Volume 14: Water and Earth, Chapter 39; Four Seasons, Chapter 40; Five Phases, Chapter 41
  18. Volume 15: Positional Power, Chapter 42; Rectitude, Chapter 43; Nine Changes, Chapter 44; Employing Law, Chapter 45; Clarifying Law, Chapter 46; Rectifying the Age, Chapter 47; Governing the State, Chapter 48
  19. Volume 16: Inner Work, Chapter 49; Feng and Shan Sacrifices, Chapter 50; Lesser Questions, Chapter 51
  20. Volume 17: Seven Ministers and Seven Masters, Chapter 52; Prohibitions and Stores, Chapter 53
  21. Volume 18: Entering the State, Chapter 54; Nine Guardposts, Chapter 55; Duke Huan's Questions, Chapter 56; Measuring Land, Chapter 57
  22. Volume 19: Land Categories, Chapter 58; Duties of Students, Chapter 59; Elucidating Words, Chapter 60; Cultivating the Self, Chapter 61; Asking about Hegemony, Chapter 62; Explanation of Shepherd the People, Chapter 63
  23. Volume 20: Explanation of Conditions, Chapter 64
  24. Volume 21: Explanation of the Nine Failures of Establishing Government, Chapter 65; Explanation of Model Laws, Chapter 66; Explanation of Clarifying Law, Chapter 67; Great Riding the Horse, Chapter 68; Numbers of Riding the Horse, Chapter 69; Asking about Riding the Horse, Chapter 70
  25. Volume 22: Affairs and Words, Chapter 71; Sea King, Chapter 72; State Storage, Chapter 73; Mountain State Planning, Chapter 74; Mountain Balance Numbers, Chapter 75; Mountain Ultimate Numbers, Chapter 76
  26. Volume 23: Earth Numbers, Chapter 77; Assessment, Chapter 78; State Standards, Chapter 79; Light and Heavy A, Chapter 80
  27. Volume 24: Light and Heavy B, Chapter 81; Light and Heavy C, Chapter 82; Light and Heavy D, Chapter 83; Light and Heavy E, Chapter 84; Light and Heavy F, Chapter 85; Light and Heavy G, Chapter 86

FAQ

《管子》真是管仲写的吗?
不是。学界普遍认为《管子》是托名管仲的著作,主体为战国时期齐国稷下学者的作品,内容包含对管仲辅佐齐桓公称霸历史经验的总结与发挥。汉代刘向整理时定为八十六篇,后十篇亡佚,今存七十六篇。
这个版本是节选还是全本?
是全本。中华书局“中华经典名著全本全注全译丛书”本《管子》收录今存七十六篇,分上下两册,按原书二十四卷篇第排列,每篇配题解、注释与白话译文;另有中华书局“中华经典藏书”本《管子》为节选本,勿混淆。
《管子》属于哪一家学派?
难以简单归入一家。全书兼有黄老道家、法家、儒家、阴阳家、农家、兵家等成分,学界或称其为“管子学派”之作。其统一性不在思想一致,而在于共同服务于富国强兵、成就霸政的目标。
“轻重”之术指的是什么?
“轻重”是《管子》中最具特色的经济思想,主要通过观察粮食与货币、物价随年成丰歉而变化的规律,由国家对市场与财政加以调节,以实现富国、强兵和调控社会财富的目的,相关论述集中在《国蓄》《山国轨》《轻重》诸篇。
没有古文基础能读吗?
可以。此版每篇有题解,正文下有简明注释,并附完整白话译文,读者可先读译文把握大意,再回看原文与注释。不过《管子》术语多、背景复杂,建议从《牧民》《权修》等较短篇目入手。

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About the author

管仲 Author

Guan Zhong was an important statesman and thinker in China's ancient Spring and Autumn period. His sayings and deeds are chiefly preserved in the book Guanzi, attributed to him. The library holds eight related works, including Guanzi and an unannotated edition of it, as well as chapters such as "Li Zheng," "Ba Xing," "Ba Yan," "Zhi Fen," "Guo Zhun," and "Di Zi Zhi." These texts deal with governing the state, enriching the country and strengthening the army, combining ritual and law, and economic regulation, and they also touch on educational discipline and the way of ruler and minister. Because public information on Guan Zhong's dates of birth and death and nationality is limited, it is difficult to give a detailed personal biography. Judging from the extant texts, his writing excels in political argument and dialogue, is clearly organized, and often uses concrete institutions and examples to explain his views; it has had a profound influence on later Legalist and political thought.

Li Shan Author · Chinese · 1963

Li Shan, born in 1963, holds a doctorate in literature and is a professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Chinese Language and Literature, Beijing Normal University. His research focuses on the literature of the pre-Qin, Han, Wei, and Northern and Southern Dynasties periods. He has long been engaged in the study and popularization of the Classic of Poetry (Shijing) and Chinese culture, and is the author of works including The Cultural Spirit of the Classic of Poetry, An Interpretive Reading of the Classic of Poetry, How the Classic of Poetry Should Be Read, and A History of Chinese Culture. Nine of his works are included in the collection, among them the Classic of Poetry, Selections from the Classic of Poetry, The Grand Air of a Great State: Li Shan on the Classic of Poetry, and the expanded illustrated edition of An Interpretive Reading of the Classic of Poetry, as well as Guanzi, Guanzi (Complete Text, Full Annotation, and Modern Translation of Chinese Classics), A Brief History of Fifty Thousand Years of China (two volumes), and On the Dream of the Red Chamber in Sound and Color: From the 1987 TV Series to the Original Novel. His writing spans literary appreciation, historical reading, and Eastern philosophy, emphasizing the cultural context of classics through solid textual analysis, and he has lectured on the Classic of Poetry on CCTV's Lecture Room, building a bridge between academic research and general reading.

轩新丽 Author

Xuan Xinli is an author about whom little public information is available; a full biography, educational background, and professional positions cannot be confirmed. According to the library records, one work appears under this name: Guanzi (Complete Text, Full Annotations, and Modern Translation of Chinese Classic Masterpieces), commonly classified under Eastern philosophy. It can therefore be inferred that Xuan Xinli's work relates to the collation, annotation, and modern translation of pre-Qin classics, situated within the popularization of classical texts and the transmission of traditional culture. The Guanzi covers a wide range of subjects, including politics, economics, military affairs, and philosophy, and producing a complete annotated translation requires solid command of classical Chinese and meticulous editorial care. The book serves general readers who wish to read the classic directly, providing annotations and vernacular translation alongside the original text and thereby lowering the barrier to entry. As only this one work is held in the library, Xuan Xinli's writing style, scholarly orientation, and overall influence cannot yet be fully assessed; it can only be said that she has contributed to the genre of annotated translations of classics.

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