A Guide to Reading

Liang QichaoSep 2019

4.1

Word count: 71K words
Chapters: 18

Summary

A Guide to Reading is a combined volume of Liang Qichao's A List of Essential Books for Beginning Chinese Studies and How to Read Them and An Annotated Guide to Key Texts and How to Read Them. The former introduces China's basic classics, explaining the characteristics and reading methods of each work in plain and concise language. The latter is based on his lecture notes for the course "Survey of Books" at Tsinghua College, offering a systematic introduction to classics such as The Analects, Records of the Grand Historian, Zuo Commentary, and Book of Songs. Liang Qichao shares many personal reading experiences that remain instructive today.

Editor's review

This book combines two of Liang Qichao's lectures on reading: one is "A List of Essential Books for the Study of Chinese Learning and How to Read Them," and the other is "Explanatory Notes on Important Works and How to Read Them." The first lists basic Chinese classics and explains the features and reading methods of each; the second, originally a lecture course titled "Outline of Major Books" at Tsinghua College, systematically introduces classics such as The Analects, Records of the Grand Historian, Zuo Commentary, and Book of Songs. Its value lies not in the list itself but in a deeply learned reader speaking from experience: which books to read first, which can wait, and how to extract the essential and discard the trivial. The writing is plain and clear, free of pretension, and still helps readers today build an entry path into traditional classics. It is suitable as a roadmap for reading Chinese classics, to be used alongside the original texts.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who want a systematic introduction to traditional Chinese classics but don't know where to start
Students in Chinese and history majors, and primary and secondary school Chinese teachers
Readers interested in literature and history who want to learn Liang Qichao's reading methods
Parents hoping to plan a classic reading path for their children

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking modern academic surveys or the latest research findings
Those who only want light entertainment and are unwilling to engage with bibliographic formats
Beginners with no patience for classical Chinese who expect line-by-line vernacular translation

Reading tips

Read "A List of Essential Books for the Study of Chinese Learning and How to Read Them" first to build an overall map, then move to "Explanatory Notes on Important Works and How to Read Them" according to interest.
Copy the titles mentioned into a list, mark them "read first" or "read later," and form your own reading order.
When reading the introduction to a particular classic, keep a copy of the original or a selected edition at hand for reference; the effect is more substantial.
After each section, write two or three sentences of reading notes recording Liang Qichao's methods and your own questions.

版权信息
国学入门书要目及其读法
序
（甲）修养应用及思想史关系书类
（乙）政治史及其他文献学书类
（丙）韵文书类
（丁）小学书及文法书类
（戊）随意涉览书类
要籍解题及其读法
自序
论语孟子附论《大学》《中庸》《孝经》及其他
史记
荀子
韩非子
左传国语
诗经
楚辞
礼记大戴礼记附《尔雅》

FAQ

Is this book suitable for readers with no background?

It can serve as an introductory guide, but it is itself a set of lectures on book lists and reading methods, not a vernacular explanation of the original classics. Readers with no background should first borrow the selected or annotated editions recommended in the book and read alongside them, slow down when encountering classical Chinese, and not expect to understand everything at once.

What is the difference between the two lectures?

The first focuses on listing books, explaining the scope of basic Chinese classics, the features of each, and how to read them, like a reading map; the second is a Tsinghua College lecture course that systematically introduces classics such as The Analects, Records of the Grand Historian, Zuo Commentary, and Book of Songs one by one, going deeper into explanatory notes.

Do I have to finish all the books recommended?

No. Liang Qichao himself distinguishes priorities. Readers can choose what to read first according to their interests and time and keep the rest as reference titles. The key is to grasp selection and method, not to mechanically complete a list.

What use is this book today?

It offers a path into reading and experience in choosing: what to read first, how to read, and what can wait. For readers who want to enter traditional classics but feel at a loss, this roadmap-style guidance still has practical reference value.

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About the author

Liang Qichao Author · China · 1873–1929

Liang Qichao, courtesy name Zhuoru and pseudonym Rengong, was a native of Xinhui, Guangdong. He was a thinker, politician, historian, and man of letters of the late Qing and early Republican periods, and one of the leaders of the Hundred Days' Reform. He founded the newspapers Shiwu bao and Xinmin congbao, and advocated the "revolution in poetry" and the "revolution in fiction," exerting a profound influence on intellectual enlightenment and literary reform. In his later years he served as a tutor at the Tsinghua Institute of Chinese Studies, continuing academic research and teaching. The library holds 131 of his works, spanning categories such as examinations, comprehensive biography, classic works, historical reading, and Eastern philosophy. Representative works include A History of Chinese Scholarship in the Last Three Hundred Years, The Biography of Li Hongzhang, An Introduction to Qing Dynasty Scholarship, The New Citizen, and the supplemented collection of writings outside the Yinbingshi Collected Works. His writings cross history, philosophy, and political commentary; his prose is vigorous and fluent, his reasoning clear, and his work combines scholarly weight with strong appeal, making it important material for understanding the intellectual transformation of modern China.