On Self-Cultivation

Name: On Self-Cultivation
ISBN: 9787540752088

Zhu GuangqianLijiang Publishing House2011

4.5

Word count: 100K words
Chapters: 23
Series: Zhu Guangqian Works Series
ISBN: 9787540752088

Report an error Find this book

Summary

On Self-Cultivation is a collection of essays on the cultivation of character and life, written for young readers by Zhu Guangqian (1897–1986), an aesthetician and literary theorist. It consists of more than twenty short pieces, centered on the idea of "revering reason and will, yet not belittling feeling and imagination." The book addresses the problems young people actually encounter in real circumstances: how to set one's aspirations through the "three heres" (this time, this place, this self); how to take "the path of greatest resistance" to develop a spirit of struggle; how to understand the psychological ailments of youth—gloom, emptiness, loneliness; how to comprehend the difference between the ethics of individual orientation and social orientation; how to get along with others and complete one's training within a group; and such matters as the sense of compassion, the sense of shame, calmness, learning, reading, hero worship, friendship, sexuality, love and marriage, rest, recreation, sports, a sense of values, and aesthetic education. Grounded in psychology and cultural observation, Zhu brings abstract questions of the mind down to concrete, tangible life experience, speaking earnestly and plainly without high-flown preaching. The author likens this little book to "a floating cloud that appears for a moment and vanishes for a moment," yet hopes it may cast a gleam of light upon the reader's crystalline mind—its influence slight but capable of spreading endlessly. The Lijiang edition is part of the "Zhu Guangqian Works Series" and is one of the more widely circulated simplified Chinese editions.

Editor's review

很多谈修养的书都在教人“应该怎样”，朱光潜却先带你看清“实际上是怎样”。他学过心理学，也研究美学，所以谈青年苦闷时不空喊振作，而是指出病征、追问病因，再给出训练的办法；谈读书时提醒“书是读不尽的，就读尽也是无用”，读书要有中心、要读得彻底；谈做人则反复强调“朝抵抗力最大的路径走”。这些话写于几十年前，读来却毫无隔膜，因为青年面对的困局换了形式，内里的结构并未大变。漓江版篇目齐全，从立志、处群、交友、性爱一直谈到休息、消遣与美感教育，可见作者心中的“修养”并不局限于道德训诫，而是德、智、群、美、体并重的人格养成。全书篇幅不长，一百五十余页，文字清通好读，适合放在手边慢慢翻。它不提供速成方案，却能在你被琐事消磨得有些钝的时候，帮你重新校准尺度。

Who it's for

A good fit for

正在求学或初入社会、对前途感到迷茫的青年读者
喜欢朱光潜《谈美》《给青年的十二封信》，想继续读他谈人生的读者
对德育、美育与人格养成感兴趣的教育工作者与家长
希望以短文方式每天读一点、慢慢反省自身状态的读者

Not a good fit for

期待具体操作步骤、工具方法类自我提升手册的读者
偏好强情节叙事或轻松娱乐阅读的读者
希望读到当代心理学实证研究与数据支撑的读者

Reading tips

不必从头到尾一口气读完，每天取一两篇，结合当天遇到的事慢慢咀嚼。
读到《谈读书》《谈处群》等篇时，不妨写下自己的反例与可行的改进，把议论变成行动。
可与《给青年的十二封信》对读，看朱光潜早年与中年对青年问题的关注有何变化。
书中涉及性爱、婚恋等议题带有写作年代印记，读到时可留意其时代语境，取其思路而非照搬结论。

About the publisher

Lijiang Publishing House China · Founded in 1980

Lijiang Publishing House focuses on Chinese and foreign literature, humanities and social sciences, cultural life, and parent-child education, and is particularly known for translating and introducing foreign literature; its "Nobel Prize in Literature Laureates Series" has had a lasting influence on readers. Judging from the 193 books in the collection, the press publishes modern prose classics such as Lu Xun's Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk, ancient poetry and Eastern philosophy texts including Qu Yuan's The Songs of Chu and the works of Xunzi, educational works such as De Amicis's Cuore, and philosophy titles such as The Origin and Goal of History. Its authors include well-known Chinese and foreign writers and scholars such as Lu Xun, Qu Yuan, Xunzi, Hu Dalei, and Xia Mianzun. Overall, the press balances the organization of classic texts with the introduction of foreign works, forming a publishing profile that gives equal weight to literature, philosophy, and education.

Preface
A Heartfelt Word—To Modern Chinese Youth
On Aspiration
Taking the Path of Greatest Resistance
On the Psychological Ailments of Youth
Ethics of Individual Orientation and Social Orientation
On Group Life (I)—The Symptoms of Our Poor Group Life
On Group Life (II)—The Causes of Our Poor Group Life
On Group Life (III)—Training in Group Life
On the Sense of Compassion
On the Sense of Shame
On Calmness
On Learning
On Reading
On Hero Worship
On Friendship
On Sexuality
On Youth, Love, and Marriage
On Rest
On Recreation
On Sports
On the Sense of Values
On Aesthetic Education

FAQ

这本书是朱光潜的哪一类作品？

《谈修养》属于面向青年的随笔与人生论说，与偏重审美理论的《谈美》、书信体的《给青年的十二封信》并列，同属朱光潜谈人生与教育的通俗著作。

漓江版与其他版本内容有差别吗？

漓江出版社版本收入“朱光潜作品系列”，正文为二十余篇谈修养的短文。部分其他版本另附《给申报周刊的青年读者》等附录文章，因此篇目数量可能不同，选购时可留意目录。

书里的观点会不会太陈旧？

写作年代较早，个别关于性爱、婚恋和社会的表述带有时代痕迹。但关于立志、读书、处群、心理调适的讨论仍具参考价值，宜抱着辨析的态度读，而不是当作标准答案。

没有哲学或美学基础能读懂吗？

可以。本书用的是平实的白话随笔，很少使用专业术语，论证多从日常经验出发，普通读者可以直接进入。

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

Zhu Guangqian Author · China · 1897–1986

Zhu Guangqian (1897–1986), courtesy name Mengshi, was a native of Tongcheng, Anhui, and a renowned modern Chinese aesthetician, literary theorist, educator and translator, as well as one of the pioneers and founders of modern Chinese aesthetics. He studied at the University of Hong Kong and later pursued advanced studies at the University of Edinburgh in Britain and the University of Strasbourg in France, and after returning to China he taught for many years at Peking University. His works cover aesthetic theory, literary criticism and youth education, with representative titles including On Literary Psychology, On Beauty, On Poetry, A History of Western Aesthetics and Twelve Letters to Young People. His style is accessible and warm, explaining profound ideas in plain language, and his writings have influenced generations of readers. He also translated such Western classics as Hegel's Aesthetics and Vico's The New Science, making important contributions to the establishment of Chinese aesthetics as a discipline and the introduction of Western aesthetic thought.