A Comprehensive Treatise on Coinage

胡我琨Jul 2024

4.0

Word count: 256K words
Chapters: 36

Summary

Traditional Chinese thought has a long history and is highly original, inventive and literary. Early thought forms have distinctive features: religious theology, classical texts of Chinese medicine, ancient military strategy, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism and the Hundred Schools, feng shui and metaphysics, the Twenty-Four Histories, and customs and local gazetteers—all are profound and extensive. This "Essence of Classic Chinese Culture" series preserves the original appearance of the books, with emphasis on conserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. By reading the literary essence left by ancient sages, readers cultivate temperament and subtly come to appreciate the classics of Chinese learning.

Editor's review

Qiantong takes "money" as its thread, gathering into one compilation the monetary knowledge scattered across the classics, histories, philosophical works and belles-lettres, institutions and customs. It belongs to the tradition of scholarly compilations and is a specialized source rather than a continuous narrative; its value lies in showing how people of earlier times understood the origins, functions and institutional evolution of currency and the social mores around it, allowing readers to see how economic life was interwoven with ritual, ethics and political order. This edition preserves the original appearance of the text and emphasizes the preservation and transmission of traditional thought and culture, making it suitable as a reference reader: it can be read through to gain an overall impression of ancient monetary ideas, or sampled by topic and excerpted for comparison. Readers should note its compilatory structure and historical context and avoid simple analogies with modern economic frameworks. For those studying ancient economic ideas, institutional history or traditional culture, it is more a repeatedly consultable mine of material than a popular introduction.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in ancient Chinese monetary ideas and institutional evolution
Researchers in traditional culture, economic history or textual compilation
Readers who enjoy compilation-style reading and making excerpts for comparison
Readers hoping to understand wealth and ritual from the ancients' perspective

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a systematic modern economics textbook or investment guide
Readers who prefer continuous narrative and lack patience for compiled materials
Beginners needing extensive modern annotations and line-by-line vernacular translation

Reading tips

First read the table of contents and editorial notes, mark topics such as monetary origins, institutions and customs, then read in sections.
Keep a notebook, excerpt entries by theme and note their sources for easy cross-reference.
Skip unfamiliar institutions at first; after a full read, return to check the relevant background.
Read alongside ancient economic treatises and food-and-money chapters to observe different records of the same issue.

版权信息
四库全书钱通
提要
钱通原序
凡例
钱通卷一
钱通卷二
钱通卷三
钱通卷四
钱通卷五
钱通卷六
钱通卷七
钱通卷八
钱通卷九
钱通卷十
钱通卷十一
钱通卷十二
钱通卷十三
钱通卷十四
钱通卷十五
钱通卷十六
钱通卷十八
钱通卷十九
钱通卷二十
钱通卷二十一
钱通卷二十二
钱通卷二十三
钱通卷二十四
钱通卷二十五
钱通卷二十六
钱通卷二十七
钱通卷二十八
钱通卷二十九
钱通卷三十
钱通卷三十一
钱通卷三十二

FAQ

Is Qiantong a book about money management methods?

No. It is a traditional compilation focused on gathering institutions, ideas and anecdotes related to "money," showing how the ancients understood currency and social order rather than offering modern financial advice or investment methods.

Can someone without Classical Chinese read it?

You can try, but there is a threshold. This edition preserves the original text; if you lack experience in Classical Chinese, start with the table of contents and shorter entries, use reference works for institutions and names, and do not insist on reading every word.

Is this book for reading through or for reference?

It is better as a reference reader for consultation and reading by topic. The book is compiled in form and its entries do not necessarily form a continuous argument; excerpting and comparing by theme is often more effective than reading from beginning to end.

Comments

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About the author

胡我琨 Author

Hu Wokun's biographical details are limited; all that is currently known is that one work by him survives, the Qiantong (Comprehensive Survey of Money). Public sources record nothing definite about his native place, dates of birth and death, or official career, so his full life cannot be reconstructed. Judging from the surviving work, Hu Wokun focused on specialized subjects related to currency and monetary law. The title Qiantong itself indicates that the book deals with “money,” placing it within the field of traditional institutional and economic historical sources; it is commonly classified as a classic work. Works of this kind typically compile monetary systems, minting practices, and related discussions from successive dynasties for later reference, combining the nature of a source collection with topical scholarship. Because the book circulated narrowly and research on it is limited, Hu Wokun's name is not prominent among general readers; his contribution lies mainly in preserving and organizing numismatic sources. For researchers, the Qiantong can serve as supporting material for understanding ancient monetary ideas and institutions; for ordinary readers, it offers a glimpse of how traditional scholars handled specialized historical sources.