The Face Gate

Chen MengleiJun 2024

3.0

Word count: 45K words
Chapters: 4

Summary

Traditional Chinese thought has a long history and is highly original, inventive and literary. Early intellectual forms have distinctive features, and such fields as religious theology, classical Chinese medical texts, ancient military strategy, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism and the Hundred Schools of Thought, feng shui and arcane learning, the Twenty-Four Histories, and customs and local gazetteers are all profound and extensive. This series, "Classic Essence of National Studies: Original Texts," preserves the appearance of the original books, with emphasis on preserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. By reading the literary essence left by ancient sages, readers can cultivate their temperament and subtly engage with the classics of national studies.

Editor's review

Mianmen is included in the "Classic Essence of National Studies: Original Texts" series. Its value lies not in offering a popular edition that can be read quickly, but in giving readers direct access to the original textual form of traditional thought and culture by preserving the appearance of the original book. The title Mianmen itself points to the meaning of an introduction and a path. Together with the series' broad scope, which covers religious theology, classical Chinese medical texts, ancient military strategy, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, the Hundred Schools of Thought, feng shui and arcane learning, the Twenty-Four Histories, and customs and local gazetteers, readers can treat it as a window onto the intellectual world of the ancients. Reading requires slowing down and paying attention to the differences between its conceptual systems and today's everyday language, without rushing to judge it by modern ideas. For readers who already have some grounding in classical Chinese and are willing to experience the texture of traditional thought in primary sources, this book is suitable as a desk copy to browse and reflect on, accumulating understanding gradually.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with a systematic interest in traditional Chinese culture who wish to encounter the original texts
Readers of literature and history with some grounding in classical Chinese who are willing to read the primary sources slowly
People who need primary textual references for courses or reading groups on traditional culture
Readers who like to keep classics at hand for casual browsing rather than reading them through at once

Not a good fit for

Beginners looking for vernacular translations and detailed annotations
Casual readers expecting a coherent plot and a quick read-through
People with little interest in traditional thought who are only looking for entertainment

Reading tips

Begin with the table of contents and preface to understand how the series preserves the original appearance of the texts, then decide where to start.
Read only a small passage at a time; mark unfamiliar concepts first, and after finishing a section, look back and sort out the overall thread.
Keep a notebook to record core concepts in the original text and your own questions for later reference.
Alternate between this volume and others in the series to sense the differences and resonances among different schools of thought.

版权信息
古今图书集成医部全录卷一百三十
古今图书集成医部全录卷一百三十一
古今图书集成医部全录卷一百三十三

FAQ

Is this book suitable for readers with no grounding in classical Chinese?

Not really. This book belongs to a national studies series that preserves the original appearance of the texts and focuses on presenting the original form of traditional texts; it does not provide sentence-by-sentence vernacular translation. Readers with no grounding in classical Chinese may find it difficult, and are advised to first acquire some basic knowledge of classical Chinese or read it alongside a reliable annotated edition.

Does the book cover only one topic or several areas?

Judging from the positioning of the series to which it belongs, the content covers a broad range including religious theology, classical Chinese medical texts, ancient military strategy, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, the Hundred Schools of Thought, feng shui and arcane learning, the Twenty-Four Histories, and customs and local gazetteers; it is not focused on a single topic. The specific arrangement of contents should be based on the original book's table of contents, and it is advisable to look at the contents first before making a reading plan.

Do I need to read the book in order from beginning to end?

No. Traditional culture readers that preserve the original appearance of the texts are better suited to selective reading according to interest and need. You can start with areas you are familiar with and gradually expand to other parts, using the book as a reference work to browse repeatedly.

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About the author

Chen Menglei Author · China · 1651–1741

Chen Menglei (1651–1741), courtesy names Zizhen and Shengzhai, later styled the Old Man of Songhe, was a Qing dynasty scholar from Houguan, Fujian. He passed the imperial examination in the ninth year of the Kangxi reign and was appointed to the Hanlin Academy as a compiler. After 1698, by imperial order, he tutored the third prince, Yinzhii, and took the opportunity to compile a vast classified encyclopedia, the Hui Bian, using the collection of the Xieyi Hall; the Kangxi Emperor later bestowed on it the title Gujin Tushu Jicheng. The library holds more than 410 of his works, mostly sections of the officialdom chapters of that encyclopedia, covering institutions such as the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Imperial Observatory, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, prefectural governors, the Transmission Office, and the Imperial Medical Academy. These works address ancient bureaucratic systems, ritual norms, and administrative practice. His compilations are distinguished by systematic classification and extensive citation, preserving a wealth of source materials for later generations; they are commonly categorized under culture and Eastern philosophy. As public information on his life is limited, this note confines itself to his known scholarly contributions.