The Book of Kui

Zhang Binglin (Zhang Taiyan)Jul 2024

4.3

Word count: 135K words
Chapters: 72

Summary

Traditional Chinese thought and culture have a long history and are highly original, inventive and literary. Early forms of thought have striking 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 series, "Essential Classics of Chinese Traditional Culture: Original Texts," preserves the appearance of the original books, with the emphasis on preserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. Through reading the literary essence left by ancient sages, readers can cultivate their temperament and subtly come to appreciate the classics of Chinese learning.

Editor's review

Qiu Shu is an important work by Zhang Taiyan, written in classical Chinese with a high density of thought. It touches on the classics and histories, the various philosophers, and the political and social issues of his time, and it reads with a sharp, argumentative edge. This edition belongs to the "Essential Classics of Chinese Traditional Culture: Original Texts" series, preserves the appearance of the original book, and emphasizes the preservation and transmission of traditional thought and culture. Its value lies not in light reading but in showing how a modern scholar marshaled traditional resources to respond to real problems. It suits readers willing to slow down and ponder repeatedly. Its strength is its focused themes and forceful writing, which can train one's grasp of classical argumentative prose; but the language is archaic and the terms and background numerous, so it can be heavy going without preparation. It is best treated as a text to read closely with notes, not as casual reading to be finished in one pass.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with some ability to read classical Chinese who want to study modern intellectual texts closely
Learners interested in Zhang Taiyan's thought and the modern transformation of scholarship
Chinese majors who need to train their ability to understand classical argumentative prose
Advanced readers willing to take notes and work slowly through classic original texts

Not a good fit for

Beginners with no classical Chinese who want an easy introduction to the basics of Chinese learning
Readers expecting modern vernacular guidance and paragraph-by-paragraph annotation
General readers who want only storytelling and entertaining content

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and the preface and postface first to grasp the distribution of themes, then choose two or three chapters for close reading; do not try to finish it in one go.
After each passage, write down its main idea in plain Chinese; when you meet allusions and terms you do not understand, look them up in one batch and build your own annotations.
You may read alongside concise materials on the modern scholarly and political background, but keep the main focus on understanding the original text.
After finishing a group of chapters, review your notes and sort out the author's argumentative method and core concerns.

版权信息
馗书
訄书前
分镇匡谬
原学第一
订孔第二
儒墨第三
儒道第四
儒法第五
儒侠第六
附：上武论征张良事
儒兵第七
学变第八
学蛊第九
王学第十
颜学第十一
清儒第十二
学隐第十三
订实知第十四
通谶第十五
原人第十六
序种姓上第十七
序种姓下第十八
原变第十九
族制第二十
附：许由即咎繇说
民数第二十一
封禅第二十二
河图第二十三
方言第二十四
订文第二十五
附：正名杂义
述图第二十六
公言第二十七
平等难第二十八
明独第二十九
冥契第三十
通法第三十一
官统上第三十二
官统中第三十三
官统下第三十四
商鞅第三十五
正葛第三十六
刑官第三十七
定律第三十八
不加赋难第三十九
明农第四十
禁烟草第四十一
定版籍第四十二
制币第四十三
弭兵难第四十四
经武第四十五
议学第四十六
原教上第四十七
原教下第四十八
争教第四十九
忧教第五十
订礼俗第五十一
辨乐第五十二
相宅第五十三
地治第五十四
消极第五十五
尊史第五十六
征七略第五十七
哀焚书第五十八
哀清史第五十九
附：中国通史略例
中国通史目录
杂志第六十
别录甲第六十一
别录乙第六十二
解辫发第六十三

FAQ

How is Qiu Shu different from ordinary introductions to Chinese learning?

It is closer to a modern scholar's intellectual treatise, developing dense arguments in classical Chinese and touching on the classics and histories, the various philosophers, and real issues. It is not a popular reader that introduces the basics of Chinese learning by category. Reading it puts more weight on following the argument and understanding the background, and its threshold is clearly higher than that of ordinary introductory books.

Can I read this book if my classical Chinese is only average?

You can try, but be prepared to read slowly. Start with shorter pieces and use reference works and background materials; first grasp the main idea of each passage, then examine the terms closely. If you rely entirely on vernacular translation, the reading experience will suffer; you may want to build up your classical Chinese first and then come back.

Do I need to know Zhang Taiyan's other works to read this book?

You do not need to read his other works first. You can begin by learning about the era in which the author lived and his basic intellectual orientation, then go into this book. The themes in the book form a system of their own; when you meet related concepts, a simple check is enough—there is no need to master everything before reading.

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About the author

Zhang Binglin (Zhang Taiyan) Author · Chinese · 1869–1936

Zhang Binglin (Zhang Taiyan, 1869–1936), style name Taiyan, was a native of Yuhang, Zhejiang. A democratic revolutionary, thinker, and master of Chinese classical learning in the late Qing and early Republican era, he edited the Min Bao, the official newspaper of the Tongmenghui, and was known both for his revolutionary stance and his deep scholarly attainments. His research spanned the classics, history, philology, and the various schools of thought. His works include Qiu Shu, Guogu Lunheng, Wenshi, and Xin Fangyan, written in an archaic, rigorous style that combines polemical force with solid textual scholarship. He lectured and wrote for many years, and his students included Huang Kan, Qian Xuantong, and Lu Xun, giving him a profound influence on modern scholarship and literature. This library holds 24 of his works, covering classics, Eastern philosophy, literary appreciation, and culture, including public-domain editions of Guogu Lunheng and Qiu Shu as well as lectures on national learning and academic history, offering readers different angles on his thought and prose style.