Talk of Pickled Fish

佟世思Jun 2024

2.6

Word count: 2.9K words
Chapters: 3

Summary

Traditional Chinese thought and culture has a long history, marked by a high degree of originality, inventiveness, and literary quality. Early forms of thought have distinctive characteristics: religious theology, classical texts of Chinese medicine, ancient military strategy, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and the Hundred Schools of Thought, feng shui and metaphysics, the Twenty-Four Histories, and local customs and geography are all profound and extensive in content.

This series, "Essential Classics of Chinese Traditional Culture," preserves the original appearance of the books and focuses 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 appreciate the classics of Chinese learning.

Editor's review

Zha Hua is included in the "Essential Classics of Chinese Traditional Culture" series and presents ancient texts in a form that preserves their original appearance, giving readers direct access to the language and format of traditional documents. Its value lies not in popular explanation but in providing primary source material for close reading, suitable for readers willing to slow down and ponder the classical Chinese word by word. Readers may treat it as a small window into the world of ancient local customs, geography, and thought: first read through once to grasp the general meaning, then consult annotations or reference works to sort out difficult words and phrases, and finally compare its mode of recording with similar documents. The book touches on multiple aspects of traditional thought and culture; readers need not aim to finish it in one sitting and may skip around according to interest, focusing on experiencing the rhythm and diction of ancient expression. For readers accustomed to modern vernacular and expecting storytelling, this book may feel distant and requires some patience and a foundation in classical Chinese to get into.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the original appearance of ancient documents and willing to read classical Chinese closely
Teachers engaged in traditional culture education who need primary source materials
Readers with a foundation in classical Chinese who want to broaden their reading

Not a good fit for

General readers who prefer modern vernacular stories and light reading
Beginners with no foundation in classical Chinese who need sentence-by-sentence explanation

Reading tips

First read through once without seeking full understanding, mark difficult words and phrases, then verify them one by one with reference works.
Skip around by topic, stopping at passages of interest to copy or annotate; there is no need to read the whole book through.
Read alongside other primary texts in the same series to compare differences in format and diction.

版权信息
鮓話序
鮓話

FAQ

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

Not really. This book preserves the original appearance of the text and focuses on presenting the primary text, without sentence-by-sentence vernacular translation. Readers with no foundation in classical Chinese will find it difficult; it is advisable to have some classical Chinese reading ability first, or to use it together with reference works and annotated editions.

What specifically does "preserving the original appearance of the book" mean?

It means that during editing, the original text, format, and arrangement are maintained as much as possible, without major rewriting or popularization. The purpose is to preserve and transmit the original appearance of traditional thought and culture, allowing readers to face the text itself rather than a secondhand explanation.

In what order should one read this book?

There is no fixed order. You can first browse the table of contents and start with sections that interest you, or read through from the beginning to grasp the whole and then return for close reading. It is advisable not to read too long a stretch at a time; after reading, briefly note your questions and gradually build familiarity with classical Chinese expression.

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About the author

佟世思 Author

Tong Shisi is an author about whom very little is known. Publicly available sources contain no confirmed record of his nationality, dates of birth and death, or English name, and nothing can be verified about his education, career, or social standing. What can be established is that four of his works are held in the collection, including Zha Hua, the similarly titled Shai Hua, and Ershu Zha Hua. Zha Hua appears under more than one version, suggesting that it occupies a central place among his surviving writings. Judging from the titles and the common categories under which they are classed, his works are usually placed in Eastern philosophy, social studies, and classic works. They appear to be in the nature of notes, miscellanies, and historical and literary commentary, written in a relaxed jottings style and concerned with the recording of names, objects, customs, and observations. Given the scarcity of material, the dates of composition, lines of transmission, and later influence of his writings cannot be described in detail. Readers may regard him as a traditional man of letters known for notebook-style works, whose writings await further collation and study.