The Yellow Book

Wang FuzhiJun 2024

4.6

Word count: 21K words
Chapters: 9

Summary

Traditional Chinese thought and culture have a long history and are highly original, inventive and literary. Early forms of thought are especially distinctive: religious theology, classical texts of Chinese medicine, ancient military strategy, Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist and Hundred Schools thought, feng shui and metaphysics, the Twenty-Four Histories, and local customs and geography—all are profound and extensive. This series, "Essential Classics of Chinese Traditional Culture: Original Texts," 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 be subtly influenced by the classics of Chinese learning.

Editor's review

Wang Fuzhi was an important thinker of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and his works are distinguished by philosophical speculation and historical criticism. This book is included in the series "Essential Classics of Chinese Traditional Culture: Original Texts," which preserves the original appearance of the text and focuses on presenting traditional thought in its original form. It should not be read as light popular material on Chinese learning, but as an entry point for understanding the intellectual currents of the Ming–Qing transition. Wang Fuzhi's writing often deals with such issues as the theory of qi, the relation between dao and concrete things, and the rise and fall of dynasties, and requires readers to have some patience with classical Chinese. The book's value lies in giving readers direct access to the argumentative methods and language style of ancient sages, so that through repeated pondering they can appreciate the depth of traditional thought. It is best read slowly in quiet periods, alongside annotated editions or relevant intellectual-history materials. For readers who wish to start from the original texts without relying on secondhand interpretations, this is a text worth settling down with.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the intellectual history of the Ming–Qing transition who are willing to tackle original texts
People with some grounding in classical Chinese who want direct access to Wang Fuzhi's writing
Readers who enjoy reading traditional philosophical texts slowly and carefully
Liberal arts students who need original texts of Chinese learning for reference

Not a good fit for

Complete beginners with no grounding in classical Chinese who need vernacular translation and annotation
Readers who only want light stories or popular history
Readers expecting a modern scholarly introduction and detailed annotations

Reading tips

Read through a piece first, mark unclear passages, then use reference works to work through them section by section
Keep paper and pen to note core concepts and compare Wang Fuzhi's lines of argument
Read alongside intellectual-history background materials to avoid understanding a single text in isolation
Read only a short passage each time and leave time for digestion and reflection

版权信息
原极第一
古仪第二
宰制第三
慎选第四
任官第五
大正第六
离合第七
后序

FAQ

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

Not very suitable. Wang Fuzhi's original wording is archaic and his argumentation dense, so readers with no foundation may find it hard to continue. If you really want to read it, first go through an annotated selection with vernacular translation as a bridge, then return to the original.

What tools should I prepare for reading this book?

It is advisable to have a dictionary of commonly used classical Chinese characters and brief materials on Ming–Qing intellectual history. Looking up names, allusions, and philosophical terms promptly can significantly reduce reading difficulties.

Does preserving the original appearance mean there are no annotations?

The information shows that the series focuses on preserving and transmitting traditional thought and culture and retaining the original appearance of the text, but it does not specify the annotation format. Before buying, readers can check the table of contents or a sample chapter to confirm whether annotations are included, so as to plan their reading approach.

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

Wang Fuzhi Author · Chinese · 1619–1692

Wang Fuzhi (1619–1692), courtesy name Er Nong and pseudonym Jiang Zhai, was known as Mr. Chuanshan. A native of Hengyang, Hunan, he was a thinker, philosopher, historian and literary figure of the late Ming and early Qing periods. He lived through the Ming–Qing transition, once raised troops to resist the Qing, and later lived in seclusion at Shichuan Mountain for more than forty years, producing over a hundred works. His writings cover philosophy, history, literary appreciation and social thought, with representative works including the Du Tongjian Lun, Song Lun, Huang Shu and Jiang Zhai Wen Ji. He is regarded as the great synthesizer of traditional Chinese materialist thought and, together with Huang Zongxi and Gu Yanwu, is counted among the three great thinkers of the late Ming and early Qing. His historical commentaries draw lessons from the past with rigorous reasoning; his philosophical works carry forward and develop Zhang Zai's thought; and his literary criticism is perceptive and original. His posthumous writings have had a profound influence on later generations.