The Four Classes of the People

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

2.7

Word count: 1.2K words
Chapters: 4

Summary

Legend has it that a scholar once entered a government treasury and did not recognize the money. Someone, surprised, asked him about it, and the scholar said: “Of course I know it is money; I only find it strange that it is not wrapped in paper.” I happened to read Tao Yuanming’s “Returning Home” and it says: “Young children fill the room, / the jar holds no stored grain.” Thus I knew the popular tale was trustworthy and borne out. Even if the jar had stored grain, it would have been very little—did this old gentleman in all his life see grain only in a jar?

Editor's review

This book revolves around the traditional social stratification concept of the “four classes of people” and was compiled and published by Bashu Publishing House. Judging from the excerpt provided, the text begins with a popular tale about a scholar who does not recognize money and uses Tao Yuanming’s phrase “the jar holds no stored grain” to corroborate it, presenting the subtle tension between the poverty of ancient scholars’ lives and the limits of their understanding. This method of revealing the large through the small brings an abstract discussion of social identity down to concrete details of daily life; reading it offers both the pleasure of notebook-style fiction and the lingering resonance of intellectual history. The editor’s decision to remain unnamed also reminds readers that this should be regarded as a compiled edition of traditional documents rather than a personal monograph. It is suitable for slow reading in a quiet setting; with background knowledge of texts from the pre-Qin through the Wei and Jin periods, readers can better appreciate the social structure and scholarly mentality behind the text. For readers interested in ancient social stratification, the history of literati life, or the notebook style, this is material worth savoring.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in ancient Chinese social stratification and the lives of scholars
Readers who enjoy short notebook-style pieces and are willing to read textual details closely
Students with some grounding in classical Chinese who wish to broaden their view of pre-Qin through Wei-Jin texts
Enthusiasts studying the economic circumstances and daily life of ancient literati

Not a good fit for

Academic researchers expecting a systematic theoretical framework of social history
General readers lacking the patience for classical Chinese and preferring vernacular narrative
Readers hoping for a complete general survey of the “four classes” system

Reading tips

First read through the excerpt, circling key words such as “money,” “wrapped in paper,” “jar,” and “grain,” and consider the contrasts among them.
Read it alongside the original text of Tao Yuanming’s “Returning Home” to understand the context of “the jar holds no stored grain” and the author’s intent.
After reading, look up the basic meaning of the “four classes” concept from the pre-Qin to the Qin and Han periods, then return to the text to see whether it resonates.
If time is limited, treat it as a notebook-style sketch to browse at leisure; there is no need to finish it in one sitting.

About the publisher

Bashu Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Bashu Publishing House is a publisher centered on collating and publishing classical Chinese cultural texts, with its main publishing areas covering classical literature, Eastern philosophy, ancient poetry, and educational classics. Its library currently holds 1,075 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber, the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, Renjian Cihua, and Out to the Frontier, involving authors such as Cao Xueqin, Wang Xizhi, Wang Guowei, Wang Changling, Liu Xie, and Yan Yu. These reflect the publisher's focus on literary classics, poetry criticism, and philosophical readings. Its publishing character lies in working around ancient texts and canonical works, with attention to textual collation and presentation. Public information on its more detailed publishing background and series plans is limited; this introduction is based only on the library's book information.

版权信息
◇论贫士
◇梁贾说
◇梁工说

FAQ

Why does this passage begin with “a scholar does not recognize money”?

It uses a popular tale to introduce the topic: the scholar does not truly fail to recognize money; rather, he is surprised that the money is not wrapped in paper, which shows that his life experience is confined to a particular setting. The author corroborates this with Tao Yuanming’s “the jar holds no stored grain,” linking scholarly poverty with limits of understanding and bringing an abstract discussion of social identity down to concrete details of daily life.

Do I need to understand the concept of the “four classes” before reading this book?

You do not need to master the full definition beforehand, but knowing that the “four classes” roughly refer to the traditional stratification of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants will help you grasp the text’s underlying concerns. If the concept is entirely unfamiliar, read the excerpt itself first, then look up the basic concept; on returning to it, you will more easily appreciate the author’s intent of revealing the large through the small.

Is this book suitable for reading as a general survey of social history?

Not very. Judging from the content provided, it is closer to an organized presentation of traditional documents and excerpts than to a systematic general survey. Readers who want a complete account of the evolution of the “four classes” system will need to consult specialized works of social history; this book is better suited as material for close reading and corroboration.

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About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is not a real personal name but a general Chinese designation for authors whose names are unknown, lost, or unsigned. Neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be verified, and available public information is limited, so the works attributed to this name are the only basis for description. The collection holds 2,078 works under Anonymous, spanning medicine, classics, historical readings, ancient poetry, classical literature, and philosophy. Representative works include The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Lingshu, Mencius, The Book of Documents, Nineteen Old Poems, Complete Song Ci, and The Peacock Flies Southeast. Most of these works took shape through long transmission and editing, emerging either from collective folk creation or from authors whose names were lost over time. In ancient China, the Book of Songs, the Great Learning, and many popular storybooks and plays were signed Anonymous because their authors could not be traced. Anonymous works cross the classics, histories, philosophical writings, medical texts, and poetry; their subjects are broad, and their styles vary from archaic simplicity to clear naturalness, making them important and influential sources for understanding ancient Chinese thought, medicine, and literature.