Preface and Purport

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

Rating 4.0
Word count
489 words
Chapters
2

Tags

Eastern Philosophy Descendant AdmonitionFamily Education NormsHousehold OrderingPrudent Words and DeedsSelf-Cultivation and RenownSincere Filial ConductAdmonition GenreFamily PreceptsFamily TraditionWei-Jin Philosophical Works

Summary

The books of the sages and worthies teach people sincerity and filial piety, caution in speech and circumspection in conduct, and how to establish themselves and make a name—all of this is already complete. Since the Wei and Jin dynasties, the works of the various masters have repeated the same principles and multiplied the same topics, each imitating the last, like building a house beneath a house or placing a bed upon a bed. The reason I now write another such work is not that I dare to lay down rules for the world. I do it simply to keep order within my own household and to awaken my descendants. The same words are believed when they come from someone close; the same command is obeyed when it comes from someone one respects. To stop a child's unruly jesting, the warnings of teachers and friends are less effective than the directions of a nurse; to halt ordinary people's quarrels, the way of Yao and Shun is less effective than a wife's admonitions. I hope this book will be trusted by you, my children, and that it will prove better than a nurse or a wife.

Editor's review

"Xu Zhi" is the opening preface of The Family Instructions of Master Yan (Yanshi jiaxun). Short as it is, this single passage makes the book's standpoint clear: the books of the sages already fully set forth the way of sincerity and filial piety, of careful speech and disciplined conduct, of establishing oneself and making one's name. His reason for taking up the pen anyway is not to lay down rules for the world but only to keep order within the household and to rouse and guide his descendants. The images of "building a house under a house, setting a bed upon a bed" criticize the various philosophers since the Wei and Jin for repeating the same principles and multiplying the same matters, imitating one another in turn; the language is crisp and carries a self-deprecating clarity. The latter half argues that "the same words are believed when spoken by one we are close to," pointing out that the daily teaching of family members often enters the ear more readily than the admonitions of teachers and friends or the way of Yao and Shun, and thus sets out the emotional foundation of family education. The whole piece is brief, its language plain and its purport earnest; it is suitable as an introductory Classical Chinese text of the family-instruction kind, and also for readers concerned with traditions of family education to read closely. As you read, note the author's restraint in defining his own purpose in writing, and his attitude of bringing grand principles down to the everyday use of the household.

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Reading tips

  1. First recite the original twice to feel its rhythm, then work through it sentence by sentence against the annotations to smooth out the flow of the argument.
  2. Extract images such as "building a house under a house, setting a bed upon a bed" and sense the measure of the author's criticism.
  3. After reading, connect it with your own experience of elders' teaching in the family and reflect on the real meaning of "believing those close to us."
  4. From this piece you can move on to other chapters of The Family Instructions of Master Yan, reading by theme rather than straight through from beginning to end.

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.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 序致第一

FAQ

What is the relationship between "Xu Zhi" and The Family Instructions of Master Yan? "Xu Zhi" is the first chapter of The Family Instructions of Master Yan and serves as the book's own preface. In it the author explains the occasion and standpoint of writing—not to regulate the world but to order the household and remind his descendants—and why he still wrote a book when the sages' books were already complete. Understanding this chapter helps in grasping the attitude and tone of the family precepts in the chapters that follow.
What does "building a house under a house, setting a bed upon a bed" mean in the text? It is the author's image for criticizing the philosophical works since the Wei and Jin: their reasoning is repetitive and their matters multiplied, each imitating the others in turn, like building a house beneath a house or placing a bed upon a bed—layered redundancy without anything new. The author uses it to show that his own book is not a repetition of empty arguments by predecessors but has a concrete, everyday household purpose.
Why does the author say family teaching is more effective than the way of the sages? The text proposes that "the same words are believed when spoken by one we are close to; the same command is carried out when given by one we respect." That is, people more readily believe what is said by those close to them, and more willingly obey those they admire. The author uses this to explain that in stopping a child's mischief or dissuading family members from quarreling, the admonitions of teachers and friends and the way of Yao and Shun are often less effective than the daily teaching of those near at hand.

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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.