The most influential Chinese book.

[tokyo_girl]

Is the Analects the most influential book in Chinese history?

Little of what Confucius set out as rules for his society

seem to have been practiced in china in the past - or present .

How can a book be influential if no-one behaves as is

written - or is that the whole point.

[Guest Anonymous]

What do you mean no one behaves as the book is written? The Analects is a book of social guidelines which reflects a Chinese utopia. However, as you may know, Confucius (551-479 BC) was around more than 2500 years ago. During this past 2500 years, Confucism, or Rujia Sixiang, just like many other human ideas and religions, has slowly been manipulated by rulers for their own benefits. For example, I don't remember the bible say anything about the church taxing for services but the Catholics did it during the middle ages anyway. Actually I don't believe it mentioned anything about churches at all, but that's another topic. Toward the Ming and Qing dynasty, Confuciuism has evolved into what's known as Neo-Confuciuism. Eventually China was drawn into war and conflict for over 200 years and although Confucius's teachings can still be seen in the everyday life of the Chinese people, it is no longer followed religiously. As a matter of fact, South Korea is more of a utopian Confucius society than China is today.

If you're truly interested, I would recommend you to go to http://www.confucius.org/. It has all 20 chapters of the Analects and translates into 18 different languages, including both Traditional and Simplified Chinese for those who are fluent in modern Chinese but not classical Chinese. Also, I would do a little research on Confucius himself to further understand why he thinks the way he does. One interesting fact I found out about him is that he is somewhat of a "Renaissance Man". He really admired the Western Zhou Dynasty because of the way society was.

[Tsunku]

There are so many influential writings, how can we say which one was the single most influential? For whom? Arguments could be made for anything from the Analects to Quotations from Chairman Mao. The question is too broad I think.

As for Confucianism, it's is a long and enduring tradition. We can't discount it because people today don't practice Confucianism the way it was written the Analects thousands of years ago. That Confucianism's remnants are still very visible in Chinese society, despite very active efforts to topple the "old ways," should be a testament to its endurance.

[confucius]

Yeah, I do tend to go on and on about the good old Duke of Zhou. Guess that's one reason why nobody reads my Analects any more.

Most folks go for the adventurous "3 Kingdoms" or that gossip tale "Dream of the Red Chamber" instead nowadays, while children pick up that dadgum Harry Potter translation. Oi wei!

[roddy]

I guess you'd have to show that people do practice what Confucius advocated, or that they did for long enough for it to make a difference, and also that what he wrote actually changed what was done - rather than describing what was already the case. ,

Roddy

[skylee]

Kulong, that website is great.

[Guest Anonymous]

Hands down, the most influential Chinese writing ever is...

The Art of War by Sun Tzu

[Gin]

I think the most influential book is shijing (book of odes). It sets out a certain "path" for future Chinese literature and Confucius has to learn the poetry to before he came up with analects. Nevertheless, I think the Chinese still practice some confucism and they're catching on their own culture. The future China may create a culture whereby they can accept a good blend from its culture and foreign influences.

[Guest Anonymous]

Lu Xun

b. 1881 d. 1936

Click on either image for a large size jpeg of the picture (each ~ 70 K)

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I much love literature and to find out about a literary giant that I'd never heard of was like finding lost gold. Lu Xun's writings aren't readily available in English, no major American or British publishing house distributes them, but I am lucky to live in the San Gabriel Valley of California and I found a good bookstore that had an English section. They had the True Story of Ah Q and other works by Lu Xun. I know that reading Lu Xun in English translation is like looking at a bit mapped black and white image of a great painting, but still I am able to tell that Lu Xun produced great literature.

Lu Xun (or Lu Hsün) is called the father of modern Chinese literature. His first story "A Madman's Diary" is considered the first story written in Modern Chinese. The classic Chinese literature by Lao Zi (or Lao Tze) and Confucius for example were written in literary Chinese which is different than the language spoken by everyday folks. Any scholar worth his salt would have written in this literary style. Lu Xun chose to begin writing the way people talk. At the same time though, he was well educated and learned and, I am told, used the language very colorfully and had a large vocabulary. In no way can what he did be considered "a dumbing down".

Lu Xun is a pen name. His real name was Zhou Shuren. Lu Xun wrote stories, poetry, essays, literary criticism and literary history. His stories were published in literary journals of the time and were then collected and published as books. He has three volumes of short stories.

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Photo of Lu Xun and Drawing of Ah Q

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His first set of stories was published as the book "Call to Arms" or Na Han. Na Han could also be translated "Cry Out". This collection included arguably his most famous story "The True Story of Ah Q". These were written between 1918 and 1922. In his preface to Call to Arms he told where the stories came from:

When I was young I, too, had many dreams. Most of them I later forgot, but I see nothing in this to regret. For although recalling the past may bring happiness, at times it cannot but bring loneliness, and what is the point of clinging in spirit to lonely bygone days? However, my trouble is that I cannot forget completely, and these stories stem from those things which I have been unable to forget.

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"Wandering" or Pang Huang was his second collection of stories. These stories were written in 1924 and 1925. The name of this second collection, Pang Huang, is puzzling to me in a way as it is translated as "Wandering" when literally pang huang seems to mean unsettled agitated. I think of wandering as meaning travelling around looking at things. But in Chinese, idiomatic expressions are found in different areas and in this case the unsettled and agitated must mean wandering about. I think maybe in English we might use the term rambling rather than wandering to imply the itchy feet agitated and unsettled feeling that leads to the rambling life.

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His third collection of short stories was called "Old Tales Retold" or Gu Shi Xin Bian and is what it sounds like. He retold old Chinese stories from his own perspective. This collection was published in 1935 and included stories that were written over a thirteen year period in the 1920's and thirties. In the introduction to the eight stories included in "Old Tales Retold" Lu Xun wrote:

In some places the narrative is based on passages in old books, elsewhere I gave free rein to my imagination. And having less respect for the ancients than for my contemporaries, I have not always been able to avoid facetiousness.

The free rein Lu Xun gave his imagination and his unavoidance of facetiousness made for some funny stuff. The story "Leaving the Pass" about Lao Zi and Confucius (Kong Zi) made me laugh aloud reading it.

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Another major work by Lu Xun is Wild Grass or Ye Cao a collection of prose poems. These were written in 1924 and 1926, roughly the same time period the stories of Wandering were being written. Some might consider some of the poems in Wild Grass to be his most pessimistic or macabre. I'd say "yes and no" to this. He writes in the introduction:

The fire under the Earth churns, quickly moving up; once the lava gushes forth, it will burn away all the wild grass, as well as the deep-rooted plants, then there will be nothing left to rot.

Translated by Wang/Gallaher

Wild Grass is a work of dreams, including nightmares. Dogs speak, insects buzz and the sky tries to hide itself from us, the onlookers.

[Guest Anonymous]

"At the moment of light vs. dark, life vs. death and past vs. future, I provide this patch of wild grass as evidence for all, friends and enemies, humans and beasts, the loved and the unloved. "

-----------Lu,Xun

[Guest Anonymous]

[Guest Wuliao]

Ah Q vis a vis Don Quixote. Discuss and analyse. Have fun

[outsider]

the most sold one?

that's the little red book, next to the bible its the biggest seller in history

most influence, the early texts of I Ching, Lao Tzu writings on Taoism, or how about tjhe books and pages that plotted against Yongzheng, the 3rd Manchu Emperor?

[Ian_Lee]

I would say the Art of War written by Sun Tzu about 2,500 years ago.

Even West Point Military Academy used it as a supplementary textbook.

The 36 strategies listed by Sun can be applied in battlefield, corporate world and even the chasing game between guy/gal.

[Quest]

The 36 strategies listed by Sun

The Art of War is not the 36 strategies.

[Bamboozle]

Is Art of War the most popular one among westerners? Not all the Chinese went through his thought.

[WKC]

I think the most influential Chinese book is the 楷書.  But that is a discussion that is better held elsewhere.

 

This is my last post here as I am relocating to a quiet backwater where scholars study Chinese Texts and discuss arcane topics such as 说文解字 – 六书.

 

I thank the administrators of this forum for their forbearance whilst I discussed alternative views of language.  

 

 

Edit:

For people interested in arcane topics: http://ctext.org/discuss.pl?if=en&board=4&thread=2610624