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Title: Mencius (Penguin Classics) by Mencius, D.C. Lau ISBN: 0-14-044228-6 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: October, 1970 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.67 (3 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Great Book, Great Translation!
Comment: For those who don't know, Mencius was a disciple of Confucius' philosophy - probably the most famous. He helped spread it by adding his own flavour to the theories. This book presents them. It is easier to read than the Analects, in my opinion, as it presents much longer and more coherent paragraphs many of which are like stories. As a result, less time is spent getting acquainted with the background.
One of the key features of Mencius that separates him from Confucius is the book of Mencius has a lot of philosophical argument and rhetoric that is quite sophisticated. Mencius was a keen maker of illustrations in arguments. This is the book that contains the famous argument taht human nature is fundamentally good because a person seeing a child on the edge of a well about to fall in will initially be compelled to run and save the child.
The translation is great and makes the reading easier. There are useful appendices at the end which give the background in a logical way (eg a section on Mencis' view of history).
A great find!
Rating: 5
Summary: Discover a classic of Chinese literature!
Comment: Very few people in the West have heard of Mencius. However, in East Asia he is known as "the second sage" of Confucianism -- second only to Confucius himself. The eponymous _Mencius_ is a collection of his sayings and dialogues with disciples, rulers, and rival philosophers. It is unfortunate that this work is not more widely read outside of Asia. It is more accessible than the often cryptic _Analects_ of Confucius. Furthermore, Mencius is arguably a deeper philosophical thinker than Confucius. Buy this book and you'll get a fine translation of a classic of world literature and philosophy.
Mencius is most famous for his claim that human nature is good. He illustrates this by asking us to imagine a person who suddenly sees a child about to fall into a well. Anyone, Mencius claims, would have a feeling of alarm and compassion at this sight. This feeling is a manifestation of our innate tendency toward benevolence. Mencius is aware that, despite having this innate tendency toward virtue, most people fail to act in a benevolent manner. But he claims that this is due to bad environmental factors, as well as a failure to cultivate one's "sprouts" of virtue. (Lau translates "sprout" as "germ," a minor infelicity.)
Lau's _Mencius_ is probably the best complete translation of this work in English. It also includes extensive supporting material: an interpretive introduction, a glossary, and appendices on events in the life of Mencius, early traditions about Mencius, the text of the _Mencius_, ancient history as understood by Mencius, and Mencius's method of argumentation.
James Legge also did a complete translation, _The Works of Mencius_, which is a little dated (it was completed in the late 19th century), but it is still a good translation, and includes the Chinese text, along with extensive notes. I did a partial translation of the _Mencius_ for _Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy_.
Rating: 4
Summary: Great translation!
Comment: I read a few chapters of this book for my Chinese history class. There's no way I could read the original Chinese, but I felt the translation was very clear and I didn't have a hard time linguistically with it.
This book's a great way to read some Mencius and the stories are great.
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Title: Confucius: The Analects by Confucius, D. C. Lau ISBN: 0140443487 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 03 September, 1998 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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Title: Tao Te Ching (Penguin Classics) by Lao Tzu, D. C. Lau ISBN: 014044131X Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: June, 1985 List Price(USD): $7.95 |
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Title: Hs¿n Tzu by Burton Watson ISBN: 0231106890 Publisher: Columbia University Press Pub. Date: 15 April, 1996 List Price(USD): $19.50 |
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Title: Chuang Tzu by Burton Watson ISBN: 0231105959 Publisher: Columbia University Press Pub. Date: 15 April, 1996 List Price(USD): $19.50 |
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Title: The Analects of Confucius by Arthur Waley ISBN: 0679722963 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 28 August, 1989 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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