Customer Reviews (7)

Great book about Confucius
This book contains short chapters on different philosophies by Confucius. Each chapter discusses a different topic. Here is one example; On Marriage; With the ancients in their practice of government, the love of man was a great point.In their regulation of the love of man, the rules of ceremony were a great plan.In the regulation of those rules, reverence was a great point.For the extreme manifestation of reference, we find the best illustration in the great right of marriage.

Where Is The Wisdom?
I bought this book thinking I'd get a huge list of all of the wisdom of Confucius.But that was the least of what I got. I'm sure there is some wisdome in this book somewhere but the conversation and wording is terrible. It took me 10 minutes read a page, and read again, because I truly had no idea what was going on. Every once in a while, you will come across a straightforward statement that really means something. I'm thinking that this translation does a direct translation to English and it just doesn't fit together well.

I think it may be my own intelligence that keeps me from following the wording of this book. Nothing sticks out as great wisdom to me. There is a section that has poems, which are really good, but they don't show me great wisdom. I believe that this book is only for advanced readers.

Excellent book on the "wisdom" of Confucius
This is a very good book on the "wisdom" of Confucius, but not the word-by-word translation of the original Analects of Confucius. Some readers maybe misunderstood in the first place when they read this book. Chinese philosophy is sometimes hard to be really understood at first because it's deep and profound. Wisdom is not a practical skill that people can learn or master quickly, but something can only be gradually experienced and understood over time. Dr. Lin Yutang himself was a very wise man. Through his interpretation,this book really shows the wisdom of the greatest Chinese teacher Confucius.

A "One Book" Survey of Confucius
I found this book readable and surprisingly useful. True, the Analects arenot complete but have been excerpted. The book cannot present more than asampling of Confucius' writings for obvious limitations of space.Meritsof the book include its readability, with a long, discursive essay and sometranslations provided by the celebrated scholar Lin Yutang.The book alsocontains a famous Chinese biography of Confucius, plus a few selectionsfrom the writings of Confucius's most influencial disciples-- some of thesecontemporary with Confucius and some from later times.

I could not helpnoticing prior reviews that deal harshly with the book.Some of thecriticism will not be meaningful to the nonscholarly reader, who, forexample, would not be offended that the "original numbering" ofthe Analects has been abandoned.

Selection of the writings has been mostjudicious.For example, the book contains "On the GreatLearning," and "On Education."To obtain all thesewell-chosen sample writings of Confucius in individual editions rather thanan anthology such as this would require an entire shelf of books.

Thisreadable, clean edition will be excellent for the thoughtful person whowants to explore across the breadth of Confucius's thought.And despitebiting criticism in the other reviews, I found Professor Lin's discussionsof Confucius's life, thought, and cultural impact to be most helpful.

Thebook is also a handsome little volume, and with a quality binding.One isproud to place it in one's library.

A fine introduction
I'm a beginner to the study of Confucianism with a good deal of amateur knowledge of religion and philosophy, and I found this book highly informative and readable -- it can certainly hold its own with some morerecent translations I've read. The most correct and useful numbering andorganization of the passages in Confucian originals seems to be a matter ofmuch debate, this is as good as any other I've seen. ... Read more

Product Description
A cased edition of a twentieth century translation of the sayings of Confucius, first published in 1994. Sayings look at morality and politics, and paths of human conduct, and reveal an interaction between the master and his disciples. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Learning from Confucius.
THE SAYINGS OF CONFUCIUS.A New Translation by James R. Ware. 128 pp. (Mentor Religious Classic).New York : New American Library, 1955 and Reissued.

The present book, after a 13-page Introduction on the historical background of Confucius, gives us an unannotated translation of a Chinese Classic that is more commonly referred to in the West'The Analects of Confucius.'Ware rounds out his edition with aTable of Chinese Dynasties, a brief Bibliography, and an Index of Subjects.

Ware's historical Introduction is the work of a sincere and genuinely concerned person, and should be of use to the newcomer to this subject.Ware sees something of great value in the Chinese tradition, something exemplified by Confucius and that the West desperately needs, although it has yet to realize this.

He tells us that "Confucius has much to say to us today," both asindividuals and as an entire culture or social entity.As individualswe can " receive personal encouragement for the leading of a good life."As an entire society, we could "formulate for ourselves a betterTruth" (p.7).

Personally I feel sure that Ware is right, although for the wrong reasons.All of us are blind to our own shadows, and those who have no experience of or deep familiarity with a foreign culture will never fully understand their own.Ware's immersion in Chinese thought hasled him to see something, but I don't think he's seen it as clearly as he might have.

One of the finest popular treatments of Chinese culture that we haveis Lin Yutang's 'My Country and My People.'And one of the most important points that Lin makes is that, whereas China has always been characterized by "a reasonable use of reason," the West has never shown a similar restraint but has instead given itself overto "an excessive use of reason" and a worship of mere rationalityand the 'scientific method.'

In other words, the Chinese, as a profoundly common-sensical people,have always remained firmly grounded in reality because they havealways understood that REASON CAN ONLY TAKE YOU SO FAR.But the Westseems never to have never understood this.And unless it does, the Juggernaut ofReason which has been underway for centuries will continue on itsruthless and relentless course until it ends up by crushing everything.

Ware's translation, though undoubtedly sincere, is characterized by a certain woodenness, a certain stiffness.Here, as an example, is his rendering of Book II, xiv :

"Great Man, being universal in his outlook, is impartial; Petty Man, being partial, is not universal in outlook" (p.27)

Though Ware is adequate, I was weaned on Ezra Pound's more lively andidiosyncratic version of 'The Analects,' and although I've read and compared severaltranslations, the lines that tend to stick in my mind are invariablythose of Pound.Here is how he handles the same passage :

"He said : A proper man is inclusive, not sectary; the small man is sectarian and not inclusive" (Book II, xiv).

For the same passage, Arthur Waley gives:

"The Master said, A gentleman can see a question from all sides without bias.The small man is biased and can see a question only from one side" (p.91).

All three versions, so far as I can see, mean pretty much the samething, although Ware is stiff, and Waley is more prosy and usesalmost twice as many words as Pound.Pound's edition, besides its greater punch, also has the merit of including two additional andvery powerful texts, along with beautiful reproductions of them fromthe stone Classics.

Ware, Waley and Pound give us Confucius as reflected in three intelligent though different sensibilities, all of them valuable. My advice would be to read and compare at least two of them.Forthose who may be interested, here are details of the Waley and the Pound :

THE ANALECTS OF CONFUCIUS.Translated and annotated by Arthur Waley. 257 pp.New York : Vintage Books, nd.Originally published byGeorge, Allen, & Unwin, 1938.

CONFUCIUS : THE GREAT DIGEST, THE UNWOBBLING PIVOT, THE ANALECTS.Translation and Commentary by Ezra Pound.Stone Text from rubbingssupplied by William Hawley.288 pp.New York: New Directions, 1951and Reissued.

It is in Pound's translation of 'The Great Digest' that we find thestriking line:"If the root be in confusion, nothing will be well governed" (p.33).This is a line that I think Ware would have greatly admired. ... Read more

Product Description
The Essential Analects offers a representative selection from Edward Slingerland's acclaimed translation of the full work, including passages covering all major themes. An appendix of selected traditional commentaries keyed to each passage provides access to the text and to its reception and interpretation. Also included are a glossary of terms and short biographies of the disciples of Confucius and the traditional commentators cited. ... Read more

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In the long river of human history, if one person can represent the civilization of a whole nation, it is perhaps Master Kong, better known as Confucius in the West. If there is one single book that can be upheld as the common code of a whole people, it is perhaps Lun Yu, or The Analects. Surely, few individuals in history have shaped their country's civilization more profoundly than Master Kong. The great Han historiographer, Si-ma Qian, writing 2,100 years ago said, "He may be called the wisest indeed!" And, as recently as 1988, at a final session of the first international conference of Nobel prize-winners in Paris, the seventy-five participants, fifty-two of whom where scientists, concluded: "If mankind is to survive, it must go back twenty- five centuries in time to tap the wisdom of Confucius." This a man whose influence in world history is truly incomparable. His sayings (and those of his disciples) form the basis of a distinct social, ethical, and intellectual system. They have retained their freshness and vigor for two and a half millennia, and are still admired in today's China.

Compiled by pupils of Confucius's disciples half a century after the Master's death, The Analects of Confucius laid the foundation of his philosophy of humanity--a philosophy aimed at "cultivating the individual's moral conduct, achieving family harmony, bringing good order to the state and peace to the empire. Containing 501 very succinct chapters (the longest do not exceed fifteen lines and the shortest are less than one) and organized into twenty books, the collection comprises mostly dialogues between the Master and his disciples and contemporaries. The ethical tenets Confucius put forth not only became the norm of conduct for the officialdom and intelligentsia, but also profoundly impacted the behavior of the common people. The great sage's unique integration of humanity and righteousness (love and reason) struck a powerful chord in all who attempted to understand his moral philosophy. As translator Chichung Huang contends, "What ethical principle laid down by man could be more sensible that none which blends the best our heart can offer with the best our mind can offer as the guiding light for our conduct throughout our lives?" Ever timely, Confucius's teachings on humanity (family harmony in particular) and righteousness may well serve as a ready-made cure for today's ills in an era which human beings are blinded by force and lust, not unlike Confucius's own day.

Far more literal than any English version still in circulation, this brilliant new rendition of The Analects helps the reader not only to acquire and accurate and lucid understanding of the original text, but also to appreciate the imagery, imagery, parallelism, and concision of its classical style. The translator Chichung Huang,a Chinese scholar born in a family of Confucian teachers and schooled in one of the last village Confucian schools in South China, brings to this treasure of world literature a sure voice that captures the power and subtleties of the original. Vivid, simple, and eminently readable, this illuminating work makes the golden teachings of the sage of the East readily available to anyone in search of them. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Amazing translation
I bought this version of the analects based on previous reviews.I am only about one-third finished, but I am re-reading much as I go along.This translation has completely surpassed my hopes.I know very little Chinese history and none of the language.Yet this translation, with its meticulous notes, provides sufficient context to make Confucious accessible to anyone--even to me.It is deeply rewarding and satisfying to read.Thank you to this translator.

Clear and Concise
As I bought this book as a gift for my daughter who cannot read Chinese, I compared this translation with the Chinese versions that I have.To understand the original analects fully, most Chinese books provides explanations and definitions.The author has done an excellent job in providing translationsand explanations of the analects at the same time.

Eye-opening translation
This translation is far superior to any other that I have seen. The Analects have always been a difficult and opaque work for me. I have read it several times over many years and have always found at least half the sayings completely incomprehensible. The Waley and Legge translations are dry and dated. Lau and Dawson are easier to read but still leave me puzzled about the meaning of most of the sayings. Some of their notes are useless and distracting, while others merely fail to inform. I was always left thinking of the Analects as a few clever and witty proverbs scattered throughout a strange and impentrable work.

The Huang translation, on the other hand, is clear and easy to read. It is easy to follow the structure of the book. It has just the right amount of notes and they are located just underneath the analect itself--not at the bottom of the page or end of the book where you have to interupt your reading and look for them. The sayings that are easy to understand have no notes. The other sayings have notes that clarify the context and meaning. They are brief and to the point so that they don't get in the way of the text. Things that were impossible to understand are now clear. I find that I am no longer burdened by trying to decipher the meaning. As a result I am now getting to know the character and personality of each of the students, and enjoying their interaction with the Master. This is something I was never able to do before with other translations. Reading the Analects is no longer a chore but an enjoyable journey to a distant, but accessible, culture.

copious notes are a scholars proof.This is a true work
The review above is uninformed.Even if he knows that the main Chinese phonetic system is called pinyin.If one reads the copious notes that back up the research in this translation, one would realize that every character is philologically proven.Whether by the lexicon Shuo Wen, the sea of words or other. This translation is the epitome of scholarly work.There is an unpresedented wealth of information in this book.There has been no one near the ability of Chichung Huang in understanding the ancient cannotations of Chinese characters.He has achieved a far more scholarly level in classical Chinese than any other Chinese scholar and translator that I have ever read.The amount of clear concise research proves it.His work is fluid, concise and true to the original exactly because the translator has the ability to be literal.His contemporaries are lacking in this regard.Ren does translate to mean humanity, as in the founding principles of humanity and rightiousness.Read the introduction please.

A worthy translation
A worthy piece of work, with brisk, clean contemporary language and copious notes. But "humanity" is an inadequate and inappropriate translation of _ren_. Pinyin romanization. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Sadly Unconvincing
I was really looking forward to this book, which is perhaps why I am being so harsh in my criticism.

Annping Chin states her philosophy for this biography early on in the prologue--to rely on the most authoritative sources, and when a hole exists to not fill it in with speculation, instead to just leave a hole.Had she done this, it might have been an interesting work; however, starting with the first chapter she begins to violate her own standards, with unnecessary conjecture and relying upon amalgamated poly-rot based on multiple conflicting sources from which she arbitrarily derives meaning.

Page 25:"One would assume that before approaching the Yan family, Shu-liang He had ended his first marriage because that wife failed to produce a male heir, and that he had driven away his concubine because she gave him an imperfect son."This is a good guess, but just a guess.

Worse follows as early as page 26-31, in which Chin offers several conflicting sources for why Confucius left his bureaucrat life suddenly and quickly.Three early biographical entries are compared and mostly discarded, then two state records are brought in as indirect evidence from which she attempts to derive meaning through... more speculation.

Unfortunately, the rest of the work proceeds apace.

2,500 years is a long time in the past.Perhaps it is too long for a credible history based on likelihoods derived from incomplete understanding of spotty and barely legible documents that often only glancingly mention the primary focus: Confucius the historical figure, instead of Confucius the myth. ... Read more

Product Description
Presenting the ideas of the great philosopher of the sixth century--a sage whose rule for living formed the basis for traditional Chinese culture and are still vitally relevant today--Confucius: The Wisdom is adapted from the classic James Legge translations of The Analects, The Great Learning, and The Doctrine of the Mean. Watercolor illustrations. ... Read more

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A biography of the Chinese philosopher and teacher emphasizing his ideas about the value of honesty. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Confucius Learns Honesty and Wisdom
In this installment of the ValueTales series, Spencer Johnson teaches about honesty and integrity by examining the life of Confucius (551 BC - 478 BC).

The book tells how Confucius learned about honesty from his father.And how his father encouraged him to prepare for a life of teaching others.He learns about wisdom by talking with an imaginary six-inch-tall man named Sage.Confucius became a teach, first of children, then of adults.As he continued to learn wisdom, became an advisor to powerful rulers in his country.

Like other books in the ValueTales series, this book uses a real-life person to exemplify an important value.It is suitable for reading by children in the later elementary school grades.A "Historical Facts" section at the book's end summarizes Confucius' life in a single-page bio form suitable for adults.

Closing quote:"Only you can decide about the value of honesty in your own life.But whatever you decide, let's hope that it gives you a good feeling about yourself.Like it did for our good friend Confucius." (pp. 61-62)

The Value of Honesty
ISBN 0916392368 - One thing that I really like about this set of books is that the characters used to teach values are real, which makes it easier to "sell" the value to kids. 5 year olds will believe a cartoon dinosaur, but the older set, 9 and up, are harder and these books help!

Confucius was told by his father at a very young age that he would grow up to be a wise man, so he set out to educate himself. He read books and observed people and learned that honesty and integrity were very important. When the chance arose to teach his values to others, he did, and became so well known throughout China that he was sought after as an advisor. Before his death, he had many followers and those followers helped him to write down much of his knowledge to share with others.

At the end, there's some historical information about his life, making this a useful book for those biographical reports all kids have to do. One thing that every kid I know has caught on to, though - early in the book, Confucius doesn't know what wisdom is and he begins to "talk to" Sage, who is identified as Confucius' "own good thoughts" - so he's talking to himself... but Sage tells him what a wise man is. How does Sage know if Confucius doesn't?! Not important, though. The important thing is that it's a good story, with a great message and kids will read and remember it.

- AnnaLovesBooks ... Read more

Product Description
In Confucius Speaks, the teachings of the greatest sage of all time are vividly brought to life by the wonderfully endearing and humorous characters drawn by East Asia's most famous cartoonist, Tsai Chih Chung. Although readers everywhere are familiar with the name of Confucius, few have encountered his actual teachings in such an accessible manner. Illustrations throughout. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Love it.
Easy to read and understand. For those who like to know more about Confucious philosophy but dont know where to start, pick this book.
This book contains all the basic philosophy of the great master.

Start Here
Just getting started on your desire to understand eastern philosophies?Have you stood at the bookstore for hours pouring over where to start and what to buy?

Any of this authors books are a wonderful place to start. The reason?Because these books are all about the title subject in a nutshell, easy to read as a comic book, the story lines and illustrations are wonderful, and after you read this as well as all the other books by Tsai, you will have a great, well rounded start on your path and will know what you want to study more deeply!

To add, when others ask you about your interest in eastern philosophy, you can get them started here as well, because these books are fun, consise,and you know they will enjoy them over and over again!

Helps keep things straight
One of the best things about this book is it puts a face on Confucius and, more importantly, his disciples. It's difficult to read The Analects (which this book uses a few sayings from) and keep straight who's who; this book helps a lot. The last section with a brief bio on a few of the disciples is fantastic. I can find no other source to compare to this. Now when I read The Analect I see the faces from this book when different people are mentioned. My only complaint is that different translations of Confucius' work seem to use slightly different names then those used in this book. It can be a bit confusing when this book is the first one you read, but I would still HIGHLY recommend it.

A Great Introduction to Confucianism!
The Cartoon Chinese Philosophy books of this series interest me for tworeasons: I like Chinese History and I have to teach it to high schoolkids.

On a personal level I enjoy reading through these books and find itmuch more useful than some of the straight translations even though theymay be more complete and more pleasing to academics.In addition to theConfucius book, I have enjoyed both Daoist books and the version of the Artof War.

As a teacher, I like this book even better.New York Staterequires high school kids to have 2 years of world history.In this newpolitical correct world, world history is no longer dominated by Europe. In fact, must of the New York State exam is about Asia and Africa.ThusConfucianism is a very important concept to teach.

Filial Piety, theconcept of order and relationships, and the 5 Confucianian relationshipsare extremely important.But they are not fun things to the averageteenager.There are many lessons we can get from Confucius as adults, forkids its a bit harder.However, these comic books make teaching Confuciusso much easier and effective.The kids like to read them and they get somuch more from them.

So in short, yes this is not the complete Confucius. But for anyone who wants to read a visually pleasing edition or teachesthis is quite good.

A Great Starting Book... and Wonderful Keepsake
This book was wonderful!While I especially recommended it for beginners who are new to the teachings of Confucius, I know this book will surely be interesting to anyone.The first time I picked this comic book up, I readthrough 60 pages without putting it down again.The first section of thebook is about the events in Confucius' life, while the second section dealswith the Analects. Although I'm just a beginner to the teachings ofConfucius, these comics have definitely captured my interest, and left mewanting to know more about Confucius' wisdom and philosophy. The cartoonsgive you various little snippets of Confucius' ideology, and leave youhighly interested in learning more on each topic.I'm glad I started offwith this book. Now I'm reading more comprehensive books on Confucianism;however, I will always have this little comic book to pull of the shelf andflip through.... time and time again. ... Read more

Product Description
This brief text assists students in understanding Confucius' philosophy and thinking so they can more fully engage in useful, intelligent class dialogue and improve their understanding of course content. Part of the Wadsworth Notes Series, (which will eventually consist of approximately 100 titles, each focusing on a single "thinker" from ancient times to the present), ON CONFUCIUS is written by a philosopher deeply versed in the philosophy of this key thinker. Like other books in the series, this concise book offers sufficient insight into the thinking of a notable philosopher, better enabling students to engage in reading and to discuss the material in class and on paper. ... Read more

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Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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Aristotle and Confucius are pivotal figures in world history; nevertheless, Western and Eastern cultures have in modern times largely abandoned the insights of these masters. Remastering Morals is the first book-length scholarly comparison of the ethics of Aristotle and Confucius. May Sim's comparisons offer fresh interpretations of the central teachings of both men. More than a catalog of similarities and differences, her study brings two great traditions into dialog so that each is able to learn from the other. This is essential reading for anyone interested in virtue-oriented ethics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A thoughtful comparison of two great philosophers
In some ways, Aristotle and Confucius seem like promising subjects for comparative philosophy.Both emphasize the cultivation of virtue and flexible responsiveness to concrete situations over abstract moral rules.However, Aristotle and Confucius have importantly different conceptions of what it is to live well.For Aristotle, the life of the theoretical scholar (the scientist or philosopher) can be intrinsically worthwhile, and the family exists only as a tool for producing and maintaining virtuous individuals.In contrast, Confucius thinks that learning must always be in the service of society, and full virtue can be exercised just by being a good father, mother, son or daughter.Furthermore, some have argued that Confucius is actually more like "postmodern" critics of Aristotle than Aristotle himself.

In this book, May Sim begins by arguing against those who see Confucius as fundamentally unlike Aristotle.She says that Confucius's "commonsense" view of the self and reality is not identical with that of Aristotle, but is generally consistent with it.She then goes into a detailed comparison, noting (with a subtle eye) the similarities and differences between Aristotle and Confucius.She focuses in particular on four issues:virtue as a "mean" between extremes (e.g., courage is a mean between rashness and cowardice), the characteristics of the ethical "self," the connection between politics and virtue, and the relationship between friendship and virtue.

This book is written in an accessible manner, so non-scholars can understand it.However, it does go into detail on some technical issues, so it is not for casual readers unwilling to read slowly and thoughtfully.For those interested in comparative philosophy and willing to make the effort, I recommend this book strongly.

Incidentally, this book is one of three dealing with Confucianism and Aristotelianism that came out in 2007.The other two are The Ethics of Confucius and Aristotle: Mirrors of Virtue and Virtue Ethics and Consequentialism in Early Chinese Philosophy.In addition, Mencius and Aquinas: Theories of Virtue and Conceptions of Courage was a groundbreaking earlier study on a related topic.

Crossing boundaries in interesting ways
This book is part of Sim's larger projectof dialoging across a variety of traditions in ethics to see how one tradition, can challenge, supplement or correct another.The book has an interesting answer to how Confucianism can benefit from interactions with Aristotelians and vice versa.Of particular interest is her challenge to those, like MacIntyre, who hold that these two traditions have incommensurable differences that would block or significantly hinder mutual understanding.I highly recommend this book, it is sensitive to important nuances of both Aristotelian and Confucian thought. ... Read more

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As a Confucian classic, what the Great Learing teaches, is to illustrate illustrious virtue; to renovate the people; and to rest in the highest excellence. ... Read more

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THIS 98 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Sacred Books and Early Literature of the East: Ancient China, by Charles F. Horne. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 0766100006. ... Read more

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Product Description
Publisher: [Malacca] Printed at the Mission pressPublication date: 1828Subjects: Ethics -- ChinaChina -- Politics and governmentNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Not a good place to start studying Confucianism
I bought this book because I had heard some people say it was more poetic than other translations.I did not find this to be true.If you are a beginner in Confucianism, "The Unwobbling Pivot" is usually referred to as the "Doctrine of the Mean." "The Great Digest" is usually referred to as "The Great Learning". I read Pound's translation of the Analects and I was disappointed.I think Waley's translation is closer to being poetic than Pound's translation.I have studied many translations of the Analects and I found Pound's translation to seem off-mark.The language was usually clumsy rather than poetic.I eventually put it aside.

I do applaud Ezra Pound's love of Confucianism and his intention to promote Confucianism for Westerners.In this vein, I recommend "Achieve Lasting Happiness" by Robert Canright, which is a version of the Analects updated for modernity.Canright's book also presents a vision of how Americans can embrace Confucianism as a system of universal ethics.

One of the other reviews said "no one knows how much Chinese Ezra Pound knew".I recommend "Ezra Pound and Confucianism" by Feng Lan.The author discusses Pound's translation in a way that is accessible and interesting.Dr. Feng Lan goes beyond the issues of translation.He also discusses Ezra Pound's "political polemic" in chap. 3 and Pound's spiritual beliefs in chapter 4.

Whether or not you buy this book by Pound, I encourage you to buy Robert Canright's book and Feng Lan's book.

Confucius say
This book was my first introduction to Confucius and I was very pleased. Other reviewers have made critical reference to the translation. While not a Chinese scholar, I am aquainted with the literature and this volume has been the most useful in introducing me to Confucius.
Ezra Pound seems to have captured the essense of these writings, as this translation confirms many ideas contained in other more scholarly works. Highly recommended!

more griping, I'm afraid, but this is rubbish
Let's put things in perspective:
you wouldn't ask a fellow how to explain Saint Thomas Aquinas, if he:
a)knew no Latin,
b)wasn't a Catholic,
c)knew no Catholics, and
d)had a long history of spouting rubbish about languages, belief systems, and peoples he knew nothing about.
Now, if getting the right dope on Aquinas might be a bit difficult under these circumstances, how much more difficult would it be to get the truth on a far more foreign culture speaking a far more foreign language from a lot longer ago?
If you've read Ezra Pound's silly and ill-tempered diatribes on literary matters (e.g. ABC of Reading, or the Guide to Kulchur) you'll recognize the rhetorical style.
If you like Pound's literary style, fine, then read his own discombobulated verse or perhaps his "Cathay", which is a purely imaginative work derived from Earnest Fenellosa's notes (who didn't know Chinese either, by the way, just Japanese) which purports to render Li Po's great poems into English.It's about as Chinese as a tearoom in Las Vegas but that's allright.
This man does NOT know anything about China or Confucious. You cannot just wing it when you translate an ancient text. Even if you're blindly convinced that the text is a transcendent work of genius which would cure all the evils of the world, which is more or less the tenor of Pound's dementia when he ground out this screed.
Use Arthur Waley's readable translation with its excellent introduction, or, for that matter, just about anything else. You'll reach a better conclusion about Confucious. Was he the sanest and most humane of all the philosophical system builders, or was he just a sententious reactionary, a lunatic to rank with all the others who thought they knew how society should be governed?

Not for the novice
If you have never read the Analects in a more contemporary translation, then stay away from the Ezra Pound version, because you will most likely not understand the text (for example, compare verse 2.4 versus any other translation out there).The Pound version is much more interesting after you have read the Analects at least once and have a view of what the verses mean.

Those who know aren't up to those who love...
One of the worst problems in our world is that it is infested with'experts,' 'experts' of every variety from the diploma-wavers through to the self-appointed.The main aim of these 'experts' seems to have been to convince the world that only 'experts' have a right to say anything about anything.In this they have been extremely successful, and the mature, intelligent, and well-informed adult who may have a lot to contribute, but who is not an 'expert,' has been pretty well reduced to silence.

His mouth has been shut.He has been convinced that his own God-given brain is worthless.Even if there's something he'd like to say, he or she is afraid of being shouted down by the 'experts' and their groupies.A reading of the great Chinese thinkers would soon convince anyone ofhow dangerous and damaging to society 'experts' can be, but most of us don't read the Chinese.We have been conditioned to think of them as alien and to forget that they were human like us.

Ezra Pound may have been a bit crazy in some ways (who isn't?), andhis Chinese readings have come in for a lot of flak, but anyone who,like Pound, loved Asian thought and set out to bring it to a West thatis desperately in need of it, certainly deserves our gratitude whether they be 'expert' or non-expert.

Nobody knows how much Chinese Pound knew anyway.He certainly knewsome.And anyone who knows anything at all about the complexities of Classical Chinese realizes that all readings or translations from that language, whether by professional linguists or enthusiasts such asPound, must always be personal.There are just too many ways ofvalidly interpreting a given line.

And as Burton Watson, who is one of the USA's foremost scholars of Ancient Chinese has pointed out in his 'Complete Works of Chuang Tzu,'since there can be no definitive interpretation neither can there beany such thing as a definitive translation.Watson, incidentally, was perfectly happy to approve Thomas Merton's readings of another great Chinese thinker, Chuang Tzu, even though Merton knew no Chinese at all.He feels that the more translations, whether expert or non- expert (when done with sincerity and love), the better.But expertssuch as Burton Watson, sadly, are rare, perhaps because they are theonly true experts.

My own copy of Pound's 'Confucius' was purchased many years ago.It's very well-thumbed and heavily annotated, and I often return toit.I've also studied Arthur Waley's more exact translation carefully, and a few others.But the Confucian lines that stick in my mind always seem to be those of Pound, lines such as: "If the root be in confusion, nothing will be well governed" (page 33).

The "root" today is certainly "in confusion."And those who dismiss Pound on the basis of a few howlers are simply adding to the confusion.To let you in on a secret, there are many howlers - up toand including the omission of whole lines - in the translations of evenreputable and well-known scholars of Chinese (though I've never foundany in Burton Watson).

My advice would be to ignore the gripers, most of whom don't havedirect access to the Chinese text anyway, and to read Pound's version of Confucius.He was a literary genius and got it right most of the time, and you'd learn a great deal from it.

Pound's 'Confucius' has always found and will continue to find readers. I think it's because, as Confucius says: "Those who know aren't up to those who love..." (page 216). ... Read more

Product Description
Original material by Professor Crispin Sartwell, Edited by Professor John Lachs and Wendy McElroy, Produced by Pat Childs

China’s two greatest philosophers, Confucius and Lao Tzu, were intensely interested in how we should live and how a good society is governed. The central concepts of Confucianism are li, the proper ordering of society through rituals and ceremonies, and zhen, the proper ordering of the self through humaneness, benevolence, and love. Daoism, taught under such masters as Lao Tzu and Zhuangzi, meditates on the interdependence of opposites and teaches the path of non-resistance. Westerners are only now beginning to understand the central importance of the tradition and community emphasized in Chinese thought for over two thousand years.

The World of Philosophy series is a dramatic presentation, in understandable language, of the concerns, questions, interests, and overall outlook of the world’s great philosophers and philosophical traditions. Special emphasis on clear and relevant explanations gives you a new arsenal of insights toward living a better life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good intro for 2.5 hour tape but...
Good introduction for 2.5 hour tape but this audiobook, like nearly all in the "World of Philosophy" series, is just too short to provide an adequate introduction. Tape should have been three to four hours longer to provide and adequate introduction. If all you have is 2.5 hours though, this tape is for you. ... Read more