Mengzi: With Selections From Traditional Commentaries (Hackett Classics) Download Free (EPUB, PDF)

                
              
Mengzi: With Selections From Traditional Commentaries (Hackett Classics) Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
Bryan Van Norden's new translation of the Mengzi (Mencius) is accurate, philosophically nuanced, and fluent. Accompanied by selected passages from the classic commentary of Zhu Xi--one of the most influential and insightful interpreters of Confucianism--this edition provides readers with a parallel to the Chinese practice of reading a classic text alongside traditional commentaries. Also included are an Introduction that situates Mengzi and Zhu Xi in their intellectual and social contexts; a glossary of names, places and important terms; a selected bibliography; and an index.
Series: Hackett Classics
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. (September 15, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 087220913X
ISBN-13: 978-0872209138
Product Dimensions:  0.5 x 5.2 x 8.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:  3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #415,313 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)   #56 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Eastern Religions & Sacred Texts > Confucianism   #771 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Philosophy   #2986 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Philosophy
There is no need to repeat all of the positives stated in the product review above. It is a very solid translation, probably the best available in contemporary English. I have four minor concerns.First, the translator adds his own commentary to the passages--and while this is mostly a good addition for the reader, sometimes he writes things like "It's a shame the Chinese Marxists didn't study this point" or the throwaway, " A very profound passage indeed!" I find such moments to be both insightful and distracting. They are insightful because it gives you a view into your translator--his prejudices, his need to always "be" in the text--and knowing things like this can help you weigh his presence as a translator, help you understand how he might be inclined to interpret if not slightly skew context, meaning, etc. They are distracting because, frankly, when reading Mengzi, you don't really want to read the translator, you don't really want to be told when a passage is profound for the translator or anyone else. And, say, if you're an expert on Chinese Marxism and the translator isn't, you might find his comments like the one noted above to be rather half-witted.The second concern is that the translator does not reference the Hackett edition of Kongzi's Analects. I understand that the translator can do his own translations, but there are some irksome little discrepancies between how he references Kongzi and how Slingerhand translates the same passages in the Hackett Analects edition.The third concern is that the translator believes he can deftly differentiate the true, original meaning of the text from deviances found in the Neo-Confucian tradition.
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