Preface
To appreciate the beauty of the theories in mathematics or physics requires
time, a strong background, and a good teacher. These theories are subject to
change. In contrast, the appreciation of literary beauty is instant and
instinctive. The beauty is timeless. If one compares great writing with other
examples expressing the same idea, almost any educated person can point out that
the first choice is the best. It seems that there is a common denominator in
describing one's idea beautifully
despite the variety of languages. It is God's
blessing to see beauty reveal itself. I hate that human achievements in art are
wasted simply because of language obstacles. Thus I translate these Chinese
essays to show how the critical thinking and the positive attitude of various
Chinese writers enrich human existence.
In the rest of this preface, I simply write a few helpful notes.
1. The essays in these Anthology were originally written in concise ancient
Chinese. Many versions have been translated into modern Chinese. I do not
completely agree with their interpretations because literal translation may blur
the essential meaning of a statement.
2. The authors in this Anthology are great writers. Chinese literature can not
be separated from philosophy, so they are great philosophers as well. In olden
times, the Chinese government offered people jobs based on their test scores.
The exam topics came from six Bibles; the test was graded according to writing
skills. The exam had four levels. The basic-level exam was held annually in
local cities. Once one passed the basic-level exam, one became a "xiu-chai", a title equivalent to the bachelor's degree. A xiu-chai
might get a job like a village official. One was entitled to take the
middle-level exam only after passing the basic-level exam. The middle-level exam
was held annually in state capitals. Once one passed the middle-level exam, one
became a "ju-ren", a title equivalent to the master's degree. A ju-ren might get
a job like a city official. One was entitled to take the advanced-level exam
only after passing the middle-level exam. The advanced-level exam was held
annually in the national capital. Once one passed the advanced-level exam, one
became a "jin-shi", a title equivalent to the doctor's degree. A jin-shi might get a job like a state official. One was entitled to take the exam for admission to the Royal [Hanlin] Academy only after passing the advanced-level exam. This exam was held annually in the palace. Once one passed the palace exam, one became a member of the Hanlin
Academy. The first place in the palace exam was called "zhuang-yuan"; the second place was called
"Bang-yan" (the eye of the list); the third place was called "tan-hua" (Gazing at flowers). They were candidates to be the husbands of princesses. If one passed an exam, on the one hand, the government promised one significant income; on the other hand, it was widely regarded as a great honor for one's academic achievement.
3. Summary of Chinese Dynasties.
The Five Rulers 2600-2070
BCE
The Xia dynasty 2070-1600
BCE
The Shang dynasty 1600-1046
BCE
The Zhou dynasty 1046-256
BCE
The Western Zhou dynasty 1046-711
BCE
The Eastern Zhou dynasty 770-256
BCE
The Spring and Fall Period 779-403
BCE
The Warring States Period 403-221
BCE
The Qin dynasty 221-206
BCE
The Han dynasty
206 BCE-220 CE
The Western Han dynasty 206 BCE-8
CE
The Xin dynasty 9-23
CE
The Eastern Han dynasty 25-220
CE
The Three Kingdoms 220-280
CE
The Wei dynasty 220-265
CE
The Shu Han dynasty 221-263
CE
The Wu dynasty 222-280
CE
The Jin dynasty 265-420
CE
The Western Jin dynasty 265-316
CE
The Eastern Jin dynasty 317-420
CE
Northern and Southern Dynasties 420-589
CE
Southern dynasties
The Song dynasty 420-479
CE
The Qi dynasty 479-502
CE
The Liang dynasty 502-557
CE
The Chen dynasty 557-589
CE
Northern dynasties
The Northern Wei dynasty 386-534
CE
The Eastern Wei dynasty 534-550
CE
The Northern Qi dynasty 550-577
CE
The Western Wei dynasty 535-556
CE
The Northern Zhou dynasty 557-581
CE
The Sui dynasty 581-618
CE
The Tang dynasty 618-907
CE
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms 907-979
CE
Five dynasties 907-960
CE
The Posterior Liang dynasty 907-923
CE
The Posterior Tang dynasty 923-936
CE
The Posterior Jin dynasty 936-946
CE
The Posterior Han dynasty 947-950
CE
The Posterior Zhou dynasty 951-960
CE
The Ten Kingdoms 902-979
CE
The Song dynasty 960-1279
CE
The Northern Song dynasty 960-1127
CE
The Southern Song dynasty 1127-1279
CE
The Liao dynasty 907-1215
CE
The Western Xia dynasty 1038-1227
CE
The Jin dynasty 1115-1234
CE
The Yuan dynasty 1279-1368
CE
The Ming dynasty 1368-1644
CE
The Qing dynasty 1644-1911
CE
Manhattan, Kansas, July, 2001 Li-Chung Wang
