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Sources of Chinese Tradition, Vol 1: From Earliest Times to 1600
A collection of seminal primary readings on the social, intellectual, and religious traditions of China, "Sources of Chinese Tradition, Volume 1" has been widely used and praised for almost forty years as an authoritative resource for scholars and students and as a thorough and engaging introduction for general readers. Here at last is a completely revised and expanded edition of this classic sourcebook, compiled by noted China scholars Wm. Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom. Updated to reflect recent scholarly developments, with extensive material on popular thought and religion, social roles, and women's education, this edition features new translations of more than half the works from the first edition, as well as many new selections.
Arranged chronologically, this anthology is divided into four parts, beginning at the dawn of literate Chinese civilization with the Oracle-Bone inscriptions of the late Shang dynasty (1571-1045 B.C.E.) and continuing through the end of the Ming dynasty (C.E. 1644). Each chapter has an introduction that provides useful historical context and offers interpretive strategies for understanding the readings.
The first part, The Chinese Tradition in Antiquity, considers the early development of Chinese civilization and includes selections from Confucius's "Analects, " the texts of Mencius and Laozi, as well as other key texts from the Confucian, Daoist, and Legalist schools. Part 2, The Making of a Classical Culture, focuses on Han China with readings from the "Classic of Changes" ( "I Jing"), the "Classic of Filiality, " major Han syntheses, and the great historians of the Han dynasty. The development of Buddhism, from the earliest translations from Sanskrit to the central texts of the Chan school (which became Zen in Japan), is the subject of the third section of the book. Titled Later Daoism and Mahayana Buddhism in China, this part also covers the teachings of Wang Bi, Daoist religion, and texts of the major schools of Buddhist doctrine and practice. The final part, The Confucian Revival and Neo-Confucianism, details the revival of Confucian thought in the Tang, Song, and Ming periods, with historical documents that link philosophical thought to political, social, and educational developments in late imperial China.
With annotations, a detailed chronology, glossary, and a new introduction by the editors, "Sources of Chinese Tradition" will continue to be a standard resource, guidebook, and introduction to Chinese civilization well into the twenty-first century.
Arranged chronologically, this anthology is divided into four parts, beginning at the dawn of literate Chinese civilization with the Oracle-Bone inscriptions of the late Shang dynasty (1571-1045 B.C.E.) and continuing through the end of the Ming dynasty (C.E. 1644). Each chapter has an introduction that provides useful historical context and offers interpretive strategies for understanding the readings.
The first part, The Chinese Tradition in Antiquity, considers the early development of Chinese civilization and includes selections from Confucius's "Analects, " the texts of Mencius and Laozi, as well as other key texts from the Confucian, Daoist, and Legalist schools. Part 2, The Making of a Classical Culture, focuses on Han China with readings from the "Classic of Changes" ( "I Jing"), the "Classic of Filiality, " major Han syntheses, and the great historians of the Han dynasty. The development of Buddhism, from the earliest translations from Sanskrit to the central texts of the Chan school (which became Zen in Japan), is the subject of the third section of the book. Titled Later Daoism and Mahayana Buddhism in China, this part also covers the teachings of Wang Bi, Daoist religion, and texts of the major schools of Buddhist doctrine and practice. The final part, The Confucian Revival and Neo-Confucianism, details the revival of Confucian thought in the Tang, Song, and Ming periods, with historical documents that link philosophical thought to political, social, and educational developments in late imperial China.
With annotations, a detailed chronology, glossary, and a new introduction by the editors, "Sources of Chinese Tradition" will continue to be a standard resource, guidebook, and introduction to Chinese civilization well into the twenty-first century.
998 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
34 people are currently reading
580 people want to read
About the author
William Theodore de Bary
77 books21 followersWilliam Theodore de Bary was an East Asian studies expert at Columbia University, with the title John Mitchell Mason Professor of the University and Provost Emeritus.
De Bary graduated from Columbia College in 1941, where he was a student in the first iteration of Columbia's famed Literature Humanities course. He then briefly took up graduate studies at Harvard before the US entered the Second World War. De Bary left the academy to serve in American military intelligence in the Pacific Theatre. Upon his return, he resumed his studies at Columbia, where he earned his PhD.
He has edited numerous books of original source material relating to East Asian (primarily Japanese and Chinese) literature, history, and culture, as well as making the case, in his book Nobility and Civility, for the universality of Asian values. He is recognized as essentially creating the field of Neo-Confucian studies.
Additionally, DeBary was active in faculty intervention during the Columbia University protests of 1968 and served as the university's provost from 1971 to 1978. He has attempted to reshape the Core Curriculum of Columbia College to include Great Books classes devoted to non-Western civilizations. DeBary is additionally famous for rarely missing a Columbia Lions football game since he began teaching at the university in 1953. A recognized educator, he won Columbia's Great Teacher Award in 1969, its Lionel Trilling Book Award in 1983 and its Mark Van Doren Award for Great Teaching in 1987.
Now the director of the Heyman Center for the Humanities and still teaching, De Bary lives in Rockland County, New York.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_de_Bary
De Bary graduated from Columbia College in 1941, where he was a student in the first iteration of Columbia's famed Literature Humanities course. He then briefly took up graduate studies at Harvard before the US entered the Second World War. De Bary left the academy to serve in American military intelligence in the Pacific Theatre. Upon his return, he resumed his studies at Columbia, where he earned his PhD.
He has edited numerous books of original source material relating to East Asian (primarily Japanese and Chinese) literature, history, and culture, as well as making the case, in his book Nobility and Civility, for the universality of Asian values. He is recognized as essentially creating the field of Neo-Confucian studies.
Additionally, DeBary was active in faculty intervention during the Columbia University protests of 1968 and served as the university's provost from 1971 to 1978. He has attempted to reshape the Core Curriculum of Columbia College to include Great Books classes devoted to non-Western civilizations. DeBary is additionally famous for rarely missing a Columbia Lions football game since he began teaching at the university in 1953. A recognized educator, he won Columbia's Great Teacher Award in 1969, its Lionel Trilling Book Award in 1983 and its Mark Van Doren Award for Great Teaching in 1987.
Now the director of the Heyman Center for the Humanities and still teaching, De Bary lives in Rockland County, New York.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_de_Bary
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 18, 2018
I truly have a appreciation for the sources of religious thought and instruction for mankind. The influence of Chinese critical thought has not only influenced billions of Chinese, it has had a great influence on all of humanity, leading to the inception of thought in the West. Regardless of whether we are Eastern or Western , we owe a debt to Chinese traditions.
November 20, 2019
Not for the faint of heart.
January 10, 2012
Great sourcebook, earliest times through the Ming.
December 24, 2012
A fantastic source book of primary sources from early Chinese religion and philosophy. A nibble of just about everything, I guess.
December 30, 2017
Exceptional source for Chinese tradition
August 29, 2022
My edition of this particular book is maybe different than the one shown in the picture above this one just hapoened to be pretty much exactly what I was reading so I am going to go forward with the assumption this was tge right book.
With all of that out of tge way this was an amazing book to be able to read. It was dense with information but was a very informative read. I realized afterwards that thus book is meant to be a textbook of some kind. Since I was reading it for purely my own enjoyment I cannot speak to how effective this book is as a learning tool in a classroom setting.
Since the earlier periods of chinese history are more the area im interested in versus more recent Chinese history so I think the first volume will be enough for me so I'm not completely if I'm going to be tracking down the second volume.
I'd highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about Chinese culture.
With all of that out of tge way this was an amazing book to be able to read. It was dense with information but was a very informative read. I realized afterwards that thus book is meant to be a textbook of some kind. Since I was reading it for purely my own enjoyment I cannot speak to how effective this book is as a learning tool in a classroom setting.
Since the earlier periods of chinese history are more the area im interested in versus more recent Chinese history so I think the first volume will be enough for me so I'm not completely if I'm going to be tracking down the second volume.
I'd highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about Chinese culture.
January 17, 2022
On one hand, I loved how this book delved into early Chinese traditional beliefs which developed in its society, from philosophers like Lao Tzu and Confucius to religions like Daoism and Buddhism. Saying that, it is definitely a scholarly work, and not really enjoyable if you don't want to be bogged down in the details. While I enjoyed the book from the most part and I left it feeling far more informed on Chinese traditional beliefs, I struggled at times to say it was truly fun to read. I can imagine this book is assigned in many schools, but as a light nonfiction read, it's a bit too scholarly to be truly enjoyable.
October 23, 2021
Good read, but very heavy reading
April 22, 2023
This is a terrific compendium especially as a sampler of materials from the ancients through the Warring States period and their "Hundred Schools of Thought," closing in the sad Qin days marked by "Memorial for the Burning of Books" -- an event for the East not unlike the destructions of great libraries like those in Alexandria or the destruction of almost all Mayan codices by Spain. I'm currently intrigued by the editor's assertion that by the time of the Han period (202 BCE), the rulers had recognized, based on prior Qin experience, that "terror and strength alone could never rule the world."
November 20, 2012
A little dense and dull at times, this is nevertheless a good place to start if you want an overview of historical Chinese philosophies (though, since I was just starting, I don't have anything to compare it to). I liked that most of the book was excerpts from original sources, but I got a bit bogged down in all of the manifestations of Confucianism.
April 25, 2020
I used sources from this book to assign to students for a course on Chinese philosophy. There are great historical and philosophical primary sources translated in this volume and I think I will continue to use it for teaching in the future. It’s an excellent collection.
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October 5, 2008Sources of Chinese Tradition (Unesco Collection of Representative Works. Chinese Series) by William Theodore De Bary (1960)
March 12, 2009
Good selection of primary documents for research.
June 11, 2013
Great text book read and a nice reference guide.
May 28, 2017
Awesome resource!
August 25, 2019
Still a great introduction to China through its thought.
January 30, 2015
Excellent synopsis of Chinese thought.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews