Product Description

From the literary community's most talented translator of Chinese, a compelling, contemporary rendition of Ancient China's most significant work

"Breathtaking" --Publishers Weekly

Confucius failed in his lifetime to rescue a crumbling civilization with his teachings, but he was to become the most influential sage in human history. His thought, still remarkably current, survives here in The Analects-a collection of brief aphoristic sayings that has had a deeper impact on more people's lives over a longer period of time than any other book in human history.

Highly regarded for the poetic fluency he brings to his award-winning work, David Hinton is the first twentieth-century translator to render the four central masterworks of ancient Chinese thought: Chuang Tzu, Mencius, The Analects, and Tao Te Ching (forthcoming from Counterpoint). His new versions are not only inviting and immensely readable, but they also apply a much-needed consistency to key terms in these texts. Breathing new life into these classics, Hinton's translations will stand as the definitive series for our era.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #705869 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09-17
• Original language: Mandarin Chinese
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

About the Author
David Hinton has held fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 1997 his work was awarded the Harold Morton Landon Translation Award from the Academy of American Poets.

Customer Reviews

Don't you want to know what the sage really said?
China has been a nation governed by philosophers, among them many state officials trained by the great Confucius. My first contact with his sayings was in the old Charlie Chan movies where Confucius always seemed to have an important contribution to make in solving the murder. In the Analects we get more great sayings. But this time they are there to make an important contribution to our quest for the good life, which will follow naturally from self-cultivation and mastery of the Tao. I suppose there are some who don't need wisdom to live wisely. As for me, I am not that lucky. I need to read the philosophers like Confucius and get their input. Particularly important for modern times are the Master's statements about government, epistemology, rituals, and money. "In government, the secret is integrity. Use it." How about this one? "Shall I explain understanding for you, Lu? When you understand something, you know you understand it. When you don't understand something, know you don't understand it. That is understanding." Adept Kung wanted to do away with sacrificing sheep to announce a new moon to the ancestors. The Master said, "You love sheep, Kung." Pretty funny! The thing the really dropped me off my chair was the Master's explanation why a powerfull nation should never attack a less powerful nation preemptively. (This was the Chi versus Chung-Yu controversy, but it applies to Iraq.) Read that yourself and tell me if it doesn't make sense. Another gem: After the master heard a line from a poem: I haven't stopped loving you/ but your home is so far away - The Master said, "If he'd really loved her, he wouldn't have worried about the distance." Hinton's translations are simple and direct and relate to the spirit of the Chinese but not the letter. Those of you who know Chinese (I still murder the language after 22 years of study) know how difficult it is to translate into English. The reason is that the thoughts are actually different in Chinese and any translation therefore must miss the mark. Hinton is excellent but I also recommend you also take a look at the Arthur Wailey translation for a balanced view.

Accessible
David Hinton is one of my favorite translators of Chinese texts. He makes the language accessible without dumbing it down or losing its lofty nature. He manages to preserve its verse like quality. Here's an excerpt from The Analects translated by mit.edu alongside David Hinton's translation.

mit.edu: "The Master said, 'The superior man is satisfied and composed; the mean man is always full of distress.'"

David Hinton: "The Master said, 'The noble minded are calm and steady. Little people are forever fussing and fretting.'"

He also includes notes that help put various characters and episodes into context, as well as provide some background. His introduction to Confucius is also very informative.

If you're trying to choose from among the various translations of the Analects, David Hinton's certainly deserves your consideration.

Betrays the original
Uses contemporary language better than most, but ultimately doesn't justify the many liberties it takes. (In at least one instance, a disciple's identity is actually changed!) "Humanity" as a translation for _ren_ is not improved by being capitalized. Wade-Giles romanization.