The Essential Mengzi - Asian Studies

Title Information

The Essential Mengzi

Selected Passages with Traditional Commentary

Mengzi
Translated by Bryan W. Van Norden
2009 - 200 pp.

Format	ISBN	Price
Cloth	0-87220-986-5 978-0-87220-986-2	$32.95
Paper	0-87220-985-7 978-0-87220-985-5	$8.95
Examination	0-87220-985-7 978-0-87220-985-5	$1.00

Add Items to Cart

(Select a format and quantity before adding it to your cart.)

eBook available for $7.95. Click HERE for more information.

The Essential Mengzi offers a representative selection from Bryan Van Norden's acclaimed translation of the full work, including the most frequently studied passages and covering all of the work's major themes. An appendix of selections from the classic commentary of Zhu Xi—one of the most influential and insightful interpreters of Confucianism—keyed to relevant passages, provides access to the text and to its reception and interpretation. Also included are a general Introduction, timeline, glossary, and selected bibliography.

On Mengzi, with Selections from Traditional Commentaries,
Hackett Publishing Company, 2008:

"An excellent translation of one of the truly great philosophical texts in world literature. Van Norden also provides an invaluable running philosophical commentary, drawing primarily from Zhu Xi's tremendously influential reading of the text. This is a wonderful contribution."
     —Michael Puett, Harvard University

"Bryan W. Van Norden . . . lets us hear the voice of the text's greatest commentator (Zhu Xi from the twelfth century) and gives us a translation faithful to the text's original time and philosophy. The supple balance with which Van Norden pulls this off makes this translation perfect for students, general readers, and scholars alike."
     —Stephen Angle, Wesleyan University

"An enormously useful book for undergraduate instruction in Chinese philosophy. This is the first reliable translation of the entire Mencius in many years. Van Norden is an insightful student of philosophy and provides many valuable comments on the text and its controversies; in addition, he furnishes the reader with judiciously chosen examples of traditional commentary. This translation will be used and appreciated for decades."
     —Paul R. Goldin, University of Pennsylvania

Bryan W. Van Norden is Professor in the Philosophy Department and in the Department of Chinese and Japanese at Vassar College.

Also Available:

Confucius, The Essential Analects

Mengzi, Mengzi: With Selections from Traditional Commentaries

Introduction to Classical Chinese Philosophy

Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy