The Canon of Supreme Mystery by Yang Hsiung: A Translation

The Canon of Supreme Mystery by Yang Hsiung: A Translation with Commentary of the T'ai hsüan ching by Michael Nylan (Chinese Philosophy Culture)

Translation of the first grand synthesis of classic Chinese thought.

This is a translation, with a commentary and a long contextualizing introduction, of the only major work of Han (206 B.C. to 220 A.D.) philosophy that is still available in complete form. It is the first translation of the work into a European language and provides unique access to this formative period in Chinese history. Because Yang Hsiungâ€™s interpretations drew upon a variety of pre-Han sources and then dominated Confucian learning until the twelfth century, this text is also a valuable resource on early Chinese history, philosophy, and culture beyond the Han period.

The Tâ€™ai hsÃ¼an is also one of the worldâ€™s great philosophic poems comparable in scale and grandeur to Lucretiusâ€™ De rerum naturum. Nathan Sivin has written that this is one of the titles on the short list of Chinese books every cultivated person should read.

Han thinkers saw in this text a compelling restatement of Confucian doctrine that addressed the major objections posed by rival schools including Mohism, Taoism, Legalism and Yin-Yang Five Phase Theory. Since this Han amalgam formed the basis for the state ideology of China from 134 B.C. to 1911, an ideology that in turn provided the intellectual foundations for the Japanese and Korean states, the importance of this book can hardly be overestimated.

This publication has been supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, an independent federal agency.
Country USA
Brand State University of New York Press
Manufacturer State University of New York Press
Binding Paperback
UnitCount 1
Format Illustrated
EANs 9780791413968
ReleaseDate 0000-00-00

Country	USA
Brand	State University of New York Press
Manufacturer	State University of New York Press
Binding	Paperback
UnitCount	1
Format	Illustrated
EANs	9780791413968
ReleaseDate	0000-00-00

The Canon of Supreme Mystery by Yang Hsiung: A Translation with Commentary of the T'ai hsüan ching by Michael Nylan (Chinese Philosophy Culture)

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