《中国哲学简史》读书报告

Book Report

Name: Aaron 李浩亮 Date: December 30th, 2013

The book : Feng Youlan: A Short History of Chinese Philosophy (Chinese version translated by Tu Youguang)

Publisher: Peking University Press

The book A Short History of Chinese Philosophy is mainly about the history of Chinese philosophy as the title writes, and it also talks about how the Chinese philosophy came into being and explain it by showing lots of detailed information, political and economic situation at that time and background knowledge included. And the book shows us the development of Chinese philosophy in the order of time, too, besides main thoughts and ideologists of several chief schools, such as Laozi, one of the most well-known ideologists of Taoist school. In addition, in the last two chapters we can have a further understanding of the mixture of Chinese and western philosophy during latest centuries, when our country was facing the import of western culture as well as the invasion.

In a word, A Short History of Chinese Philosophy is a brief summary of Chinese philosophy with a great number of main details, and the vital part is to give us readers especially foreign ones a brief introduction of several chief schools including their main thoughts and characters.

The author, Professor Feng Youlan, had a lecture on Chinese philosophy in University of Pennsylvania. Then his English lecture scripts were collected and the book A Short History of Chinese Philosophy was published Macmillan USA. He taught foreign students this lecture using words as simple as possible, because it was difficult for them to understand so many short but nearly nonsense sentences. As a result, we can also easily understand some complicated and strange views of ancient ideologists.

For example, when the author talks about the way of achieving Relative Happiness and Absolute Happiness at first, as well as the distinguish between these two kinds of Happiness of Taoist school, I think it is

certainly difficult for foreign people to understand, because it’s also

hard for us Chinese readers to realize the true theory entirely. Therefore, Professor Feng explains it with many simple stories. Furthermore, he transforms the original words of those classic masterpieces into some simple though long sentences.

With the help of relative stories and simple sentences, we can figure out the key to achieve Relative Happiness that we have to have a full and free exercise of our inner natural ability, and follow the free development of our nature without any artificial change of it. And the method of getting Absolute Happiness is to have a higher level

understanding of the nature so that we will not be disturbed by the emotions, so we won’t be sad, upset or even angry. However, if we can

do this, we will become God. In conclusion, only a few people can achieve Absolute Happiness while most of people can only but absolutely achieve Relative Happiness.

Besides the simplicity of words of this book, I also appreciate the complete and overall narration covering almost all aspects of knowledge and information of the chief thoughts and schools.

Before this book was published, another book, A History of Chinese Philosophy, which was also written by Mr. Feng, had been published and he became one of the most famous and knowledgeable philosophers of this field. A History of Chinese Philosophy shows us more details. So many people draw a conclusion that A Short History of Chinese Philosophy is a simplified version of A History of Chinese Philosophy, but it’s not

true, the author said this in the preface. Although A Short History of Chinese Philosophy has less details, it doesn’t just list the names or the main points of those famous thoughts of schools in the book A History of Chinese Philosophy. On the contrary, the book A Short History of Chinese Philosophy has its own clue to illustrate the thoughts. Comparing with the former masterpiece A History of Chinese Philosophy, the latter book selects less but more precise examples and quotations to demonstrate his opinions of those thoughts, in the meanwhile, it also covers all items referred in the former one. For instance, in order to include nearly all items needed, the book eliminates a appropriate number of details without any impact of the proof, and some secondary views of thoughts and ideologists are referred one time but not explained in details. The chapter of the Ying-Yan School refers to less details and explanations, but it reserves and quotes some sentences from the relative masterpieces in this school, by the way, the sentences are easy to understand so as to no need of more detailed information and illustration. In another way, it has included all aspects of knowledge about the universal and natural thoughts of the Ying-Yan School, so it can still give readers a full and complete understanding. Therefore, though it is in such a short edition, the book A Short History of Chinese Philosophy can still

shows out its function contributing to people’s perfect and full knowing

about the history and process of Chinese philosophy.

Additionally, some words reserved originally from the ancient and classic books can lead us to experience those famous ideologists’experiences, thoughts and even their mental activities. It is wonderful

to read these to experience different dynasties and phases by yourselves own.

At last, I hope all people can have a chance to read this book, and then people can have a more understanding of their lives, their family, countries, nature and the universe. Maybe they will have different opinions among themselves or different from those ideologists, but it is the aim of philosophy to make people think much further by themselves and try to find out the final and true answer. And the philosophy can get people to be fond of the knowledge and virtue, and the pursuit of them as well. It may also be the purpose of this publishment of A Short History of Chinese Philosophy, I think.

Quotations

1.The place which philosophy has occupied in Chinese civilization has

been comparable to that of religion in other civilizations. 哲学在中国文化中所占的地位，历来可以与宗教在其他文化中的地位相比。(P5)

2.Fortunately, however, besides religion there is philosophy,which

provides man with an access to the higher values-an access which is more direct than that provided by religion, because in philosophy, in order to be acquainted with the higher values, man need not take the roundabout way provided by prayers and rituals. The higher values with which man has become acquainted through philosophy are even purer than those acquired through religion, because they are not mixed with

imagination and superstition. 不过幸好除了宗教还有哲学，为人类提供了获得更高价值的途径——一条比宗教提供的途径更为直接的途径，因为在哲学里，为了熟悉更高的价值，无需采取祈祷、礼拜之类的迂回的道路。通过哲学而熟悉的更高价值，比通过宗教而获得的更高价值，甚至要纯粹得多，因为后者混杂着想象和迷信。(P9)

3.Sageliness within and kingliness without 内圣外王(P12)

4.The purpose of the study of philosophy is to enable a man, as a man,

to be a man, not some particular kind of man. Other studies-not the study of philosophy-enable a man to be some special kind of man.

学哲学的目的，是使人作为人能够成为人，而不是成为某种人。

其他的学习（不是学哲学）是使人能够成为某种人，即有一定职业的人。(P15)

5.The original is suggestive, but the translation is not, and cannot

be. 原文是富于暗示的，而译文则不是，也不可能是。(P18)

6.Reversal Is the Movement of Tao 反者道之动(P22)

7.

Members of the Ju school had their origin in the literati.

Members of the Mohist school had their origin in the knights. Members of the Taoist school had their origin in the hermits. Members of the School of Names had their origin in the debaters. Members of the Yin-Yang school had their origin in the practitioners of occult arts.

Members of the Legalist school had their origin in the "men of methods."

儒家者流盖出于文士。

墨家者流盖出于武士。

道家者流盖出于隐者。

名家者流盖出于辩者。

阴阳家者流盖出于方士。

法家者流盖出于法术之士。

(P40)

8.He was a transmitter and not an originator, originating through

transmitting. 述而不作，以述为作。(P43)

9.The wise are free from doubts; the virtuous from anxiety; the brave

from fear. 知者不惑，仁者不忧，勇者不惧。(P48)

10.At fifteen I set my heart on learning. At thirty I could stand. At

forty I had no doubts. At fifty I knew the Decree of Heaven. At sixty

I was already obedient [to this Decree]. At seventy I could follow

the desires of my mind with-out overstepping the boundaries [of what

is right]. 吾十有五，而志于学。三十而立。四十而不惑。五十而知天命。六十而耳顺。七十而从心所欲。不逾矩。(P48)

11.In order, therefore, to induce people to practice the principle of

all-embracing love, Mo Tzu, in addition to the foregoing arguments, introduces a number of religious and political sanctions. 为了诱导人们实行兼爱，所以墨子在上述的道理之外，又引进了许多宗教的、政治的制裁。(P58)

12.Thus the ruler of the state was first established by the will of the

people, in order to save themselves from anarchy. 国君最初是由人民意志设立的，是为了把他们从无政府状态中拯救出来。(P61) 13.Thus, Mo Tzu argues, the state must be totalitarian and the authority

of its ruler absolute. 如是墨子论证出，国家必须是极权主义的，国君的权威必须是绝对的。(P61)

14.If everybody would refuse to pluck out even a single hair, and everybody

would refuse to take the world as a gain, then the world would be in perfect order. 人人不损一毫，人人不利天下：天下治矣。(P65)

15.He who in his conduct values his body more than he does the world,

may be given the world. He who in his conduct loves himself more than he does the world, may be entrusted with the world. 贵以身为天下，若可寄天下；爱以身为天下，若可托天下。(P66)

16.This is, that the Confucianists considered human-heartedness as a

quality that develops naturally from within the human nature, whereas the Mohists considered all-embracing love as something artificially

added to man from without. 这就是，儒家认为，仁是从人性内部自然地发展出来的；而墨家认为，兼爱是从外部人为地附加于人的。

(P73)

17.As Mencius affirms: "All men can become Yao or Shun." 正如孟子断

言的："人皆可以为尧舜"。(P79)

18.Thus Chuang Tzu and Lao Tzu both advocate government through non-

government, but for somewhat different reasons. Lao Tzu emphasizes his general principle that "reversing is the movement of the Tao."

The more one governs, he argues, the less one achieves the desired result. And Chuang Tzu emphasizes the distinction between what is of nature and what is of man. The more the former is overcome by the

latter, the more there will be misery and unhappiness. 庄子和老子都主张不治之治，但是所持的理由不同。老子强调他的总原理"

反者道之动"。他的论证是，越是统治，越是得不到想得到的结果。

庄子强调天与人的区别。他的论证是，越是以人灭天、越是痛苦和不幸。(P105)

19.Only the essence, an axis as it were, is the center of the circle

responding to the endless changes. The right is an endless change.

The wrong is also an endless change. Therefore it is said that there is nothing better than to use the 'light. '" In other words, the "that"

and the "this", in their mutual opposition of right and wrong, are like an endlessly revolving circle. But the man who sees things from the point of view of the Tao stands, as it were, at the center of the circle. He understands all that is going on in the movements of the circle, hut does not himself take part in these movements. This is not owing to his inactivity or resignation, but because he has transcended the finite and sees things from a higher point of view.

这段话换句话说，"是"（此）和"彼"，在其是非的对立中，像一个循环无尽的圆。但是从道的观点看事物的人，好像是站在圆心上。他理解在圆周上运动着的一切，但是他自己则不参加这些运动。这不是由于他无所作为，听天由命，而是因为他已经超越有限，从一个更高的观点看事物。(P111)

20.That everything spontaneously produces itself is what Hsiang-Kuo call

the theory of tu hua or self-transformation. 万物自生，向郭谓之"独化"。(P211)

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