Written 400 years ago, by a scholar in the Ming Dynasty, The Caigentan or Vegetable Roots has been a fundamental literary guide for hundreds of years, outlining Asian philosophy. This edition, translated by Robert Aitken and Daniel W.Y. Kwok, contains 360 observations of life: its exaggerations, absurdities, grotesqueries, and falsities. Terse, humorous, witty, and timely, these Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucianist epigrams provide fundamental principles of life. Though often strict, puritan, and tough to live by, they provide the foundation for the art of living. Pocket-sized and agreeing seamlessly with the impulses of all ages, this discourse is read as a set of philosophical notions on personal development for all types.

Vegetable Roots Discourse: Wisdom from Ming China on Life and Living

Religion & Spirituality

Zicheng, Hong

Buddhism

Counterpoint

Written 400 years ago by a scholar in the Ming Dynasty, one hundred years after Columbus and around the time Shakespeare completed Henry VI, accomplished scholar and philosopher Hong Zicheng retired from public life and settled down to write an informal compilation of his thoughts on the essence of life, human nature, and heaven and earth. Though he wrote other books as well, only this one has survived—thanks largely to its continuous popularity, first in China and later in Japan and Korea. Entitled Caigentan (Vegetable Roots Discourse), this book has been studied and cherished for four hundred years. Terse, humorous, witty, and. above all, timely, this book offers a provocative and personal mix of Daoist, Buddhist, and Confucian understanding. It contains 360 observations that lead us through paths as complex, absurd, and grotesque as life itself. While it has been translated into many languages, this comprehensive version will immediately become the standard edition for generations of English readers to come.

This groundbreaking book by the eminent Peking University professor Hong Zicheng covers the literary scene in China during the 1949-1999 period, primarily focusing on fiction, poetry, drama, and prose writing.

History of Contemporary Chinese Literature (Brill's Humanities in China Library, 1)

Literature & Fiction

History & Criticism

Brill Academic Pub

This groundbreaking book by the eminent Peking University professor Hong Zicheng covers the literary scene in China during the 1949-1999 period, primarily focusing on fiction, poetry, drama, and prose writing. Reprinted sixteen times since its publication in the PRC in 1999, it is now available in English translation at last.

A History of Contemporary Chinese Literature (Brill's Humanities in China Library)

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Books by Zicheng, Hong

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Zicheng, Hong. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Vegetable Roots Discourse: Wisdom from Ming China on Life and Living

Vegetable Roots Discourse: Wisdom from Ming China on Life and Living

History of Contemporary Chinese Literature (Brill's Humanities in China Library, 1)

A History of Contemporary Chinese Literature (Brill's Humanities in China Library)