- 472 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
The Chinese Pleasure Book
About this book
This book takes up one of the most important themes in Chinese thought: the relation of pleasurable activities to bodily health and to the health of the body politic. Unlike Western theories of pleasure, early Chinese writings contrast pleasure not with pain but with insecurity, assuming that it is right and proper to seek and take pleasure, as well as experience short-term delight. Equally important is the belief that certain long-term relational pleasures are more easily sustained, as well as potentially more satisfying and less damaging. The pleasures that become deeper and more ingrained as the person invests time and effort to their cultivation include friendship and music, sharing with others, developing integrity and greater clarity, reading and classical learning, and going home. Each of these activities is explored through the early sources (mainly fourth century BC to the eleventh century AD), with new translations of both well-known and seldom-cited texts.
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Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access The Chinese Pleasure Book by Michael Nylan in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Philosophy & Chinese History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- I. Coming Attractions
- II. Goo d Vibrations: The Allied Pleasures of Music and Friendship in the Masters
- III. Mencius 孟子 on Our Common Share of Pleasure
- IV. Xunzi 荀子 on Patterns of Brilliance
- V. Vital Matters: The Pleasures of Clear Vision in the Zhuangzi 莊子
- VI. Yang Xiong 揚雄 on the Allure of Words Well Chosen
- VII. Semidetached Lodgings: The Pleasures of Returning Home in Tao Yuanming 陶淵明 and Su Shi 蘇軾
- Afterword
- Notes
- List of Names
- Suggested Readings
- Index