Why Do We Read Ancient Books Today

This book is divided into two parts： the internal part and the external part. The internal part consists of 18 chapters， providing vivid explanations of the fundamental knowledge of ancient books， including their catalogs， versions， textual criticism， and annotations. The external part consists of 35 chapters， offering detailed guidance on how to read and understand ancient classics. The author adopts an approach that appeals to a wide range of readers， helping them grasp the basic principles and fundamental rules of reading ancient books.

There is a story mentioned in the Huainanzi that tells of Duke Huan of Qi reading a book in his hall while a craftsman named Lun Bian was making a wheel downstairs.

Lun Bian threw down his tools and asked Duke Huan， “What book are you reading？”

Duke Huan replied， “The book of sages.”

Lun Bian said， “Are the sages still alive？”

Duke Huan replied， “They have passed away.”

Lun Bian remarked， “Then what you are reading is just the dregs of the sages.”

Duke Huan became angry and said， “As a ruler， I read books. How dare you， a craftsman， mock me？ If you have a valid reason， you may proceed; otherwise， I will kill you.”

Lun Bian responded， “I do have a reason. When it comes to carving a wheel， the action cannot be too fast or too slow. Only when you achieve the right pace can you handle it with ease. However， I cannot teach this skill to my son through words， so he cannot learn this craft. That’s why， even at the age of 70， I still have to make wheels myself. The same principle applies to ancient books — those intangible and untranslatable nuggets of knowledge from the ancients have vanished with their passing. What you read today can only be the dregs.”

Regarding the viewpoint that “all ancient books are dregs，” Hu Huaichen， a scholar in the Republic of China， disagreed.

There are many ways to utilize ancient books， especially when viewed from the perspective of understanding and studying the Chinese language today.

One of the biggest obstacles for contemporary people in reading ancient books is the lack of understanding of classical Chinese， which is the language used in ancient times. Although it is difficult to comprehend， classical Chinese is the precursor to modern Chinese. To only study today’s Chinese would be to sever its historical continuity. The historical evolution of a single character， the shifting meanings of a word — these can only be deeply understood when placed within the context of the river of history.

For example， the character “武” （wǔ） in modern Chinese is often misunderstood as meaning “to stop fighting.” However， in the seal script， the original meaning of “武” was to wield weapons and engage in battle， representing a complete reversal in meaning over time.

Similarly， the term “妻子” （qīzǐ） today refers only to a male’s spouse， whereas in ancient times， it referred to both wives and children. Without this knowledge， one could misinterpret the line in “Peach Blossom Shangri-la” that says， “They brought their ‘妻子’ to this secluded place.”

Moreover， the language used in ancient Chinese texts is often concise and precise. Many idioms commonly used today， such as “自相矛盾” （zì xiāng máo dùn， arguing with oneself）， “刻舟求劍” （kè zhōu qiú jiàn， carving on a boat to mark a lost sword）， and “守株待兔” （shǒu zhū dài tù， waiting by a stump for a hare）， have been passed down for thousands of years through ancient texts. The logical structure of ancient Chinese writings also exhibits distinct characteristics， such as telling stories before presenting arguments and showcasing a deep understanding of the principles of communication and persuasion. “How can the pool be so clear and cool？ Water comes fresh from the source.” Ancient books are the living source of modern Chinese expression. If one can read and understand the ancient classics of various historical periods， their Chinese reading level and expression ability will definitely be improved.

This is only the practical aspect. The deeper significance of reading ancient books lies in experiencing and comprehending the profound cultural connotations of Chinese civilization. Statistics show over 50 million surviving ancient books， comprising more than 200，000 titles. The roots of Chinese culture are deeply embedded within them， and without ancient books， the foundation of Chinese civilization would be nonexistent.

Generation after generation， Chinese intellectuals have written books， edited books， read books， and taught books， recording historical events， summarizing observations of the world， and engraving their insights into life. It can be said that ancient books contain the crystallization of collective wisdom accumulated by the Chinese people over thousands of years.

Throughout the ravages of wars and disasters， ancient books have been continuously lost and then gathered again. After the completion of the Complete Books of the Four Storehouses， three copies were preserved in the southern region of China. However， due to the wars， all three copies were destroyed. Undeterred， the scholars in the south of the Yangtze River rallied together， raised money， and copied and restored the entire Complete Books of the Four Storehouses through extensive transcription efforts. The phrase “Three Libraries of the South of the Yangtze River， Lingering Essence of Culture” summarizes this remarkable event in the world of books， reflecting the supreme reverence of the Chinese people towards books， knowledge， and culture.

Great waves can wash away the sand. After the upheavals， the classics continue to be passed down. Chinese ancient books have come a long way， carrying the weight of history and demonstrating profound cultural soft power. Whether it is the recorded words or the imprinted spirit within them， one can discern the historical traditions and cultural accumulation of the Chinese nation， drawing abundant nourishment for the enduring and flourishing development of the Chinese nation. Why should one read ancient books？ Isn’t it clear now？

This book is divided into two main parts. The first 18 articles are about the general principles of ancient books， introducing the general rules of ancient books， while the remaining 35 articles provide specific introductions to individual books.

This book classifies these books according to the traditional classification system of Confucian classics， historical records， philosophical works， and collected writings. But it does not strictly adhere to the old system. For example， The Analects belongs to the “Thirteen Classics，” and according to ancient concepts， it should be classified under the Confucian classics. However， from a modern academic perspective， The Analects clearly belongs to philosophical works and has close connections with other schools of thought. Therefore， this book includes an introduction to The Analects under the philosophical works section.

Similarly， when introducing the Twenty-Four Histories in the section on historical records， only the first four histories are covered. This is because， according to the consensus of the academic community， the first four histories have higher achievements， while the later ones are not as noteworthy and do not require an extensive introduction.

As for the collected writings section， only five collections are introduced. This is because the essence of ancient books is mainly represented in the classics， histories， and philosophical works. The articles in this last section can be selectively read based on personal interests.

Lastly， it should be noted that the purpose of these introductions is to stimulate readers’ interest in reading ancient books. Therefore， whether it is the general principles of ancient books or the specific book introductions， they are not comprehensive or profound enough. It can be said that they “only focus on one aspect， not covering the rest”， and they cannot fully reflect the entirety of ancient books. If you， the readers， can personally delve into the treasure trove of ancient books， explore and find your own path of reading through climbing and seeking， and do not return empty-handed， then the goal of this book will be achieved.

May this little book be a wonderful beginning and ultimately bring about fruitful rewards. Let us encourage each other in this endeavor.

Ancient Books Can Be So Fascinating

Xiong Jian

People’s Daily Press

April 2023

58.00 （CNY）

Xiong Jian is a graduate of the Chinese Department at Peking University and holds a Master’s degree in Classical Philology. He began working at People’s Daily Press in the same year. Currently， he serves as the deputy director and chief editor of the Science and Education Department of the Overseas Edition of People’s Daily.