Synthesized answer
The foreword notes that Burton Watson might have found it "personally more gratifying" to translate an "untouched subject," but he chose to translate "basic works" like Han Fei Zi instead [4]. This decision reveals that the role of a scholar in bridging cultural understanding involves making foundational and representative works accessible [1]. By translating these "basic writings," scholars like Watson aim to give greater circulation to influential thinkers who might otherwise be less known than figures like Confucius and Lao Tzu [1, 4]. This choice suggests a dedication to reexamining and reintroducing these important philosophical traditions to new generations [4].
The impact of this choice on new students encountering this philosophy is that they will be provided with more complete translations than brief survey excerpts allow [1]. Watson's translation is presented as part of a series aimed at transmitting representative works to Western readers, with an introduction that places the philosopher within Chinese history and thought [1, 2]. This approach aims to offer a fuller reading and analysis, allowing for a deeper understanding of Han Fei Zi's ideas on preserving and…
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From the book
Han Fei Tzu: Basic Writings is one of a group of publica- tions, the Translations from the Oriental Classics, through which the Committee on Oriental Studies has sought to trans- mit to Western readers representative works of the Oriental traditions in thought and literature. In its volumes of source readings forming the “Introduction to Oriental Civilizations,” the Committee has provided a broad selection of excerpts from influential thinkers in India, China, and Japan, discussing the great problems of their times. Excerpts from Han Fei Tzu are thus included in Sources of Chinese…
Han Fei Tzu’s handbook for the ruler, which includes a few chapters for the guidance of his ministers, deals with the problem of preserving and strengthening the state. There are sections on the way of the ruler, on standards, on the use of power and of punishment and favor. Dangers to be avoided by the ruler are specified, as are precautions to be taken. Witty, trenchant, sophisticated, and cynical, the Han Fei Tzu has been read in every age. It retains its interest today when, perhaps more than ever before, men are concerned with the nature and use of power. This new translation,…
Title: Han Fei Zi: Basic Writings by Han Fei res Translated by BURTON WATSON HAN FEI TZU Prepared for the Columbia College Program of Translations from the Oriental Classics Wan. Tuesopore pe Bary, Editor HAN FEI TZU od BASIC WRITINGS Translated by BURTON WATSON New York and London 1964 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS Burton Watson is the author of Sst-ma Ch’ien: Grand Historian of China (1958) and Early Chinese Literature (1962), and the translator of Records of the Grand Historian of China, translated from the Shih chi of Ssu-ma Chien, 2 vols. (1961), Hstin Tzu: Basic Writings…
We are indebted to Professor Watson that he has been will- ing to devote his considerable talents and learning to meet this need for accurate translations of basic works. No doubt it would have been personally more gratifying to the researcher's instinct in him, and in the professional fraternity, had he turned to some untouched subject, no matter how obscure and out-of-the-way. That he has returned to several of the old masters is a credit both to them and to him. Great figures like Han Fei Tzu, Mo Tzu, Hsiin Tzu, and Chuang Tzu, merit vi Foreword rediscovery and reexamination by…
HAN FEI TZU: Basic Writings Transiated by BURTON WATSON . Han Fei Tzu (280?-233 3.c.) was a prince of the ruling house of the small state of Han. A representative of the Fa-chia, or Legalist, school of philosophy, he produced the final and most readable exposition of its theories. Ironically, Han Fei Tzu’s ad- vice was heeded not by the king of Han but by the king of Ch’in, who, soon after ascending the throne in 246 3.c., conquered all of China and, as First Emperor of the Ch’in, established the Ch'in dynasty. Han Fei Tzu, sent as an envoy to Ch'in in 234 . B.c., was at first…
More questions about this book
- Given the stated aim to provide "wider circulation in the home and classroom" for these "Basic Writings," how would you explain the significance of making classical Chinese philosophy affordable and accessible to someone unfamiliar with academic publishing or East Asian studies?
- Based solely on the chapter titles like "The Way of the Ruler," "The Two Handles," and "The Five Vermin," what can you infer about Han Fei Zi's core philosophical concerns or practical approaches to governance? How do these titles help you anticipate the central arguments within the text?
- Why is the distinction between "excerpts" and "more complete translations" crucial for a nuanced understanding of a classical philosopher like Han Fei Zi? Explain how reading a full text might alter one's perspective compared to relying on selected passages.
- Considering the joint effort by the Columbia University Committee on Oriental Studies and UNESCO to publish this work, what does this institutional backing communicate about the perceived global importance and enduring relevance of Han Fei Zi's ideas in the mid-20th century?