Selections from Lu's Commentaries of History is an ancient classic compiled in 239 B.C. by Lu Buwei, the Prime Minister of the state of Qin, who collected and arranged the writings of his ""house guests"" or followers into a book. The writings represented his ideas and aimed to serve as a guide to government for the Qin ruler. Dealing with a wide range of subjects in more than 20(3,000 words, the book is one of the longest of the early Chinese classics and an encyclopedic compendium of early Chinese thought and civilization.
This book is edited and translated by the famous translator Wang Guozhen, to introduce Selections from Lu's Commentaries of History to the foreign readers.
Table of Contents
TALE 1
Life Foundation
TALE 2
Attaching Importance to Self
TALE 3
Attaching Importance to Impartiality
TALE 4
Doing Away with Selfishness
TALE 5
Valuing Life
TALE 6
Desires
TALE 7
Dyeing Properly
TALE 8
Fame
TALE 9
Natural Span of Life
TALE 10
Beginning with Self
TALE 11
Judging a Person
TALE 12
The Circular Way
TALE 13
Encouraging Learning
TALE 14
Respecting the Teacher
TALE 15
Misleading Students
TALE 16
Great Music
TALE 17
Extravagant Music
TALE 18
Harmonious Music
TALE 19
Ancient Music
TALE 20
The Origin of Music
TALE 21
Knowing the Reason
TALE 22
Fighting Wars
TALE 23
Wiping out Confusion
TALE 24
Preventing Blockage
TALE 25
Cherishing a Loving Heart
TALE 26
On Power
TALE 27
Deciding Victory
TALE 28
Complying with the Will of the People
TALE 29
Knowing the Scholars
TALE 30
Giving Peace to the Dead
TALE 31
The Utmost Loyalty
TALE 32
Conforming to the Actual Situation
TALE 33
To Be Farsighted
TALE 34
The Integrity of Scholars
TALE 35
Aloofness
TALE 36
The Deepest Sincerity
TALE 37
Indomitability
TALE 38
Communion between the Same Kind
TALE 39
Listening to Opinions
TALE 40
Listening Carefully
TALE 41
Giving Fair Reward
TALE 42
To Be Successful
TALE 43
Importance of Human Factors
TALE 44
Meeting the Right Person
TALE 45
Weighing the Advantages
TALE 46
Courtesy toward Virtue and Learning
TALE 47
Repayment
TALE 48
Smooth Persuasion
TALE 49
Never Relaxing One’s Own Efforts
TALE 50
The Importance of Objective Conditions
TALE 51
Studying the Present
TALE 52
The Reach of Intelligence
TALE 53
Enjoying Success
TALE 54
Rooting Out Bias
TALE 55
A Ruler’s Tenets
TALE 56
Following the Way of a Ruler
TALE 57
Mastering the Art of Ruling
TALE 58
Firm Hold on Power
TALE 59
Careful Response
TALE 60
Caution in Speech
TALE 61
Tacit Understanding
TALE 62
Claims without Meaning
TALE 63
Extravagant Speech
TALE 64
Not to Be Prevailed Upon
TALE 65
The Necessary Conditions
TALE 66
Rising above the Worldly
TALE 67
Upholding Righteousness
TALE 68
Upholding Virtue
TALE 69
Appropriate Use of Force
TALE 70
Satisfying Desires
TALE 71
The Importance of Being Truthful
TALE 72
The Difficulty in Selecting a Man for Office
TALE 73
Being a Ruler
TALE 74
Long-Term Interests
TALE 75
Attraction of the Same Kind
TALE 76
Clearing Blockage
TALE 77
On Actions
TALE 78
Arrogance
TALE 79
Seeing Beyond the Appearances
TALE 80
Looking for People of Virtue
TALE 81
Relying on People of Virtue
TALE 82
Be Clear about Means and Ends
TALE 83
Giving Importance to Speed
TALE 84
Questioning Look-alikes
TALE 85
Being Consistent
TALE 86
Seeking Help from Men of Virtue
TALE 87
Verifying Rumor
TALE 88
Forthright Advice
TALE 89
Foreseeing Change
TALE 90
Acting against Propriety
TALE 91
Becoming Uninformed
TALE 92
The Roots of Disorder
TALE 93
Discretion
TALE 94
Extolling People of Virtue and Ability
TALE 95
Having a Criterion in Mind
TALE 96
A Scholar’s Style
ALE 97
Encouraging Farming
TALE 98
Making Good Use of the Land
Sample Pages Preview
Some people do not truly understand the nature of life, therefore they are careful about life but are harmed by being so. What is the use of being careful if one does not truly understand the nature of life? This is like a blind man who loves his baby son but lays his head on rice husks or a deaf mute who allows his son to look around outside a house when thunder is striking. What is the difference between these men and those who do not know to be careful about life? A man who does not know to be careful about life does not make a distinction between life and death, surviving and perishing, what is permissible and what is not permissible. What he thinks is right is not necessarily right. What he thinks is wrong is not necessarily wrong. This is called “gross misconception.” This kind of man is condemned by heaven. If he cultivates himself in this way, he will inevitably meet with death and disaster. If he is to rule a country in this way, the country will inevitably disintegrate and go to destruction. Death and disaster, disintegration and destruction do not come by themselves; they are the result of misconception. This explains why longevity can be achieved. An enlightened man, therefore, does not look into the result, but into the cause of the result. Consequently, nothing can stop them from attaining their aims. This reasoning should be thoroughly understood. There is no need to seek after sumptuous and rare food, nor thick and excessively warm clothes. Thick and excessively warm clothes block the vital channels. When the vital channels are blocked, the vital energy cannot circulate smoothly. Sumptuous and rare food overburdens the stomach.
