Analects: A Contemporary Translation

Confucius

Book cover for Analects: A Contemporary Translation
Image for variant 9781324097747
Book cover for Analects: A Contemporary Translation
Image for variant 9781324097747

Analects: A Contemporary Translation

Analects: A Contemporary Translation

Confucius

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Description

The Analects of Confucius has been the bedrock of Chinese culture for over 2,500 years, shaping the trajectory of human history in ways unmatched by nearly any other secular philosophy. But until now, translations of this compendium of Confucian wisdom have forced women--half of humanity--into the philosophical background.

Renowned scholar Erin M. Cline boldly challenges this legacy, breathing new life into this monumental work with a fresh and accessible translation, presenting not only an innovative thematic structure but also a vital reinterpretation for modern readers. By employing gender-neutral language throughout, guided by the text itself, Cline dismantles patriarchal misinterpretations of the Analects, and in the process reveals a Confucius who speaks to everyone. This groundbreaking edition will redefine Confucian thought for a new generation of readers in English.

Critical Reviews

Innovatively . . . [Cline] arranges the text thematically rather than in its more traditional format . . . Throughout Cline's translation, Confucius comes across as a stern but compassionate teacher, patient and insightful even about mundane things.--Steve Donoghue "Smoke Signals"

A clear and refreshing translation that renders the insights on the good life in their true light, free from misleadingly gendered language. This one might supersede all the others.--Becky Yang Hsu, author of The Extraordinary in the Mundane: Family and Forms of Community in China

Erin M. Cline's scholarship is impeccable; her sense of the text and her insights into its underlying message are always impressive, often revelatory, and at times astonishing. This translation opens the text to new generations of readers and invites them to join the expanding circle of readers who have learned from and come to love the teachings of the first teacher.--Philip Ivanhoe, author of Confucian Reflections: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times

Not just a book to study but a work of art to live with, this edition reclaims the Analects as a vital stage for thought, experience, and transformation in today's world.--Robin R. Wang, author of Yinyang: The Way of Heaven and Earth in Chinese Thought and Culture

Erin M. Cline's translation is the Analects for our generation! Finally, English readers can appreciate the original vision of Confucius, who was a radical revivalist, not the staid Burkean traditionalist he is so often portrayed as.--Bryan W. Van Norden, author of Taking Back Philosophy

Publishing Information

Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation
Pub date: 2026-02-17
Length: 240 pages

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