In this engaging volume, Daniel Gardner explains the way in which the Four Books--"Great Learning," "Analects," "Mencius," and "Maintaining Perfect Balance"--have been read and understood by the Chinese since the twelfth century. Selected passages in translation are accompanied by Gardner's comments, which incorporate selections from the commentary and interpretation of the renowned Neo-Confucian thinker, Zhu Xi (1130-1200).

This study provides an ideal introduction to the basic texts in the Confucian tradition from the twelfth through the twentieth centuries. It guides the reader...