Review

Reviewed Work(s): China by A. G. Wenley and John A. Pope

Review by: Chan Wing-tsit
Source: Journal of the American Oriental Society , Jul. - Sep., 1945, Vol. 65, No. 3 (Jul.
- Sep., 1945), pp. 211-212
Published by: American Oriental Society

Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/595824

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 Reviews of Books 211

On
On the
the other
otherhand,
hand,Dr.
Dr.Lin
Lin
surpasses
surpasses
all all
previ-
previ-" lesson" is exactly what the original means. Dr.
ous
ous translators,
translators,European
European ororChinese,
Chinese,in having
in having Lin is absolutely correct in repeatedly insisting
brought
brought out
outthe
thetrue
truemeaning
meaning of of
certain
certain difficultthat hsii lH (16) means humility instead of
difficult
words. The translation of wu wei t , as non- "emptiness " used in most previous translations.
interference (3, 64) is a masterpiece, for in most Perhaps both the strength and the weakness of
cases wu wei in the Tao-te Ching simply means Dr. Lin's translation consists in making the Tao-te
laissez-faire, and former translations such as Ching entirely consistent and perfectly clear. Cer-
"inaction," "inactivity," "non-assertion," etc. tain passages of the book are admittedly obscure
are misleading. "Is in accord with Nature " for and inconsistent and might as well be left that
nai t'ien 7J~i (16) is excellent. "Reveal the way. On the other hand, in bringing out the true
simple self" for chien su Jf , is much more cor-meaning of many chapters, Dr. Lin makes the
rect than Waley's "give them simplificity to lookTao-te Ching a living classic, which it really is.
at" or Carus' " show thyself simple (19). Both
Waley and Carus are wrong in their interpretation CHAN WING-TSIT
of tzu * in ch. 27, whereas Dr. Lin's translation DARTMOUTH COLLEGE

China. By A.
A. G.
G. WENLEY
WENLEY and
and JOHN
JOHN A.
A. POPE.
POPE.reader will
will get
get some
some intelligent
intelligent understanding
understandingof
of
Pp. vi + 86.
86. Washington,
Washington, D.
D. C.:
C.: THE SMITH- Chinese ceramics,
THE SMITH- ceramics, calligraphy,
calligraphy, painting,
painting,bronze,
bronze,
SONIAN INSTITUTION
INSTITUTION (War Background cloisonn6,
(War Background cloisonn6, stone
stone carving,
carving, jade,
jade, lacquer,
lacquer,embroidery,
embroidery,
music, etc. The section on "the Chinese mind"
Studies No.
No. 20),
20), 1944.
1944.
includes religion, Neo-Confucianism, and science.
The authors
authors are
are to
to be
be congratulated
congratulated for
for this briefIt is praiseworthy that in such a short account of
thisbrief
and illuminating
illuminating story
story of
of China.
China. With
With material
material China, the authors felt the necessity of including
carefully drawn
drawn from
from both
both Chinese
Chinese and
and Western
WesternNeo-Confucianism. Knowledge of this intellectual
writers, the
the account
account is
is factual,
factual, impartial,
impartial,smooth,
smooth,
movement of the last millennium is indispensable
and interesting.
interesting. Besides
Besides the
the text,
text, there
there are
are25
25
to the understanding of the Chinese mind, and yet
well-selected
well-selected and
and beautiful
beautiful plates,
plates, ten
ten very
veryfasci- most writers on China seem to be unaware of its
fasci-
nating drawings,
drawings, tables
tables of
of provinces
provinces and andhistorical existence. The discussion on Chinese music, short
historical
periods, a very
very handy
handy chronological
chronological chart
chartdevoted
devotedbut penetrative, should serve to dispel the nonsense
chiefly to
to cultural
cultural deveelopments,
deveelopments, and and aashort
shortbut
butabout Chinese music both in the average Western
excellent bibliography.
bibliography. The
The book
book isis the
the best gen-mind and in books by Van Aalst and others.
bestgen-
eral account
account of
of China
China that
that has
has appeared
appeared in inEnglish
EnglishAltogether, the book is very much worth reading,
so far. It should
should be
be extensively
extensively circulated
circulatedand
andby everybody.
widely read.
read. However, the book is not entirely free from
Perhaps too much of the book is devoted to faults. The importance of the pictographic element
physical geography, which takes up 28 of 77 pages
in Chinese calligraphy is exaggerated. Chinese
of the text, while only one page is given to religioncalligraphers have always treated the art pri-
and almost none to the economic life of the people. marily as one of lines, without the slightest at-
Nevertheless, the brief text covers a variety oftention to the pictographic origin of characters.
subjects-language, history, the examination sys-Architecture is omitted entirely. Litchi (26, 42)
tem, foreign contacts, European trade, treaties and is better spelled li-chih, and Fan-yii (figs. 4, 7;
concessions, China's part in World War II, socialp. 26) obviously mispronunciation for P'an-yii.
organization and government, education, art, and It is wrong to say that " Mo-tzii, Mencius, Hsiin-
"the Chinese mind." The treatment of all these tzii, and Han Fei-tzii are the leading names of the
subjects is objective, instructive, to the point, and
Confucian school" (72). Mo-tzii was the founder
based on good authority. The section on culturalof Mohism and Han Fei-tzu the leader of the
contacts with the West is particularly fine. TheLegalist School, both bitter opponents of Con-
section on art is rich both in information and infucianism. The T'ai-p'ing Rebellion started from
interpretation. In a space of eight pages, the
Kwangsi province, not Kweichow (46). China

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212 Reviews of Books

declared
declaredwar
warononGermany
Germany andand
Austria
Austria
in 1917, we can say
in 1917, say is
is that
that they
they are
are similar,
similar,but
butnot
not
not
not 1918
1918(53).
(53).The
TheBook
Book
of of
Odes
Odes
andand
mostmost
otherother
necessarily
necessarily in
in parent-child
parent-child relationship.
relationship.
Confucian
Confucianclassics
classics
areare
believed
believed
by by
mostmost
scholars
scholars
to toThese are
are minor
minor mistakes,
mistakes, inin no
no way
wayhindering
hindering
have
have been
beencompiled
compiled after
afterConfucius,
Confucius,not not
at his
at histhe purpose
purpose for
for which
which the
the book
book has
hasbeen
beencompiled,
compiled,
time
time (82).
(82).Mongolia
Mongolia should
should notnot
be referred
be referredto asto as
namely, toto give
give Americans
Americans an an adequate
adequateunder-
under-
Russian
Russianterritory
territory (11),
(11),
since
since
Russia
Russia
stillstill
acknowl-
acknowl- standing
standing ofof the
the background
background of of the
theWar,
War,with
with
edges
edges Chinese
Chinesesovereignty
sovereignty there.
there.
ThereThere
is nois nospecial reference
reference to
to China.
China. Nowhere
Nowhereelse elsecan
canone
one
evidence that the Chinese musical scale is an im- learn so much
much about
about China
China in
in three
threeororfour
fourhours
hours
portation of the Pythagorean scale (42), nor as is in this book.
there any proof that Chinese chess is borrowed CHAN WING-TSIT
from India (42). With available information, all DARTMOUTH COLLEGE

The Way of Life according to Laotzu. An Ameri- unknown poet, not a version of a poem that had
can Version by WITTER BYNNER. The John been translated over and over again, more than
Day Co., New York, 1944. 76 pp. thirty times, by most of the great translators, as
well as by many others. The deplorable lack of
Ever since Edward Fitzgerald, almost a century
scholarship in certain American circles is typically
ago, achieved permanent fame by rewriting the shown in a review by Ruth Lechlitner, in the
quatrains of Omar Khayyam, lesser poets have fol- New York Herald-Tribune (Mar. 11, 1945, p. 14),
lowed his example. Such an easy acquisition of which declares, "Witter Bynner's long study of
poetic ideas tends to its nadir in the "translation" Chinese literature and his memorable translation
of an oriental poem by persons who cannot and ... particularly qualify him for this verse presen-
have not read the original. Some years ago, in tation." The New York Times previously printed
another city, I asked a Chinese friend what he had a similar adulatory review. Would Miss Lechlitner
been doing. With a disgusted look he replied, or theJ,erald-Tribune book editor, Mrs. Irita Van
"Translating Chinese poetry." Knowing that his Doren, be equally ready to say that someone who
Chinese was not first-class and his English wascannot read French and has not read the original
poor, I asked further. He told me that he had of a French poem is "particularly qualified" to
been hired to sit at one end of a table and translate " present" that poem? Such cavalier treatment
Chinese poems into English, while a group of would call down upon her head the denunciation
American women sat about the table, turning his of every true Gallic mind. It is time that America
words into English verse! wakes up to the realities of the world situation
A rendering that did not require even that
and demands from its writers about Chinese
little Chinese assistance is now presented in this
matters more than mere dilettantism.
"American version" of the Laodz's philosophical While this book is nowhere declared to be a
verses. Witter Bynner admits that he "cannot translation, most of its readers will understand it
read Chinese" (p. 14) and that he has not had
to be such and will look to it for the Laodz's ideas,
any help from Dr. Jiang Kang-hu (p. 21). He especially in view of the fact that it obviously
mentions no other Chinese assistance. Dissatisfied'
attempts to follow the original, chapter by chapter,
with Dr. Lin Yiitang's admirable translation,
often line by line. This "version" is especially
Bynner believes that "two years spent in Chinaunfortunate because more than mere literary power
and eleven years of work with Dr. Jiang in trans-
was possessed by the Laodz, which Chinese phrase
lation of The Jade Mountain " (p. 14) justify is almost surely not a name, but a title, meaning,
him in dispensing with any use of the original"the venerable viscount," alluding to the noble
Chinese and in working with ancient Chinese rank of his son, who was made Viscount of Duan-
poems from the English versions alone! gan. The Laodz was the Parmenides of China and
Here is something quite different from Fitz-one of the world's great original thinkers, who
gerald's work, who read the Greek and Persiandiscovered some important philosophic concepts
poets in the original and presented a previously
that have even yet not been properly appreciated

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