Further Reflections on Things at Hand: A Reader

As interest in Asian studies grows, and introductory and survey courses of non-Western subjects increases, so too must the pertinent published material keep pace. Some areas are relatively well equipped (Japan seems to be getting its fair share of the attention), while others lag dramatically from a dearth of written sources. Even though translations and studies of Asian philosophy, religion and intellectual history is reaching quality level compared to their counterparts in Western and European Studies, the quantity remains deficient.
Chinese philosophy, in particular, for many people continues to conjure up images of arcane and recondite minutia, its books often relegated to the "Metaphysics" section in otherwise complete bookstores. And any works on specific Chinese thinkers seem limited to the same few household figures: Confucius, Lao Tzu, and Mao Tse-tung.
For the specialist, of course, particularly those who are able to read Chinese, this is not such a problem. Even in English, given the time to find them, any number of essays, monographs, articles and chapters can be found on many different individuals, though these are usually of a scholarly nature and hence not easily comprehended by the lay reader.
One seminal thinker in Chinese history whose influence is felt beyond its borders is Chu Hsi, whose interests took in many diverse fields. Although the attention Western scholars have recently shown to Chu Hsi has increased remarkably, given the widespread influence he has experienced both in and beyond China, this attention still seems inadequate. Moreover, the bulk of the publications concerning his thinking has been limited rather to his philosophical views, though this too is changing.
Nevertheless, it seems reasonable to provide the average reader with a wider selection from his broad range of interests. While the present book does include a relatively specialized discussion in the Introduction, the translation reflects balanced choice that should not prove onerous to any interested student.