The Book of Chinese Wisdom 中国智慧故事

《中国智慧故事》原用英文撰就，由中国外文出版社于1996年出版。2000年该书由美国最大的出版公司之一普伦蒂斯﹒霍尔公司（Prentice Hall）在美国出版，随后被译成多种语言在各国出版。作者在撰写英汉对照本的过程中，对原著内容作了全面修订和大幅度的扩充，并拓展为四册。每册有一个主题。中国智慧故事》是作者根据多年来所研读的数百种中国书籍，包括《老子》、《庄子》、《易经》、《论语》、《左传》、《国策》、《国语》、《史记》、《三国志》、《资治通鉴》等等，选取其中最能代表中国智慧的精华故事，以现代英语重新撰写而成，旨在使不具备中国历史知识的普通英语读者也能了解渊源博大的中国智慧。

近年来，世界各国对中国的兴趣日趋浓厚。但是，目前国外出版的多为现代中国的题材，而以普通读者为对象，介绍中国古代智慧的书却极少。其实，中国古典智慧是很有现实意义和实用价值的。作者相信，通过此书，读者既可以受到中国智慧的启迪，又能够增进对中国传统文化的了解。

The Book of Chinese Wisdom was originally published by the Foreign Language Press of Beijing in 1996 under the title of A Treasury of China’s Wisdom. It was published in the U.S. by Prentice Hall Press in 2000 under the title of A Victor’s Reflections and Other Tales of China’s Timeless Wisdom. Subsequently it was translated into other foreign languages and published in Europe and Asia. I have completely revised and substantially expanded the book for the bilingual version. The book is now in four volumes, each with a distinct theme.

I approach the subject of Chinese classical wisdom with a view of applying it in our present-day life. No prior knowledge of China is needed as I take you on a tour through the treasure land of Chinese wisdom and call your attention to the gems in the treasure trove. I hope you will discover the practical value of Chinese wisdom while learning something about Chinese culture.

第一册搜集了近七十个有关管理艺术的故事。中国悠久的文职传统使管理在古代就已经成为一门练达的艺术。管理艺术是与人打交道的艺术。今天，尽管科学技术取得了长足的进步，但是人的本性几乎没有变化。读者将发现本书故事里的智慧既新鲜又实用。本书还从管理角度探讨了《易经》的智慧。

Book I gleans nearly seventy tales of the art of management. With China 's long tradition of civil administration, management was a refined art in ancient China . Management, in essence, is about people. Despite advances in science and technology, human nature has hardly changed since ancient times. The wisdom embedded in these tales will strike the reader as both fresh and practical. Book I also explores the wisdom of The Book of Changes from a business perspective.

第二册搜集了近七十个饱蘸机智和幽默的故事。读者将发现，智慧的表达方式多种多样。它可以指心灵的觉悟, 可以指一种健全的人生哲学, 也可以指一种智谋, 或者一种应对棘手局面的方法。本书许多寓言的哲理是中国智慧的一个重要组成部分。本书还收了一些著名的禅宗的故事。

Book II gleans about seventy tales of wit and humor. Through them the reader will find that wisdom manifests itself in many ways. It can mean the enlightenment of the mind, a sound philosophy of living, a stratagem, or the effective management of a difficult situation. This volume contains many fables whose moral has become an integral part of Chinese wisdom. A dozen well-known stories of Zen are also included.

儒教不仅是中国的文化遗产，也是中国智慧的一个不可或缺的组成部分。第三册将介绍孔子的生平和为人,还将介绍孔子的同时代人——老子的智慧。传统的中国家庭往往有一部家训作为家族成员的行为准则。治家格言在中国文化中有特殊的位置。本书将介绍两部著名的古代治家格言。

In Book III we shall find out what kind of a man Confucius was like. We shall also learn the wisdom of Lao Tzu, an older contemporary of Confucius. A traditional Chinese family often had a set of precepts that served as rules of conduct for everybody to follow. They occupy a special place in Chinese culture. In Book III we shall present two well-known examples of familial precepts.

观察人的智慧和愚蠢的最佳时期似乎是当一个旧王朝为一个新王朝所取代的那段时期。伟人往往产生在这段时期里。命运让他们有机会尽其智慧, 施展才华。本书考察了中国历史上三个最有意义的时期。第一个是秦朝的崛起和崩溃的过程；第二个是汉朝兴起的过程；第三个是明末清初的动荡年代。

The period between the fall of an old dynasty and the rise of a new one seems to be the best focal point to observe the folly and wisdom of man. The times gave birth to great men whose talent and wisdom were brought into full swing by fate. Book IV examines three most significant periods in Chinese history. The first is the rise of the Qin dynasty and its rapid collapse; the second is the rise of the Han dynasty; and the third is the downfall of the Ming dynasty and the rise of the Qing.