The philosophical letters of Wang Yang-ming

Abstract

Wang Yang-ming (1472-1529) was a Neo-Confucian philosopher of the Ming Era, whose thoughts have had a profound influence in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. But, although there has been a wealth of material published in Chinese and Japanese on his life and philosophy, the English-language world has only two previous translations of Wang Yang-ming{u2019}s selected writings. This translation contains sixty-seven letters, thirty-one more than previously translated, which help reveal the philosophy of the great Chinese thinker. Included are a preface with background information, critical annotations and references, bibliography, and a glossary of Chinese and Japanese words. The book is an important contribution to the literature of Chinese philosophy, knowledge of which assists our understanding of China yesterday and today.