Focusing the Familiar

The Zhongyong -- translated here as Focusing the Familiar -- has been regarded as a document of enormous wisdom for more than two millennia and is one of Confucianism's most sacred and seminal texts. With this new translation Roger Ames and David Hall provide a distinctly philosophical interpretation of the Zhongyong, remaining attentive to the semantic and conceptual nuances of the text to account for its central place within classical Chinese literature. They present the text in such a way as to provide Western philosophers and other intellectuals access to a set of interpretations and arguments that offer new insights into issues and concerns common to both Chinese and Western thinkers. In addition to the annotated translation, a glossary of terms gives in concise form important senses of the terms that play a key role in the argument of the Zhongyong. An appendix addresses some of the more technical issues relevant to the understanding of both the history of the text and the history of its English translations.

David L. Hall is presently professor of philosophy at the University of Texas at El Paso.