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The Chinese Pleasure Book

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An examination of pleasure -- short-term delight and the cultivation of longer-term satisfaction -- in early Chinese thought.

In Ordinary Pleasures, Michael Nylan takes up one of the most important themes in Chinese thought: the relation of pleasurable activities to bodily health and the health of the body politic. In a notable contrast to Western writings on the subject, early Chinese writings oppose pleasure not with pain but with insecurity. All assume that it is right and proper to seek and take pleasure, as well as short-term delight, and all are equally certain that long-term relational pleasures are more easily sustained -- as well as potentially more satisfying and less damaging. The pleasures that become deeper and more satisfying over the long term, as one invests time and effort into their cultivation, include friendship and music, sharing with others, developing integrity and greater clarity, reading and classical learning, and going home. Nylan explores each of these fields of activity through the early sources , providing new translations for both well-known and seldom-cited texts.

Pages: 472

Format: Hardcover

Release: October 05, 2018

ISBN 13: 9781942130130

The Chinese Pleasure Book

0/5 ( ratings)

An examination of pleasure -- short-term delight and the cultivation of longer-term satisfaction -- in early Chinese thought.

In Ordinary Pleasures, Michael Nylan takes up one of the most important themes in Chinese thought: the relation of pleasurable activities to bodily health and the health of the body politic. In a notable contrast to Western writings on the subject, early Chinese writings oppose pleasure not with pain but with insecurity. All assume that it is right and proper to seek and take pleasure, as well as short-term delight, and all are equally certain that long-term relational pleasures are more easily sustained -- as well as potentially more satisfying and less damaging. The pleasures that become deeper and more satisfying over the long term, as one invests time and effort into their cultivation, include friendship and music, sharing with others, developing integrity and greater clarity, reading and classical learning, and going home. Nylan explores each of these fields of activity through the early sources , providing new translations for both well-known and seldom-cited texts.

Pages: 472

Format: Hardcover

Release: October 05, 2018

ISBN 13: 9781942130130

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