{"product_id":"the-confucius-chronicles-wai-yee-li-9780231214827","title":"The Confucius Chronicles: A Guide to the Texts That Made the Legend","description":"\u003cp\u003eOur ideas about Confucius come from the stories told about him. He often appears as the great sage of ancient China, handing down timeless moral precepts to his disciples and to posterity. Yet over the course of twenty-five centuries, Confucius has meant many different things to different people, representing varied views on political order, ethical behavior, and personal well-being. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis book explores enduring narratives about Confucius, shedding light on his role as a symbol of cultural ideals and a fulcrum of ideological debates across eras. Wai-yee Li translates and provides commentary on a wide range of key texts, examining how Confucius's legacy was interpreted in different historical moments. Beginning with the canonical account by the historian Sima Qian, she canvasses Daoist and Legalist writings from the Warring States, a ballad about a homicidal Confucius from the Tang dynasty, an eighteenth-century anthology of jokes, modern writers such as Lu Xun, and contemporary rap music, among others. Focusing on how these stories are told, Li identifies continuities, ruptures, and unexpected connections in the representations of Confucius and considers the questions they raise. Suitable for a range of courses, this book offers new ways to understand Chinese cultural and intellectual history through Confucius and his transformations.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Wai-Yee Li\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0231214820\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780231214827\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Columbia University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/27\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 368\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.46lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.94d","brand":"Wai-Yee Li","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":47965972955391,"sku":"9780231214827","price":140.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_ebceaf84-daa6-444f-9b3b-c17c1278fc91.jpg?v=1767286061","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-confucius-chronicles-wai-yee-li-9780231214827","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}