The Way of Water and Sprouts of Virtue

by Sarah Allan

Book Overview

Explicates early Chinese thought and explores the relationship between language and thought.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0791433862
• ISBN13: 9780791433867
• Release Date: June 1997
• Publisher: State University of New York Press
• Length: 196 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.4" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Excellent book concerning Early Chinese philosophy...

This is a great book for people who are seriously interested in ancient Chinese philosophy. The book mainly deals with Confucius, Laozi, Mencius, Zhuangzi, and a little bit of Xunzi. Its basic arguement is that all philosophical thought around that period can be connected through the metaphors which they use to explain their ideas. Mainly, this counts for the metaphor "water," which is frequently used by virtually all ancient Chinese philosophers as a way of explaining their point. The author shows that in ancient China the properties of water were considered equal to the properties of human nature. Another popular metaphor among ancient Chinese philosophers is that of the plant and in particular its sprouts, which is once more connected to human nature. In her conclusion the author shows that through their metaphors a lot of the points made by the various philosophers are quite similar. This helps you understand why later on Chinese philosophy grew together and become a more collective principle.

Unearthing the root metaphors

Sarah Allan's The Way of Water and the Sprouts of Virtue is an absorbing book that yields productive insight into the thematic watersheds of Chinese philosophical discourse. Enjoyable for the general reader, it is also a substantial work of scholarship that holds appeal for specialists in sinology and Chinese philosophy. Drawing on the theoretical work of linguist/philosophers George Lakoff and Mark Johnson (Metaphors We Live By; Philosophy in the Flesh, etc.), Allan endeavors to unearth what she calls the "root metaphors" of early Chinese thought. She argues persuasively that the unique conceptual metaphors of Chinese thinking are to be found in the concrete natural imagery of water and plant life. Allan's project is based upon solid and meticulous scholarship into important early texts from the Confucian and Daoist traditions, as well as more obscure and difficult sources such as inscriptions on bronze and jade. The book includes Allan's own lucid and well-informed translations of key passages from such texts as the Analects, the Mengzi, the Zhuangzi, and the Daodejing. The Way of Water and Sprouts of Virtue is a wonderful contribution.