Audiobook

Works of Mencius

Mencius

Mencius (c. 372–289 BC), or Mengzi (孟子 Mèngzǐ), was one of the most important figures in the history of Chinese philosophy. His book consists largely of conversations he had with princes about the wise manner of governing a state. James Legge (1815-1897), Scottish missionary and later professor of Chinese at Oxford, prepared a five-volume edition "The Chinese Classics," combining Chinese text with English introductions, commentaries, and translations. This is the second volume. The Chinese text is read here in a pronunciation combining the phonology of mid-Qing dynasty Nanjing-based Southern Mandarin with the sounds of contemporary Mandarin, and the introduction and notes in English are recorded in separate files. The English translation is to be found in the companion project, "The Works of Mencius (tr. Legge)" - Summary by Ariphron