New-York tribune., 1884-01-11
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
CHINESE LITERATURE.

GEMS OF CHINESE LITERATURE. BY HUBERr A.
GILEs. London: Bernard Quaritch. pp. 254
Mr. Giles has here attempted to give 10 the Eng
lsh-speaking people some idea of the treasures OF
that vast literature Of China which has been talked
Of 90 much but of which so little is known. Dr.
Legge has performed an important and difficult task
in translatng the Chinese classics, Confucus, Men
cius etc, but of the various styles and periods OF
Chinese authorship the world has remained almost
wholly ignorant. Mr.. Giles possesses specai quail
fications for the work he has undertaken, being an
accomplished Chinese scholar, and having Ill MS
position as British Consul at Shanghai opportuhi-
ties of acquiring information at rst-hand. lie mas
produced a volume which ought to be extensively
read and which gives quite new view OF the pecu-
liar people who for so long period nave oeeh re-
garied by Western nations rather IN the ught oi
particularly populous practical Joke let the
literature of China illustrated by the plentiful
extracts given here, aud which range from 400 b. Z.
TO 1900 A. d.. has a great deal IN 1t which VIII
strike the average reader as very human and not
even altogether unlike Western literature 1t is
curous 20 find a Chinese philosopher. twenty-five
centuries ago. inquirng whether life is worth
living. not indeed quite in Mr.. Mallocks way, but
with an obvious eye to a negative answer So, too.
the amatory sentiments, the patriotism, even the
religio-phiosophy of the yellow men of the Middle
Kingdom fell naturally into grooves with when We
are all familiar There is, indeed an aosehce Vi
that wealth of poetical Imagination Which 'no
tcratures of Europe exhibit but there is no Iack oi
graceful description, plenty OF evidence ol NV'n
love of nature and sound and genial philosophy
here and there crops ont which reminds one ol 'no
old English (ideal gentleman. Inc argument 10
foonontlv very acute and the logic of a solidty to
mass muster in a Scotch university. Ot notion lew
instances are gwen. and this is TO be regretted
10, was a
olnmc of such necessarily brief extracts to give COM
nlete stories. Still we should have liked sample
OF the Chinese method in story telling, and Wouiu
have checrfully sacrificed some specimens OF OeestaI
philosophy for such an illustration Among the eA-
tracts which will most surprise ana interest," n'S'
readers we presume the Chinese proverbs ueie
seems TO be very few European proverbs Whic"
have not been paralleled in the Flowery hlhgdohl'
and indeed it makes the world appear smaller 'hah
ever when one finds that the Chinese a couple or
ION tbousand wears ago thought and said tie same
things that our ancestors cTystalilzed INTO proverbs
nnder such differing conditions. Mr. Giles says OF
the Chinese proverbial philosophy: " Most Western
nroverbs maxims household words, etc. are to be
fopnd imbedded therein; sometimes expressed IN
strictly identical terms. at other times d!hellhG
only in point of local color. Here are lc" WHICH
will be recognized at once:
One actor does not make play.
Ont of the VOLTS lar into the tigers mouth
Prevention is better than cure
BETTER living dog than dead non
AS the twig rs bent the trees lncllhtu'
When the cats away the rats play
II il the uucXpeCted which always happens
Oven till the fields aud rats eat the corn
BETTER be fowls back tEan bullocks Tump'
And here are a few the flavor of which IS more
decidedly Chinese. though some OF them nave Iohs
been common property:
Deal with tho faults of others as gently as with
your own. -. i,,,,,
A man thinks he knows, but woman SHOWS better
No medicine rs as good as a mlddllng doctor.
No needle is sharp az both ends
Straight trees are feied tifst. , ,..-...- e
Only HlbeCiicS want credlt IoI tHe dcic' VI
their ancestors
Detter a dog and peace than man in war
Don't break a vase for shy at rat
Every one gives a shove 10 the tumbling wall.
You can't chop thing as round as you can pare IT,
lie who rides tiger cannot dlSlnOuhl'
POlitcncss before force.
Don't make dump ings in teapot,
Don't take pOe-aXe to Kill "a tONl.
Money makes a blind man sce
A near neighbOr is better than distant relation
Women share adversely better than prosperity
There is abundance of shrcwdness and homely
wisdom i'm these and scores more of Chinese prov
erbs and savings given by Mr.. Giles and IN many OF
the specimens of literary style there is an elegance
and evidence of ripe culture which Indicate that |
fullv a thousand years ago China had attained a |
nlace IN literature such ss Western nation at |
tained until much later. The volume as a whole |
Is very interesting and causes the reader to WISH
that some of the authors represented could be trans
lated at length
The Euolish Illustrated Magd.ine for January is