New Writings

Jia Yi was the most brilliant young statesman of early Han, a prodigy summoned to court at twenty-two, then exiled by jealous ministers, and dead of grief at thirty-three. His New Writings gather his essays and memorials on how to make the new dynasty last: the faults of Qin, the danger of overmighty feudal princes, the education of the heir, the value of ritual, the threat of the Xiongnu, the economics of grain and coinage. Among them is the famous essay The Faults of Qin, one of the great pieces of Chinese prose. This complete new English translation covers the whole received text, a vivid portrait of a young mind trying to shape an empire. Names are given in modern pinyin and key terms are rendered plainly rather than buried in jargon, so the arguments, stories and debates can be read straight through by anyone curious about Chinese thought.