Overview

Traditional Chinese Children’s Primers: A Sourcebook is the first anthology of traditional Chinese children’s textbooks in a European language. This selection of eleven primers, spanning over two thousand years of Chinese education history, remains well-known in East Asia and the global diaspora of Confucian-heritage cultures. These texts represent an important genre of children’s literature and education materials that were employed to teach basic vocabulary, develop cultural literacy, and start students on their journey toward greater fortunes in the imperial examinations. The sourcebook covers texts from the second-century BCE to the late twentieth-century, and a range of subject areas, including etiquette instruction, literacy training, character education, and Confucian and Daoist thought. The Classic of Family Reverence (Xiaojing), for example, opens a window onto early Confucian thought in ancient China, while the Extended Wise Sayings (Zengguang xian wen) represents the eclectic worldviews and beliefs of the seventeenth century, and Lord Wenchang’s Essay on Quiet Merits (Wenchang dijun yinzhi wen) introduces readers to the tradition of popular morality books. This first-of-a-kind sourcebook in English addresses a long-standing gap in the translation of primers and provides impetus for research in the development of character and virtues, comparative literature, and cross-cultural education studies.

Full Product Details

Author:   Katherine Ngo ,  Kelly Ngo
Publisher:   Michigan Publishing Services
Imprint:   Lever Press
ISBN:  

9781643150918

ISBN 10:   164315091
Pages:   338
Publication Date:   11 November 2025
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Table of Contents Introduction 1. Primers as a Transnational Genre 2. Why Study These Texts? 3. Selection of Primary Sources 4. History of the Child’s Book 5. A Note on the Translations Matters of style Terminology 6. A Note on the Texts Translations Classic of Family Reverence 孝經 (Han dynasty, c. 202 BCE) Thousand Character Essay 千字文 (Liang dynasty, c. 500) Hundred Family Names 百家姓 (Song dynasty, c. 1000) Exalted Treatise on the Response of the Dao 太上感應篇 (Song dynasty, c. 1164) Lord Wen Chang’s Essay on Quiet Merits 文昌帝君陰騭文 (Song dynasty, c. 1200) Three Character Classic 三字經 (Song dynasty, c. 1300, revised 1928) Words for Children 小兒語 (Ming dynasty, 1558) Further Words for Children 續小兒語 (Ming dynasty, 1593) Extended Wise Sayings 增廣賢文 (Ming dynasty, c. 1600) Guidelines for Learners 弟子規 (Qing dynasty, c. 1700) Essentials of Daily Etiquette 常禮舉要 (modern China, 1959) Bibliography

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Author Information

Katherine Ngo and Kelly Ngo are lecturers of ancient Chinese literature at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

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