Gong Yu Reads the Classics with You: From Laozi to Wang Yangming

In his later years, Mr. Qian Mu gave the world a reading list of just seven books: the Laozi, the Zhuangzi, the Analects, the Mencius, the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, the Reflections on Things at Hand, and the Instructions for Practical Living. He said these were "books every Chinese person should read." Spanning over two thousand years, from the pre-Qin era to the Ming dynasty, the seven books trace a complete path of spiritual growth: Laozi teaches you to recognize the patterns of the world, Zhuangzi helps you escape inner turmoil, Confucius lays a solid foundation, Mencius nurtures a noble spirit, the Sixth Patriarch calms a restless heart, Zhu Xi offers a daily regimen for self-improvement, and Wang Yangming finally gives you a kick: understanding without action means you haven't understood at all.

But this is no dry textbook. Gong Yu is neither scholar nor master, just an ordinary reader who loves books, enjoys turning things over in his mind, and can translate old classics into plain language. He doesn't lecture you; he just sits and chats. First, he brings the seven sages down from their pedestals, so you can see what they looked like, what they went through, who made them cry with anger, and who they argued with. Then he invites you to wonder together: if this person came back to life today and sat across from you over tea, what would they make of the mess you're facing?

When you open this book, you aren't "studying the classics." You're sitting on an old sofa beside someone who's read a lot but doesn't put on airs, listening as they tell stories and gossip, and occasionally give you a hard time. As you chat, the knot in your heart seems to loosen a little.

These seven classics aren't meant to be memorized. They're meant to be encountered. You don't need to finish them in one go or understand everything. When you're tired, troubled, or lost, just open to any page and find the person who's been waiting for you.