Genres of Chinese Intellectual Thought

This book explores the forms through which Chinese intellectual thought is expressed. It systematically addresses the crucial question of how Chinese thought is articulated according to different conventions and examines the historical interplay between literary genres and philosophy in China. In premodern China, language and thought are deeply intertwined. Pre-modern Chinese thought has a unique logic and cognitive structure. The distinct genre traditions that developed throughout China's long history have shaped the fundamental modes of expressing that thought. This study investigates the expressive forms and cognitive frameworks of Chinese thought through the historical dynamics of genre and philosophy, offering groundbreaking insights into the articulation of Chinese thought. The book will be essential reading for scholars and students of Chinese and East Asian studies, especially those interested in philosophy, intellectual history, and literary genres.

Liu Ning is a research fellow and a doctoral supervisor at the Institute of Literature, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), who was formerly a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University. Her primary research focuses on ancient Chinese literature and the history of academic thought.

1. Masters Monographs from the Han through the Tang 2. Formation and Development of the Discourse (lun) 3. Interactions between Genres: Classics and Masters, Commentaries and Monographs 4. The Song Dynasty: "Modeling on the Sage" and Neo-Confucian Genres 5. The Modern Transformations of Intellectual Literary Genres