A practical and succinct reading guide to classic texts in Chinese philosophy.

Organized around a selection of sources ranging across roughly 2,000 years, this is an introduction to thinkers and themes in classical Chinese philosophy. The guide helps readers engage with one of the world's earliest philosophical traditions: it covers texts by the influential philosophers Confucius, Mencius, and Zhuangzi. And it goes beyond them, introducing thinkers well-known in the tradition but less commonly taught in modern Western classrooms: Zhu Xi, Wang Yangming, and Fang Yizhi.

The focus throughout is on how to read the texts. Tackling complex ideas and philosophical concepts, each chapter follows the same format. The historical context appears before the central themes and arguments are discussed. Textual excerpts accompany both close readings and explanation of philosophical reading practices, teaching readers to unpack arguments with textual sensitivity. A glossary and further reading suggestions give additional support.

For anyone coming to Asian philosophy for the first time, here are the skills and tools you need to read and understand major texts in Chinese philosophy.

Malcolm Keating is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Smith College, USA. His research focuses on philosophy of language and epistemology in early Nyaya and Mima?sa. He is most recently author of Reason in an Uncertain World: Nyaya Philosophers on Argumentation and Living Well (2024) and Classical Sanskrit for Everyone: A Guide for Absolute Beginners (2025).
Eirik Lang Harris is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Colorado State University, USA. His research focuses on ethics and political philosophy in classical China. He is the author of The Shenzi Fragments: A Philosophical Analysis and Translation (2016) and Meritocracy in Early Chinese Political Thought (2026) as well as co-editor of Adventures in Chinese Realism: Classic Philosophy Applied to Contemporary Issues (2022) and Explaining and Illustrating the Laozi: The Earliest Commentaries on the Daodejing (2026).