This publication is a translation of the essay “Jin xue jie” (“What Is 'Advancement in Learning'?”) by the Confucian scholar and philosopher Han Yu (768–824). It is accompanied by an introduction and a detailed commentary. The commentary explains the allusions and realities behind the text and, for the first time in Western sinology, analyses the rhymes of this essay, which is written in rhythmic prose. This translation was conducted as part of an academic project at the Institute for Oriental and Classical Studies of National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) and considers the grammatical parallelisms and stylistic features of the original.
Han Yu; Confucianism; rhythmic prose; Tang Dynasty; Chinese classical prose.