In thefirstissueofthequarterlyjournal,PhilosophyEastandWest, one author remarks that, ‘as a result of the devoted study of so many philologists, the most important texts are available in trans­
lations and can be used as a starting-point for later phases in the evaluation’.1 The desire of that author is to see studies in Oriental thought progress beyond the basic stages, and reach the level o f comparative philosophy. This desire is understandable, and is shared by an increasing number of students. However, his statement as to the availability in translation o f‘the most important texts’, applicable though it perhaps may be to the Indian philosophers, is certainly far from correct, so far as Chinese philosophy is concerned. The only period well represented in translation is the most ancient one,
although even there such important texts as the Ku Liang Commen­ tary on the Tso Chuan and the Huai Nan Tzu remain untranslated. For the period since the Latter Han dynasty (about a.d. 200), there is a great emptiness, broken only by a solitary sampling here and there. Unfortunately for our wish to rise above the basic work of translation, the fact is that a tremendous work of translation must yet be done before we can make bold to essay a serious comparative
study o f philosophy.