Cheng Man-ch'ing wrote this series of essays to make various points of classical Chinese philosophy understandable to beginning readers. Hennessy does a wonderful job in translating this work, as well as providing the classical references for each essay, giving a historical context for a western reader without the necessary background. In his continuing effort to show the artistic and scholarly vision of Professor Cheng, Mark Hennessy has brought out not only the subtle depth of Cheng’s interpretation of these classics, but his humor, sly wit, and awareness of cultural change.