Saturday, May 21, 2022
Self-Appraisal
Excerpt from Li Zhi, "Self-Appraisal" (tr. Rivi Handler-Spitz), in A Book to Burn and a Book to Keep (Hidden): Selected Writings of Li Zhi, edd. Rivi Handler-Spitz et al. (New York: Columbia University Press, 2016), p. 138:
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He was by nature narrow-minded and he appeared arrogant. His words were vulgar, and his mind was wild. His behavior was impulsive, his friends few, and his countenance ingratiating. When interacting with people, he took pleasure in seeking out their faults; he did not delight in their strengths. When he disliked people, he cut them off and sought to harm them for the rest of his life.Cf. another translation of the same passage in Rivi Handler-Spitz, Symptoms of an Unruly Age: Li Zhi and Cultures of Early Modernity (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2017), p. 52:
He was by nature narrow-minded and he appeared arrogant. His words were vulgar, and his mind wild. His behavior was impulsive, and his friends few, but when he got together with them he treated them affectionately. When interacting with people, he took pleasure in seeking out their faults; he did not delight in their strong suits. When he hated people, he cut them off and sought to harm them all his life.
