REVIEWS OF RECENT BOOKS 197 



Wind 23," under these the phrase and transliteration appear again, 

 accompanied by translation, application, and note. If Mr. Williams 

 even suggested that the collection were complete there might be some 

 reason for such meticulous entry, but he expressly states; "I had 

 originally collected a larger number of aphorisms than those given 

 herein, but I eliminated a good many as being of insufficient im- 

 portance or lesser frequency of usage, and the reminder now published 

 may be considered to be a fairly representative collection, or at any 

 rate a good foundation for the average student to work upon" ; while 

 many phrases in every day use as : @$ £ j§£ jfc Tsui Sheng Meng Seu, 

 with only as much sense as a drunken or dreaming man, said of a 

 very foolish person ; and $ *£ A ffc Chu Sheng Ju Ssii, Go out from 

 life, enter death, are omitted therefore such double entries are un- 

 necessary. In any case as useful a purpose would be served and much 

 space saved, if instead of printing the Chinese phrase twice the cross 

 references were amalgamated and printed in one line, in English 

 only, as; "See, Sand 2, Pole 1, etc., etc." 



The historical and explanatory notes are of exceptional interest 

 and value in showing the sources from which sayings have sprung, 

 and one could wish that in a second edition these should be added 

 to. On the other hand there seems no reason for inserting the 

 analysis of a handful of characters, as ox, horse, various numerals, 

 rat, snake, etc., etc. No subject is more fascinating than the study 

 of the origin of characters but in a Manual of Metaphor, when only 

 two or three, as it were, can be touched upon, to do so gives the 

 book a haphazard air, one that it does not deserve. 



An interesting amplification to the volume would be a short 

 table, or an addition to the existing "Classified Table of Subjects" 

 giving the number of entries under each class ; this would be extremly 

 illuminating as it would show the main lines in which the imaginative 

 thought of the Chinese runs, and would show clearly the intense love 

 of Nature, and the acute powers of observation possessed by this least 

 understood of Nations. The greater number of metaphors have to do 

 with the emotions, and with the forces of Nature. Thus, under 

 Heart, we find thirty-seven entries, under Heaven thirty, Wind twenty- 

 seven, Moon fourteen, whereas in the majority of cases there are 

 but three to five. 



No review would be complete which did not mention a few of 

 these sayings which make the Chinese language so picturesque, though 

 choice is difficult; "The heart of a rosy (naked) child," Childish 

 simplicity, Innocence, the explanatory note to these aphorism runs : — 

 The Chinese believe the heart is the seat of the intellect and the 

 emotions, and is pierced by a number of "eyes which pass right 



