『菜根譚』は明代の洪応明によって著されました。本書は儒教、道教、仏教の三教のエッセンスを融合させたもので、世の人々に平和に共存し、温厚に人に接し、何事も極端に走らないよう説いています。世界中の華人社会において、本書は家々に知れ渡っているだけでなく、彼らの生活態度にも多大な影響を与えています。
Vegetable Roots was written by the Chinese scholar Hong Ying-ming in the late 16th century. The book is a crystallization of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, which teaches people to love peace, to be kind and not to go to extremes. These teachings are not only well known to Chinese around the world but also have greatly influenced their attitude towards life.