The Caigentan () is a circa 1590 text written by the Ming Dynasty scholar and philosopher Hong Zicheng (). This compilation of aphorisms eclectically combines elements from the Three teachings (Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism), and is comparable with Marcus Aurelius' Meditations or La Rochefoucauld's Maximes. Title Chinese Caigentan combines cai 菜 "vegetables; greens; (non-staple) food; dish; course (in menu)", gen 根 "roots (of plants); bottom (of mountains)", and 譚 "talk; conversation; discourse". This compound caigen 菜根 "inedible root of a vegetable; cabbage stalk" is a literary metaphor meaning "bare subsistence" (originating in Zhu Xi's Xiaoxue 小學 "Minor Learning"). The Chinese proverb Jiao de caigen, baishi ke zuo 嚼得菜根, 百事可做 literally means "[One who has] chewed vegetable roots [for lack of anything better to eat] can accomplish anything", or figuratively "One who has gone through hardships can do anything". "By vegetable roots, food such as turnips, radish, carrots and sweet potatoes is meant", says Vos. English translations of the Caigentan title range from literal to figurative: "Musings of a Chinese Vegetarian" "Discourses on Vegetable Roots" "The Roots of Wisdom" "Discourses on a Simple Life" "Tending the Roots of Wisdom" "Zen of Vegetable Roots" "Vegetable Roots Discourse" Isobe clarifies the title as meaning "Talks by a man who lives on vegetable roots", or more freely "Talks by a man who lives a plain and humble life". Textual history The history of Caigentan editions is convoluted. No original text is extant in China, and the earliest printed editions are preserved in Japan. Traditionally, the two received Caigentan versions are identified by whether they list the author Hong's given name Yingming 應明 or courtesy name Zicheng 自誠. These two texts have three early prefaces. The first "Zicheng version" preface is by Yu Kongjian 于孔兼, a contemporary friend who calls the author Hong Zicheng. The second and third "Yingming version" prefaces, dated 1768 and 1794, are by Suichutang zhuren 遂初堂主人 "Suichu Hall Master" and Sanshan bingfu Tongli 三山病夫通理 "Three Mountains Invalid Tongli". Both Caigentan versions are divided into two ce 冊 "books; volumes". The Zicheng version has 360 (or 359) entries, and the Yingming version has 383. The first book is subdivided into four sections, titled Xiushen 修身 "Self-cultivation", Yingchou 應酬 "Social Relations", Pingyi 評議 "Critiques", and Xianshi 閒適 "Leisure"; the second book is titled Gailun 概論 "General Comments". Besides differing in number and ordering of entries, the Zicheng and Yingming editions also differ in