Tom Mazanec
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tommazanec.bsky.social
Tom Mazanec
@tommazanec.bsky.social
1.6K followers 510 following 570 posts
Author, Poet-Monks (Cornell UP). Assoc prof at UC Santa Barbara. Premodern Chinese lit & religion, translation, digital humanities. JAOS editor. Father of 2. Cantonese learner. Christ follower.
https://eastasian.ucsb.edu/people/faculty/thomas-mazanec
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tommazanec.bsky.social
Tom Mazanec @tommazanec.bsky.social · Nov 10
Getting close to 100 new followers in the last few days, so I guess it’s time to do the self introduction thread.

I’m a scholar and translator of medieval Chinese literature, especially Tang-dynasty (618-907) poetry. I teach Classical Chinese language & literature at UC Santa Barbara.
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tommazanec.bsky.social
I’ve definitely translated this before somewhere. But I don’t remember.
February 12, 2026 at 5:29 PM
tommazanec.bsky.social
Bobson Dugnutt is a seriously good baseball name
February 2, 2026 at 8:57 PM
tommazanec.bsky.social
An 8-vol translation of Dōgen's Shōbōgenzō 正法眼藏 (13th cent.) has been published & is available on Jstor. A milestone in the history of East Asian Buddhism. Translators include Carl Bielefeldt, William M. Bodiford, T. Griffith Foulk, and the late Stanley Weinstein.
www.jstor.org/stable/jj.13...
January 30, 2026 at 5:09 PM
Reposted by Tom Mazanec
Hot off the presses--and yes, this *is* open access! For those of you who want to know more about #milk and #medicine and #Chinesefood #TCM

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Tummy Troubles: When Chinese Healers Administered Milk | Journal of Chinese History 中國歷史學刊 | Cambridge Core
Tummy Troubles: When Chinese Healers Administered Milk
www.cambridge.org
January 24, 2026 at 9:14 PM
Reposted by Tom Mazanec
craigclunas.bsky.social
There are bunch of different #scholarships/#fellowships going in Cambridge at the Needham Research Institute and its East Asian History of Science library #historyofscience #科技史
Here are details:
www.nri.cam.ac.uk/opportunitie...
Needham Research Institute - Research Opportunities
www.nri.cam.ac.uk
January 23, 2026 at 6:01 PM
tommazanec.bsky.social
Makes sense. Yeah, we usually only publish anything focused on the 20th century or later if it’s hardcore antiquarian
January 17, 2026 at 4:51 PM
tommazanec.bsky.social
The repentance part of the text seems sincere, with some decent reflection on change in 心. And while his stated sins mostly reflect catalogs from that time, he does leave out drunkenness because he says he’s not a drinker by nature. So there’s some attempt to reflect reality
January 17, 2026 at 4:22 PM
tommazanec.bsky.social
Journal of the American Oriental Society, it dates back to 1842 (recently rechristened as Journal of the American Society for Premodern Asia). One of pillars of the field for premodern, up there with T’oung Pao, CLEAR, HJAS, JCLC, Asia Major, and the dynasty-specific journals
January 17, 2026 at 4:14 PM
tommazanec.bsky.social
Shen Yue's confessions are particularly wild, ranging from stealing classical texts (性愛墳典, 苟得忘廉。取非其有, 卷將二百) to both hetero and homosexual love affairs (淇水上宮，誠無云幾；分桃斷袖，亦足稱多).
January 17, 2026 at 3:30 PM
tommazanec.bsky.social
At JAOS / JASPA, we recently published an essay by Tian Xiaofei on how the structure of the Buddhist confession / conversion narrative shaped autobiographical writing from the early medieval period on: lockwoodonlinejournals.com/index.php/ja...
JAOS
Early Chinese autobiographical writings tend to paint a still portrait of who the author is: his temperament, personality, and achievements. They operate on a model of being and, at best, of a continu...
lockwoodonlinejournals.com
January 17, 2026 at 3:11 PM
Reposted by Tom Mazanec
zuoya.bsky.social
My new piece on the history of the chickpea in premodern China just came out. Wishing you a health near year full of good food! www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
January 7, 2026 at 4:47 PM
tommazanec.bsky.social
Haha, I have this on my syllabus for Classical Chinese! (This might actually be a screenshot of part of my syllabus?)
January 7, 2026 at 5:05 PM
tommazanec.bsky.social
Arthur Waley's translation, from A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems, dating to the 1920s.

I love how commentators all agree that the Ganyu poems are allegories, but strongly disagree as to what they're allegories for.
January 5, 2026 at 10:08 PM
tommazanec.bsky.social
I recently did an interview with the New Books Network about my book, Poet-Monks. I can't stand to hear my own voice, so I won't listen to it, but in case you wanted to, here it is: newbooksnetwork.com/poet-monks. @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social
Thomas J. Mazanec, "Poet-Monks: The Invention of Buddhist Poetry in Late Medieval China" (Cornell UP, 2024) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
January 5, 2026 at 9:48 PM
tommazanec.bsky.social
Review of Dictionary of Taoist Internal Alchemy by Fabrizio Pregadio
Tyler Feezell
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December 15, 2025 at 7:28 PM
tommazanec.bsky.social
Review of Twenty-Nine Goodbyes: An Introduction to Chinese Poetry by Timothy Billings
Lucas Klein

Review of A Catalog of Benevolent Items: Li Shizhen’s Compendium of Classical Chinese Knowledge. Selected Entries from the Ben Cao Gang Mu by Paul Unschuld
Yan Liu
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December 15, 2025 at 7:28 PM
tommazanec.bsky.social
"Forming the Knowledge of Fragrance in Song Dynasty Catalogues of Incense"
Qian Jia

"The Travels of Tang Emperor Xuanzong (r. 712–756)"
Paul W. Kroll

Review of The Rise of Modern Chinese Thought by Wang Hui
Don J. Wyatt
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December 15, 2025 at 7:28 PM
tommazanec.bsky.social
Here is the East Asia content, which I edited.
"The Final Part of the Mongol Text of the 1413 Tyr Trilingual Inscription"
Pavel Rykin

"The Reconstructed Morphology of Old Chinese and Word Classes in Warring States Chinese"
Lukáš Zádrapa
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December 15, 2025 at 7:28 PM
tommazanec.bsky.social
The latest issue of JAOS has been published, #145.4 (2025). This will be the last one under the old name. Starting next year, the journal will appear under its new name, JASPA: Journal of the American Society for Premodern Asia.
lockwoodonlinejournals.com/index.php/ja...
@aspa1842.bsky.social
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JAOS
The Journal of the American Oriental Society (ISSN 0003-0279) is published quarterly by the American Oriental Society.
lockwoodonlinejournals.com
December 15, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Reposted by Tom Mazanec
miriamposner.com
WE JUST KEEP WINNING. (UC President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program RESTORED!!!!)
On official UC letterhead: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA James B. Milliken President Office of the President 1111 Franklin Street Oakland, CA 94607 universityofcalifornia.edu CAMPUSES Berkeley Davis Irvine UCLA Merced Riverside San Diego San Francisco Santa Barbara Santa Cruz MEDICAL CENTERS Davis Irvine UCLA San Diego San Francisco NATIONAL LABORATORIES Lawrence Berkeley Lawrence Livermore Los Alamos DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES November 18, 2025 Dear Chancellors: I'm writing with regard to the President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (PPFP) and the program's associated faculty hiring incentive. As you know, for more than 40 years, PPFP has provided postdoctoral research fellowships, professional development, and faculty mentoring to scholars in all fields whose research, teaching, and service advance the academic and research missions of the University of California. Since 2003, UC campuses that hire current and former PPFP fellows into ladder-rank positions have been eligible for a hiring incentive funded by the University that provides support for newly hired fellows for five years. Since the creation of the incentive, more than $162 million has been invested by the University to support PPFP faculty hires. This commitment has enabled our campuses to successfully recruit and retain outstanding faculty across a range of disciplines. Given the myriad challenges currently facing UC - including disruptions to billions of dollars in annual federal support, as well as uncertainty around the state budget- reasonable questions were raised in recent months about whether the University could maintain the commitment to current levels of incentive funding. After considering a recommendation to sunset the incentive program due to these significant fiscal constraints, I consulted with all of you as well as faculty and campus academic administrators and systemwide Academic Senate leadership. [continued on next image] After learning more about the history and success of the program and weighing the thoughtful perspectives that have been shared, I have concluded that barring extraordinary financial setbacks, the PPFP faculty hiring incentive program will continue while the University continues to assess the program's structure as well as its long-term financial sustainability. As a result of our continuing consultation and review, there may be consideration of some changes to elements of the program including the total number of incentives supported, a number that has fluctuated significantly over the years, and how the awards are distributed among campuses. In the meantime, the University will continue to fund the PPFP faculty hiring incentive program and campuses may continue to take advantage of these incentives. We will have an opportunity to discuss any potential changes prior to adoption. As we look to the future, I will continue to engage with faculty leaders, program stakeholders, and UC community members about this important program. I especially appreciate the thoughtful perspectives shared in recent weeks by Academic Council Chair Palazoglu and Vice Chair Scott, the Council of Graduate Deans, UC faculty members, and you as our campus leaders. Sincerely, James B. Milliken President
November 18, 2025 at 10:34 PM
tommazanec.bsky.social
Of course, the e-version remains free, open-access. Download it here: www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...
Poet-Monks by Thomas J. Mazanec | eBook | Cornell University Press
Poet-Monks focuses on the literary and religious practices of Buddhist poet-monks in Tang-dynasty China to propose an alternative historical arc of medieval Chinese poetry. Combining large-scale quant...
www.cornellpress.cornell.edu
November 13, 2025 at 9:43 PM
tommazanec.bsky.social
Cornell University Press is having a sale of 44% off. If you wanted to get a physical copy of my book, Poet-Monks, you can do so for $27 (paperback) including shipping. Just use the code 09WINTER.
www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...
Screenshot showing the cost breakdown of the book with shipping, discount, etc., as $27.21.
November 13, 2025 at 9:43 PM
tommazanec.bsky.social
I was honored to work with someone as erudite as Prof. Zhou, and I am grateful to the Journal of Chinese Literature and Culture for the opportunity to work this out in print for their "Key Terms of Chinese Literary Theory" special issue.
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October 21, 2025 at 3:07 PM
tommazanec.bsky.social
We ask questions like: can you separate the art from the artist? Can immoral people create good poetry? Are good writers moral exemplars? How have the answers to these questions shaped Chinese literary history? What relevance do these questions have to our era of "cancel culture"?
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October 21, 2025 at 3:07 PM
tommazanec.bsky.social
My latest publication is now online. "Literary Virtue: A Moral Cornerstone of Chinese Literary Theory." In this essay, Zhou Xinglu 周興陸 of Peking University and I explore the history of the concept of literary virtue (wende 文德) across 2000 years.
#Sinology🀄️📚

read.dukeupress.edu/jclc/article...
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Literary Virtue: A Moral Cornerstone of Chinese Literary Theory | Journal of Chinese Literature and Culture | Duke University Press
read.dukeupress.edu
October 21, 2025 at 3:07 PM