共译典籍Translate the Classics

Why proofreaders

This library promises three things: original text first, our own translation second, and the source named on every page. A translation is a claim, and a claim without anyone checking it is just an opinion. The verified seal is only worth what the people who earn it are willing to verify.

We are looking for volunteers who will read the classical Chinese against our English, catch what a machine cannot - nuance, idiom, tone - and help us keep every page honest.

Gift & Contribution Policy · 捐獻與貢獻政策

What you'd do · 做什麼

• Proofread translations - read a hexagram, a chapter, or a passage against our English rendering.
• Check glossary consistency - the same term must carry the same English everywhere (our glossary is the standard).
• Flag uncertain passages - where a character is missing or disputed, we mark it rather than hide it.
• Suggest, not rewrite - proposals come with a note; a human decides. That is how the seal stays earned.

Who we're looking for · 我們需要誰

You need any one of these - not all:

• Reading knowledge of classical Chinese - you can read 文言 and want to improve the English it becomes.
• Strong English + genuine interest - you may not know 文言 yet, but you care whether the English is natural and true; you can learn the Chinese as you go.
• Native English taste - the final read that makes the rendering sound like English, not translation.

No paid work, no corporate strings, no deadlines beyond your own comfort. Just careful, credited effort.

What you get · 回報

• Named credit & a verified seal - your name goes on every page you worked on, beside the seal you helped earn.
• Your own private seal · 你的私人印章 - every volunteer receives a personal seal in the library's seal style: a character you choose, stamped as "your name · 印". It starts as a digital SVG you can use anywhere, and it can grow into a real one.
• Real depth in the classics - proofreading one hexagram against the original teaches more than a dozen casual reads. This is the kind of hands-on access to the source texts that paid metaphysics courses rarely give you.
• A proofreader's role in the community - a verified scholar role in the library's community forum, early access to new translations and tools, and a place among people who care about the same rare topic.
• Contributor's record - a verifiable record of what you proofread, dated and credited; useful in a portfolio or CV, and honest - we only count work that passed review.
• Thank-you copies - after a set number of accepted reviews, the library's premium translations and reports come to you free.
• A public good - this library is free and source-verifiable; your work makes it trustworthy for every reader who comes after.

The role, the early access, and the thank-you copies grow with the community. What never changes is the credit and the seal - they are yours from your first accepted review.

The seal, and how it grows · 印章三階

• 銅 · Digital seal - your first accepted review earns your digital "XX印" SVG, ready to use anywhere.
• 石 · Carved seal - 10 accepted reviews earn a real carved seal in traditional seal stone (青田 or Shoushan stone), carved and mailed to you, wherever you are.
• 玉 · Jade seal - 30 accepted reviews, or completing a whole text, earn a jade seal - the highest honour in the seal tradition - permanent top billing on the contributors wall, and the library's premium works free.

How it works · 流程

1. Claim a text - pick a hexagram, chapter, or passage from the work-in-progress list below.
2. Compare and annotate - read the original against our translation; note what should change and why.
3. Submit your translation - open a pull request on GitHub or discuss on the Classics & Errata forum.
4. Review and seal - an editor reviews; accepted changes are applied, and the page's verified seal is updated with your name.

Work in progress · 待校對清單

While our digital archives house 2,000+ classical Chinese works in complete transcriptions, our Chinese-to-English translation effort has only just begun. We have established foundational bilingual terminology in our Glossary and completed initial foundational texts, but the vast majority of volumes are awaiting line-by-line translation and rigorous human collation.

Here is what is claimable right now. Each task is a classical passage waiting for a careful eye; pick one, read the original against our draft English, and submit your review.

How to join · 加入

Open a Claim a translation Issue telling us which text you would like to start with and a sentence about your classical Chinese background. We answer everyone, and the first text usually goes out the same week.

Claim a translation on GitHub →

Prefer email? Write to hi@astrologylib.org