authentic virtue

The Analects – Chapter 202 (8.16). Against Hypocrisy: Confucius on authentic virtue beyond performance

August 22, 2025

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Juan

8.16The Master said, “Impetuous, but tricky! Ingenuous, but dishonest! Simple-minded, but capable of breaking promises! To such men I can give no recognition.”
The Analects – Chapter 114 (5.24). Confucius’ critique of performative uprightness

August 12, 2025

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Juan

5.24 The Master said, “How can we call even Weisheng Gao upright? When someone asked him for vinegar he went and begged it from the people next door, and then gave it as though it were his own gift.”
Caigentan 64. Critique of superficial virtue

August 1, 2025

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Juan

A man who has not uprooted his hankering for fame and fortune, even if he disdains enormous wealth and delights in plain living, will in the end descend to the level of the vulgar world.
Caigentan 46. The Stone Resolve & Water Spirit

July 31, 2025

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Juan

Self-cultivation requires a mind impervious to outside allurements, as if it were made of wood or stone.
Caigentan 33. Unburdening to ascend

July 30, 2025

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Juan

By casting out thoughts of wealth and rank from his heart, a man rids himself of the taint of the world.
Caigentan 29. Beyond rigid virtue

July 29, 2025

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Juan

Exerting yourself to do a good job is a fine moral trait. But if you make yourself too miserable in the process, then your own ease of mind becomes impossible.