This Zhuangzi ‑ Zaiyou excerpt advocates wu‑wei: let beings abide by their innate nature instead of meddling. Via tales of Guang Chengzi and Hong Meng, it warns against disturbing human hearts with man‑made moral systems.
This Zhuangzi ‑ Quqie excerpt delivers sharp political satire. It argues sage‑made laws and virtues get hijacked by powerful usurpers, advocating discarding sages‑cleverness to restore primitive plain‑simplicity.
This Zhuangzi ‑ Pianmu excerpt uses webbed‑toe metaphors. It argues artificial virtues like benevolence, righteousness are excrescences, urging people to abide by inherent nature rather than sacrificing themselves for external ideals.
Mencius claims curbing excessive desires is the finest way to nurture one’s innate good heart. Few desires let people retain most original virtue, while rampant cravings dim one’s inherent moral nature, forming a core Confucian self-cultivation principle.
Mencius advises scholars to hold moral superiority over nobles. He dismisses lords’ lavish palaces, feasts and grand hunts as worthless excess. Rooted in ancient righteous principles, he fears no powerful figures who only chase material luxury.