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Confucius said, “When seeing goodness, one should feel as if unable to catch up with it; when seeing what is not good, one should recoil as if touching boiling water. I have seen such people and heard their words. As for those who retreat into seclusion to preserve their aspirations and act righteously to…
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Zilu asked Confucius, “What kind of person can be called a ‘complete person’ (a morally and intellectually fulfilled individual)?”The Master said, “If someone possesses the wisdom of Zang Wuzhong, the lack of desire of Gongchuo, the courage of Bian Zhuangzi, and the talents of Ran Qiu – and is further refined by ritual and…
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Zi Gong asked, “What must one be like to be called a ‘shi’ (a morally responsible scholar-official)?”The Master said, “One who acts with a sense of shame and, when sent on missions abroad, fulfills his ruler’s charge without disgracing it—such a person may be called a shi.”Zi Gong asked, “May I ask about the…
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Chen Dai said to his teacher Mencius: “You refuse to visit feudal lords – it seems overly modest, even petty. If you’d just go see one once, at best you could implement the Kingly Way; at least, you might help him achieve hegemony. And as the old saying goes: ‘Bend one chi (about a…
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After Mencius left Qi state, his disciple Chong Yu asked him on the road: “Master, you seem troubled. Yet not long ago I heard you say yourself: ‘The noble person does not blame Heaven or resent others.’ Why do you now appear so disheartened?”
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Kong Rong (153–208 CE), the twentieth-generation descendant of Confucius, was born into a family steeped in scholarly and political prestige. His seventh-generation ancestor, Kong Ba, had served as tutor to Emperor Yuan of Han, and his father, Kong Zhou, held the post of Commandant of Taishan. Orphaned at thirteen, Kong Rong displayed exceptional moral…