SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

Confucian political realism

  • The Analects – Chapter 14.19

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    Ana

    Confucius remarked that Duke Ling of Wei was “without the Way (Dao)” (i.e., an unprincipled ruler). Ji Kangzi asked, “If that’s the case, why hasn’t he lost his state?”Confucius replied, “Zhongshu Yu handles diplomatic guests, Zhu Tuo manages ancestral temple rituals, and Wangsun Jia oversees the military. With such capable ministers fulfilling their roles,…

  • Mencius – Chapter 7.6 Elite consensus as the catalyst for universal moral transformation

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    Ana

    Mencius said: “Governing the state is not difficult – the key is not to alienate the great families (influential aristocratic clans).What these great families admire, the whole state will admire;what the whole state admires, all under heaven will admire.Thus, moral education will spread abundantly and overflow throughout the Four Seas.”