Confucius

  • Authenticity Beyond Speech, Fame and Worldly Fortune

    This commentary on Zhuangzi ‑ Xu Wugui covers multiple fables, including the Ying man and carpenter Shi anecdote. It values authentic inner nature over rhetoric, warning against obsession with worldly fame and fortune.

  • 不食周粟 (Bù shí Zhōu sù)

    This entry explains idiom “Bu shi zhou su”, originating from Records of the Grand Historian. Based on Bo Yi and Shu Qi’s story, it symbolizes moral integrity: refusing benefits from a regime deemed unjust, with nuanced positive‑critical readings.

  • Where Is the Dao?

    This commentary on Zhuangzi ‑ Zhi Bei You unpacks three key fables. It argues the Dao permeates all things yet transcends words and intellect, with all phenomena transforming from the single universal qi.

  • Chapter 32. Lie Yukou

    This page interprets Lie Yukou from Zhuangzi. Through fables, it warns against fame‑seeking and hollow ambition, satirizes worldly success, and advocates detachment. It ends with Zhuangzi’s famous rejection of lavish burial, accepting death as part of nature.

  • Chapter 31. The Fisherman (Yu Fu)

    This page explores The Fisherman from Zhuangzi. A wise fisherman criticizes Confucius for exhausting himself pursuing ritual and righteousness. Advocating “valuing authenticity”, he stresses inner sincerity over hollow conventions, as Confucius humbly receives his Daoist teaching.

  • Chapter 29. Robber Zhi (Dao Zhi)

    This page interprets Robber Zhi from Zhuangzi. Through Robber Zhi refuting Confucius, it denounces the hypocrisy of Confucian benevolence and righteousness. Two additional dialogues examine harms of fame and wealth, advocating following nature and preserving one’s true self in this highly subversive chapter.

  • Chapter 28. Yielding the Throne (Rang Wang)

    This Zhuangzi ‑ Rang Wang collects fables of hermits rejecting thrones, rank and wealth. It advocates cherishing one’s inner life above worldly power, holding politics as secondary to personal spiritual cultivation.

  • Chapter 27. Imputed Words (Yu Yan)

    This Zhuangzi ‑ Yuyan (Metaphors) chapter explores three literary‑philosophical speech modes: imputed, quoted, and goblet‑words. It advocates flexible, natural language aligned with heavenly equality rather than rigid fixed judgments.

  • Chapter 26. External Things (Wai Wu)

    This Zhuangzi ‑ Wai Wu chapter features classic parables: the minnow in dry ruts, Ren‑Gongzi’s giant‑fish catch and “useless‑as‑use”. It argues external outcomes are uncertain and advocates “forgetting‑words” for true insight.