SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

emotional restraint

  • The Analects – Chapter 12.6

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    Ana

    Zi Zhang asked about clarity (or discernment). The Master said, “If insidious slander—like water slowly soaking in—and urgent, emotionally charged accusations—like a wound to the skin—cannot take hold with you, you may be called ming. If such slander and complaints find no traction in you, you may also be called farsighted.”

  • The Analects – Chapter 11.11

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    Ana

    After Yan Hui died, Confucius’s disciples wanted to give him an elaborate funeral. The Master said, “You must not do that.” Nevertheless, they gave him a lavish burial. Confucius then said, “Hui regarded me as a father, yet I was not allowed to treat him as a son. It was not my doing –…

  • The transactional bond between the Chivalrous Maiden and Scholar Gu

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    Ana

    In Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio: The Chivalrous Maiden, the relationship between the maiden and scholar Gu is complex and ambiguous — devoid of traditional “romantic love.” Their interactions orbit obligation, mission, and ethics, marked by restraint, detachment, and pragmatism rather than mutual affection.