feigned madness

  • Lu Tong [Biographies of Noble Scholars]

    Lu Tong, the Madman of Chu, feigned madness to evade officialdom. He sang to dissuade Confucius from political pursuit, preaching the Daoist “utility of the useless”. Rejecting royal recruitment, he and his wife secluded themselves on Mount Emei.

  • The feigned madness of Sun Bin [Warring States]

    This article recounts the harrowing tale of Sun Bin and his descent into a feigned madness to survive the treachery of his former classmate, Pang Juan, during the Warring States period. It details how Pang Juan, jealous of Sun Bin’s superior military genius, framed him, leading to the cruel punishment of kneecap removal and…