generosity

  • The Slaughtered Ox and the Sigh: The Rise and Fall of Dong Zhuo

    In 189 AD, Dong Zhuo, the Governor of Bing Province, accepted the invitation of He Jin and Yuan Shao, and marched from Chang’an to Luoyang to eliminate the powerful eunuch faction known as the Ten Attendants. He Jin and Yuan Shao had schemed meticulously, intending to use Dong Zhuo as a tiger to devour…

  • The Analects – Chapter 18.10

    The Duke of Zhou offered governing advice to Lu’s ruler: cherish kin, value ministers, retain loyal old officials without serious faults, and never demand flawless perfection from any single person, embodying Confucian tolerant and pragmatic talent-management wisdom.

  • The Analects – Chapter 17.6

    When Zizhang asks Confucius about benevolence (Ren), Confucius names five key virtues: reverence, tolerance, trustworthiness, diligence and kindness. Each brings distinct social and political benefits, turning abstract benevolence into practical guidelines for self-cultivation and governance.

  • The Analects – Chapter 15.26

    The Master said, “I was still able to witness an age when historians left blanks in their records for uncertain matters, and when someone who owned a horse would lend it for others to ride. Alas, such virtues are gone today!”

  • Caigentan 89. The integrity of selfless motives

    In making a sacrifice, it is important not to have an indecisive mind. Such a mind can inflict a great deal of shame on your spirit of self-sacrifice.

  • Gong Mengbi

    Liu Fanghua lived in Baoding, Hebei Province, and was the richest man in this village. His generosity often attracted hundreds of visitors to his house. He was always ready to help others and never spared an expense. Relatives and friends often failed to pay back the money borrowed from him. Only one visitor from…

  • Drinking Pal

    Che’s family was not wealthy, but he had a craze for liquor. He couldn’t sleep without drinking three big cups at night. So, the liquor bottle by his bed was never left empty.

  • The virtues of reciprocity in “Ding Qianxi”

    Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio: Ding Qianxi recounts a tale of selfless generosity, karmic reciprocity, and authentic human connection set in Shandong province.