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Confucius said, “When seeing goodness, one should feel as if unable to catch up with it; when seeing what is not good, one should recoil as if touching boiling water. I have seen such people and heard their words. As for those who retreat into seclusion to preserve their aspirations and act righteously to…
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The Master said, “The determined scholar and the humane person will never seek to preserve their life at the expense of benevolence (humaneness); they would rather sacrifice their life to fulfill humaneness.”
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Zilu asked how to serve a ruler. The Master said, “Do not deceive him, but dare to remonstrate with him openly – even if it offends him.”
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The Master said, “If I cannot find someone who follows the middle way to associate with, I would surely choose the bold or the principled! The bold are eager to advance; the principled refuse to do certain things.”
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Following in the footsteps of Confucius, Mencius (Mengzi, 372–289 BCE) stands as the second great sage of Confucianism, whose teachings solidified and expanded the philosophical system laid by his predecessor. His work, Mencius, a collection of dialogues, debates, and moral arguments, is not merely a supplement to The Analects – it is a foundational…
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Mencius said: “A person must know what not to do, before they can truly accomplish anything meaningful.”
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In 208 CE, Kong Rong – a famed scholar, descendant of Confucius, and former Governor of Beihai – was executed by Cao Cao. His crime? Repeatedly mocking Cao Cao, openly criticizing his policies, and refusing to show deference in official memorials and letters. Though ostensibly punished for “slandering the court,” his real offense lay…
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5.14 When Zilu heard any precept and was still trying unsuccessfully to put it into practice, his one fear was that he might hear some fresh precept.