Wang Ni was a worthy man from the time of Emperor Yao, and he was the disciple of Bei Yi. Nie Que studied under Wang Ni and asked him about the Dao.
Gongboliu slandered Zilu before Ji Sun. Zifu Jingbo informed Confucius, saying, “Ji Sun has indeed been misled by Gongboliu, but with my influence, I could still have Gongboliu executed and his body exposed in the marketplace.”The Master replied, “Will the Way prevail? It is a matter of Heaven’s Mandate. Will the Way be abandoned?…
This article explores the Daoist philosophy of Zhuangzi through two legendary stories of death: the passing of his wife and his own demise. It recounts the famous idiom “Drumming on a Basin”, where Zhuangzi rejected mourning rituals to celebrate his wife’s return to the natural cycle of transformation. Furthermore, it details his refusal of…
When a trap is set for fish it sometimes happens that a frog blunders into it. A mantis stalks a cicada, only to fall prey to the unseen finch following it.
If Heaven has not granted me enough happiness I keep increasing my store of virtue to supplement this small portion.
Once greed and selfishness dominate a man’s mind, his previously steel-like nature will become soft and weak; his intelligence will become blocked and dulled; his benevolent nature will become vicious; his pure spirit will become muddied; and the virtue he has accumulated over a lifetime will become dissipated.
Striving to get on in the world without keeping some distance from it is like trying to shake the dirt off your clothes while shrouded by dust, or like washing your feet in a mud puddle.
A person who shuns power, wealth and luxury is clean. But a man who comes into contact with power, wealth and luxury and still remains unsullied is even cleaner.
The verse — “With flowers and wine, spring ever stays; Without lamp or candle, night self-illumines” — originates from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio: The Examination for the Post of City God (Kao Cheng Huang or Candidate for the City God).