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Confucius said, “I have never seen anyone who loves virtue as much as they love beauty.”
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Confucius was in danger when surrounded by people in Kuang. He said, “King Wen of Zhou is long gone – but is not the cultural tradition now embodied in me? If Heaven intended to destroy this culture, those born after him (including myself) would never have had access to it. Since Heaven has not…
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Confucius rarely spoke about profit. He spoke much more often about fate (the Mandate of Heaven) and humaneness (benevolence).
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The Master said:“Was Shun not the epitome of filial piety?His virtue made him a sage; his honor made him Son of Heaven;he possessed the wealth of all within the Four Seas.He is honored in ancestral temples, and his descendants preserve his legacy.
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As one of the “Four Books” of Confucianism, The Doctrine of the Mean (Zhongyong) stands as a profound guide to living in harmony with oneself, others, and the natural order. Attributed to Zisi, the grandson of Confucius, this text was originally a chapter in the Book of Rites before being elevated to a standalone…
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As one of the four core classics of Confucianism, The Great Learning (Daxue) holds a sacred place in Chinese intellectual and cultural history. Originally a chapter in the Book of Rites, an ancient collection of ritual and ethical texts, it was later compiled and annotated by the Song Dynasty scholar Zhu Xi, who elevated…
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Amidst the great classics of Chinese philosophy and literature, Cai Gen Tan (Vegetable Root Talks, Roots of Wisdom or Tending the Roots of Wisdom) occupies a unique place – it is not an epic novel, a dense philosophical treatise, or a religious scripture, but a collection of pithy, practical maxims for navigating life.
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Among the world’s most influential philosophical texts, the Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing) stands out as a masterpiece of brevity and profound insight. Attributed to Laozi (Lao Tzu), a mysterious sage believed to have lived in the 6th century BCE during China’s Spring and Autumn Period, this small book of just 81 chapters…