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Yang Zhu said, “Doing good deeds is not, in itself, done to gain a good reputation, yet a good reputation naturally follows; having gained a good reputation, one does not seek to gain benefits, yet benefits naturally come one’s way; having gained benefits, one does not compete with others for them, yet the calamities that…
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Zhao Xiang Zi sent his army to attack the State of Di, capturing the towns of Zuoren and Zhongren. When the messenger returned to report the victory, Zhao Xiang Zi was in the midst of his meal. Upon hearing the news, however, a look of concern crossed his face. Those around him asked, ‘This is…
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The State of Jin was plagued by a proliferation of thieves. There was a man named Xi Yong who could determine whether a person was a thief by reading their facial features. The Marquis of Jin had him examine the populace for thieves, and among hundreds of people, not a single thief would escape his…
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During the Warring States period, there was a man from the State of Qin named Niu Que, a highly learned scholar of great repute from the region of Shangdi. Once, while on his way to the capital of Zhao to pay respects to the ruler of Zhao, he passed through a place called Ousha where…
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“To be, or not to be” – Shakespeare “Erchen” (literally “two-subject officials”) refers to those who served as officials in the previous dynasty and then surrendered to and served in the subsequent dynasty. Because this violates the “way of loyalty and righteousness” in Chinese culture, the term carries a strong moral judgment. Towards the end…
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Gu Hongming (1856–1928) was a renowned scholar, translator, and cultural conservative during the late Qing and early Republican periods. Having received a Western-style education from an early age, he was fluent in several European languages. He translated Confucius classics “The Discourses and Sayings of Confucius”, “Higher Education” and “The Universal Order or Conduct of Life”…