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chapter 4 ancient chinese civilization
chapter 4 ancient chinese civilization
chapter 4 ancient chinese civilization
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Proverbs are common sayings that are used to illustrate a point to give advice to people on how to live. Chinese proverbs are the common sayings that are used during the time of ancient China. They have existed for thousands of years. According to Chinese Proverb Stories, a website that describes the different kinds of proverbs, "Historical Chinese proverbs are used to illustrate a point, describe a legendary figure, or describe a historical event" (chineseproverbstories.com). Many of these proverbs derived from ancient literature. These proverbs are usually associated with myths or historical facts to educate about morality. Many of these Chinese proverbs came from philosophers and poets such as Lao-Tzu, Confucius, Mozi, and many others. Chinese proverbs are expressions used to educate people about morality on how to lead lives.
千里之行, 始于足下, Qiānlǐ zhī xíng, shǐ yú zúxià, is a proverb developed by 半途而废, Bàntú'érfèi, a Chinese philosopher and poet. He is believed to have found Taoism, a philosophy that advocates about the simplicity and calmness of living life. Its literal translation in English, "The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one's feet," was coined by Dr. Hilmar Klaus, a Daoist writer and psychologist. According to Thomas Cleary, author of Further Teachings of Lao-tzu, this proverb may have derived from around the time of c. 604-c. 531 B.C. in the Tao Te Ching, a Chinese classic text. That was the time period when Lao-tzu lived his life and did most of his work. The moral meaning of this proverb is that we must take the initiative to begin the first step in order to achieve or thrive in anything. We all have the opportunity to thrive and excel; however, to actually succeed is based on your self-motivation t...
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...rb Stories." Chinese Proverb Stories. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
Historical Chinese proverbs are used to illustrate a point, describe a legendary figure, or describe a historical event. Chinese proverbs are often associated with moral lessons; they are used to teach literature and morality.
Cleary, Thomas. Further Teachings of Lao-tzu. Boston: Shambala Publications, 1991. Print.
Lao-Tzu is an ancient Chinese philosopher and poet. His teachings holds a non-aggressive and calm approach to life. Many of his teachings show positive motivation towards life.
Scarborough, W., and C. Wilfrid Allan. A Collection of Chinese Proverbs. New York: Paragon Book Reprint, 1964. Print.
Chinese proverbs are sayings that expresses the basic truth of common sense. The author of many of these proverbs include: Lao-Tzu, Confucius, Mozi, and many other philosophers.
Confucius’ impact on Chinese culture has withstood numerous generations and continues to be one of the most prominent philosophies found in Chinese culture. Firmly rooted in years of education, Confucius spent considerable time developing his set of values and principles. In his article entitled “Confucius and the Effortless Life of Virtue”, author Hagop Sarkissian adds to this by saying, “Confucius set his mind on a course of study or cultivation at the age of fifteen, and pursued such studies for a span of fifty-five years, and was thereby able to cultivate a state of being such that he could follow his immediate inclinations in all of life’s predicaments without transgressing social norms” (Sarkissian 1). Confucius’ extensive studies only added to the philosophy represented in the Analects. This includes the pas...
Shows how Confucius teaches individuals of both high and low birth to strive for success in their lifetime.
The opening two lines of this collection of 81 proverbial chapters introduces the reader to the superstitious sense of mystery that prevails right until the very end. From a literary perspective we can see this as a paradox in itself. It is nothing unusual in literary texts to find the use of contrasting images andor ideals so as to produce a clear image in the reader’s mind of what the author is trying to convey. The Tao is no different in this aspect seeing as on analysis of the first lines, they in other words mean that the ‘way’ which can be described is not a true representation of it; and the name given to it does not do justice to what it really is. This is a very strange way to introduce the subject matter, however it brings into focus the main element of this text, that being the fact that to understand we must rid ourselves of the common definitions we have given to things whilst accepting the things we cannot see, however believing in their existence. The original text was written roughly 2,500 years ago in Chinese so when you connect the dots it is interes...
Throughout Lao-tzu’s Tao-te Ching are examples that show he feels that a master should rule by doing as little as possible to persuade people to do what is right. He believes that when a master rules, th...
The geneses of the three philosophies were based on the teachings of Confucius, and show how the nature of Chinese history is cyclical. Confucius was born in 551 BCE during the Chao dynasty, about 100 years after a period known as the Warring States. Political unity was unstable during Confucius’ time and consequently, China had broken into small states that were constantly at war with one another. Confucius wanted to solve these political problems and help restore order in his country and therefore created his “school of thought” ...
The next major influence on the Taoist belief was Chang Tzu. To him, Tzu’s writings defined the truth of life. He went on to write f...
Ancient Chinese philosophy has since it beginnings relied on the theory of a natural order to things. They believed that nature determined human intelligence and ability. This is what provided the basis for China’s political and social order. Ancient Chinese developed a system of deities and spirits they associated with the natural elements such as rivers and mountains and so on. They believed in a “unity” between the Heaven and Earth, which these spirits only guided humans along not inter-fearing in their affairs. The an...
Taoism applied to everyday life "Practice not-doing and everything will fall into place" (Chapter 3). In Taoism this is the concept known as "wu wei". Wei wu wei is the practice of doing and not-doing. This concept comes from the theory of the Yin and Yang. The Yang, along with wei, is the practice of doing. The Yin, along with wu wei, is the practice of not-doing. One compliments the other, and each cannot exist alone. The Tao tells people to practice not-doing because it will bring happiness in their life. By not-doing, the Tao means not performing actions, which are unnecessary and uncalled for. People should just take things as they come in life and they will live a life full of happiness and pleasure. If you don't interfere with the Tao and let things take their natural course, everything will work out in your life (Chapter 10). "If powerful men and women could remain centered in the Tao…all people would be at peace…" (Chapter 32). If you work against your Tao, you will never find happiness. The Sage practices wu wei. He teaches without words and performs without actions (Chapter 43). He knows and therefore does not speak (Chapter 56). Many people mistake conceptual knowledge for the map to the territory. The Sage is our map to the Tao. He points his finger to show us the way, but does not really tell us what to do and how to practice Taoism. Lao Tzu's concepts of the Tao can be a guide to rational living. If one follows these beliefs he is guaranteed happiness in his life. However, it is very difficult to follow the Tao, even though the teachings are said to be easily understood and easily put into practice (Chapter 70). The reason the Tao is so difficult to grasp is because you cannot kno...
Some of the core beliefs of Taoism are that the way to happiness is for people to learn to go with the flow of life. Ying is the moon in other words death and Yang means sun which is birth, they both have to be balanced if not tragedy will occur. Lao also belief in that one should make their own decisions.
Boltz, William G. Lao tzu Tao te ching. In Early Chinese Texts: A Bibliographical Guide, edited by Michael Loewe. Berkeley: University of California, 1993.
Another influence of the Aphorism on China is the education fever of China and many other Asian countries such as South Korea. The evidence of education fever can be traced back to the 7th century, or even earlier. Education fever is a serious social problem in China. The amount of money and energy spent on education by the people of China is becoming extreme. Most Chinese students study more than average American students, and many parents are willing to send their children to cram school for better academic performance. Many families spend considerable portion of their income into education bill, and some even go into debt. There are students who committed suicide because they failed to get into the highly renowned colleges that they hoped for. The importance of learning emphasized by Confucianism, which is related to the Aphorism 17:2, is one of the main cause of this obsession with education. The notion that the nature of men is decided by learning caused the prejudice that people without high education is lesser than those who have it. Companies tends only hire people with high
“Be strong yet supple, this is the way to rule.” (Lee, CTHD 2000). This quote is the perfect example of both Confucianism and Daoism. From the Analects: “Confucius said: … ‘If a ruler himself is upright, all will go well without orders. But if he himself is not upright, even though he gives orders they will not be obeyed.’ [XIII:6]” (de Bary, Confucius, 32), this implies that when one acts with virtue and responsibility, others in the community will reciprocate. From the Dao De Qing: “Since [water] is without strife, it is without reproach.” (de Bary, Taoism, 53), this means that if everyone were to listen to their intuition and take life as it comes, there is no need for blame and hate. Self regulation in East Asian societies depend of both Confucianism and Daoism. Although Daoism and Confucianism are on opposite ends of the spectrum, it is still the same spectrum of self regulation. The Daoist principles of open mindedness and oneness and the Confucian principles of virtue and kindness are shown by the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon characters Li Mu Bai, Shu Lien, Jen, and Lo.
The supposed author of the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu, is said to be the father of Taoism. It is estimated that Lao Tzu, spelled many other ways including Lao-tsu, Lao Tse, and Lao Tzi, was born under the name of Li Erh in Honan, China, around 604 B.C.E. Myth says that Lao Tzu was born fully developed with a long, white beard and hair the color of snow. He was somewhat of a recluse and withdrew from society to avoid governmental law and rule. He retreated to the Western frontier after the fall of the Zhou dynasty to continue his personal study of metaphysics and philosophy (Taoism 2). The collaborations of his studies and observations are said to be the basis of the Tao Te Ching, although some scholars argue that Lao Tzu’s existence cannot be proved and that the scholar Chuang-tzu played at least a partial role in the authorship. However the Tao Te Ching came to be, it is prized for being the foundation of Taoist belief and should hold merit as a universal guide, not as an author’s accomplishment (De Bary, Chan, and Watson 49).
During the Warring States era, the Chinese population was in need of social and political change. Accordingly, three schools of thought were formed and became a tradition in China: Confucianism, Legalism, and Taoism. These systems focused on virtues and law-based tactics. Sanders et al (2008) points out that “these three systems of thought were written by three distinct prominent writers whose main focus for the Chinese population were philosophy, political and religion development” (p 89,93,97)
For many centuries, Confucianism has been widely revered by the Chinese for its emphasis on morality. Confucius, who lived from 551 to 479 BCE, is different to most philosophers in that he showed no interest questioning his existence, the possibility of a God, or the reality that he seemed to live in; instead he focused on the human relations side of philosophy as it was his belief that people should “give (themselves) earnestly to the duties due to men … (and) keep aloof from (spiritual beings)” (Confucius 195). By negating the metaphysical side of philosophy, he was able to devote himself to mold his disciples into ideal gentleman who were morally righteous, and were able to benefit society. He believed in the importance of individuals who knew their roles in an well-structured society, that was a feudal system. In his opinion, the ideal gentleman should be obedient to his elders, have humanness and be morally righteous. Through his teachings, he was able to reform an entire country; the Chinese found Confucianism to embody practices of humaneness that they could apply in their daily lives through his religion.