Thoughts 思想
Explore the foundational streams of Chinese thought, from cosmology to human nature.
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Propositions 立说 (6)
上善若水
Pinyin: shàng shàn ruò shuǐ | School: 道家 | Source: 《道德经·第八章》
The highest excellence is like water: it benefits all things without contending, flows naturally into places others disdain, and combines extreme adaptability with unyielding persistence.
吾生也有涯，而知也无涯
Pinyin: wú shēng yě yǒu yá, ér zhī yě wú yá | School: 儒家 | Source: 《孟子》
My life has a limit, but knowledge has no limit. It highlights the profound paradox between our finite human existence and the boundless expanse of learning and experience.
天下神器，不可为也
Pinyin: tiān xià shén qì, bù kě wéi yě. wéi zhě bài zhī, zhí zhě shī zhī. | School: 道家 | Source: 《道德经·第二十九章》
Attempts to conquer, legislate, or win ideological debates end in failure, as the Dao cannot be seized by clever logic or force.
天地无心，以生物为心
Pinyin: tiān dì wú xīn, yǐ shēng wù wéi xīn | School: Neo-Confucianism (程朱理学) | Source: 《宋元学案·濂溪学案》引程颢语
Heaven and Earth possess no deliberate, subjective intention or egoic mind; rather, their entire 'mind' and creative impulse are objectively manifested in the continuous generation, nurturing, and flourishing of all living things.
天地有大美而不言
Pinyin: tiān dì yǒu dà měi ér bù yán, sì shí yǒu míng fǎ ér bù yì, wàn wù yǒu chéng lǐ ér bù shuō | School: 道家 | Source: 《庄子·知北游》
The Dao is untethered from scriptures, statutes, or human texts. It is rooted entirely in nature and the innate self, rendering public argument and rhetorical cleverness obsolete.
道不可须臾离；可离，非道也
Pinyin: dào bù kě xū yú lí; kě lí, fēi dào yě | School: 儒家 | Source: 《中庸》
The Dao cannot be separated from for even a single instant; if it can be separated from, it is not the true Dao.
Terms Directory (9)
仁
Pinyin: rén | School: Confucianism
Virtue, inner power, or moral character achieved by aligning oneself with the Dao.
大学
Pinyin: dà xué | School: Confucianism
The foundational principle that individual clarity is the absolute root of all external order.
德
Pinyin: Dé | School: Daoism
Virtue, inner power, or moral character achieved by aligning oneself with the Dao.
无为
Pinyin: Wúwéi | School: Daoism
Action through inaction, or effortless action that aligns with the natural flow of the Dao.
欲界
Pinyin: yù jiè / Kāmadhātu | School: 佛教
Virtue, inner power, or moral character achieved by aligning oneself with the Dao.
理
Pinyin: lǐ | School: Neo-Confucianism (程朱理学)
Originally referring to the natural grain in jade or wood, 'Li' evolved in Neo-Confucianism to signify the ultimate, coherent principles and patterns that structure both the physical cosmos and human moral nature.
相
Pinyin: xiàng | School: 佛家
Form: The image of the world in our mind.
礼
Pinyin: lǐ | School: Confucianism (儒家)
The foundational Confucian principle encompassing ritual propriety, social norms, ceremonial order, and moral decorum that guides human interaction and aligns interpersonal behavior with cosmic harmony.
道
Pinyin: dào | School: 道家
Natural order of existence and movement for all matters.