Hsun-tzu

Hsun-tzu (c. 310 - after 238 BC) (also Xun zi, Hsun Ching, or Zun Ching) was a Chinese Confucian philosopher who diametrically opposed the doctrine of Mencius (Meng-tzu) and advocated strict Confucian philosophy (Rujia). He developed a new version of Confucianism. He emphasized that human nature is originally evil and that social control is vital. His disciple contributed in unification of China in 221 BC under tyrannical Chin dynasty.

Wisdom & Quotes

• The person attempting to travel two roads at once will get nowhere.
• When his horse is uneasy harnessed to a carriage, a gentleman is not comfortable in it. When the common people are uneasy under a government, a gentleman is not comfortable in his post. ... It is traditionally said that the ruler is like a boat and the common people are the water. Water supports the boat but may also upset it.
• In order to properly understand the big picture, everyone should fear becoming mentally clouded and obsessed with one small section of truth.
• If you wish to see the thousand years, look at today; If you wish to understand the million fold, then look at the one or the two.
• If there is no dull and determined effort, there will be no brilliant achievement.
• Men of all social stations live together: they are equal in their desires, yet vary in their methods; they are equal in positions, yet different in their intelligence; that is their nature-given vitality.

- Hsun-Tzu : Basic Writings

• The nature of man is evil; what is good in him is artificial.
• Human nature is evil; its goodness derives from conscious activity. Now it is human nature to be born with a fondness for profit. Indulging this leads to contention and strife, and the sense of modesty and yielding with which one was born disappears. One is born with feelings of envy and hate, and, by indulging these, one is led into banditry and theft, so that the sense of loyalty and good faith with which he was born disappears. One is born with the desires of the ears and eyes and with a fondness for beautiful sights and sounds, and, by indulging these, one is led to licentiousness and chaos, so that the sense of ritual, rightness, refinement, and principle with which one was born is lost. Hence, following human nature and indulging human emotions will inevitably lead to contention and strife, causing one to rebel against one’s proper duty, reduce principle to chaos, and revert to violence. Therefore one must be transformed by the example of a teacher and guided by the way of ritual and rightness before one will attain modesty and yielding, accord with refinement and ritual, and return to order.
• Sacrifice is a state of mind in which our thoughts turn with longing ( toward Heaven, the Ancestors ) . It is the supreme expression of loyalty, love and respect.
• Misery is evil; quarrelling , a misfortune. There is only one possibility of avoiding both: a clear division of society. (Otherwise) the strong tyrannize the weak, the intelligent frighten the stupid, the inferior resist the superior, and the young mock the old.

- A Wealthy State

• Through what is near, one understands what is far away.
• Not having heard of it is not as good as having heard of it. Having heard of it is not as good as having seen it. Having seen it is not as good as knowing it. Knowing it is not as good as putting it into practice. Learning arrives at putting it into practice and then stops.
• The learning of the gentleman enters through his ears, fastens to his heart, spreads through his four limbs, and manifests itself in his actions. ... The learning of the petty person enters through his ears and passes out his mouth. From mouth to ears is only four inches—how could it be enough to improve a whole body much larger than that?
• Learning proceeds until death and only then does it stop. ... Its purpose cannot be given up for even a moment. To pursue it is to be human, to give it up to be a beast.
• The gentleman knows that whatever is imperfect and unrefined does not deserve praise. ... He makes his eyes not want to see what is not right, makes his ears not want to hear what is not right, makes his mouth not want to speak what is not right, and makes his heart not want to deliberate over what is not right. ... For this reason, power and profit cannot sway him, the masses cannot shift him, and nothing in the world can shake him.
• One whose intentions and thoughts are cultivated will disregard wealth and nobility. One whose greatest concern is for the Way and righteousness will take lightly kings and dukes. It is simply that when one examines oneself on the inside, external goods carry little weight. A saying goes, "The gentleman makes things his servants. The petty man is servant to things."
• A person who is transformed by the instructions of a teacher, devotes himself to study, and abides by ritual and rightness may become a noble person, while one who follows his nature and emotions, is content to give free play to his passions, and abandons ritual and rightness is a lesser person.
• A person who is shallow aspires to depth; one who is ugly aspires to beauty; one who is narrow aspires to breadth; one who is poor aspires to wealth; one who is humble aspires to esteem. Whatever one lacks in oneself he must seek outside.

Archimedes

Nearby pages
Hu Shih, Huai Nan Tzu, Huancavelica, Huang Po, Huang Quiyun