Seven Worthies

Seven Worthies

Seven Worthies

of the bamboo grove

Category: Philosophy

Category: Philosophy

7 Feelings of Cheng Yi

feelings of Cheng Yi 7 Feelings are problem for the Neo-Confucian, Cheng Yi. In his view, these seven feelings have the power to corrupt people’s original purity if allowed free rein. Even though human nature starts off pure, the social world that we inhabit corrupts it. The task we all face, therefore, is the endless struggle of protecting this tender shoot of goodness from the onslaught of life at large. This list of seven feelings is an interesting departure from notions more familiar to the Western reader, such as the Seven Deadly [...]

By |May 2, 2025|Categories: 7, Philosophy, Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , , , , |Comments Off on 7 Feelings of Cheng Yi

6 Schools of Sima Tan

Sima Tan (司馬談) 165-110 BC was a grand historiographer and astrologer of the Western Han dynasty, who classified the philosophy of his time into six main traditions. Of the six, Sima Tan favoured Daoism as the one school among them with the breadth of thought to encompass the others.

By |February 8, 2025|Categories: 6, Featured, List, Philosophy|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |Comments Off on 6 Schools of Sima Tan

4 Books of Zhu Xi

Zhu Xi (1130-1200) was a Confucian scholar of the Southern Song (1127-1276). Incredibly learned and prolific, he ushered in a Neo-Confucian revival. His commentaries on the Four Books, which he singled out as the core classics of the Confucian canon, became prescribed reading for government officials.

By |September 9, 2024|Categories: 4, Baby Steps, List, Philosophy|Tags: , , , , , , , , |Comments Off on 4 Books of Zhu Xi

5 Virtues of a Thief

virtues of a thief 5 Robber Zhi (盜跖) is one of the stock characters of the Zhuangzi, frequently invoked to poke holes in the tenets of other philosophers and generally Confucians. This cheeky list, which sums up the ‘dao’ of being a thief, is a comical subversion of the qualities that the ruists (Confucians) espoused. The satirical passage is part of a broader point; the sages disturbed the natural order by introducing the artificial desire for virtuous qualities. Though a few good people may result, the society they create gives rise to [...]

By |September 9, 2024|Categories: 5, Philosophy, Uncategorized|Tags: , , |Comments Off on 5 Virtues of a Thief

7 Worthies of the Bamboo Grove

In the tumultuous Three Kingdoms period, the dangerous world of politics led seven friends to meet together in a bamboo forest, writing poetry, discoursing on philosophy, and enjoying the natural world. Some of the seven retained official roles, while others turned their backs on politics entirely. The seven as a whole became important icons in a long tradition of abandoning the stifling world of hypocritical politics for a life of the mind.

By |September 8, 2024|Categories: 7, Featured, List, Nature, Philosophy|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |Comments Off on 7 Worthies of the Bamboo Grove
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