philosophy

共 65 篇文章

文章列表
Disrupting Governance for Fame | 乱政图名

Shu Xiang praises Minister Meng Xianbo's frugality for using only one chariot, but Miao Fenghuang...

anecdote educational ethics
3 阅读
Spare the Ox, Use the Sheep | 以羊易牛

King Hui of Liang, moved by pity for an ox destined for ritual sacrifice, orders its release, onl...

chinese-culture fable intermediate
3 阅读
Few True Confucians in Lu | 鲁国少儒

Zhuang Zi challenges the King of Lu's claim that his state has many Confucian scholars by arguing...

ancient-china confucianism daoism
3 阅读
Zhuang Zhou Dreams of a Butterfly | 庄周梦蝶

Zhuang Zhou dreams he is a free-flying butterfly, then awakens confused about the boundary betwee...

chinese-literature dream-reality metaphysical
3 阅读
Yu Shou Burns His Books | 玉寿焚书

Yu Shou, confident with his books, is advised by Xu Feng that wisdom lies in adapting to the pres...

dialogue inspirational life-lesson
3 阅读
Zhuangzi Fishing | 庄子钓鱼

Zhuangzi declines an offer to become Prime Minister by using the allegory of a sacred tortoise, s...

chinese-literature daoism intermediate
3 阅读
The Tree and the Goose | 山木与雁

Zhuangzi uses the paradox of a useless tree surviving and a useless goose being killed to illustr...

daoism life-lesson parable
4 阅读
The Unused Gourd | 不材之药

Hui Zi destroys a giant gourd he finds useless. Zhuang Zi, through a parable about a chilblain sa...

chinese-literature life-lesson parable
3 阅读
Fear of Shadow and Footprints | 畏影恶迹

A man tries to outrun his shadow and footprints, only to exhaust himself to death, failing to rea...

chinese-wisdom educational fable
3 阅读
Cao Shang's Chariots | 曹商得车

Cao Shang boasts to Zhuang Zi about gaining wealth through flattery, but Zhuang Zi retorts that s...

ancient-china chinese-literature fable
3 阅读
The Victory Within | 自胜为强

Zi Xia explains that his physical weight gain stems from an inner victory, where his reverence fo...

anecdote inner-conflict moral-victory
8 阅读
Persuading the Pigs | 劝猪说

A ritual officer solemnly assures pigs destined for sacrifice that they will be treated with grea...

allegory cultural-critique dialogue
4 阅读
The Big Catch | 钓大鱼

A nobleman uses fifty oxen as bait to fish in the East Sea. After a year of patience, he catches ...

ancient-wisdom inspirational life-lesson
3 阅读
Working with a Farrier | 岂辱马医

A poor man in Qi, once a beggar, takes a job with a farrier after being shunned. When mocked for ...

chinese-culture fable intermediate
3 阅读
The Confucian Scholars of Lu | 鲁国的儒生

Duke Aigong of Lu prided himself on his state's many Confucian scholars, but Zhuangzi argued that...

ancient-china confucianism educational
3 阅读
A Slingshot Is a Slingshot | “弹”就是“弹”

Hui Zi defends his use of metaphors by demonstrating that explaining an unknown concept (a slings...

dialogue educational language
3 阅读
The Dexterous Butcher | 庖丁解牛

King Hui of Liang observes a butcher expertly dissecting an ox. The butcher explains his mastery ...

ancient-story educational intermediate
3 阅读
Same Path, Different Fate | 同道异功

Two families' sons study the same arts, but their success depends entirely on applying their skil...

chinese-fable educational historical
3 阅读
The Yi Dai Bird | 意怠鸟

The Yi Dai bird survives through extreme caution, hiding in the flock and avoiding confrontation,...

cautionary-tale chinese-culture fable
3 阅读
The Oak and the Willow | 橡树与柳树

An oak and a willow argue over strength. The willow's flexibility allows it to survive a storm, w...

fable inspirational intermediate
3 阅读