Readings in classical chinese philosophy pdf download

Ministers murdering their rulers—this happened. Sons murdering their fathers—this happened. Kongzi was afraid, and composed the Spring and Autumn Annals. Those who blame me, will it not be because of the Spring and Autumn Annals? It could mean that the Spring and Autumn Annals contains accounts of the activities of the ruler, or that composing it is the prerogative of the ruler. To not have a father and to not have a ruler is to be an animal. Your people look gaunt, and in the wilds are the bodies of those dead of starvation.

This is to lead animals to devour people. If benevolence and righteousness are obstructed, that leads animals to devour people. I am afraid that people will begin to devour one another! If we defend the Way of the former sages, fend off Yang and Mo, and get rid of specious words, then evil doctrines will be unable to arise. When sages arise again, they will certainly not differ with what I have said. The Duke of Zhou incorporated the barbarians, drove away ferocious animals, and the common people were at peace.

Kongzi completed the Spring and Autumn Annals, and disorderly ministers and brutal sons were afraid. The Odes say, The barbarians of the west and north, these he chastised. Jing and Shu, these he punished. Thus no one dared to take us on. How could I be fond of disputation? Anyone who can with words fend off Yang and Mo is a disciple of the sages.

On the philosophy of Yang Zhu, see Mengzi 7A Jing is another name for the state of Chu. Shu was a small state located in what is now Anhui province.

Above a well there was a plum tree whose fruit had been half-eaten by worms. Crawling, he went over to eat from it, and only after three bites could his ears hear and his eyes see. Nonetheless, how could Zhongzi be uncorruptible? To fill out what Zhongzi attempts, one would have to be an earthworm. Was the millet that he eats planted by Bo Yi, or was it in fact planted by Robber Zhi? This cannot be known. He himself weaves sandles of hemp, his wife spinning the hemp, in exchange for these other things.

His elder brother Dai received a salary of ten thousand bushels of grain from estates at Ge. He left his elder brother, distancing himself from his mother, and lived in Wuling. On a later day, he visited home, and someone had given a live goose to his elder brother as a gift.

Is this really being able to fill out the category of action that he considers righteous?! Someone like Zhongzi must be an earthworm in order to fill out what he attempts. If everyone would treat their kin as kin, and their elders as elders, the world would be at peace. That men and women should not touch in handing something to one another is the ritual, but if your sister-in-law is drowning, to pull her out with your hand is discretion. Why is it that you, sir, do not pull it out?

Do you want me save the world with a pull of my hand? The core of wisdom is knowing these two and not abandoning them. The core of ritual is to regulate and adorn these two. The core of music is to delight in these two.

If they grow then how can they be stopped? By September, the foot bridges are to be repaired, and by October, the carriage bridges are to be repaired, so the people no longer face the difficulty of wading across the rivers.

How can they carry every single person across? Hence, there will simply not be enough days if, in governing, one tries to make everyone happy. They rest only in righteousness. Ah water! The bridges are damaged each year by the heavy rains in the spring and summer. Consequently, they must be repaired in the autumn.

Mengzi 7B Analects 6. Things that have a source are like this. If it merely fails to have a source, the rain collects during the spring months, and the drainage ditches are all full.

However, you can just stand and wait and it will become dry. Hence, gentlemen are ashamed to have their reputation exceed what they genuinely are. The people abandon it. The gentleman preserves it. The sage-king Shun was insightful about things. He was perceptive about human relationships. He acted out of benevolence and righteousness.

He did not act out benevolence and righteousness. Wei sent Si of Yugong to pursue him. I am unable to hold my bow. I suppose I shall die. Tuo of Yingong studied archery under me. Now, Tuo of Yingong is an upright person. Those whom he chooses for friends must be upright. Tuo of Yingong studied archery under you, Master. I cannot bear to take your Way and turn it against you, Master.

I dare not cast it aside. He then shot off a set of four arrows and only then returned. Gentlemen preserve their hearts through benevolence and through propriety. Those who love others are generally loved by others. Those who respect others are generally respected by others. I must be lacking in propriety. How else could this situation have come upon me?!

What difference is there between a person like this and an animal?! What point is there in rebuking an animal? Kongzi deemed them worthy.

Kongzi deemed him worthy. Yu thought that, if there were anyone in the world who drowned, it was as if he had drowned them himself. Hou Ji thought that, if there were anyone in the world who was starving, it was as if he had starved them himself.

Hence, their urgency was like this. It is acceptable to go and help even though you are disheveled and not fully dressed. But if there is someone from your village involved in an altercation outside, it is foolish to go and help when you are disheveled and not fully dressed. Even bolting your door is acceptable in this case.

When the husband went out, he would always return full of wine and meat. His wife asked whom he ate with, and they were those of the highest wealth and rank. When I ask whom he ate 55Cf. Yet no one noteworthy ever comes here. I shall go and spy on where our husband goes.

Throughout the city, there was no one who stopped to chat with him. In the end, he approached those performing sacrifices among the graves beyond the East Wall of the city, and begged for their leftovers. If this was not enough, he would then look around and approach others. This was his way of getting his fill. But their husband did not know this, and came happily home, strutting before his wife and concubine.

From the perspective of a gentleman, it is rare indeed that the means by which people seek wealth, rank, profit, and success would not make their wives and concubines cry together in shame! How is it that Shun took a wife without informing them? For a man and a woman to dwell together in one home is the greatest of human relations. Because of this he did not inform them. But how is it that the Emperor gave his daughter to Shun as a wife and did not inform them?

Consequently, this passage suggests that women, too, have the sprouts or hearts of virtue see Mengzi 2A6. On the ethical status of women, see also Mengzi 3B2. Then they made him dig a well. He left the well, but, not knowing this, they covered up the well. And I shall make my two sisters-in-law service me in bed! But when Xiang was anxious, he was also anxious; when Xiang was happy, he was also happy.

Formerly, someone made a gift of a live fish to Zichan of the state of Zheng. Zichan had the pondkeeper take care of it in the pond. Xiang came in accordance with the Way of one who loves his elder brother. Hence, Shun genuinely trusted him and was happy about him.

How could he have feigned it? Is this story trustworthy? That is not the case. This was fabricated by those obsessed with taking office. Boli Xi was a person of the state of Yu. It was located in what is now the northeast part of Pinglu county in modern Shanxi province.

He knew that the Duke of Yu could not be remonstrated with, so he left and went to Qin. He was already seventy years old. If he did not yet know that it would be base to feed oxen in order to seek to meet Duke Mu of Qin, could he have been called wise? He knew that the Duke of Yu could not be remonstrated with so he did not remonstrate with him.

Can this be called unwise? He knew that the Duke of Yu was about to perish, so he abandoned him first. This cannot be called unwise. When he was, in good time, raised to prominence in Qin, he knew that Duke Mu was someone with whom he could work, so he became his minister.

He was a minister in Qin and made his ruler distinguished throughout the world, so that he is an example for later ages. Is this something he would be capable of if he were not a worthy person? Can one say that a worthy person would do it? To make human nature benevolent and righteous is like making a willow tree into cups and bowls. You must violate and rob the willow tree, and only then can you make it into cups and bowls. If you must violate and rob the willow tree in order to make it into cups and bowls, must you also violate and rob people in order to make them benevolent and righteous?

If there is something that leads people to regard benevolence and righteousness as misfortunes for them, it will surely be your doctrine, will it not?

Make an opening for it on the eastern side, then it flows east. Make an opening for it on the western side, then it flows west. It was located in what is now Pinglu county in modern Shanxi province. But does it not distinguish between upward and downward? There is no human who does not tend toward goodness. There is no water that does not tend downward. If you guide it by damming it, you can cause it to remain on a mountaintop.

But is this the nature of water?! It is that way because of the circumstances. That humans can be caused to not be good is due to their natures also being like this. Benevolence is internal; it is not external. Righteousness is external; it is not internal. It is not that they are elderly because of us. Similarly, that is white, and we treat it as white, according to its being white externally to us.

Hence, I say it is external. See Graham , pp. The whiteness of a [white] horse is no different from the whiteness of a gray-haired person. But surely we do not regard the elderliness of an old horse as being no different from the elderliness of an old person? In this case, it is I who feel happy [because of my love for my brother]. Hence, I say that it is internal.

I treat as elderly an elderly person from Chu, and I also treat as elderly my own elderly. In this case, it is the elderly person who feels happy. Hence I say that it is external. So what you describe is also the case with objects. Is savoring a roast, then, also external? Hence, it really is external. It does not come from [how you feel] internally. He told Mengzi about it. Gongduzi is a follower of Mengzi. Ordinary respect is directed toward my brother, but temporary respect is directed toward the fellow villager.

If you respect your younger brother, then it is respect. So it really is external. On a summer day, one drinks water. Are drinking and eating also, then, external? When You and Li arose, the people were fond of destructiveness. With the Blind Man as a father, there was Shun. Now, you say that human nature is good.

Are all those others, then, wrong? This is what I mean by calling their natures good. As for their becoming not good, this is not the fault of their potential. Humans all have the heart of compassion. Humans all have the heart of disdain. Humans all have the heart of respect. Humans all have the heart of approval and disapproval. The heart of compassion is benevolence. The heart of disdain is righteousness.

The heart of respect is propriety. The heart of approval and disapproval is wisdom. Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom are not welded to us externally. We inherently have them. Abandon it and you will lose it. The Odes say, Heaven gives birth to the teeming people. If there is a thing, there is a norm. This is the constant people cleave to.

They are fond of this beautiful Virtue. It is this that is the constant people cleave to. Hence, they are fond of this beautiful Virtue. It is not that the potential that Heaven confers on them varies like this. They are like this because of that by which their hearts are sunk and drowned. Sow the seeds and cover them. The soil is the same and the time of planting is also the same.

They grow rapidly, and by the time of the summer solstice they have all ripened. Although there are some differences, these are due to the richness of the soil, and to unevenness in the rain and in human effort. Hence, in general, things of the same kind are all similar. Why would one have any doubt about this when it comes to humans alone? We and the sage are of the same kind.

Yi Ya was the first to discover that which our mouths prefer. If it were the case that the natures of mouths regarding flavors varied among people—just as dogs and horses are different species from us—then why is it that throughout the world all preferences follow Yi Ya in flavors? The fact that, when it comes to flavors, the 70Mengzi also discusses these virtues in Mengzi 2A6 and 4A For all four terms, also consult the appropriate entries under Important Terms.

When it comes to sounds, the whole world looks to Shi Kuang. This is due to the fact that ears throughout the word are similar. Eyes are like this too. When it comes to a handsome man like Zidu, no one in the world does not appreciate his beauty. Anyone who does not appreciate the beauty of Zidu has no eyes.

Hence, I say that mouths have the same preferences in flavors, ears have the same preferences in sounds, eyes have the same preferences in attractiveness. When it comes to hearts, are they alone without preferences in common? I say that it is fine patterns and righteousness. The sages first discovered what our hearts prefer in common. Hence, fine patterns and righteousness delight our hearts like meat delights our mouths.

But because it bordered on a large state, hatchets and axes besieged it. Could it remain verdant? Due to the rest it got during the day or night, and the moisture of rain and dew, it was not that there were no sprouts or shoots growing there. But oxen and sheep then came and grazed on them. Hence, it was as if it were barren. People, seeing it barren, believed that there had never been any timber there.

Could this be the nature of the mountain?! With the rest it gets during the day or night, and the restorative effects of the morning qi j, their likes and dislikes are sometimes close to those of others. But then what they do during the day again fetters and destroys it. If the fettering is repeated, then the evening qi is insufficient to preserve it. If the evening qi is insufficient to preserve it, then one is not far from a bird or beast.

Others see that he is a bird or beast, and think that there was never any capacity there. Is this what a human truly is?!

Its goings and comings have no fixed time. No one knows its home. Life is something I desire; righteousness is also something I desire.

If I cannot have both, I will forsake life and select righteousness. Life is something I desire, but there is something I desire more than life. Hence, I will not do just anything to obtain it. Death is something I hate, but there is something I hate more than death. Hence, there are calamities I do not avoid.

If it were the case that someone desired nothing more than life, then what means that could obtain life would that person not use? If it were the case that someone hated nothing more than death, then what would that person not do that would avoid calamity? From this we can see that there are means of obtaining life that one will not employ. From this we can also see that there are things that would avoid calamity that one will not do. Therefore, there are things one desires more than life and there are also things one hates more than death.

It is not the case that only the worthy person has this heart. All humans have it. The worthy person simply never loses it. What do ten thousand bushels add to me? Do I accept them for the sake of a beautiful mansion? In the current case, for the sake of a beautiful mansion one does it. In the current case, for the obedience of a wife and concubine one does it. In the current case, in order to have poor acquaintances be indebted to oneself one does it.

Is this in75No 76A quotation like this is found in the received text of the Analects. This is what is called not appreciating the categories of importance. Yet some become great humans and some become petty humans.

Those who follow their petty part become petty humans. Why is it that some follow their greater part and some follow their petty part? Things interact with things and simply lead them along. But the office of the heart is to concentrate. If it concentrates then it will get [Virtue]. If it does not concentrate, then it will not get it. This is how to become a great human. Mengzi 3A5. To turn toward oneself and discover integrity—there is no greater delight than this.

To firmly act out of sympathetic understanding83—there is nothing closer to benevolence than this. Those who are crafty in their contrivances and schemes have no use for shame. If one is not ashamed of not being as good as others, how will one ever be as good as others? That which they know without pondering is their best knowledge. When they grow older, there is none that does not know to respect its elder brother.

There is nothing else to do but extend these to the world. Simply be like this. Mengzi 6A6. Mengzi 6A6 and 2A6. Mengzi 7A17 and 7B If plucking out one hair from his body would have benefitted the whole world, he would not do it. Mozi loved universally. If scraping himself bare from head to heels would benefit the whole world, he would do it. Zimo held to the middle. But if one holds to the middle without discretion,89 that is the same as holding to one extreme. What I dislike about those who hold to one extreme is that they detract from the Way.

They elevate one thing and leave aside a hundred others. They have no standard for food and drink because their hunger and thirst injure it. Is it only the mouth and belly that hunger and thirst injure?! Human hearts too are subject to injury. Gao Yao had a sanction for his actions. He would have secretly carried him on his back and fled, to live in the coastland, happy to the end of his days, joyfully forgetting the world.

We know nothing about Zimo beyond what this passage tells us. His tutor asked on his behalf to let him mourn for a few months. Even doing it one extra day would be better than stopping completely.

What I had been talking about before was a case in which he did not do it, even though nothing prevented it. In relation to the people, they are benevolent toward them, but do not treat them as kin. They treat their kin as kin, and then are benevolent toward the people. They are benevolent toward the people, and then are sparing of animals. A benevolent person has no enemies in the world.

When the one who was supremely benevolent [King Wu] attacked the one who was supremely unbenevolent [Tyrant Zhou], how could the blood have flowed till it floated the grain-pounding sticks? On the three-year mourning period, see Analects Mengzi 3A5 and 1A7. To bring them into harmony and put it into words is the Way. To extend this reaction to that which they will bear is benevolence. People all have things that they will not do. To extend this reaction to that which they will do is righteousness.

If people can fill out the heart that does not desire to harm others, their benevolence will be inexhaustible. If people can fill out the heart that will not trespass, their righteousness will be inexhaustible.

If people can fill out the core reaction96 of not accepting being addressed disrespectfully, there will be nowhere they go where they do not do what is righteous. If a scholar may not speak and speaks, this is flattering by speaking. If one should speak but does not speak, this is flattering by not speaking. These are both in the category of trespassing.

The scholars of my school are wild and hasty, advancing and grasping, but do not forget their early behavior. Those who are wild advance and grasp. Those who are squeamish have some things that they will not do. He could not be sure of getting them. Hence, he thought of the next best. The ancients! If he also failed to get those who are wild, he desired to get to associate with those who disdain to do what is not pure.

These are the squeamish. They are the next best. The village worthies are the thieves of virtue. Their words take no notice of their actions, and their actions take no notice of their words.

Born in this era, we should be for this era. To be good is enough. Eunuch-like, pandering to their eras—these are the village worthies. Why did Kongzi regard them as thieves of virtue? They are in agreement with the current customs; they are in harmony with the sordid era in which they live. That in which they dwell seems to be loyalty and trustworthiness; that which they do seems to be blameless and pure.

The 99Unfortunately, we know almost nothing about these three individuals. However, there is an interesting and revealing anecdote involving Zeng Xi in Analects But you cannot enter into the Way of Yao and Shun with them. I hate weeds out of fear that they will be confused with grain. I hate glibness out of fear that it will be confused with trustworthiness. I hate the tunes of the state of Zheng out of fear that they will be confused with genuine music. I hate purple out of fear that it will be confused with vermillion.

If the standard is correct, then the multitudinous people will be inspired. When the people are inspired, then there will be no evil or wickedness. New York: Penguin Books. This is still the best complete English translation, and includes several helpful appendices.

Lau published a revised, two-volume translation in Hong Kong in but it is not widely available in the United States. Legge, James, tr. New York: Dover Books.

Secondary Works Graham, Angus C. An exceptional contribution to the teaching and study of Chinese thought, this anthology provides fifty-eight selections arranged chronologically in five main sections: Han Thought, Chinese Buddhism, Neo-Confucianism, Late Imperial Confucianism, and the Twentieth Century. The editors have selected writings that have been influential, that are philosophically engaging, and that can be understood as elements of an ongoing dialogue, particularly on issues regarding ethical cultivation, human nature, virtue, government, and the underlying structure of the universe.

Within those topics, issues of contemporary interest, such as Chinese ideas about gender and the experiences of women, are brought to light. Introductions to each main section provide an overview of the period, while brief headnotes to selections highlight key points. The translations are the works of many distinguished scholars, and were chosen for their accuracy and accessibility, especially for students, general readers, and scholars who do not read Chinese.

Special effort has been made to maintain consistency of key terms across translations. Also included are a glossary, bibliography, index of names, and an index locorum of The Four Books. This work examines the role of a sense of justice in the ethical and political thought of Confucius and John Rawls, and argues that a comparative study can help us to better understand each of their views and apply their insights.

In just thirteen brief, accessible chapters, this engaging little book takes "absolute beginners" from the most basic questions about the language e. Van Norden does a wonderful job of clearly explaining the basics of classical Chinese, and he carefully takes the reader through beautifully chosen examples from the textual tradition.

An invaluable work. In the ancient world, philosophy was understood to be a practical guide for living, or even itself a way of life. This volume of essays brings historical views about philosophy as a way of life, coupled with their modern equivalents, more prevalently into the domain of the contemporary scholarly world. Illustrates how the articulation of philosophy as a way of life and its pedagogical implementation advances the love of wisdom Questions how we might convey the love of wisdom as not only a body of dogmatic principles and axiomatic truths but also a lived exercise that can be practiced Offers a collection of essays on an emerging field of philosophical research Essential reading for academics, researchers and scholars of philosophy, moral philosophy, and pedagogy; also business and professional people who have an interest in expanding their horizons.

Japanese philosophy is now a flourishing field with thriving societies, journals, and conferences dedicated to it around the world, made possible by an ever-increasing library of translations, books, and articles.

The Oxford Handbook of Japanese Philosophy is a foundation-laying reference work that covers, in detail and depth, the entire span of this philosophical tradition, from ancient times to the present.

It introduces and examines the most important topics, figures, schools, and texts from the history of philosophical thinking in premodern and modern Japan. Each chapter, written by a leading scholar in the field, clearly elucidates and critically engages with its topic in a manner that demonstrates its contemporary philosophical relevance.

The Handbook opens with an extensive introductory chapter that addresses the multifaceted question, "What is Japanese Philosophy? An annotated bibliography of the major publications in the field completes this collection.

One of the great unexplained wonders of human history is that written philosophy flowered entirely separately in China, India and Ancient Greece at more or less the same time.

These early philosophies have had a profound impact on the development of distinctive cultures in different parts of the world. What we call 'philosophy' in the West is not even half the story. Julian Baggini sets out to expand our horizons in How the World Thinks, exploring the philosophies of Japan, India, China and the Muslim world, as well as the lesser-known oral traditions of Africa and Australia's first peoples.

Interviewing thinkers from around the globe, Baggini asks questions such as: why is the West is more individualistic than the East? What makes secularism a less powerful force in the Islamic world than in Europe?

And how has China resisted pressures for greater political freedom? Offering deep insights into how different regions operate, and paying as much attention to commonalities as to differences, Baggini shows that by gaining greater knowledge of how others think we take the first step to a greater understanding of ourselves.

A collection of essays by fifteen philosophers presenting a thoughtful, introductory guide to choosing a philosophy for living an examined and meaningful life. This thought-provoking, wide-ranging collection brings together essays by fifteen leading philosophers reflecting on what it means to live according to a philosophy of life.

From Eastern philosophies Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism and classical Western philosophies such as Aristotelianism and Stoicism , to the four major religions, as well as contemporary philosophies such as existentialism and effective altruism , each contributor offers a lively, personal account of how they find meaning in the practice of their chosen philosophical tradition.

Together, the pieces in How to Live a Good Life provide not only a beginner's guide to choosing a life philosophy but also a timely portrait of what it means to live an examined life in the twenty-first century. Challenges traditional views to consider Xunzi as a religious thinker. For much of the last century, his work has been seen largely as critical of religion, particularly the popular beliefs and invocations of supernatural forces that underpin so many religious rituals.

Contributors to this volume challenge this view and offer a more sophisticated picture of Xunzi. He emerges not as critic, but rather as an adherent of religion who seeks to give religious practices meaning even though many religious beliefs are mistaken or self-serving. Each essay offers a powerful illustration of Xunzi as both a religious devotee and as a philosopher of religion, drawing on a wide array of disciplines and methodologies.

This anthology explores how Chinese and Western philosophies could jointly and constructively contribute to a common philosophical enterprise. Philosophers with in-depth knowledge of both traditions present a variety of distinct comparative approaches, offering a refined introduction to the further reaches of Chinese philosophy in the comparative context, especially regarding its three major constituents - Confucianism, philosophical Daoism, and the Yi-Jing philosophy.

This book examines various issues concerning philosophical methodology, ethics, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language, and logic, and investigates both the living-spring source of Chinese philosophy and its contemporary implications and development through contemporary resources. The balanced coverage, accessible content, and breadth of approaches presented in this anthology make it a valuable resource for students of Chinese Philosophy, Comparative Philosophy, and other related courses.

Graham addresses several fundamental problems in classical Chinese philosophy, and in the nature and structure of the classical Chinese language. These inquiries and reflections are both broad based and detailed. Two sources of continuity bring these seemingly disparate parts into a coherent and intelligible whole.

First, Graham addresses that set of fundamental philosophical questions that have been the focus of dispute in the tradition, and that have defined its character: What is the nature of human nature? What can we through linguistic and philosophical scrutiny discover about the date and composition of some of the major texts?