Key Concepts in Chinese Thought and Culture

Revere One’s Virtuous Nature

This phrase, which first appears in The Doctrine of the Golden Mean, a section of The Book of Rites, refers to the need to revere the virtuous nature bestowed on human beings by heaven. Together with quest for knowledge, it constitutes an ethical standard. According to The Doctrine of the Golden Mean, everyone has a heavenly bestowed virtuous nature…

Toughness and Softness

Two opposing properties or qualities that objects and human beings possess. The term has three different meanings. First, when describing natural or manmade objects, gang (刚) means hard and rou (柔) means soft. Second, when describing human qualities, gang means strong and determined, while rou means gentle and modest. Third, when describing a styl…

No Fish Survive If Water Is Too Clear.

Fish cannot survive in the water that is too clear. With no plankton in water, fish have nothing to feed on and are bound to die. This is a natural phenomenon. Drawing inspiration on it, ancient Chinese believed that one should not set the bar too high for a person or something, criticize a person for failing to be perfect, or be too strict with ot…

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: The purposes of the Project are to select the concepts in Chinese culture and thought that reflect the characteristics of the country's traditional culture and the Chinese people's way of thinking, and that embody the core values of China.
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