The expression is from Xunzi (313?-238BC). It aims to raise the status of social norms so that they can fully exert their role. Xunzi believed that social norms regulate human behavior and are a yardstick for judging right and wrong, and they underpin the governance of a country. Humans by nature seek external desires, and do not have the inherent …

The term, a shortened version of ren tong ci xin, xin tong ci li (人同此心,心同此理), was first proposed by Lu Jiuyuan (1139-1193). Xinxue (心学), the Neo-Confucian philosophy of Lu Jiuyuan and Wang Yangming (1472-1529),teaches that the innate knowledge of the human mind and the principles of the universe are in liaison, that truth transcends time…

Within the Four Seas means within the territory of China. The ancient Chinese thought China’s territory was surrounded by the Four Seas (the East, West, North, and South seas). Within the Four Seas refers to the landmass surrounded by the Four Seas. It reflected the ancient Chinese belief that the seas were the natural boundary of a country, demons…

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