D. individual?s lifespan is short, so they should enjoy life as much as possible 5) Which of the following is the most important part of Confucius? curriculum?
A. Music. B. Calligraphy. C. Virtue. D. Mathematics.
6) Zi Lu, Ran You and Gongxi Chi?s aspirations represent__________, while Zeng Dian?s
reflects__________.
A. personal ambition; selfishness B. lofty ideals; meaningless pursuit
C. Personal struggle; generous contribution D. Individual contribution to society; harmony
2. Put each of the following into English and then compare your translation with that in the
passage.
1) 天何言哉？四时行焉，百物生焉，天何言哉？ 2) 生生之谓易。 3) 天地之大德日生。 4) 获罪于天，无所祷也。 5) 仁者，人也，亲亲为大。 6) 父母在，不远游，游必有方。
7) 父母之年，不可不知也。一则以喜，一则以惧。 8) 己欲立而立人，己欲达而达人。 9) 己所不欲，勿施于人。
10) 子生三年，然后免于父母之怀。 11) 礼之用，和为贵。
12) 知之者不如好之者，好之者不如乐之者。
Communication
The following are some English idioms related to God. Try to translate them and then name at least five Chinese idioms about Heaven (tian). Identify the similarity and/or difference between Westerners ?attitude toward God and that of Chinese peoples toward Heaven. 1) God bless 2) Thank God 3) Please God 4) For God?s sake 5) God forbid
6) Man proposes, God disposes.
7) God helps those who help themselves.
Application
As is mentioned in the passage, Confucius? Ii is to maintain harmony. The following English quotes and proverb indicate that Westerners also place great emphasis on harmony. After studying the passage, how can we build a harmonious society in terms of our home, our campus, the country and the world?
If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character. If there is beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home. If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation. If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.
-proverb
Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony.
-Thomas Merton
Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.
-George Washington
A life in harmony with nature, the love of truth and virtue, will purge the eyes to understanding her text.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Grace has been defined as the outward expression of the inward harmony of the soul.
-William Hazlitt
Passage 2 Laozi’s Philosophy of Non-action
1 The book Laozi1 was written around the sixth century BC. The author is generallybelieved to be
Lao Dan, or Laozi--a recluse（隐居者） who lived during the Spring and Autumn Period. Few records have survived about Lao Dan, who was said to have once held a low civil position in the royal court, in charge of the archival records of the Zhou Dynasty. Yet, due to his great learning, even Confucius was said to have traveled miles to consult him.
2 Laozi, also known as Classic of the Way and Virtue (Dao De Jing), consists ofjust over 5,000 Chinese characters. Its 81 chapters are divided into two parts, Dao (the Way) and De (Virtue). Short as it is, the book has played a tremendous role in the development of Chinese culture. It became the basis of Daoism 2, the school of philosophy parallel to Confucianism in ancient China. The thought of Laozi formed the foundation of Daoism, the most influential indigenous (土生土长的) school of religion in China. It has also exerted direct impact on the characteristics, trends of thought and aesthetic sensibilities of the Chinese nation. Today Laozi still plays a role in the development of Chinese thinking.
3Laozi was first introduced into Europe possibly as early as the 15th century and has been one of the most translated philosophical works of ancient China. Many of Laozi?s enlightening views are based on his philosophy of naturalness and non-action.
Naturalness and Non-action
4 “Naturalness” is an important concept of Laozi?s philosophy. It refers to a natural stateof being, an attitude of following the way of nature. Laozi emphasized that everythingthe world has its own way of being and development: birds fly in the sky, fish swim in the water, clouds float in the sky, flowers bloom and flowers fall. All these phenomena occur independently and naturally without following any human will, and humans should not try to change anything natural. Laozi
admonished（告诫） people to give up on any desire to control the world. Following the way of nature is the way to resolving conflicts between humans and the world.
5 Non-action” is another important concept of Laozi?s philosophy. It is the guarantee of “naturalness”. Laozi said, “(Dao or the Way) acts through non-action,” by which he did not mean that one should do nothing and passively wait for something to be achieved. Neither did he deny human creativity. What he meant is that human enterprises should be built on the basis of naturalness, not on any attempts to interrupt the rhythm of nature. Human creativity should be in compliance with（依从） the ways of nature.
6 Laozi said, “Great ingenuity （足智多谋) appears to be stupidity.” This is the essence of “naturalness” and “non-action”. “Great ingenuity” refers to the highest level of ingenuity, arising so naturally that it does not resemble ingenuity at all. Ingenuity can be achieved through human effort, but “great ingenuity” is superior to ordinary ingenuity. To Laozi, resorting to deceit（欺骗）is true futility（无益的事）and would accomplish just the opposite result. Those who intend to play tricks are not genuine and therefore are not natural. Deceit is detrimental? to naturalness and to the harmony of life.
7 Zhuangzi3 (369-286 BC), the philosopher who carried on Laozi?s philosophy, had the following story to tell about a “useless tree”:
8 A carpenter went with his apprentice to the State of Qi4. On the way they came across a giant tree by the local temple for the deity of the earth. Its trunk was several dozen meters thick and as tall as a mountain. Its branches could provide shade to several thousand cattle. While people thronged（群集） to worship the super tree, the carpenter passed it without taking a look. The apprentice, however, was fascinated. After carefully studying the tree, he ran to catch up with his master and asked, “Ever since I became your apprentice, J have never seen such fine wood, But you just kept walking without even looking at it. Why?” The master replied, “That tree produces useless wood. If you made a boat out of it, the boat would sink. If you made a coffin out of it, the coffin would soon rot. If you made utensils（器皿） out of it, they would wear out quickly. Its wood is of no use at all. That is why this tree has been able to live so long.” The wisdom of the “useless tree” lies exactly in its uselessness, or its naturalness.
The Philosophy of Non-contention
9 On the basis of “naturalness” and “non-action”, Laozi proposed the view of “overcoming the strong by being weak”. The era Laozi lived in was replete（充斥的） with endless wars. Therefore, war was an important theme for philosophers, and anti-war thinking was the norm. Even the great strategist Sunzi advocated “winning a war without fighting it”, not to mention the great thinker Confucius, who strongly championed a government based on love. Their contemporary Mozi5 (c. 468-376 BC), founder of Mohism, also condemned wars while calling for “love for all”.
10 According to Laozi, war springs from humanity?s bloated desires. Conflict arises out of
people?s struggles to satisfy their desires, and conflict escalates (逐步升级) into war. Therefore, Laozi?s philosophy is based on “non-contention”. To him, human striving and competitive strife（冲突） is the root cause of decline; desiring nothing is the natural way of life.
11 Laozi said, “The greatest virtue is like water.” He compared his philosophy of “non-contention” to water, to distinguish it from the law of the jungle. He said, “Water nourishes everything but contends（争夺） for nothing.” To Laozi, humans tend to seek higher positions while water always flows to lower places. Driven by desire, humans like whatever they think is superior while despising whatever they think is inferior. Yet water always flows downward. As the source of life, water nourishes all living things on Earth.
12 No life can exist without water. Water contributes to the world without regard for gain or loss. Remaining low, level and tranquil（平静的）, water embraces and reflects everything under heaven. The way of water is completely different from the way of people with avid （急切的） desires．
13 But the philosophy of Laozi is by no means weak. On the contrary, it is full of strength. According to Laozi, water accumulates great strength in its weakness and quietude （平静）. Its strength can break down all barriers in the world. He said, “Nothing in the world is weaker than water. Yet nothing is stronger than water when it comes to breaking something strong.” Water is a typical example of the weak winning over the strong. Water is invincible because it desires nothing and contends for nothing.
14 Laozi said, “Aware of the strong, one should remain weak.” This does not mean that Laozi promoted failure. To become strong, however, one must not oppress the weak. Instead, one should start with one?s own weak points, accumulating strength by keeping low, just as water does. Giving up the desire to flaunt（夸耀） one?s superiority is the basic way to prosperity. 15 Remaining weak is not only the way to prosperity, but also the way to preserving life. Laozi regarded fragility as the symbol of life. He explained this with a comparison between life and death: when a person is alive, his body is fragile; when he dies, his body becomes hard and rigid. The same is true with plants: living plants have supple leaves and lovely flowers, while dead plants become dry and hard. Laozi uses these examples to show that the way of the weak is the way to preserving life. The way of the weak is the best way to avoid conflict.
Returning to a Newborn State
16 Laozi saw the world as a madding crowd of vanity（虚荣）． He chose to live a simple, quiet life, and to keep his mind undisturbed in the face of temptation. He said he would rather remain a “newborn baby”.
17 This does not mean Laozi wanted to remain childishly ignorant. He believed that sages – people with the highest virtue – all resembled newborns. The highest level of one?s cultivation was to return to the state of a newborn baby.
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