ZHUGE Liang (諸葛亮, 181–234)


ZHUGE Liang (諸葛亮, 181–234)

Zhuge Liang (181–234),[1] style name Kongming, was a chancellor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. He is popularly recognised as the greatest and most accomplished strategist of his era.[2]

Often depicted wearing a robe and holding a hand fan made of crane feathers,[3] Zhuge Liang was not only an important military strategist and statesman; he was also an accomplished scholar and inventor. His reputation as an intelligent and learned scholar grew even while he was living in relative seclusion, earning him the nickname "Wolong" (literally: "Crouching Dragon").

Zhuge is an uncommon two-character Chinese compound family name. His name – even his surname alone – has become synonymous with intelligence and strategy in Chinese culture.


Quotes·Quotations by Zhuge Liang

Plan

¶ 謀事在人成事在天。[三國演義]
Man proposes, God disposes. [Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三國演義)]


Footnotes

[1]^ de Crespigny, Rafe (2007). A biographical dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms (23–220 AD). Brill. p. 1172. ISBN 978-90-04-15605-0.
[2]^ a b "Zhuge Liang - Kong Ming, The Original Hidden Dragon". JadeDragon.com. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
[3]^ "Ancient Cultivation Stories: Zhuge Liang's Cultivation Practise". ClearHarmony.net. 28 July 2005. Retrieved 2007-11-11.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuge_Liang

Zhuangzi (莊子)


Zhuangzi (莊子)

Zhuangzi (simplified Chinese: 庄子; traditional Chinese: 莊子; pinyin: Zhuāng Zǐ; Wade–Giles: Chuang Tzŭ) was an influential Chinese philosopher who lived around the 4th century BCE during the Warring States Period, a period corresponding to the philosophical summit of Chinese thought — the Hundred Schools of Thought, and is credited with writing—in part or in whole—a work known by his name, the Zhuangzi. His name Zhuangzi (English "Master Zhuang", with Zi being an honorific) is sometimes spelled Zhuang Tze, Zhuang Zhou, Chuang Tsu, Chuang Tzu, Chouang-Dsi, Chuang Tse, or Chuangtze.


Quotes·Quotation by Zhuangzi

Beuty

¶ 毛嬙、麗姬,人之所美也,魚見之深入,鳥見之高飛,麋鹿見之決驟。 [莊子 齊物論]
Mao Qiang(毛嬙) and Li Ji(麗嬉) were accounted by men to be most beautiful, but when fishes saw them, they dived deep in the water from them; when birds, they flew from them aloft; and when deer saw them, they separated and fled away. [Zhuangzi(莊子), The Adjustment of Controversies (齊物論)]

Egotism·Humility

¶ 同於己為是之,異於己為非之。 [莊子 寓言]
Those which agree with their own they hold to be right, and those which do not so agree they hold to be wrong. [Metaphorical Language]

Honor

¶ He who pursues fame at the risk of losing his self is not a scholar.

Knowledge·Wisdom, Knowledge, Wisdom

¶ 則知者不言,言者不知,而世豈識之哉。 [莊子 天道]
The wise do not speak and those who do speak are not wise. How should the world know that real nature? [The Way of Heaven]

¶ 吾生也有涯,而知也无涯。 [莊子 養生主]
There is a limit to our life, but to knowledge there is no limit. [Nourishing the Lord of Life]

Life

¶ 人生天地之間,若白駒之過郤。 [莊子 知北遊]
Life between heaven and earth is like a white colt's passing a crevice. [Knowledge Rambling in the North]

Solitude, Self-reliance

¶ 儵魚出遊從容,是魚樂也。 [莊子 秋水]
These thryssas come out, and play about at their ease - that is the enjoyment of fishes. [The Floods of Autumn]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuangzi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chinese_philosophers

Zhu Xi (朱熹, 1130-1200)


Zhu Xi (1130-1200)

Zhu Xi or Chu Hsi (Chinese: 朱熹, October 18, 1130, Youxi, Fujian Province, China – April 23, 1200, China) was a Song Dynasty Confucian scholar who became the leading figure of the School of Principle and the most influential rationalist Neo-Confucian in China. His contribution to Chinese philosophy include his assigning special significance to the Analects of Confucius, the Mencius, the Great Learning, and the Doctrine of the Mean (the Four Books), his emphasis on the investigation of things (gewu), and the synthesis of all fundamental Confucian concepts formed the basis of Chinese bureaucracy and government for over 700 years.


Quotes·Quotations by Zhu Xi

Time

¶ 少年易老学难成,一寸光阴不可轻。
The young become old soon. It takes a lot of time to learn something. We must not waste any time.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhu_Xi

ZHOU Dunyi (周敦頤, 1017–1073)

ZHOU Dunyi (周敦頤, 1017–1073)

Zhou Dunyi (1017–1073) (traditional Chinese: 周敦頤; simplified Chinese: 周敦颐; pinyin: Zhōu Dūnyí; Wade–Giles: Chou Tun-i), born Zhou Dunshi (周敦實), courtesy name Maoshu (茂叔), was a Chinese Neo-Confucian philosopher and cosmologist born in present-day Yongzhou during the Song Dynasty. He conceptualized the Neo-Confucian cosmology of the day, explaining the relationship between human conduct and universal forces. In this way, he emphasizes that humans can master their qi ("vital life energy") in order to accord with nature. He was a major influence to Zhu Xi, who was the architect of Neo-Confucianism. Zhou Dunyi was mainly concerned with Taiji (supreme polarity) and Wuji (limitless potential), the yin and yang, and the wu xing (the five phases). He is also venerated and credited in Taoism as the first philosopher to popularize the concept of the taijitu, or "yin-yang symbol".


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhou_Dunyi
人物: 周敦頤 (ZHOU Dunyi, 1017–1073)

ZHAO Feiyan (趙飛燕)

Zhao Feiyan (趙飛燕, c. 32–1 BC)

Zhao Feiyan (Chinese: 趙飛燕, c. 32–1 BC),[1] formally Empress Xiaocheng (孝成皇后), was an empress during the Han Dynasty. Her husband was Emperor Cheng.[2] She was known in the Chinese popular mindset more for her beauty than for the palace intrigue that she and her sister, the also beautiful Consort Zhao Hede engaged in, but unlike most of the famous beauties in Chinese history (such as the Four Beauties), she was often vilified by historians. She was often compared and contrasted with Yang Guifei, the beautiful concubine of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, because she was known for her slender build while Yang was known for her full build. This led to the Chinese idiom yanshou huanfei (燕瘦環肥), describing the range of the types of beauties.


Notes

[1]^ a b c d e Peterson, Barbara Bennett & He Hong Fei & Han Tie & Wang Jiyu & Zhang Guangyu. (1999) Notable Women of China "M.E. Sharpe". pp. 87-90. ISBN 0-7656-0504-X.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Feiyan

ZHANG Zai (張載, 1020–1077)

ZHANG Zai (張載, 1020–1077)

Zhang Zai (simplified Chinese: 张载; traditional Chinese: 張載; pinyin: Zhāng Zǎi; Wade–Giles: Chang Tsai) (1020–1077) was a Chinese Neo-Confucian moral philosopher and cosmologist.


Life and work

Zhang Zai was born in 1020 CE in Hengqu, province of Shaanxi. In his childhood he showed interest in military affairs, but began to study the Confucian texts. Like many Song philosophers, Zhang was initially frustrated with Confucian thought and studied Buddhism along with Daoism for a number of years. But, he decided that "The Way" could not be found in Buddhism or Daoism and resorted back to Confucian texts. His exploration of diverse religious thought had a major impact on his own ideals. In 1056 CE Zhang lectured on the Classic of Changes, which would be known as one of his most memorable works. It is suspected that around this time Zhang had first met the Cheng brothers. After passing the highest level of the civil service examinations, he held several minor government posts.

In 1069 CE Zhang was suggested to the Emperor and given a place in the capital's government, but not long after he ran into disagreement with the prime minister and retired to his home Hengqu, where he spent his time studying and teaching. This was likely the most productive period of his life for developing and spreading his own philosophical views. In 1076 CE he finished his most significant work, Correcting Ignorance, and presented it to his disciples. Later in 1076 CE he was summoned back to the capital and restored to a high ranked position. However, in the winter he became sick and was forced to resign again. He never reached his home town of Hengqu, dying on the road in 1077. Zhang was enshrined in the Confucian temple in 1241 for his work. Many of Zhang's writings have been lost. Zhu Xi collected selections of Zhang's writings in his anthology of Song Study of the Way known as Reflections on Things at Hand. His most important surviving works are probably his commentary on the Changes and Correcting Ignorance.

After Zhang Zai's death most of his pupils became involved with the Cheng brothers' school. His thought became known for the most part through the efforts of the Cheng brothers and Zhu Xi. Zhu Xi honoured Zhang as one of the founders of the Study of the Way.[1]


Notes

[1] http://www.iep.utm.edu/zhangzai/


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Zai
人物: 張載 (Zhang Zai, 1020–1077)