Famous aphorisms from pre-Qin scholars

The famous aphorisms of pre-Qin scholars include Confucius, Mencius, Laozi, etc.

1. Confucius: I will examine myself three times a day. This sentence comes from the Analects of Confucius, which means that you should reflect on your words and deeds every day in order to constantly correct your mistakes and improve yourself.

2. Mencius: In the beginning, human nature is inherently good. This sentence emphasizes the view that human nature is inherently good, believing that everyone has good nature since childhood, but later becomes bad due to the influence of environment and education.

3. Lao Tzu: Governing a big country is like cooking small dishes. This sentence comes from the Tao Te Ching, which means that governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. It requires care and gentleness, and cannot use force or violence.

4. Zhuangzi: When you travel freely, virtue is never alone. This sentence means that by relaxing your mind and transcending the chaos of the world, you can achieve inner peace and harmony.

5. Mozi: Love all but not attack. This sentence is the core concept of Mozi, which advocates universal care and non-aggression, emphasizing benevolence and peace in interpersonal relationships and social governance.

6. Han Feizi: The Dharma is the same. This sentence is Han Feizi's view on the rule of law. He believes that the formulation of fair laws can make the people act in unison and society be orderly.

7. Xunzi: The human heart is only dangerous, but the Taoist heart is weak. This sentence emphasizes that human nature is easily incited and confused, but the moral heart needs to be specially maintained and cultivated.

8. Sun Tzu: Know yourself and your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without danger. This sentence is a famous saying by Sun Tzu about war strategy, showing that only by understanding the enemy and yourself can you win in war.

9. Non-offensive thinking emphasizes peace, justice and mutual benefit, and advocates a social order based on benevolence and mutual interests. Xunzi's theory of evil nature holds that human nature is inherently evil and needs to be restrained and improved through education and moral norms.

About the Pre-Qin scholars

The Pre-Qin scholars also left many other classic quotations and maxims. Mencius' theory of the goodness of nature is diametrically opposed to Xunzi's view. It advocates that human nature is inherently good and emphasizes the pursuit of benevolence, righteousness and moral cultivation. He proposed the concept of the four pillars of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom, and believed that personal and social progress can be achieved by cultivating these beautiful qualities.

There are also other important thoughts and famous sayings in the various schools of thought, such as Yang Zhu's theory of fate or heart, Mo Zhai's theory of name and reality, Xun Kuang's theory of evil nature, etc. These famous aphorisms condense the wisdom and thoughts of the pre-Qin scholars, and are of great value and influence for understanding ancient Chinese philosophy, exploring the meaning of life, and thinking about social issues.